by Nova Rain
“I’m so sorry,” the Cherokee driver said, his mellow voice unable to draw my attention.
“It’s not your fault,” I uttered in the same tone, my eyes still on Kate. “Where did that Raptor go?”
“That son of a bitch is gone,” An elderly lady replied. “I’d have gotten his license plate, but he didn’t have any on.”
“I called 911. They’re on their way,” a woman next to her interjected.
Tears rose up in my eyes. Reaching out my shaking hand, I cupped Kate’s cheek and pushed some tendrils of her hair back from her face. Holding in a sob, I remembered what had happened to her not so long ago. My friend had cheated death once. Maybe this time, she wouldn’t get so lucky.
Chapter Twenty-Three
Sean
“Code Green! Kate Thornton, twenty-six, multiple head injuries, suspected kidney rupture, airlifted from Shandaken, Ulster County.”
The news called Ryan and me into action. Along with the shift orderlies, we sprinted along the hallway, heading for the exit. According to protocol, we had to drive to the East 34th Street Heliport, and pick up the patient.
My fingers were numb and my heart was sinking into a sea of despair. I knew the victim, and I also knew whom she was with up there. Most likely, Monica had been a witness to yet another, horrific accident.
With the ambulance siren screaming in my ears, I watched the vehicle forging a path through traffic. Cars, motorcycles, and vans moved out of the way, the needle on the speedometer rising past fifty miles an hour.
I was just minutes away from a bitter déjà vu. Ryan and I would have to treat the same patient. The same person would be out in the waiting room, biting her nails. However, unlike a few weeks ago, Kate’s injuries sounded much more severe. The kidney rupture didn’t worry me so much. We had time to look into that, without fearing for Kate’s life. What did worry me, were her head injuries. I didn’t have a clue about them yet, but the head is by far the trickiest and most complex area of the human body. It’s full of nerves, fluid, brain matter, and blood. We had to be extremely careful and delicate; otherwise we could lose Kate forever.
As the ambulance screeched to a halt, I was able to see the helicopter through the windshield. It was flying over the East River, its red and white lights were flashing in the dark, its rotors causing a large, wide downwash. A small circle in the center of the wash had formed as water was sprayed across the heliport.
“Land it, sunshine,” Ryan muttered behind me. “What the hell happened to her this time, man?”
“Your guess is as good as mine,” I told him, watching the helicopter skids touch down on the ground. “Whatever it is, I bet Monica saw it happen: again.”
“Let’s go!” An orderly opened the back door of the ambulance upon Ryan’s order. I jumped out, settling my gaze on the interior of the aircraft. Water was sprinkling onto my face, while the orderlies ran towards the chopper. Monica was in the corner of the cabin, with a doctor across from her. Timmy had leaned against his mother’s side, his eyes shut. Kate had a big bandage wrapped around her head and was intubated. Her partially open hospital gown revealed multiple scratches and bruises along her calves. Although I wanted to hear Monica’s voice, I chose to focus on my colleague. This wasn’t the time for an emotional conversation.
“Good evening!” He yelled, the noise from the rotors subsiding. “I’m Dr. Haywood. The patient is a ‘hit and run’ victim. These are her test results,” he added, handing me a thin pack of papers.
“I’m Dr. Granger, and this is Dr. Bailey,” I introduced us, throwing a swift glance over at Ryan as Monica got off the helicopter. “Thank you. We’ll take it from here.”
“She’s hurt pretty badly,” Dr. Haywood stated, his face tightening. “Best of luck to you.”
“I’m riding in the ambulance with her.” Monica spoke in a wobbly voice, striding across the heliport.
I nodded assent, my colleague’s words about the circumstances of Kate’s injury puzzling me. Hit and run? In a small town, no less? That was very strange indeed. Still, I was in no condition to process that information. I could look into the details some other time. Now, I had to concentrate on my job. I had to do everything in my power to ensure Kate’s survival.
Chapter Twenty-Four
Monica
Helplessness.
That dreadful feeling had overwhelmed me, long before the chopper landed in New York. And, not long into the drive to the hospital, another, awful feeling washed over me.
Uselessness.
I would hold Kate’s hand if she were awake. I would talk to her; try to convince her that she was going to be fine. My friend was unconscious, though. All I could do was watch the conversations between the two doctors. Even that turned out to be harder than I thought it would be. They kept mentioning things like blood pressure, pulse rate, electrolytes, hormones, and something called “RAS.” I considered asking what the hell they meant by those, but I put that thought aside in a heartbeat. They already had their hands full with trying to save Kate. They didn’t need a nosey girl in their way.
Finding myself back in that waiting room, I thought that someone had played a bad joke on me. I was under the same roofing tiles. I was staring at the same walls. The same strong fluorescence that could blind anyone who could raise their eyes up to it shone everywhere. The same smell of medicine was lacing the air, making me want to throw up. However, my surroundings were not my biggest problem. The scene of Kate’s injury was haunting my mind. That horrible moment when that goddamn pickup truck blasted her into the air like a ragdoll was gripping my heart like a vice. The thumping noise her body made when she hit that Cherokee was bringing even more tears to my eyes. How the hell could anyone survive something so violent? Only God knew, and I wasn’t God. I was just a human, waiting with baited breath for news on her condition.
“I’d put your head through the fucking wall if we weren’t in here,” Jessica’s feminine voice put an end to my torture.
“What!?” My brows shot up as she moved around me.
“This is all your fault, you stupid bitch,” she accused, clenching her jaw. “None of this would have happened if you hadn’t been dating your precious little doctor.”
“You’d better shut up, Jess,” I grumbled, her words replacing sadness with anger.
“Or what?” she shrugged, shaking her head. “You want to take a shot at me? Come on.” She challenged me, curling her index finger.
“Our friend is dying in there, and you want to start a fight with me?” I whispered, tossing a nasty glare at her. “Are you crazy?”
“She’s dying because of you, Mon.” Jessica repeated her accusation, her tone much lower. “She drove up there to keep you company, didn’t she?”
“Was I driving the truck that hit her?” I pointed to myself.
“Answer my question, and I’ll answer yours,” she said, the contempt in her eyes enraging me further. Once more, it crossed my mind to satisfy her request. That stubborn mule wouldn’t let up. Maybe a slap in the face would shut her up. Yet, I had to suppress my anger. It wasn’t going to help Kate, me, or her. A fight would just get us both kicked out of the hospital.
“Oh, God…” I huffed, lifting my hands to my temples. “I’m not doing this right now. You want to argue with someone? Go find that prick who left Kate for dead.”
Happily, Jessica chose silence over coming up with a rebuttal. She frowned and turned her back on me. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t force me to believe I was guilty. Kate was a big girl. I hadn’t even asked her to join me on the mountain. I was feeling guilty, but the reason for that was none of my friend’s fault. The reason was sleeping along three plastic chairs in the waiting room. My boy had loved the ride in the chopper. He would remember it for years to come, but I had put him into a huge amount of trouble. I meant to be a good mother to him, and so far, I had screwed it up. He should have been sleeping in his own bed, not in a hospital waiting room.
I sat down next to
him, picked him up by the elbows, and put his head on my lap. At that point, I realized how good it was to have him there with me. Just looking at his peaceful face was enough to release some of my tension. I lay back against my seat and exhaled hard, feeling lighter. In the craziness of that night, Timmy was the one thing that helped me keep my sanity.
Minutes and hours went by in agony. I checked the clock on my cell phone every now and again, hoping, and praying that Kate would soon be with us. To my liking, Jessica didn’t pick up where she had left off. She ignored me, and preferred visiting the vending machines down the hall. Wolfing down Kit Kat bars and downing cokes seemed to be her way of coping with what had happened to our friend.
A small patch of sunlight was peeking through the window to the left, when the door to the operating room clicked open. I lifted my drowsy eyes up, my senses awakening. Sean’s imposing figure came into view. His slow walking pace and his worn-out expression didn’t surprise me. He and the hospital staff had been in that operating room for more than seven hours. I held Timmy’s head in my hands and scooted over to the left, because I wanted to go over to him.
“Don’t get up,” he urged, his voice faint.
“How is she?” I asked him, my heart pounding in my chest.
“We ran into, uh…” he faltered, his gaze finding the floor. “We ran into a few complications. Kate’s injuries were a lot more severe than we’d hoped.”
“Is she…?”
“She’s alive,” he interrupted, preventing me from asking the worst possible question. “It’s just that…” he swallowed hard. “Her brain swelled as a result of the trauma. The doctors up at the Shandaken Medical Center tried to treat it, but they couldn’t. That’s why they sent her down here. Precious time was lost. The swelling has damaged her Reticular Activating System. That part of the brain is responsible for awareness and arousal. Kate’s slipped into a coma.”
“No…” A gasp of shock left my lips as his words shredded all hope. My dear friend had dived into an abyss, an abyss she might never leave. More tears blurred my vision, and Sean just stood there, speechless, biting his lower lip. But he was the last person in the world I could blame for Kate’s fate. He and Ryan had spent hours in the operating room, doing everything they could for her. If I needed to blame someone, all I had to do was look in the mirror.
I put my fingers over my mouth, tears streaming down my face as I heard the click-clacking of heels. Out of the blue, Jessica stopped between Sean and me. Swinging her arm, she punched him in the face. Every head in the waiting room turned in his direction as his own head was rocked back.
“You did this to her, you fuck!” She growled, pointing up at him. “You killed our girl, because you couldn’t keep your fucking dick in your pants, asshole!”
“Ma’am…”
“Shut up!” she shouted as Ryan stepped into the waiting room.
“Get out of here, or I’ll have you removed,” he spoke in a firm voice, halting behind Sean.
“Fuck off…” Jessica grumbled and turned away from him. I dropped my head into my hands, bursting into loud, wailing sobs. I could feel other people’s eyes on me. I had never cared about drawing attention, though. I wasn’t going to start now, either. Kate had paid the price for something I had done. I had loved the idea of being free, but I couldn’t do that at the expense of those closest to me. I had to make a choice. The hardest choice I had ever had to make.
Chapter Twenty-Five
Sean
“Get her out of here. Take her and the kid to a hotel. There’s nothing she can do for Kate.”
Ryan wasn’t good at romantic advice. More often than not, his suggestions consisted of crudities like “nail that” and “hit that and never call her again.”
This time however, he was correct. There was no point in Monica staying another minute in the hospital. The staff would look after her friend, and notify her of any developments. Furthermore, she hadn’t slept at all, and little Timmy had to have suffered on those uncomfortable seats. We all needed some rest. To my relief, she didn’t object to my idea. She woke up her son and followed me out to the parking lot.
The short drive to the “Maddison Hotel” gave me some time to reflect on what had transpired. I didn’t have details; neither could I find out what they were. Monica was sniffling in the passenger seat. For me to ask her how it had all unfolded would be much too cruel. Still, I had no need for clues. Kate had been targeted. Who had motive to commit such a despicable act? The brothers who had ensnared a mother and her child: the same bastards, who had exploited her in the past, had tried to hurt her through her friend. Although I had no evidence to support my theory, I didn’t have any doubt whatsoever. Robert and Chris Davidson had attempted to murder an innocent woman.
I grabbed Timmy from the backseat and led Monica into the lobby of the hotel, believing I should discuss this with Wilks. The receptionist slid the key to a room on the second floor across the counter, the buzz in the lobby annoying me more than it should have. After such a hectic shift, there wasn’t much I could tolerate. I had a tremendous headache, and my body was protesting against the idea of staying upright.
Monica pushed the elevator door to open, and I shoved the key into the lock. We weren’t in a five-star hotel by any means. Proper hotels used key cards to access the doors, but the owner of the Maddison had clearly refused to keep up. At least the room itself wasn’t so bad. It featured two, single beds and a balcony with a view of Fifth Avenue. I eased Timmy down onto the nearest bed, as Monica stepped into the gap between them.
“Call me if you need anything,” I uttered, my voice weaker than usual. “I’m going home.”
“Sean, wait,” she requested, running her hand through her hair.
“What is it?”
She snorted in frustration. “What is it? I don’t know where to start. I mean, look at us. We’re living like gypsies.”
I heaved a long sigh, glancing down at Timmy first and then back up at her. “What more can I do?”
“Nothing: I can do something,” Monica claimed, seating herself on the other bed. “God, this is so hard…” she whispered, scratching her cheek. “This can’t go on, Sean. I wouldn’t mind going through tough times, but I’ve got a child to think about,” her weak voice broke, tears pooling in her eyes. “I took Timmy away from the Davidsons because I thought I could be a good mother to him, but I’ve screwed up so badly…”
“You’re giving your boy a chance to live a normal life,” I countered, my tone mellow as I went down on my knees in front of her.
“How?” she wondered with a sniffle. “Timmy hasn’t been to school in a week. He won’t, until we reach some sort of agreement with the Davidsons. In the past week, he’s slept in a cabin, a chopper, a hospital waiting room, and a hotel. And I’ve put the people closest to me in harm’s way.”
“You have no right to feel guilty about Kate,” I groaned, my expression hardening. “She came to Shandaken of her own accord. No one forced her into driving up there.”
“She’s in a coma, Sean,” Monica reminded me of her friend’s predicament, her shoulders shaking with weeping. “She might never wake up, because I decided I didn’t want to live in a cage anymore.”
“What are you saying?” I assumed a moderate tone, understanding the reason behind her outburst. It wasn’t hard to figure out…
“I’m saying I’m going back to Sands Point.” She uttered the words I had been dreading, confirming my suspicions. “I’ve done enough harm to Timmy and Kate. Who knows who’ll be next?”
“Going back to Davidson will mean the end our relationship,” I pointed out, gazing deep into her reddened eyes.
“I know.” Monica nodded, the shaking in her lips increasing. “I’m sorry, baby. God, I’m so sorry…”
My first thought was an analysis of the reasons why she should change her mind. We had come too far to give up now. But, no matter how many arguments I could come up with, she had the absolute strongest: Timmy. She wan
ted the best for him, not the nomadic life I had given them. The bond between mother and child was too strong; I knew that from experience. I wouldn’t try to come between them. It was unfair and unethical to say the least. Most of all, it would be impossible.
I lifted my hands up to her face and cupped her cheeks. Leaning in, I laid a tender kiss to her forehead, a tear toppling over the edge of my eye. “Goodbye, my caged little bird.” I whispered, my eyes meeting hers once more. “If you ever decide to break out of that cage of yours again, you know where to find me.”
Finishing my phrase, I rose up from the floor as her weeping turned into sobbing. Monica propped her elbows on her thighs and dropped her head into her hands, breaking my heart even more. The sound of her sorrow was torture to my ears. I would volunteer to take it away like I had done before, but that wouldn’t avail either of us. This was her decision. She desired to end what we had, and I had to respect that and walk away.
Chapter Twenty-Six
Monica
A gentleman to the very end.
I couldn’t believe that conclusion, and yet, it was one-hundred percent true.
I had just dumped my best thing, the only man who had shed tears for me, and he didn’t lose it. He didn’t snap, yell at me, accuse me of anything, call me names, or slam the door shut behind him. He just kissed me, said “goodbye” and allowed me to look into the green in his eyes, just one last time.
The sad part? I wanted him to get mad at me. I wanted him to start bitching at me, to throw things against the wall, to kick the stool between the beds or to rip the phone off from the wall. That way he would make my hardest breakup ever seem a tad easier. I would stop believing that he was a refined gentleman, and think less of him. However, he didn’t. He even implied that he and I could be together again, should I ever decide to break free.