Beth felt like her heart had been dropped off a skyscraper and splattered violently against the concrete. See you later? What kind of goodbye was that?
Beth took a seat on the plane, buckling the seatbelt and leaning her head against the window. Fatigue from the wedding, reception, and consequent events finally set into Beth's limbs, and she fell asleep shortly after take-off. The landing didn't seem to upset her the way it had before, for which she was grateful. She was also thankful that she'd parked her truck at the airport and didn't need to wait for anyone to pick her up (or talk to them after they did). Even though William's parting words had left her feeling unsettled about the whole thing, she was glad she'd gone to New York. On the drive to the hospital she relived her favorite moments from the weekend: the way it felt to fall asleep in William's arms last night; the look in his eyes as he watched her progress up the aisle; his head on her knees as he begged her forgiveness; the feel of his tentative touch in the dark. When the memories ceased to be pleasant musings and began stinging, Beth dismissed the recollections.
As she stepped off the fourth floor elevator and made her way to the ICU, an ominous cloud seemed to be pressing down on her. The hospital's sanitized walls and polished-to-perfection floors made her feel closed in, and the air tasted like decay. The eerie shade of white made her feel as though she were trespassing in the realm of the dead.
Rounding the corner to the ICU, the first thing to greet Beth were her mother's stifled sobs. Her father looked on helplessly as he half-heartedly rubbed his wife's back. She had never seen her father look so unsettled. Usually any catastrophe could be tamed by a good literary conquest, but now she sensed that, for the first time ever, he felt the effects of his erroneous parenting.
"Bethy?"
"Hi, Mom. It's okay, I'm here." Beth stepped to her parents and they pulled her into a triangular embrace. Beth had to pry her mother's hands away to extricate herself after several minutes.
"How's Lindy?"
"She's awake!" her mother sniffed. "The police are taking a statement from her right now, so we stepped out for a minute."
"What about -?" She couldn't bring herself to say his name. "Has anyone found him yet?"
"Not yet, Beth," her father answered somberly. "They've been looking all night and day." He paused, subdued. "They found traces of GHB in Lindy's blood sample from the scene of the accident. A neighbor had called the police to break up the party, and they think Jaxon left in a hurry, before he could-" An involuntary sob escaped her father, and compassion unfurled within Beth. She curled her arms around her father's neck. "It's not your fault, Dad. Lindy is so careless……"
Her father straightened, mopping his cheeks with a handkerchief and gripping her shoulder with his aging hands.
"At least she's awake now, right?" Beth offered hopefully. "When does she get to come home?"
Beth's parents looked at one another reflexively. "She'll probably be here for at least a few days, Beth," her mother began. "They just had to give her a blood transfusion, and she's still on oxygen."
Beth swallowed, trying to drown the rising bile in her throat. Of course she knew what someone who had been in a terrible car crash would look like: oxygen tubes, IVs, cuts and scrapes.....she didn't want to see Lindy that way. Still, she asked "Can I see her?"
"I'll check with the nurse, honey," her father answered, patting her arm and turning to search for the hospital staff.
Beth's breath caught in her chest when she entered Lindy's room a few minutes later. There were numerous scratches and scrapes on her face, the worst of them - the one across her right cheek - sealed with a neat row of stitches. Her eyes were swollen and purple, her wild hair was matted around her battered face, and there was blood in her hairline. Beth was glad the only skin showing was above her neck; she couldn't imagine what the rest of her body looked like.
"Bethy?"
Lindy's eyes were all but swollen shut. Putting a hand gingerly to Lindy's head, Beth smiled down at her, trying to keep the revolted look out of her eyes. Trying not to cry.
"Hey, beautiful."
Lindy just looked up at her sister.
"You know you don't need all that makeup, right?"
A slight curve of her mouth - an attempt to smile.
Beth looked at her wounded sister in silence, feeling sorry for all the times she had lectured her, but wishing Lindy had listened at the same time.
"Told me so?" Lindy slurred.
Beth felt heat and shame color her face. "Not this time, sis."
Lindy's eyes closed, and Beth bit her lip, willing the tears to stay behind her eyes. "Can I get you anything, Lind? A drink or something?"
"Stay."
Lindy's simple request made Beth's chest tighten painfully. Lindy had her issues, but Beth had numerous faults of her own - one of them taking her sister for granted. Now, seeing her twisted up in starched white sheets, tubes winding around her neck and arms, the portentous whir of machines pumping pain medication into her bloodstream, it was clear to Beth. The connections we share in this life are fragile - wispy spider webs, easily swept aside with the crass bristles of circumstance. She lowered the guard rail of Lindy's bed and carefully laid down next to her, bending one arm behind her head and smoothing Lindy's hair with her other hand. Her fingers tingled unpleasantly as she touched her sister's discolored skin.
Lindy's eyes closed, and Beth guessed it wouldn't be long before she slipped back into unconsciousness. "Wedding?"
"Jenna's wedding?" Beth clarified.
"Mmm-hmm....."
It seemed ludicrous to Beth that Lindy would want to know about the wedding, but she welcomed the distraction. Starting with her surprise escort from the airport, Beth began the tale and took her through to the exit scene. She hadn't seen it that way until this moment - a full circle, beginning and ending in the same place. Beth gave Lindy an unabridged version of the story, sensing that her sister had fallen asleep about halfway through. She kept talking anyway, needing to relive the experience for herself. A profound sadness wrapped her in its heavy arms when she described parting from William at the airport. It had been like hearing two strips of Velcro being torn apart. See you later. Beth closed her eyes and let the tears come freely - for Lindy, and in a way, for Gianna again - but mostly for her own emptiness. Soon after, the combination of emotional exhaustion and jet lag whisked her off to join Lindy in restful oblivion.
A couple hours later, Beth started awake to a persistent beeping sound. The room was black as pitch except for the beady neon eyes that peered through the dark at her - indicator lights from the many machines plugged into Lindy. If Beth hadn't known she was in Lindy's hospital room, she would've thought she was trapped in a cave full of vicious, psychedelic bats.
Lindy stirred and moaned something unintelligible.
"What is it, Lind?"
Lindy whimpered, which Beth took to mean she was ready for more pain meds.
"I'll get the nurse."
"Button."
"It's okay, I need to stretch. I'll be back." Trying not to jostle Lindy, Beth stood gingerly and felt her way out of the room.
When she opened the heavy wooden door, the blatant hall lights assaulted her eyes for an instant, burning blue spots into her retinas. After notifying the nurse's station that Lindy was hurting, she began to search out her parents. She wandered down the hall and veered into a lounge, where she found them talking with a police officer.
"Bethy - they think they found him! Did you say you knew Jaxon at Hartford?"
Beth cringed internally at the sound of his name. "Yeah."
The officer piped up. "I'm Officer Al MacAfee, ma'am. Do you think you could identify this Jaxon in a line-up?"
Beth's eyes widened, but she said nothing. Of course she could pick him out. She'd been obsessed with his face at one time, though the thought made her sick.
"We broke up a fight in a bar and made several arrest....they all denied any involvement in last night's incident, but we're holdi
ng them until we can be sure."
"Yes, I could pick him out."
"Would you mind coming down to the station with me?"
Beth nodded, hugged her parents, and refused her father's offer to accompany her. Being cooped up with his wife for so many hours, with her nerves in such a tattered condition, couldn't be easy for him. And Beth suspected that, taking recent events under consideration, he was none too eager to let his favorite daughter drive off with a man he didn't know.
After assuring her parents that she'd return as soon as possible, she followed officer MacAfee to his patrol car. Beth didn't feel like talking, and whether the officer sensed this, or simply didn't make a habit of chatting with potential witnesses, she was glad. As the police car blurred through her hometown of Meryton, Beth found herself reliving the most precious Williamless moments from the weekend: making crepes with Gianna and realizing how much she liked her; singing with Fritz; Jenna sparkling on the morning of her wedding like an angel. Though she tried, she couldn't dissect William from any of it. He was just as omnipresent now as he'd always been. Fresh tears distorted Beth's vision and she blinked them hastily back as Officer MacAfee announced that they'd arrived. She absolutely needed clear eyes right now.
Beth followed Officer McAfee into a dimly-lit room with a panoramic window set into the wall.
"This is one-way glass. You can see in but they can't see out."
Beth nodded, feeling eager and a little…..disappointed. She would love to see Jaxon's reaction to her presence; would relish watching him cast his eyes downward, shamefaced. A face-to-face meeting would've been even better, so she could slap him.
Officer MacAfee pushed a button and spoke to someone in a different part of the jail, asking for the prisoners to be brought in. A moment later, a group of twenty-ish men walked in, each with a big white number around his neck. Beth scanned the line from left to right, gasping sharply when she saw who was standing fourth in from the left, tousled hair and hands in his pockets. His plaid button-up shirt was ripped and stained with dirt and blood, and he glared at the ceiling as if impatient at being subjected to such a scandal. Beth's mouth fell open, and her heart beat so rapidly she thought it might fly out of her mouth.
"Number four," she managed, "what's he doing in there?"
"We arrested him at the bar with the others," the officer explained. "He admitted to instigating the fight, but denied any involvement with last night's incident. Said he was just evening some score. And his breathalyzer came back clean, which was odd."
Beth snapped her mouth shut, thinking quickly. The truth coalesced in front of her eyes as she considered William's timely business trip. He must have caught the next flight out. So, he hadn't lied at all. Something had just come up, and it was something he needed to take care of.
Her eyes filled with tears as she took in William's face. He had a deep cut above his right eye, and a large, fist-shaped bruise was taking up residence around it. His lower lip sported an impressive gash as well, and a trickle of dried blood stained his chin.
"Do you know him, miss?" Officer MacAfee pressed as Beth stared at William with bleary eyes.
"Yes, I know him. He was telling the truth. About a year ago, Jaxon did the same thing to his little sister." Beth swallowed. "Except Jaxon succeeded with her."
"Was there a report filed? Did they press charges?"
"He went to the police, but they never found him, from what I've been told."
"Number four - can you identify him for me? Do you know where he was at the time of the incident?"
"His name is William Darcy. He was with me last night, at a wedding in New York."
"Hm. That's what he said. Okay - I'll take care of that, then. What about this Jaxon? Is he in there?"
Beth tore her eyes away from William to scan the line again. Jaxon stood about ten people down from him. Beth noted with pleasure that his face looked far more gruesome than William's. Notwithstanding, he had a smug look on his face, and Beth glared through the privacy window, wishing it would vanish so she could claw his eyes out.
"Fourteen," Beth said with conviction.
Officer MacAfee smiled wryly at Beth. "Thank you for your cooperation, Miss Pride. If you have time, I'd like to get a sworn statement from you about the other incident."
Beth looked back at William, who was glowering in Jaxon's general direction. Jaxon noticed his scrutiny, and Beth could have sworn that his Adam's apple bobbed up and down. "It would be better coming from William - he knows the specifics."
The officer nodded. "I'll talk to him after he makes bail."
"Bail? But, he's innocent!"
"He's still been arrested on charges of assault, and that's a misdemeanor, Miss Pride. We can't allow him to just walk out of here."
"Will he have to stay the night?" Beth asked.
"Not if he can post bail. Will that be a problem?"
"No," Beth sighed.
Officer MacAfee stepped closer, softening his voice. "Look. As a citizen, I'm not saying he wasn't provoked, or that his actions weren't justified. But as law enforcement, a price has to be paid. You understand?"
Beth nodded wearily.
"Would you like to speak to him while I start the paperwork?"
Beth felt the mashed pieces of her heart begin to regenerate and mesh, and she could only nod.
~:~
William paced in his cell, unwilling to sit on the filthy mattress that was pressed into the corner of the room. The guards had separated him from the others after he had attacked Jaxon for the second time in the communal cell. Savagely, he hoped that the damage inflicted on Jaxon's facial structure would be permanent.
The door creaked open and the same officer who made the arrest stood before him. "Off-i-cer ….you're back! Can I get you anything? Here, pull up a urinal. Or there's always the urine-soaked cot if you'd rather. I hear the porridge in this place blows. You should stick around." William had nothing to lose at this point, and mouthing off gave him a malevolent rush.
Officer MacAfee eyed him severely. "Bail has been set at five hundred dollars, and as soon as it's posted you're free to go."
"Free to go?" William's voice was callous and cynical, his smile gone. Was the cop egging him on?
"Someone has identified the perpetrator, and verified your alibi." He paused, something like a reluctant smile stealing across his face. "She's waiting in the visitor's area for you."
William felt disoriented for a moment, then cast his eyes down. He shook his head, smiling to himself and wincing as the cut on his lip cracked.
The officer broke into his thoughts. "Once you've posted bail, I'll need to get a statement from you about a prior incident involving a family member of yours?"
William nodded as he clenched his teeth, not trusting himself to speak. He'd been given the feral bliss of beating Jaxon half to death, and would see the law claim its debt as well.
Running a hand over his stubbly chin William said, "Sorry about the urinal/porridge thing."
"It wouldn't be the first time, and it won't be the last," he answered with a grin. "Just do one thing for me?" He eyed William sternly. "Give that girl out there a hug. I think she was probably already in shock - and then she saw you."
William nodded, then made his way to the visitor's room.
Beth waited with her arms folded across her chest and a frenzied look on her beautiful face. She looked tired and keyed up at the same time, her eyes bright and sparkling with moisture. As soon as she saw him, she broke.
"Why didn't you tell me you were planning this?" she accused, catching her bottom lip in her teeth to keep it from trembling. "I thought…..I didn't think you -"
"You thought I didn't love you?" William finished for her, and the look in her eyes was confirmation enough. He supposed he'd been a little distant after the phone call from Beth's parents. At first, it was because he was so horrified that his failure to deal with Jaxon had indirectly hurt Beth. He hadn't been able to think of one thing to say to her by wa
y of apology or even consolation. Then, as she'd fallen asleep in his arms, he'd decided that words probably weren't the fix he was looking for, and his plan had taken shape. At the airport, he'd been mentally ironing out the kinks when Beth's row was called to board. He figured the sooner she got on the plane, the sooner he could deal with Jaxon. The sooner he dealt with Jaxon, the sooner he would deserve her.
Sighing heavily, he pulled her into his arms. "I couldn't tell you. You would've tried to stop me - and this was something I had to take care of personally."
She burned him with accusing eyes, dabbing the corner of his mouth with a finger. "This is how you take care of it? By getting thrown in jail?" she shrieked, displaying the blood on her finger to emphasize her point.
He grinned down at her. "Well, getting beat up myself actually wasn't part of the plan, but you can't have everything. Besides, you saved the day." He brushed her hair away from her face and locked eyes with her. "I love you, Beth. That's not going to change. Ever."
Trapping his face in her hands, she pulled his lips down to hers and kissed him hard. Shards of pain pierced his already tender mouth, and he flinched involuntarily. "Ouch!" he hissed, grinning as he wiped the trickle of blood off his chin. Beth tried to give him a stern look, but couldn't quite hold onto it.
"You told them about Gianna," he said, circling his arms around her.
Beth shrugged. "Maybe it'll get him a few more years."
William laughed quietly, then touched his forehead to Beth's. "Thank you."
She kissed him softly on the good side of his mouth. "It's nice to be the hero for once."
He smiled wryly. "Vigilante looks good on you. It's kind of……sexy."
Beth beamed, then laid her cheek against his chest. She sighed pleasantly as William swayed, rocking her like a baby.
A moment later, she looked up at him. "Can we go now? I think I prefer the hospital to this place."
"As soon as I bail myself out," William answered.
Pride's Prejudice Page 25