“Hi, Alec.”
“Mason … you know Angel Perez?”
“I do, she’s my girlfriend. Her family isn’t here yet. They are flying in from California as we speak. How is she?”
“She made it through surgery, but she is still critical. We had to remove her spleen to stop the internal bleeding; her right humerus and her right femur are also fractured. We placed her right leg in a traction splint until we can operate on it. She has a few broken ribs and some lacerations.”
He runs his hand through his hair.
“The real problem is the head trauma she suffered. She has some brain swelling that we are monitoring. The next 24 hours are critical. She is being moved over to the ICU. As you know, we are keeping her sedated and in a medically induced coma. We placed her on a ventilator to let her body rest. It’s just temporary and will be removed once we bring her out of her coma.”
I run my hands through my hair, trying to hang on to the tiny bit of hope I have. All I can do is nod.
“Mason, you’ll let us know when her family arrives?”
“Of course, and thank you so much.”
“Mason, you and your family should go and get something to eat. The staff tells me you haven’t left since they brought her in.”
“Thank you,” I say, shaking my head.
I turn around and everyone has joined together, hugging and comforting each other. Taking a deep breath, I walk over to them.
I look at them and give a sad smile.
“She made it through surgery, and they are moving her to ICU. The next 24 hours are the most critical. She has some broken bones: her arm, her right leg, and some ribs. They were able to stop the internal bleeding by removing her spleen.”
Taking another deep breath, I say, “She has some swelling on her brain that they are monitoring — that is the most serious injury. She was placed on a breathing machine to allow her body to rest, and she is in a medically induced coma.”
A tear slides down my cheek. My mother and Madison comes to my side. Mom wraps her small arms around my waist. I bend down and kiss the top of her head and wrap my arm around her.
Sara and Brea are crying, and Donovan and Vincent are trying to console them. My Dad is listening although he has his phone up to his ear.
I want to see her, but I don’t. I can’t. I’m not prepared for what I’ll see. We wait in the ICU waiting room. I talked Mom, Dad and Madison into going home. They didn’t want to leave but reluctantly did. Dad said he would be here tomorrow after work. Around 12 I asked everyone else to go. It won’t do any good having everyone waiting around. Sara, Brea, Donovan, and Vincent all leave together.
I sit there alone in my own darkness. All I can do is watch the clock.
Vincent and Donovan return a short time later. We don’t say much, but just having them there for moral support helps. My phone dings to announce incoming text.
R: Mason, it’s Raúl. Maria and I are out front. What floor are you on?
M: Third floor. I can meet you downstairs if you’d like.
R: Thank you, but that won’t be necessary. We’ll be up in a moment.
M: I’ll see you soon.
I look to Donovan and Vincent.
“Angel’s aunt and uncle are here. They’ll be up in a minute.”
I call the doctor and let him know that Angel’s family have arrived. We stand and gather around the coffee maker. We make another cup of coffee and head back to our seats.
The elevator dings and we automatically stand. In walks an older attractive Hispanic couple. I walk over to them with an outreached hand and a sad smile.
“Hi, I’m Mason Myles. Maria and Raúl, I presume.”
Maria nods and Raúl shakes my hand.
My voice catches as I say, “I have notified the doctor that you are here. He should be out momentarily. I’m sorry to be meeting you under these circumstances.”
We all have a seat and wait for the doctor to arrive. I introduce them to Donovan and Vincent and tell them what little information I have and that I haven’t seen her yet. Only family members can visit in the ICU. I could have seen her, but I couldn’t bring myself to go back there.
The doctor comes in and talks to Maria and Raúl. I stand back with Donovan and Vincent to give them some privacy. Raúl calls me over and tells the doctor that I am Angel’s family, too, and to treat me as such.
I stand there with them and listen to the news of Angel. This is the first time they are hearing about her injuries. Maria breaks down in tears, and Raúl is barely holding it together. I do my best to hold my shit together for me and for them. The news is no easier to hear the second time around. The doctor leads Raúl and Maria back to see Angel.
I walk over to Donovan and Vincent, who stand when they see me coming.
“You guys should go home. There’s really nothing any of us can do.”
“Are you sure you’re ok?” Donovan asks.
“I will be. I appreciate you guys being here more than you’ll ever know.”
Vincent and Donovan both hug me before leaving.
“We will be back tomorrow after work. Sara and Brea are closing the office tomorrow and will be here in the morning. If you need either of us, you call us,” Donovan says.
“I will. Thank you and please drive safely.”
I wave my goodbyes as the elevator door closes.
I sit and wait. Maria and Raúl return to the waiting area. I stand as they approach me. They look as broken as I feel. Maria is hugging her husband for dear life. I can’t look at the broken couple any longer. The knot in my throat and the tears have returned. I take a deep breath and look at the door they just came from. Angel is so close. She is just on the other side of the door, yet I feel like she is a million miles away.
Raúl walks over to me and gently places his hand on my arm. I look at him with complete sorrow in my eyes. Maria is sitting and crying softly into a tissue.
“It’s your turn, son.”
Raúl nods towards the door.
“She’s unconscious, but she’s waiting for you.”
I just look at him. I wasn’t prepared to see her. I nod and head for the door to the ICU on unsteady legs.
I stop at the nurses’ station to get Angel’s room number. I stop outside her door and try to prepare myself to see her. I can hear the all too familiar sound of a ventilator. I walk into her room slowly. Nothing would have prepared me for the sight in front of me.
The room is white, cold, and sterile. The smell of antiseptic fills the air. The steady rhythm of the ventilator that is breathing for Angel is the only thing I can hear. Her pale body lies motionless. I can see no movement except for the rise and fall of her chest made only from the ventilator. Her head is wrapped almost completely in gauze. Her face is exposed, showing the trauma to her swollen and black and blue eyes, and some abrasions to her face. The ventilator is inserted in her mouth, almost covering her full lips. Her right arm is in a cast, and her right leg is placed in a traction splint to support her femur bone until it can be repaired. When she wakes up, she will be completely immobile. The traction splint is to prevent any movement to her right leg at all. She is covered only by a thin white blanket.
I take the only seat next to her. I sit on the left side and scoot it as close as I can to be next to her. I place my hand on her cold, motionless one. I take my other hand and lightly touch the small amount of hair exposed through the gauze. I lightly graze my hand down her left cheek. I sit there and close my eyes. I say a silent prayer for her. I lean my head against the railing of her bed. A noise stirs me from my thoughts. I look up and see her nurse checking on her vitals. She administers more pain meds into her IV line that is supplying her body with the fluids she needs. I recognize her, but I can’t recall her name. She gives me a small smile and nods at me.
I stand and lean down to kiss Angel on her cheek. I take a deep breath to try to inhale her scent. Her cinnamon and peach scent has been replaced with antiseptic. I try inhaling again, h
oping to at least get a faint whiff, but nothing. I gently run my fingers across her knuckles before leaving the room. I look back at her motionless body before exiting.
Maria and Raúl are still seated in the waiting room. He has her cuddled into his lap; her face is buried into his neck. He has his eyes closed and is rocking her gently while saying “Todo va a estar bien María, ya no llores,” over and over. [“It’s ok, Maria, don’t cry.”] She is so small and frail. My heart breaks for them and their pain. Angel is probably one of the few family members left in his family. I clear my throat as I approach them.
Raúl looks up at me. I take a seat next to him.
“You guys should head home. After that long flight, I’m sure Maria could use a hot bath and a soft bed. I have Angel’s purse.”
I look over at the seat where I left it.
“Her keys are in….” I close my eyes, willing the tears to not fall. I don’t know where her keys are. They were on her key ring and the keys were in the ignition in the car. I have no idea where her car is either. “I’m sorry. I was going to give you her house key, but I have no idea where her keys are.”
I dig into my pocket and hand him my house key and tell him, “My house is empty; you can stay there.”
“No, Mason, that’s fine, we don’t want to put you out. Maria and I can stay in a hotel until we can get Angel’s house keys.”
“No really, you’re not putting me out.”
I hand him the condo key and Maria writes down my address and the elevator code for the condo. I walk them to the elevator with a pat on his back.
“Please make yourselves at home. Angel’s things are in the spare room, where she stayed last night. There’s food and drinks in the refrigerator.”
I wait with them until they get on the elevator and the door closes, and then I head back into Angel’s room.
Looking around her room, I’m not sure what I’m looking for. I walk over and check out the monitors and the IV bag, no change. I check her IV site — it’s not infiltrated, so that’s good. I check her capillary refill on her fingernails and toenails for blood circulation. I walk to the linen closet down the hall and grab an extra blanket for her. I return to her room and gently drape the blanket over her, leaving her right leg uncovered. I take the seat next to her and hold her uninjured hand with the IV in it. I lay my other hand on the railing of the bed and rest my cheek against it. I say my silent prayer over and over. I will her to wake up. I am jarred from my thoughts or woken up from sleep, I’m not sure which. I pray I was having a nightmare. The doctor is standing over Angel, shining a flashlight into her eyes. No nightmare, just the raw reality of the last 18 hours. I stand and give the doctor some space, I look over at the monitors and the IV bag and then look back to Angel. I look at the clock: 7:18. I feel like time is standing still. It’s been 24 hours since I last spoke to Angel. No words, no texts. Just a motionless body lies in the bed in front of me.
The doctor walks over to me and places his hand on my arm.
"Mason, go home, get some sleep, and then come back. You aren’t doing her or you any good.”
“I can’t, Alec. I need to be here when she wakes up.”
I rub my hand over my five o’clock shadow.
“Mason, the good news is that she’s stable and her condition hasn’t worsened. At least go down to the locker room and shower and change. Maybe get a bite to eat.”
“I don’t want to leave her alone,” I say, looking at her.
“Look, I have some dictation to do and I can do it in here. She’s my only patient here in the ICU. I’ll stay with her until you get back. Take your phone and I’ll call if anything changes.”
I walk over to her and run the back of my hand down her soft pale cheek. I lean in and kiss her forehead.
I look at Alec.
“Thank you. I’ll be back in half an hour.”
He nods, “I’ll be right here with her, so take your time.”
Angel
“Mamma, where is Aunt Rosie, is she still coming?” I ask, sitting at the small table in my pretty pink floral dress, purple boa, and a beautiful pink sun hat. Mamma is just finishing putting red lipstick on me. She puts her soft hands onto my cheeks and kisses me on my lips. She has the softest hands I have ever felt.
“Angel, Aunt Rosie wouldn’t miss this for the world. She’s putting the cookies on a plate and then she’ll be right up.”
“Mamma, we can’t have a tea party without your hat,” I say, giggling. “Here, wear mine and I’ll go get yours.”
I put my hat on her head and run into her bedroom closet and get her big white sunhat with the pink flowers on it. It’s my favorite hat of hers. I see a pair of her red high heel shoes in her closet and put them on my feet. They are too big and I almost fall, but I don’t care. I look in her full-length mirror and model. I look beautiful. I spin around and my dress flares out. I am smiling and giggling out loud. I wrap the feathery purple boa around my neck and clumsily walk into my bedroom.
Aunt Rosie is walking up the stairs carrying a plate of cookies and a beautiful blue and white color teapot.
“Hi, honey, don’t you look so beautiful?” she says, placing the teapot and cookies on the small table in my bedroom.
She bends down and kisses me. She stands and then wraps her pink boa around her neck and puts on a pair of white gloves and a bright yellow hat, before sitting down. She is wearing a long purple dress that goes all the way down to the floor.
Mamma looks at me and says, “I love your new shoes, Angel. Are they new?”
I stand and model my new shoes that I took out of her closet for her. I almost fall, but catch myself. I just got them for our tea party.
“Aren’t they pretty?” I ask.
“They are beautiful,” Aunt Rosie beams. “Please be careful walking in them, Pumpkin. I wouldn’t want you to fall and hurt yourself.”
“I will be careful, Aunt Rosie. I promise.”
Mamma is sitting at the table wearing a white sundress, a pink sunhat, and a pair of pretty white gloves with pearls on them. She has a blue and white boa wrapped around her neck.
“Thank you for coming to my tea party,” I say and smile. “Would you like some cookies and tea, Mamma?”
“Yes, Pumpkin, I would love some. Thank you so much.”
I walk around the table and pour Mamma some tea and place a cookie on her small dessert plate.
“Aunt Rosie, would you like some tea and cookies?”
“Yes, Angel, I would love some. Thank you, and don’t you look like an angel today!”
I pour Aunt Rosie some tea and place a cookie on her plate.
“Aunt Rosie,” I say, giggling. “You always say that to me. Of course I look like an angel — that’s my name, silly.”
I pour some tea into my cup and sit down. Mamma reaches over and puts a cookie on my plate.
“Well, Pumpkin, you are very beautiful all dressed up and thank you for inviting us to your tea party,” Mamma says as she leans in and hugs me. She always smells so good.
We place our tea napkins on our lap and enjoy our dress-up tea party together.
Mason
I am grateful to find a clean change of clothing in my locker in the employee locker room. I shower and change quickly before heading back upstairs. Sara and Brea are sitting in the waiting area. I walk over to them and hug them.
“Any change?” Brea asks.
“No change. I just left to shower downstairs. The doctor is with her.”
Brea hands me a bag and tells me to eat. Sara walks over to the coffee pot and fills three Styrofoam cups up with coffee.
Maria and Raúl walk off the elevator and come towards up.
He shakes my hand and says, “Thank you for letting us stay at your condo. It was very nice of you, and we really appreciate it.”
“Raúl, you and Maria are more than welcome. Good morning, Maria. The doctor is with Angel, and she is stable.”
They leave to go see Angel. I sit with Sara
and Brea and try to eat the Western omelet, hash browns, and toast they brought me. Two police officers step off the elevator and walk towards us.
“Excuse us, we’re looking for Dr. Myles.”
I stand and say, “How can I help you?”
“I’m Detective Farmer and this is Detective Evans. We were told you were the on-duty physician yesterday when Miss Angel Perez was brought in.”
“That’s right, I was.”
“How is she?”
“Still critical, but stable. Do you have any leads on the accident?”
“Is there someplace we can talk, more privately?” Detective Evans asks.
“Can you give me a few minutes, and I’ll see if I can find us a room?”
“Sure.”
I turn to Sara and Brea, who are standing beside me.
“I’m going to get Raúl and look for an empty room. Can you stay right here in case there’s any change?”
“Sure, we will, no problem.”
I return with Raúl and lead everyone into an empty office that Alec said we could use.
We sit, and the detectives tell us they believe this was not an accident. Some evidence indicates that this was intentional. They want to know if anyone would want to hurt Miss Perez. Raúl explains in great detail the reasons that brought Angel to Florida. I had just recently heard about her abusive relationship, and it is very upsetting to hear. He tells them that her ex was a detective with the L.A. Police Department until he was recently fired. Raúl explains about the phone calls Angel got from Jim until she had to have her number changed.
I tell them about her fears and that she thought he was here in the area. I’m not sure why she thought that, if it was a feeling or something more significant. They ask whether I am involved with her romantically. They tell us her car was totaled and where they had it towed to and that a family member can go over and pick up her keys from the tow company and any property that was in her car.
They tell us the vehicle that caused the accident was a black SUV with stolen license plates. Her car was hit on the driver-side door, she ran off the side of the road, and her car rolled several times before coming to a stop against a tree. A woman in a car passing by didn’t see the accident but saw the aftermath. She stopped and called 911. She was with Angel until the paramedics arrived. They said the woman was kneeling down by the driver-side door, holding Angel’s hand when they arrived.
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