by Sammy Sutton
Amanda put her hand on José’s shoulder. “Get in with him, now, José. He needs you, and has to have treatment, fast.”
“Carmen, drive Amanda.” José yelled.
Carmen wrapped her arm around Amanda’s shoulders as she guided her into the car. She took a box of wet wipes from the backseat. Waiting for the ambulance to leave, Carmen wiped the blood from Amanda’s face.
The ambulance moved, once on the street, the sirens engaged. Amanda jumped from the wailing sound. Carmen followed their path to Cedars Sinai Medical Center. On the way, Carmen kept reassuring her Antonio would be alright, she barely heard her; the words were a constant hum, which made no sense. Amanda was numb; suddenly she did not feel anything at all, her glazed eyes set.
Chapter 52
"The one permanent emotion of the inferior man is fear - fear of the unknown, the complex, and the inexplicable. What he wants above everything else is safety."
~Henry Louis Mencken
Carmen halted by the Emergency Room entrance. Before she got out of the car, Carmen tugged José’s extra shirt from the hanger in the back. As they walked towards the entrance, she put José’s huge shirt over Amanda to cover her swimsuit top.
Carmen continued to remove the bloody smears from Amanda’s skin with the wipes. Amanda remained unaffected as Carmen rolled up the sagging sleeves that covered her hands. Carmen wanted to help, after bearing witness to the pain Amanda endured.
José called out to them from down the hall. “Over here.”
Amanda caught a glimpse of Antonio and weaved through the staff to get to him.
She heard him moan. “Antonio, I’m here.” Someone’s hands gripped her shoulders. A voice came from the grip. “Miss, you’ll have to go…"
“I will not abandon him.”
“Miss, you have to leave, we cannot work around you. If you are family, you will be called back once he is stable.”
Amanda went to the waiting room, defeated. She had no rights, considered as nothing to Antonio. Without the proper paperwork, their relationship mattered to no one, except his family.
José disappeared from sight with the man who removed Amanda from Antonio’s side.
Carmen heard the Judge’s voice echo from the distance. She excused herself. “Carmen how’s Antonio?”
“I don’t know. José is back there, but no one is allowed in until he is stabilized.”
“How’s Amanda?”
“She’s in shock.”
“Take care of her, Carmen. I’m going in with Antonio. Nydia is bringing Mama.” The Judge called back to Carmen. “Tell Amanda, she’ll get to see Antonio.” Carmen hurried back to Amanda’s side.
“Amanda, Maurice is here with Antonio. You’ll be able to go to Antonio soon.”
Amanda closed her eyes, motionless, speechless. Her reactions made it real. Otherwise, it may have all been a nightmare.
The Judge’s arrival sent José back to the waiting room to wait for his mother.
Maurice watched through a window as they worked over his son. He could not see the injuries, but the orders for immediate test were loud and clear. He could feel the urgency when a call for blood was made, and he held his breath at the sound of loud alarms in the room.
He knew he could do nothing until Antonio was out of immediate danger. So he stood silent, waiting, praying, and never taking his eyes off his son.
While it seemed like forever, an older doctor shortly broke away from the gurney and entered the hallway to speak to Maurice. He walked over to the Judge, with his hand extended. “I’m Dr. Gomez. Are you his father?”
“Yes, Maurice Dominguez, I am Antonio's father...”
“First let me say this, your son's physical condition has helped the situation, as he appears strong and healthy. At the moment, before tests are completed, I can only give you a summary of his injuries and what we will be doing to help him."
"I understand Doctor, please…will he live?"
"Barring any major issues that have not presented themselves, he should make a full recovery."
"To begin, let me assure you that your son's injuries will be taken care of within the next few hours, while he is stable, we have to move quickly, and there will be little time for delay." The old doctor smiled at Maurice, took his arm and gently led him to a chair, where he could still watch Antonio.
"His most serious injuries are to his skull and facial structure and tissue. All of the indicators for a severe concussion are present. He has not regained conscious since he was brought in. I understand he was moaning earlier, and I feel I should stress that this is an involuntary action made by your son's body. Whenever the brain is involved, there is always a chance of risk. In this case, I would say his chances are better than most.
I suspect he has broken ribs, a wrenched if not broken forearm and wrist on his left arm. He has severe bruising to the ribs, possibly a few cracked ones, and this will of course be diagnosed by x-rays shortly. Abdominal injuries will be assessed, but I do not think his kidneys or spleen have been irreparably damaged. His jaws are not broken, but a dislocated jaw, broken teeth and lacerated tongue are visible.
His legs are terribly bruised, with deep tissue damage, but the bones appear intact. Due to his head and face injuries, he has lost a significant amount of blood, nothing that a combination of whole blood and saline solution cannot repair."
"I have ordered a number of tests, including a CT scan of his head and face, upper chest and lower abdomen. Once those tests return, we can move onto a treatment plan. I have sedated him lightly, just until the tests come back. I want you to know, he is not in any pain, and we will continue to ensure he is resting comfortably.
Once the tests return, I will see Antonio up to the surgical suite, where a number of fine doctors will take on his facial repairs, and address any other internal injuries that are present. We must work quickly now, I can give each family member just a two-minute visit, and no talking, touching is fine, but we want him to remain in that twilight state for as long as possible."
“How long before we know about the brain scan?” Maurice asked.
“About two hours. As a rule, we will keep him in the ER until we get those results. At that point, we will decide how best to continue.”
“Thank you, Doctor.”
“Sure, Mr. Dominquez, now let me get back to your son. You can come in with me now, and the other family members can follow between tests until he is moved upstairs. We removed this from around his neck, perhaps you would like to see that it is returned once he leaves the recovery room, after surgery." The doctor dropped Amanda's gift into Maurice's hand.
Taking the beautiful pendant, Maurice placed it in his jacket pocket, vowing to allow Amanda to return it to its rightful place, as soon as possible.
Maurice followed the doctor inside the brightly lit room. "Now do not be alarmed, we have packed his face with protective gauze, and covered his head to inhibit bleeding, until the tests are complete." The doctor reassured him quietly. Maurice nodded, afraid to disrupt the conversations between those attending Antonio.
He walked to the side of the gurney, took Antonio's unwrapped right hand, and just held on; until he was told his time was up...
Maurice walked out of the ER, and into the men's-room nearby. Walking over to the sink, he turned on the water, and allowed it to run through his fingers, as the tears moved down his cheeks, and then he splashed his face. Taking a deep shuddering breath, he held onto the sink until he was sure he could let go without falling.
Composure was needed, he had to tell the family, and while Antonio was still in danger, there was hope. He straightened his clothing, smoothed back his hair, nodded at the calm reflection in the mirror and walked with confidence back to the waiting area.
***
The waiting room was terribly quiet for a place so filled with people. The Dominguez family was huddled in one corner, around Mama and Amanda. When he entered the room, every eye lifted to him, and in their faces he saw the terr
or of an expected blow. It was his job to reassure them, and so he smiled as he strode confidently across to them. He watched their body language change with every step; shoulders straightened hands that were clinched in fists, opened. Good, now they were ready to hope.
Maurice went first to Ileana, and bending took her hands in his. "Our boy will be fine. Yes, he is sorely injured, but it is nothing the best doctors in Miami cannot fix!"
Ileana let out the sobs she had been holding back as she had reassured her children that their brother was going to be fine. It is one thing to say it, quite another to believe it. She threw herself up into his arms and cried in relief. The blood she had seen on Amanda, Carmen and José, had left her with terrible images. But, Maurice had never lied to her in all these years, and he would not start now.
"We can only see him for a few minutes, one at a time. Your Mama will go first, then Amanda. Nothing will be said if we act as if she belongs. Now, Xavier, you escort your mother to Antonio, wait for her and bring her back." He watched Xavier lead Ileana down the hallway, and then he turned back to Jose.
“José, once you have seen your brother, take Carmen, get their things, and check them out of the hotel. Move everything to the house. Carmen bring Amanda some clean clothes, she’s covered in blood. Go with her, José. I don’t want her in that suite alone. José, do you have a gun?”
“Yes, Pop.”
“Make sure it’s with you.”
“Yes Sir.”
“José, find out where those security people are, and if they are not dead, fire them.” The Judge ordered.
When Ileana returned from seeing Antonio, José took Amanda down the hall. Her steps were weak, and she was afraid that someone would stop her. As José, pushed open the door, a nurse looked up and held up one finger. Amanda felt him push her forward, and then step back and she continued in alone. The nurse's eyes smiled at her over the top of her mask. "He is quiet now, and you can hold his hand for a moment, but no talking."
Amanda moved to the side of the bed, took Antonio's hand in hers, and bent to kiss his fingers. His beautiful face and hair were covered in bandages, which showed pink in places. He had wires running beneath the covering sheet; his left arm was wrapped and held close to his side. Beeps from the machine assured her his heart was beating strong!
In her head she whispered a prayer and told him to hold on, she was here. While it may have been her imagination, she swore she felt his fingers tighten for just a moment, and it made her heart sing! A touch on her shoulder told her that time was up.
She touched his chest, over his heart, and walked away. She waited in the hallway, while José went in to see his brother. When he returned, he held her, and she held him, while they both cried silently. Once they returned to the waiting room, Xavier and Nydia went for their turn in the rotation.
Once everyone had taken a turn, all they could do was wait. Carmen and José returned with Amanda's clothes, and she found a place she could shower. When she returned to the waiting area, it was to find police officers speaking to José and Carmen. When they were finished, it was her turn. She stayed as calm as possible, and felt José's hand on her shoulder as she relayed the events of the morning that seemed so long ago.
Once that short distraction was over, the waiting game began anew. When the doctor appeared in the doorway, they all stood up. He walked over and spoke to them briefly, explaining what the test had revealed.
"Good news, let's start with top item on our worry list, the scans revealed no permanent damage to his brain. He does have several deep lacerations across the right side of his head, but with careful shaving, we can have those repaired, and he will not lose many of the curls, he must be proud of!" This news was met with quiet laughter, the doctor had achieved his goal, deliver the news, lighten the tension, and then continue with the rest.
"Now, his face will require a bit of work. We have one of the finest Oral Maxi-focal Surgeons in town, on his way right now to the operating room, where Antonio is being prepped. Thankfully his eye sockets, and optical cavities are uninjured, his eyesight will not be affected. He has several teeth that were shattered; both lateral incisors, his first and second molars on each side, and his third molar on the right side.
Due to this damage, his tongue, gums and inner cheeks were severely lacerated. He will most likely be unable to speak for days, but once his mouth heals, he will speak normally.
The surgeon is going to use implants to replace the damaged teeth, and once they heal, no-one will be able to tell the difference between his normal teeth and his new ones. Skin grafts from the roof of the mouth will be used to add tissue to his damaged gum line.
His arm is not broken, not from lack of trying from whoever did this, but Antonio has extremely dense bone structure, and his muscular frame prevented excessive damage. It will require a sling, and stabilization for a few weeks, but will be fine.
His torso bruises were over a large area. But mostly muscular bruising, no blood seepage into the abdominal cavity, his spleen and kidney's are fine, as well as his other organs.
His legs are bruised severely, and will most likely pain him for some time."
"I must return to the operating room, to ensure everything is staying on track. I will return when he is sent to the recovery room."
"Doctor how long before Antonio will be able to go home?"
"He needs to be completely aware before we can complete our test on his mental state, but I do not see any issues there at the present. If there is minimal swelling on his face, his head injuries continue to heal properly, and nothing new happens, I would think, two or three days at the most."
After the doctor left, several of the brothers gathered in a corner to speak of issues that needed to be handled at the firm, and who would be doing it. Ileana was on the phone with Elisabeth, who was keeping the children at home.
José noticed Amanda had been left alone, and walked over.
"Amanda, are you okay?” He asked, noticing she looked pale, almost white.
“He is going to be fine, José. I’m fine,” she told him.
“Amanda, I’m sorry about this morning…you knew… I thought you were crazy. I’m sorry. They neutralized our hired security. Hell Amanda, those are the same security guards we’ve used to protect witnesses from the Mob. All three of them are hospitalized now.”
“José, get Ruger here. He worked with the Government, and he is sure to understand the enemy.”
“Right, I’ll tell Pop that’s what you want. I’m sure he’ll agree.”
“José…” she paused.
“José, it is not your fault. You are a tremendous brother to Antonio. He has always admired and loved you. You did your best and now we know more of what is going on. Antonio is important. Perhaps more than any of us realized.”
“Thank you, Amanda. Antonio is lucky to have you. You’ve saved his life.” He got up to talk to Carmen quickly, and turned back.
“Amanda, one more thing, I sent Marissa to get you a drink, and something to eat.”
“Thank you, but I cannot eat.”
“Try, he needs you.”
She grinned. The Judge sat at her side.
“Amanda, do you want to take Antonio home with us?”
“I think he will want to go home.” She told him.
“I know, honey. I want to know what you feel is best,” he clarified.
“I want us to take care of him. I want him to go home, but you must feel he is safe.” She did not know why at this point she started crying. Everything crashed in on her. It didn’t matter how much she fought, because she couldn’t stop it. The Judge put his arms around her.
José ran over, “Pop, what happened?”
“Son, she’s had a tough day.”
The Doctor came out for the Judge. José stayed with her.
“José, it scared me, I thought he left me. I don’t want to be without him again.”
José knew too well her attachment. “I know, Amanda, he’s crazy about y
ou. Antonio would never leave you.”
“I thought I could handle King Solomon’s Legacy alongside him. I thought I was strong… I have failed, I’m not strong enough.”
“Amanda - the hell you’re not. You did what you had to do when it mattered. You’re stronger than you give yourself credit. Right now, you’re just tired. Antonio’s going to be fine. Now is when you are supposed to fall apart.”
Marissa sat between Amanda and José.
“Amanda, I’ve brought you something to eat, chemical-free.” She looked so cute Amanda had to smile.
“Thank you, Marissa. I am not sure I am able to eat, though. Please, do not be insulted, your concern is very sweet.
“Don’t worry, Amanda. It’s okay.” She smiled.
Amanda looked at her and smiled. “I didn’t realize how much you resemble Antonio. You are quite beautiful, Marissa. “
She blushed. “Thank you, Amanda.”
Amanda took a drink of the juice. She hadn’t even realized her thirst until she took that drink. With her head back, she closed her eyes. Her whole body ached as overtiredness began to engulf her. Everything happened before she had the chance to take her medication.
Everyone was silent. With her eyes shut, Amanda was clueless to her surroundings.
"Amanda?" She heard someone calling her name.
Opening her eyes, she saw José. "He's in recovery, you dozed off, and Mama said let you sleep. But, if you are ready, we can go back there now."
Amanda rushed to clean her face in the restroom, and straighten her clothing. Hurrying down the hallway, she was escorted to the upper floor where Antonio was in a room, with an armed Miami PD officer outside the doorway.
Once inside she took a seat at Antonio's side, and along with his mother, she stayed with him through the next three days. In the first two days, not once did he wake up enough to realize his surroundings, but they made sure he knew someone was always there.
The third day he woke up, and tried to mumble hello to Amanda, it was the most thrilling gibberish she had ever heard.
Chapter 53