Waiting for Romeo

by Diane Mannino

  “Paybacks a bitch, Emilia.” He screams. “You fucking ruined my life and now I’m here to fucking ruin yours.”

  I’m still firmly gripping his shoulders when I slam my forehead into his nose in a swift, upward motion. I hit him so hard that I can hear the crunch of a bone. It’s a chilling sound but at the same time it’s weirdly exhilarating.

  “Fuck!” He screams, releasing his grip from my ankles. Immediately his hands move to the blood that’s now pouring out of his nose like a faucet.

  I scramble to my feet, but just as I make my move towards the door, he pulls my hair from behind and slaps his hand hard across my face. I hear Rosemary’s voice in my head, ‘the next move is called ‘the nose knows’ as I take my right arm and hit him again in his nose.

  I’ve never in my life seen so much blood and my heart feels like it might stop at the sight of it. But the adrenaline running through my veins helps me overcome this feeling and I make to strike him again but this time in his eyes.

  His left arm blocks me at the same time his other hand strikes a swift, hard blow to my stomach. I’m back on the ground with the wind knocked out of me. My eyes fill with tears as I fight the pain.

  “You’ve had enough?” He taunts me as I lie on the ground curled up in a ball.

  I think, quickly. I need to think this through and not hesitate as soon as I get another chance. I curl up into a ball more, giving him the impression that I have no fight left in me and hoping he doesn’t strike me again.

  Seeing him out of the corner of my eye, he faces away from me for a minute. “Look what you did to my fucking nose.” He sneers.

  And, that’s when I make my move. I pick myself up and jump on him. He doesn’t fall immediately. Despite being taller and heavier, I take him by surprise enough to knock him off balance.

  I pound him with my fists until he topples over and then I scramble to my feet again. I give him two swift, hard kicks in his stomach. He grunts in pain as he tries to grab my leg to keep me from kicking him.

  Turning towards the door, I run into the hall. I look, frantically, to the right and then the left. It’s dark but the moonlight streams through the windows so I can see the outline of the stairs in the distance.

  Run. I head to the stairs. It’s like a scene from one of my many nightmares. God, please let this nightmare end…get me out of this house.

  I hear the floorboards creak behind me and without turning back I know he’s coming after me. Hurling myself down the stairs, my legs are shaky and it’s so dark I trip on the last several steps. I come crashing down on my right side.

  The front door is within a few feet from where I land. It’s so close and yet so far. I wince in pain as I push myself up from the floor. But then it happens again, just as I make my way to the door, he lunges at me from behind and pulls my hair.

  Slapping me hard against the face, my head snaps back. My head and every inch of my body pound in pain, but somehow I manage to stay on my feet. It’s eerie and quiet. No bones crunching. No screams. No floorboards creaking.

  One second passes and just as he’s about to strike me again in the face, I knee him hard into his groin. It’s enough to take him by surprise as he falls to the floor and curls up into a ball, groaning.

  Now, Sam’s words flash in my head, ‘Do you really want to know the best self-defense tip? Run – run fast.’

  Just as I grab the door and turn the lock, he lunges at me, grabbing both my arms then pulling them tightly behind my back. “Uh-uh. I’m not fucking done with you.” He seethes.

  His face is just inches from mine, but my arms are useless as he pulls them hard behind me. My head throbs and I don’t know if I can take much more pain. “Let me go.” I whisper.

  “Let you go? The real fun is just about to start.” He runs his nose against mine. The strong smell of his blood is overwhelming and a wave of dizziness crashes over me.

  I struggle to squirm from his grip, but find I can barely move now with the combination of exhaustion and pain pounding all over my body.

  He leans closer to me and I hold my breath to keep out the horrible odor. My throat swells as tears starts to well in my eyes. I try and muster the little strength I have left in me. Swiftly, I snap my head back and head-butt him hard while at the same time I knee him in the groin.

  He cries out in pain and releases my wrists, falling to the floor. I kick him again hard in the stomach. Reaching for the door, I turn the knob and finally swing the door open. The cool air sweeps through the house, pushing the door hard against the wall behind it.

  I run and the cold air gives me enough relief to keep me on my feet. Blinking in the dark, I gasp for air and run, hard. My arms and legs shake uncontrollably, but I will them to push through it.

  I can barely see two feet ahead of me. I know I should scream, but my head throbs and my throat tastes of blood. Nothing comes out. I keep running. Where am I? It’s so quiet, but that’s when I recognize the lights in the distance. Then I see the familiar flash of red and blue: the lights on top of police cars.

  Turning slightly right, I want to scream to them. I keep running and I think I’m getting closer, but I feel like I’m running in my nightmares where I run and don’t seem to move…It’s hard to tell if I’m actually getting closer. I race across the grass and now realize I’m on familiar ground. It’s the campus quad. I push further ahead.

  I keep running. It seems like I’ve run at least a mile. Tasting the blood in my mouth, I push my legs to move faster and faster. The sight of the police ahead further fuels my speed.

  My head feels hot like an overheated engine. I race over a hill and that’s when I see the images of bodies running towards me. I know Logan reaches me first. My eyes feel swollen and my head is so dizzy that my vision is blurred making it hard for me to see.

  “Shit!” Logan shouts. “Someone get an ambulance.”

  I think I recognize Detective Fernandez and Detective Rooney run past me. They have their guns drawn and I hope they get to him before it’s too late. I hope they’re reaching for their guns because they see him in the distance. I don’t look back.

  Just as Logan reaches me, my legs give out. I stumble into his arms as he sinks to his knees on the ground. He cradles my head as I curl against his chest. His eyes are just inches from mine and despite my blurred vision, I know my appearance is awful by the distraught and terrified look in his eyes.

  “Oh, baby.” His voice is a strained whisper.

  “I…” I try to speak, but my mind is so cloudy.

  “Shh.” He whispers. “I’m here, you’re safe now…I’ll take care of you.”

  His soft, soothing words drift over me. I knew he would be waiting for me. I don’t think I’ve ever felt so relieved and comforted to be in his arms…safe in his arms… and then suddenly everything goes black.

  I’M SLEEPING. I THINK. I don’t know if I’m dreaming or if things are really happening around me. It’s peaceful. There are people going in and out of the room. They are talking in hushed whispers. There’s nothing to worry about right now…just sleep. I’m so tired. I just want to sleep more. I try hard to hear the words, but I can’t. I can’t hear anything clearly.

  Everything is quiet. I think I see my mom, but I’m not sure. Everything is so unclear. I don’t feel anything and I don’t know if I’m really seeing anything. I don’t move. I feel so still…like I’m floating on a cloud. I’m numb. I don’t smell. I don’t see. I don’t feel. I just want to sleep for a long, long time. I’m so very tired. I’m drifting and drifting along the water. I’m isolated. It’s dark and lonely. I feel calm and fatigued, but alone.

  If I could move towards the voices, maybe they will find me. Then there’s silence again and I’m alone. I don’t see any light…just fog. But my body fights against it. I want to go home. I desperately push through the haze. I still feel so tired. The voices come and go.

  “But she’s so pale and thin.” I recognize Logan’s quiet, worried voice. “Her face is so swollen.
Do you really think she’ll be okay, doctor?” His voice cracks.

  “All the signs show that she’s going to pull out of this. She suffered a concussion and a few contusions. Her head injury is traumatic, but we don’t have reason to think she won’t wake. We can tell her head was hit hard…she may have fallen.” The voice is unfamiliar.

  “How long will she be like this? Is there any way of telling?” Logan asks. His voice sounds weak and strained.

  I wish I could open my eyes to see him.

  “We just have to take it one day at a time, sir. She has minimal signs of swelling and every hour she shows signs of improvement. They are very slight signs, but signs nonetheless. It’s good you got her here when you did. She has bruised ribs and a broken arm, but we can fix those. Trauma to the head is life-threatening when not treated right away.”

  “What about her…once she comes out of the coma?” Logan asks. His voice is full of pain and worry.

  Coma? Oh no.

  “You’re wondering about her brain? I’m sure it’s hard to see it this way right now, but she’s lucky. Her head injury, while traumatic, is mild in many ways. I know it may not seem that way to you, but comparatively to other head injuries it is.”

  “Is there anything you can do to help her?” Logan breathes.

  “It’s a waiting game for now.”

  Logan sighs.

  “I know it doesn’t look good right now, but everything is pointing in her favor. She’s young and healthy. Her papillary response is also very positive.”

  There’s a pause.

  “It means when I shine a light in her eyes, her pupils get smaller…that’s a good sign, a really good sign.” He says, reassuringly.

  A good sign…Thank God.

  THEN THERE’S SILENCE AGAIN. I’m so tired as I drift back again on the familiar floating cloud. The voices are abruptly gone like someone hitting a light switch off. The voices were on and now they’re off. I’m alone and drifting…it’s so dark and lonely until the switch is turned back on again. There are more voices.

  “You should go get some rest.”

  “Bryn, I’m not leaving her. I left her before and look what happened.”

  Bryn…I want to see her.

  “Logan, you can’t blame yourself for this. I’ve done the same thing…wishing I had met her after class instead of going straight to the track. But I’m sure it happened so fast that there was nothing any of us could have done. Besides you didn’t even leave her alone. Chloe was there waiting. I just don’t get how it happened.” Bryn says. Her voice sounds tired.

  “I don’t know…I just thank God she wasn’t shot, but I can’t stand to see her like this…all I wanted to do was keep her safe…I feel like I’ve failed her.” He murmurs.

  Shot?

  “Look, Emilia isn’t going to feel that way. We have to stop beating ourselves up over how we could have stopped this from happening…and focus on her…getting her back.” Bryn breathes.

  “You’re right.”

  “What did the doctor say? Does he know how long she’ll be like this?” Bryn asks.

  “He says she’s lucky.” Logan says, softly.

  “Lucky? Look at her, she looks awful…I can’t…” Bryn’s voice cracks. I hear her sniffling.

  “I know. But he says her type of head trauma is the least dangerous…and all her signs look good.”

  “I can’t believe this happened.” Bryn pauses and then continues. “There’s one thing I know for certain…she’s a fighter…I know she’ll be okay…she just has to.” Bryn clears her throat.

  “She is a fighter. She’s the strongest girl I know. You know, I just can’t believe he would do this to her. I knew he was fucked up, but this is insane. It makes no sense to me…he wanted money…why did he have to do this?” Logan takes my hand in his.

  What?

  His touch is so comforting. I want to squeeze it to let him know I can hear him. I’m here. But my head and body are so achy. My muscles are numb.

  Bryn sighs. “What do the police say?”

  “I don’t know. I’m hoping Detective Fernandez comes by soon. I know she spoke to the doctor. The doctor was in here…checking on Emilia when Fernandez called. They want to talk to Emilia to find out what exactly happened.”

  “Don’t we all.” Bryn sighs again.

  “I don’t know why he wouldn’t come after me, especially since he has a gun…it just doesn’t make sense? We were waiting to hear from him about the money and then he just snaps and beats the crap out of her? I don’t get it.”

  It’s all so confusing.

  “Do you think Seraphina was involved? Maybe they were working together?” Bryn asks.

  “Maybe…I pray they got the motherfucker. The last time I saw the police is when we found Emilia.”

  “Could you see the asshole?” Bryn asks.

  “I was so focused on Emilia. She came running over a hill and it was as though time stood still. Everything just froze at that moment for me. I only cared about her…it was such a relief to see her. Some of the police ran past us. I assume they saw someone in the distance.”

  “I can’t believe she was running…with all of these injuries…she’s fucking amazing.”

  “She is…amazing and strong. She’s perfect…as much as she will try and tell you she’s not.” His voice cracks again.

  “I won’t argue with that…Oh, I almost forgot…Chloe gave this to me. She found it with Emilia’s backpack and phone in the hall. It’s broken but I’m sure you can get it fixed. Anyway, I told Chloe it was from you and she wanted me to give it to you.”

  Logan sighs. “Thank you.”

  “You can give it to her when she wakes up.” Bryn says, quietly.

  “When? God, I hope it’s soon.” Logan’s hand softly caresses my knuckles.

  “I know…we all hope it’s soon. You sure you don’t want to go get some rest? I’m happy to stay with her tonight.”

  “No. If you don’t mind…I don’t want to leave her. Besides I wouldn’t get any rest even if I tried. I want to be here when she wakes. I always told her I’d wait for her.” Logan whispers.

  “Sure. You know where to find me if you change your mind.”

  “Are you all still planning to go out of town?”

  “No way. I know Emilia wouldn’t want it that way but none of us are in the mood to go away when we know she’s lying in a hospital bed…fighting for her life. I look forward to her giving me a hard time about it…I look forward to just hearing her voice…”

  “Me too.” Logan sighs again.

  THE LIGHT SWITCH GOES OFF. The voices disappear again. I’m alone and it’s so quiet. I want the voices to come back but I’m still so tired. I drift and drift into a lonely slumber. I wonder when I won’t feel so tired. Just when I’m starting to miss the voices…I hear them again.

  “I don’t know what I’d do without her.”

  “I know, Tony. I feel the same way. She’s so strong though and the doctors are very encouraged by her progress. They say every hour she’s improving. The nurses say they’ve never seen anything like it.”

  Dad. Why can’t I open my eyes?

  “She’s a fighter…for sure. She was born that way. Did I ever tell you about when she was born?”

  “No.” Logan answers.

  “When her mom was delivering her, the umbilical cord got wrapped around Emilia’s neck. She was wrapped in the cord…totally tangled…around her neck a couple times and her arm. Her heart rate kept dropping. It was chaos in the delivery room. The doctor and nurses were about to prepare for a c-section. It was really quite scary because all her vital signs were dropping drastically. I don’t know if she would have even made it if they had even attempted a c-section.” My dad sighs.

  “What happened?” Logan asks.

  “The doctor was able to reach in and tickle the top of her head. This was enough to help her wiggle out of it, but the crazy thing is the doctor said it rarely works. He was shocked they didn’t ha
ve to do a c-section, but he knew she didn’t have much time because her heart rate had dropped so much. When she finally came out, he said ‘It’s a girl…and she’s one tough cookie’. He was right…she’s still one tough cookie.”

  “That she is. I’m sorry I wasn’t there with her to…” Logan’s voice cracks.

  “Things happen that are out of our control sometimes…when I lost my wife I blamed myself for a long time. Some people blame everyone but themselves. Some people blame God. But then there are some who blame themselves…that’s where we fall. We’re good at that…blaming ourselves when something horrible happens to someone we love. It took me a very long time to understand it wasn’t my fault and to let go of the guilt. What happened to Emilia isn’t your fault, Logan.”

  “But he was my friend…maybe I could have…”

  “The bottom line is you tried to protect her and keep her safe. Just like I tried to keep my wife safe. Neither of us ever wished for something…to happen like this. It just did and now we just have to be thankful she’s still with us.”

  “I never thought something like this would happen…I was worried about her, but I never thought he’d almost…” His voice cracks again.

  “I know…and I know she knows that.” My dad murmurs. “We need to be strong for her…just like she’s being strong. I could never have made it without her when I lost my wife. I tried to be strong for Emilia. She was so young…too young to lose her mom. But I just shut down…as much as I fought the pain…Depression swallowed me. Emilia probably felt like she lost both of her parents. She really took care of me…she’s really an amazing girl, but I’m sure you already know that.”

  “I do. I love her.” Logan whispers.

  “I know…and she you.”

  “I’d like to talk to you about something…” Logan’s voice trails off.

  ALL IS QUIET ONCE MORE. I wonder how long the light switch will keep going on and off. I wish I could keep it on. My body doesn’t ache as much. I’m still so tired but not nearly as achy. The pain in my head isn’t as sharp. My head feels heavy but the throbbing is subsiding…that has to be good. I sleep. I don’t know for how long, but I’m relieved when the voices return again. I don’t want to be alone anymore.