“Is she okay?” William asked his hand clutching Fallon’s. She looked down to where he held her hand and then back up at him. He was beyond himself with worry. They all were.
“I can’t give you that information, sir, but Dr. Aquino will be right out.”
Fallon nodded, taking her parents over to a set of chairs. Without thinking, she jumped up and made them both coffees before she brought the cups back to them.
“Fallon, baby, sit down,” Nora implored, reaching out for Fallon, but she resisted by moving away.
“I need to use the bathroom.”
Leaving her parents, she went into the bathroom and locked the door behind her. Once it was locked she let out the breath she was holding and crumbled to the floor. How did this happen? Why? Why Audrey? Sobbing, Fallon crawled across bathroom floor, ignoring the fact that she probably contracted something from the floor, and started puking in the toilet. She held her gut as she threw up her body mass, tears streaming down her face for her sister, and her heart heavy for Tate. He had already lost everything, and there was a chance that he could lose Audrey and their unborn baby.
Oh shit.
The baby, did they know about the baby?
Fallon rushed up, washed her mouth out and ran out of the bathroom to her parents. A doctor stood before them, talking while moving his hands as Fallon rushed up.
“I’m sorry, Dr. Aquino, please start over, my daughter was in the bathroom,” Nora asked gently, taking a hold of Fallon’s hands.
“Yes, of course, like I said, Ms. Parker’s injuries are very severe. Her face is badly bruised and damaged. She has dental injuries, her two top front teeth were knocked out along with two from the bottom. Her nose is broken, her left eye socket is fractured and her left ankle is broken. But the injury that mostly concerns us is the swelling in her brain. We have started Mannitol to help with the swelling. She is still unconscious and there is a respirator breathing for her. We don’t want her waking and moving and causing further damage, so we are keeping her sedated. When you see her, there will be tubes and machines that are helping her and it can be scary, but she is in good hands. We are keeping a close eye on her and the pressure in her brain. We will know more about her prognosis as the night goes on.”
“When can we see her?” William asked before Fallon could say anything.
“Soon. She is being transferred to ICU. Once she’s there only two of you can go in at a time. If you want, you are more than welcome to go up there now.”
“Thank you Doctor,” William said. After shaking hands with him, William wrapped his arms around Nora, and started for the doors. “Fallon.”
“Just a second,” she said and then turned to Dr. Aquino, “Is the baby okay?”
“Baby? I didn’t know there is a baby,” Dr. Aquino said, opening Audrey’s file.
“Yes, she is six weeks, she just found out today.”
“Okay, I will find out more information on that for you.”
“Thank you, so much,” Fallon gasped, feeling beaten. The doctor nodded and quickly walked away leaving Fallon by herself. She knew she should have run off to catch up with her parents, but she couldn’t move. Audrey was hurt, Tate was in jail and Fallon hadn’t even told Lucas she was pregnant yet.
What else could go wrong?
***
“Tate Odder?”
Tate looked up from the corner of the bed where he sat. He was alone in the room, and he liked it that way. There was no one to look at him as he processed his whole afternoon. He still didn’t understand. Who does this? What did Audrey do to Levi for him to want to hurt her? He still didn’t even know if she was alive. She didn’t have a pulse when he left her. She was dying and with all that blood, she could have passed when he was trying to kill the man who had hurt her. Tate felt bruised, beaten and heartbroken. What was the point of moving or living when there was nothing to live for?
“Yeah?” he asked.
The cop moved from the doorway, “Your bail has been set.”
Tate nodded and moved from the bed. As he was being escorted to the car, Lucas had yelled that he would be there to get him out. He just wished it didn’t take four hours. Walking behind the cop, Tate went like a zombie, going through the motions of life. When Lucas came into view, he looked just as beaten as Tate knew he did. Audrey’s blood was still under his nails and all over his clothes. But he didn’t care about the way he looked or what Lucas looked like for that matter, all he cared about was if Audrey was alive.
“Is she alive?” he asked his heart stopping while he waited for an answer.
Lucas nodded, “Yeah, we need to get to the hospital.”
Tate felt his heart start again.
She was alive.
He started to shake, waiting for them to open the bars so he could get through. When they did, he didn’t wait. He rushed out, following Lucas to his truck.
“She is in the intensive care unit,” Lucas said as he made quick time to the hospital, “She has swelling in her brain, and severe injuries everywhere else. Fallon was a mess when I talked to her, and her parents are freaking out because, well, they,--”
“Lucas, what is wrong!”
“She didn’t wake up yet, man.”
“She is still unconscious, like in a coma?” Tate whispered as they pulled into the parking lot of the hospital. Without answering Tate, they both jumped out the truck, the two men made their way into the hospital and after being directed, ran up to the ICU. Fallon must have spotted them first because when they reached the waiting room, she was standing, her hand clutching her throat as tears rushed down her cheeks. Lucas wrapped her up in his arms, kissing her lips as Tate turned to William and Nora for answers. But Nora was crying, her head leaning on William’s shoulder as he looked up at Tate, “We haven’t heard anything else, but that the swelling hasn’t gone down any.”
“I can’t give you that information, sir, but Dr. Aquino will be right out.”
Fallon nodded, taking her parents over to a set of chairs. Without thinking, she jumped up and made them both coffees before she brought the cups back to them.
“Fallon, baby, sit down,” Nora implored, reaching out for Fallon, but she resisted by moving away.
“I need to use the bathroom.”
Leaving her parents, she went into the bathroom and locked the door behind her. Once it was locked she let out the breath she was holding and crumbled to the floor. How did this happen? Why? Why Audrey? Sobbing, Fallon crawled across bathroom floor, ignoring the fact that she probably contracted something from the floor, and started puking in the toilet. She held her gut as she threw up her body mass, tears streaming down her face for her sister, and her heart heavy for Tate. He had already lost everything, and there was a chance that he could lose Audrey and their unborn baby.
Oh shit.
The baby, did they know about the baby?
Fallon rushed up, washed her mouth out and ran out of the bathroom to her parents. A doctor stood before them, talking while moving his hands as Fallon rushed up.
“I’m sorry, Dr. Aquino, please start over, my daughter was in the bathroom,” Nora asked gently, taking a hold of Fallon’s hands.
“Yes, of course, like I said, Ms. Parker’s injuries are very severe. Her face is badly bruised and damaged. She has dental injuries, her two top front teeth were knocked out along with two from the bottom. Her nose is broken, her left eye socket is fractured and her left ankle is broken. But the injury that mostly concerns us is the swelling in her brain. We have started Mannitol to help with the swelling. She is still unconscious and there is a respirator breathing for her. We don’t want her waking and moving and causing further damage, so we are keeping her sedated. When you see her, there will be tubes and machines that are helping her and it can be scary, but she is in good hands. We are keeping a close eye on her and the pressure in her brain. We will know more about her prognosis as the night goes on.”
“When can we see her?” William asked before Fallon could say anything.
“Soon. She is being transferred to ICU. Once she’s there only two of you can go in at a time. If you want, you are more than welcome to go up there now.”
“Thank you Doctor,” William said. After shaking hands with him, William wrapped his arms around Nora, and started for the doors. “Fallon.”
“Just a second,” she said and then turned to Dr. Aquino, “Is the baby okay?”
“Baby? I didn’t know there is a baby,” Dr. Aquino said, opening Audrey’s file.
“Yes, she is six weeks, she just found out today.”
“Okay, I will find out more information on that for you.”
“Thank you, so much,” Fallon gasped, feeling beaten. The doctor nodded and quickly walked away leaving Fallon by herself. She knew she should have run off to catch up with her parents, but she couldn’t move. Audrey was hurt, Tate was in jail and Fallon hadn’t even told Lucas she was pregnant yet.
What else could go wrong?
***
“Tate Odder?”
Tate looked up from the corner of the bed where he sat. He was alone in the room, and he liked it that way. There was no one to look at him as he processed his whole afternoon. He still didn’t understand. Who does this? What did Audrey do to Levi for him to want to hurt her? He still didn’t even know if she was alive. She didn’t have a pulse when he left her. She was dying and with all that blood, she could have passed when he was trying to kill the man who had hurt her. Tate felt bruised, beaten and heartbroken. What was the point of moving or living when there was nothing to live for?
“Yeah?” he asked.
The cop moved from the doorway, “Your bail has been set.”
Tate nodded and moved from the bed. As he was being escorted to the car, Lucas had yelled that he would be there to get him out. He just wished it didn’t take four hours. Walking behind the cop, Tate went like a zombie, going through the motions of life. When Lucas came into view, he looked just as beaten as Tate knew he did. Audrey’s blood was still under his nails and all over his clothes. But he didn’t care about the way he looked or what Lucas looked like for that matter, all he cared about was if Audrey was alive.
“Is she alive?” he asked his heart stopping while he waited for an answer.
Lucas nodded, “Yeah, we need to get to the hospital.”
Tate felt his heart start again.
She was alive.
He started to shake, waiting for them to open the bars so he could get through. When they did, he didn’t wait. He rushed out, following Lucas to his truck.
“She is in the intensive care unit,” Lucas said as he made quick time to the hospital, “She has swelling in her brain, and severe injuries everywhere else. Fallon was a mess when I talked to her, and her parents are freaking out because, well, they,--”
“Lucas, what is wrong!”
“She didn’t wake up yet, man.”
“She is still unconscious, like in a coma?” Tate whispered as they pulled into the parking lot of the hospital. Without answering Tate, they both jumped out the truck, the two men made their way into the hospital and after being directed, ran up to the ICU. Fallon must have spotted them first because when they reached the waiting room, she was standing, her hand clutching her throat as tears rushed down her cheeks. Lucas wrapped her up in his arms, kissing her lips as Tate turned to William and Nora for answers. But Nora was crying, her head leaning on William’s shoulder as he looked up at Tate, “We haven’t heard anything else, but that the swelling hasn’t gone down any.”
