Ben was still in the hospital and was about halfway through reading War and Peace. Gennie helped him keep tabs on Lauren. Foster and Page visited her every day and they told the nurses that Gennie was allowed to see her also. Ben was anxious to visit her himself. He found it very frustrating that she was only a floor below him and he hadn’t been able to see her yet.
The doctor came in that morning. “We’ve got some good news for you, Ben.”
“I’m going home?”
The doctor nodded. “I would like to keep you here a little longer, but because of the earthquake, we need all the beds we can get. You seem to be recovering nicely from the surgery, so we’ll discharge you today. Your wife is here with a change of clothes for you. All the papers will be ready in about an hour.”
“Great! I can’t wait.”
“Just remember, you shouldn’t return to work for at least six weeks. Try to avoid unnecessary stress and cut back on the salt and fatty foods.”
“Sure, sure,” Ben said.
“And if you have any pain at all, even the slightest twinge, call the hospital and we’ll evaluate you.”
“No problem,” he replied. “Tell Annie she can come in. I need to get the hell out of here.”
He signed the release papers an hour later. “Do you mind if I go visit Lauren?” he asked Annie.
“No, not at all,” she replied. “I want to see her too.”
They both gasped when they went into her room and saw the condition she was in. There were bandages covering most of her head and various tubes poked out underneath. Both of her eyes were swollen shut and blackened. Her skin was as white as the bed sheets. A breathing tube was in her mouth.
He looked at Annie and saw her eyes watering. He felt like crying too, but managed to hold it in. He bent over and took Lauren’s hand into his own. It was ice cold.
“If you can hear me, I just want to let you know that Annie and I are here for you. I know we had a little disagreement about a week and a half ago, and I don’t know if you’re still mad at me, but if you want to come back to the restaurant, you can. I’ll keep your job open for you until you get better.” He put his hand lightly on her bandaged head and kissed her cheek.
Ben thought he would feel better once he was at home, but actually, he felt worse. He was worried to death about Lauren. If something happened to her, he would be devastated. His first day home was torture. He was trying to find something to do, but if it was the least bit strenuous, Annie started nagging him. For the first time in years, he felt like going out and getting completely drunk, but there was no way Annie would allow that. He spent the whole day watching TV while fidgeting on the couch. When he went to bed, he was unable to sleep. Every few seconds he was tossing and turning.
“Okay,” Annie said tiredly. “I know there’s something wrong. What is it?”
“Uh, I guess I’m worried.”
“About the restaurant or about Lauren?”
“Lauren.”
Annie nodded. “I thought so. I’m worried about Lauren too. Poor thing, her whole life is turned upside down. Her home is destroyed. Her mother is dead. At least she has her uncle. Hopefully, he’ll help her. I don’t know what happened to her father. Obviously, he isn’t in the picture.”
“Uh, Annie?”
“What?”
“There’s something I have to tell you.”
“What is it?”
“It’s probably going to make you mad, but I have to get it out. It’s just making me crazy inside.”
“All right, then, get it out.”
“Well, you see…I’m Lauren’s father.”
Annie’s expression turned incredulous.
“Are you serious?”
“Yes.”
“Do you know for sure?”
“Yes, I’m one hundred percent sure.”
“That explains a lot. You know, about a month ago, I found Lauren’s picture in the utensil drawer. I figured you put it there because you were trying to hide it from me, but I didn’t know why.”
Ben had completely forgotten about the picture. He stashed it there about a year ago and was supposed to move it to his office.
“Are you angry at me?”
“I’m very surprised, of course, but I’m not mad at all. She’s a grown woman, so it happened way before you met me. There’s no reason to be angry now.”
“I feel like a piece of shit, though.”
“Why?”
“Well, I never had anything to do with her until recently. Her mother married another guy not long after she became pregnant so I thought she had a father already, but I found out that he took off early on, so she hasn’t had one for most of her life.”
“She didn’t know that you are her father?”
“No, not until I went into the hospital. I wasn’t planning to tell her either, but she said that she had a crush on me. At that point, I didn’t have a choice.”
“What did she say?”
“She was pissed. She said she couldn’t believe I just brushed her off and didn’t bother to tell her until then. I tried to apologize to her, but she just walked out. It’s just killing me that I’ll never get a chance to make it up to her.”
Annie put her arms around him. “Don’t say that. She’s still alive. You still can have a relationship with her.”
“She’s a vegetable. And who knows if she’ll ever come out of it.”
“I think she will.”
Annie held him closer. “I know it’s tough but try to get some sleep. We can visit Lauren in the hospital tomorrow if you like. I think if she knows there’s a lot of people standing behind her, she’ll come out of it faster.”
“I’d love to sleep, but my mind’s running about a mile a minute. Can I take one of your sleeping pills?”
“Sure,” Annie said, “let me go into the medicine cabinet and get it for you.”
She went into the bathroom and emerged with a small oval pill and a glass of water. Ben put the pill in his mouth and downed the water.
“God, Annie, what would I do without you? You’re a friggin’ miracle worker.”
Annie shrugged. “All in a day’s work, I guess. Now, go to sleep.”
“I love you, baby.”
Annie climbed back into bed and gave him a kiss. “I love you too. Don’t worry about tomorrow. Everything will work out, okay?”
“I hope you’re right about that.”
Chapter 89: October 26
What They Left Behind Page 90
