by Unknown
She hugged Maria – the woman who practically raised her – and gave her a kiss on the cheek. “Thank you, I appreciate everything you do for me.”
She hurried to the garage with one thing on her agenda. Getting to Kyle.
She needed to feel his hand in hers, to be close to him, to feel his heartbeat, and to know he would be okay.
She started her car, knowing she would have to drive through the accident spot again. Damn, she didn't want to see it again. She never wanted those images in her head again. The nightmares she knew she would have for a long time to come would be terrible enough. The sights, the sounds, and the gurgling noise he made breathing through his own blood. She shook her head trying to get the fresh memories out. She hadn't seen him since the accident, so she didn't have anything to replace them with.
She was grateful it was dark as she drove through the accident site. The trip to the hospital seemed to take forever. She'd hit every traffic light, been behind every slow driver on the road, and was held up in a construction site. It seemed as if everything was conspiring against her seeing Kyle.
It was her fault that Kyle was in there. If she had only stayed in the truck, he would be fine. He would be making love to her right this very moment, instead of fighting for his life in intensive care. Once again, she swiped angrily at the tears, falling freely down her cheeks. She parked her car and headed into the hospital. She had to get to David's office unnoticed. She boarded the elevator, hoping no one was still in the waiting room. The hours that had passed, she felt, were on her side.
The doors opened and panic set in. Steve was still here. She calmed when she noticed he was asleep with his head leaning against the wall. She snuck by, making as little noise as possible, thankful she'd worn tennis shoes. Almost there.
“Laine, is that you?”
She froze in her tracks. She knew that voice. “Velma, hi, how are you?” She turned to face her fully. The sweet older lady had been her father's surgical nurse and another important woman in her life. She had never noticed the significance of these women before, but they were both like surrogate mothers. While her own mother was busy with her social duties and parties, Laine had been taken care of by Maria and Velma.
“I know you're here to see the young man, but they have put an order in place that forbids you. I can't let you in, but I take my break in an hour. I won't know what happens in here while I'm on break.” Velma gave Laine a hug, and caressed her face with her hand, just like she had when Laine had been a young girl. It was comforting and so touching, it almost made her cry.
“Thank you, Velma.” Laine pulled herself away from the kind older lady, and headed for David's office.
Eternal_Bliss
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
“Laine! What are you doing here?” David Gross asked, entering his office.
“Hello, David, it's nice to see you too” She rose from his chair and rounded his desk.
“Now Laine,” he said backing away. “I'm supposed to keep you away from Mr. Logan. I could lose my job if I help you, and I know that's why you're here.”
“That is why I'm here, and you are going to help me. After everything you put me through, you owe me this, David.”
His face contorted at the accuracy of her statement. “I'm so sorry about the wedding, Laine. You have no idea how sorry I am.”
“I don't care about that anymore. I mean I've always wondered why you cheated and why you left me standing there, but it doesn't matter anymore. I have Kyle now.”
“I never cheated. I lied about that. I knew it was the only reason I could give to get out of marrying you. But the fact is I did love you. I still do, and always will, just not the way you deserve.” He shifted from foot to foot and chewed his bottom lip.
That blew her away. He'd lied about sleeping with Candy. This story she needed to hear, regardless of Kyle. “Why did you lie? Why not just tell me the truth and save us both the embarrassment and hurt. Why did you propose in the first place?”
He threw his arms up, then he propped them on his hips. “Because, I was supposed to. Our families both expected us to get married. I'm sorry I let it get so far, but I couldn't go through with it. It would have been a lie.”
Frustrated, Laine huffed out a breath, and looked him in the eye. “Why did you do it? I don't want the runaround anymore, just answer the question.”
He paused for a moment, indecision clear on his face. He looked her in the eye and yelled, “I'm gay, alright. There, are you happy?”
Shit. She hadn't seen that one coming. She didn't know what to say to that. She just stood there staring at him.
He dropped his head in his hands. “I knew I shouldn't have told you. I knew it, now you think the worst of me. I would rather you hate me than look at me this way.” He turned away from her.
She went to him, touching him on the arm for him to turn and face her. “David, I don't think the worst of you. I was just surprised, that's all. I wish you would have told me before I planned our wedding and before we had sex. I thought for the longest time, I was the problem. You could have trusted me enough to tell me. We could have given ... never mind, it doesn't matter now. I need you to get me in to see Kyle.”
“I can't help you.”
“Yes ,you can, and you will. I have to see him or you'll start losing body parts.” She was deadly serious. Today was not the day she would take no for an answer.
He paced the small length of his office, stopped, and looked up at her. “Alright, but only for a few minutes. Do you understand?”
“Good enough. I'll take what I can get. When can I see him? I can wait here until you arrange it.” The butterflies in her stomach were fluttering away, making her nauseous.
He seemed to be thinking, as he paced again. He stopped and looked at her. “Melanie and Mr. Beckley haven't left his side for hours, but I need to get another cat scan, so this may be the only way.”
“How is he? Tell me his prognosis.”
“Laine, you know how this works. I can't give you exacts. He has a brain injury. He may or may not wake up. He did show some signs of response to verbal commands, before we had to shock him though, which is good.”
“Shock him? Why did you have to shock him?” She felt the bile rising up in the back of her throat. She knew this was worse than just a traumatic brain injury.
“He has a myocardial contusion, which is a bruise on his heart.”
“I know what it is.” She snapped.
“Laine, I'm sorry I can't give you better news. I can see you care for him. I hope he makes a full recovery, for your sake.”
“As you probably know, his femur was broken, but it was a clean break, so it should heal nicely. He has three broken ribs and a small puncture in his lung. His Glasgow Coma number was a ten on scene, so it could have been worse. I cleared the clot from under his skull, now we have to monitor the pressure on his brain. His heart should remain stable since we shocked him into a normal rhythm. And now we wait. You know this.”
“Yes, I know this. I just wish I didn't. I need you to get me in to see him as soon as possible.”
He nodded and left.
The wait seemed like hours, even though it was only moments. He had Kyle out in the hall on his way down to get another scan. A nurse and an orderly were with him. The orderly was pushing the bed and the nurse was checking his portable ventilator.
When she looked at him, she burst into tears all over again. She had known what to expect, but it still shocked her to see him like this. His head was unnatural looking. He almost didn't look like Kyle. His face was swollen and bruised. He had two black eyes; a tube down his nose; a bolt and a tube were inserted in his head and wrapped with bandages. An I.V. was in his left arm, pumping meds into his system. He had a chest tube in his left side, draining blood and fluid from his lung, and then there was the consistent beep of his heart monitor. He looked so frail.
She slowly approached him and took his hand, noticing the scrapes on his knuckles. “Oh, K
yle, I'm so sorry. This is my fault. God, I wish I could take it back, and I swear if we were back in the truck, I would say I love you.” His fingers moved giving a gentle squeeze to her hand, making her gasp.
“Kyle? If you can hear me, please squeeze my hand again.” Another gentle squeeze of her fingers occurred. She swiped away the tears, got next to his ear, and whispered, “If you'll have me, I'll marry you.” He gave another squeeze with a little more force this time. She smiled against his face and kissed his swollen cheek.
David cleared his throat, getting her attention. “I have to get him down to C.T. now. I'm sorry, but I told you only a few minutes. It's good he's squeezing your hand, that shows some improvement, but we won't know the extent of his injury until he wakes up.” David nodded and the orderly began to push the bed. Laine held on to his hand all the way down the hall to the double doors, where she was forced to let go. She stood there as the doors closed, vowing to be with Kyle, regardless of Jeff and his stupid orders.
* * * *
Jeff was wondering what was taking so damn long. It was just a cat scan, and he wanted to see Kyle before he had to leave to go home to get some sleep for work. He knew Kyle would want him to keep on going as normal as possible, but it was hard to leave him. Jeff was very impressed with Melanie, and had a bit of a crush on her. She hadn't left his side all night. She had held his hand through the worst of it, and when he kissed her, something changed inside of him. He didn't want to just have sex with her and leave her. He actually wanted to be with her.
Jeff checked his watch again. “He's been gone for over an hour. I'm going to go check and see what's taking so long.”
Melanie nodded her head and sat back in the chair.
Jeff knew he needed to find the older lady. She always seemed to have the best information. He checked the nurse's station, the lounge, and the doctor's office. He was about to turn around, when he spotted Laine sitting in a waiting room at the end of the hall.
Dammit, what the hell was she doing here? Did he have to handle everything himself? “What are you still doing here? I'm not letting you in to see Kyle, so you might as well go home.”
Laine gasped and fluttered her hand over her heart. “I'm not leaving. I love him.”
“Yeah, you loved him right into a coma. I don't know what your game is, but it's over. Kyle is done with you.” He crossed his arms over his chest, and widened his stance.
“You don't get to decide that. Only Kyle can send me away.” She stood facing him with her back ramrod straight.
“Well, seein' as how he can't speak for himself because of you, I guess I'll speak for him.” His face was a mere inch away from hers, challenging her.
“I know you blame me. I do too, but it was an accident and I need to be with him, Jeff.” She backed off a little, with her vision blurring again with unshed tears.
“No.”
“You're being unreasonable. You know he would want me here.” She sat back down in the chair.
“I know you're wrong for him. He was a different person before you came along. He was happy and healthy. Now that he met you, he's been upset more than I've ever seen him, and now he may never be the same. He needs his family around him, not a fling that upsets him.”
She slumped in the chair. “Fine, but could you at least let me call and check on him?”
“You can call, but not speak to him, only the staff. And if I find out you're trying to leave him messages, I'll put a stop to it.”
She swiped away a tear and walked over to the elevators without another word.
Jeff waited until she was gone, before he turned back toward Kyle's room. The woman had no business anywhere near Kyle. He knew she would get regular reports from Melanie, but he couldn't bring himself to send her away. She had been his rock through the night. He couldn't have handled it without her. Just as he entered the ICU unit, he saw that Kyle was back in his room.
“Hey, you just missed the doctor.” Melanie said.
“What did he have to say?” Jeff took his place next to his friend and held his hand.
“He told me that Kyle was doing better. The scan looked good and he's following verbal commands again.”
Jeff asked him to squeeze his hand again, and got a small grip in return. He dropped Kyle's hand and scooped Melanie up and kissed her. A mind melting kiss he felt to his groin.
Melanie pushed back on his chest. “Okay, well, I have to go. I have clients all morning.” She gathered her things.
“Mel, I'm sorry, I wasn't thinking. I shouldn't have just kissed you like that.”
She dropped her purse back into the chair. “Jeff, I liked the kiss. That's the problem.”
His brows furrowed. “I don't understand. If you liked it, why are you running away?”
Her back stiffened. “I'm not running away, I do have clients all morning, but I made a promise and I intend to keep it.”
“Let me guess, Laine?” He huffed out a breath. That woman would be the death of both him and Kyle. She was like a poison spreading all around.
She nodded. “Yes, and I happen to agree with her. She should be able to see him. So, if you don't want me back in here, tell me now.”
He couldn't even because of Laine. “You're welcome to visit him anytime you want. I would love the company while I sit with him when I'm off.”
“You have my number, call me when you need me to come up and sit with you. I'm free every evening after five.”
“I'll call you, and I'll need you, just like I did last night. I can't thank you enough for sitting with me through this.” He took her small hand in his, and kissed her knuckles. He watched as goose flesh appeared on her slender arm. He also noticed she didn't pull away. So, he did have a chance.
He dropped her hand, she gathered her purse, and brushed an errant strand of golden hair out of her eyes. “Jeff, I mean it. I can't have a relationship with you.”
He'd bet his ass she was bargaining with herself about this subject. But to let her off the hook, he said, “I know, and I'll try to stop kissing you.” He gave her his best lopsided grin, and watched her pale skin turn pink.
“Okay, then I'll try to make it to sit with you.” She turned on her heel and left.
Damn, she's going to be fun.
* * * *
The first thing Kyle registered was the amount of pain he was in. The second was the annoying beeping machines. He hurt from his toes to his head. Damn, he needed something to numb his body. He noticed he couldn't speak. Something was blocking his throat. Instinct kicked in to rip it out. He reached for it and a hand grabbed his. Probably Pops or Grams, and boy-oh-boy, he knew he'd be in trouble for this one. He shouldn't have been riding his bike in the road. They always took care of him no matter what, so he didn't fight the hand that pulled at his.
“Nurse, come quick!” He heard. Sounded like Jeff. “He's waking up.” Yes, Jeff.
God, he hurt all over his body. He hoped to get the tube out of his mouth, so he could ask for pain meds. His leg hurt, it must be broken. He was never going to hear the end of this. Jeff would razz him for the rest of his life.
He heard a woman say “Hold his wrists. I'll get the restraints.” There was a rustling noise, then he felt something go around each wrist. He pulled and couldn't move them. It frightened him and he fought them, trying to rip his hands free. Someone took his hand, stroking it like a lover. That couldn't be right, he was only thirteen, but he knew about lovers.
“Melanie, keep doing what you're doing, it seems to be calming him down.”
Who was Melanie and why did she seem familiar?
“I'll get the doctor,” the female voice said.
“Kyle, if you can hear me buddy, just hang in there a little bit longer.” He heard Jeff say.
He didn't understand why he couldn't open his eyes. They felt like lead weights were holding them down.
He heard the shuffling of shoes and clothing rustle. Oh shit, that light is blinding. Damn, he wanted to rip that flashlight out
of that hand. One eye at a time was blinded by the pinpoint light.
“His pupils are responsive and he seems to be trying to breathe on his own. Why don't we try extubating him? We'll see how he does, and if we need to, we can put the tube back in. Nurse, grab an intubation tray for me, just in case.”
Just take the fucking thing out.
“Should I move out of the way?” He heard a sweet voice ask. Must be Melanie, maybe she was his girlfriend, he couldn't remember. He remembered Grams making him homemade chicken and dumplings for supper yesterday, or at least he thought it was yesterday. That would be what he wanted when he got home. Grams was the best cook he knew. Jeff made excuses to his foster mom all the time to eat Grams cooking.
“Kyle, you need to cough when I pull this tube out.” He heard a man that must be the doctor say.
The tug on the tube was quick. He thought he was going to throw up as it jerked from his throat. He coughed alright, how anyone could not cough through that, he didn't know. His mouth felt as dry as desert sand. His tongue felt large and useless. He tried moving his tongue around but it felt like weights held it too. He finally managed a weak, “I hurt”, that came out more of a scratchy whisper.
“He said something.” Jeff sounded excited, a little too excited. How long have I been here?
“Ohmigod, Laine is going to be so excited,” Melanie said, still stroking his hand.
Laine? He'd heard that name before too.
“I don't give a rat's ass about Laine,” Jeff said, with disdain dripping from his tongue.
Well, if Jeff didn't like her, then he didn't either. He and Jeff were the best of buds and both liked the same girls. Laine must not be one of them.
He felt a breath close to his ear, it tickled him.
“Kyle, what did you say?” Jeff asked.
He tried to gather all of his strength to get his words out. “I hurt.” He managed a little more than a gravelly whisper this time, although it didn't sound like his own voice. It was low and hoarse.
“He needs something for pain.” Jeff all but yelled.
Kyle wondered where Grams and Pops were. Why he hadn't heard their voices yet. They must have gone home to rest. It seemed as if he must have been here for a while. He remembered the car coming around the corner of the old dirt road and sideswiping him on his bike. It was a white Pinto. The driver was a friend of theirs from a neighboring farm.
