Whiplash Hotel

by Christine Crean

  ‘Don’t move love’ Sarah fussed looking for the nurse to give Amy more pain medication.

  ‘I’m sorry Mr and Ms Connolly, might I have a quick word with you’ the ward sister interrupted.

  ‘No problem’ Sarah looked down at her daughter ‘try and have a little sleep ok’

  ‘Ok’ Amy smiled ‘love you both’

  It didn’t take much effort for Amy to fall back to sleep again. She felt exhausted. Taking Seamus and Sarah outside, the nurse whispered to them to make sure that Amy didn’t hear.

  ‘I’m sorry but there seems to be a bit of a disturbance in the waiting room. Security had to remove two men. As your daughter is the only one in intensive care, I’m presuming that they are with you. I’m so sorry to burden you with this but we need to make sure that it doesn’t happen again’

  The nurse looked like she didn’t really want to involve the tired looking parents but as the ward sister she had no choice

  ‘It seems they were trying to get into see Amy and a fight erupted’

  ‘Oh good God, I’m so sorry’ Seamus’ face reddened ‘We’ll make sure that it doesn’t happen again’. He would kill whoever it was but he had a sneaking suspicion that Frank would be at the centre of whatever was going on back at the waiting room.

  It turned out that Frank had announced that he would be going in next to see his wife. Unable to hold himself back any longer, Sean stood up and said that he would go and see Amy over his dead body.

  ‘You broke that girl’s heart. Her sprit was broke and now…’his voice cracked ‘Now, you want to go and upset her again after she’s been through hell and back. Can’t you just leave her alone?’

  ‘Who the hell do you think you are, speaking to me like that? I’m Amy’s husband’

  ‘Hah! Fine Fucking husband you are’ Sean was in front of Frank now almost shouting. Derek, Aidan and Adam stood up looking at each other waiting for the encounter to escalate. Liz rolled her eyes to heaven.

  ‘Don’t be such an asshat Frank, your wife, as you still like to call her, is not able to see you right now. She has been through enough and doesn’t need your guilty head gawking at her’ Liz couldn’t help herself either.

  ‘Who died and made you the boss of the universe’ as soon as Frank said it he knew he had crossed the line. He absolutely didn’t mean to say that to Liz.

  ‘You asshole’ Sean’s fist sprung back and smacked Frank square in the jaw. Derek and Aidan grabbed Frank just as he was about to retaliate. Adam stood beside Sean, his back to the rest of the room.

  ‘You don’t need to do this’ Adam pleaded with Sean.

  ‘The hell I do’ Sean propelled himself again in Frank’s direction.

  Before he could do any damage, a security guard came rushing into the room. Without saying a word, he looked at Frank and Sean, pointed at them both and directed them out of the room. Sean pushed Adam aside and looked at Frank with daggers.

  ‘She’s way too good for you man. You don’t deserve her’ Sean’s eyes welled up as he walked away.

  Adam didn’t know what sort of a relationship Amy had with Sean but it was clear to him that he cared for her a lot. Hoping that it was no more than a friendship, he picked up his coat, he thanked Liz and walked out of the waiting room unnoticed by the others. Now that Amy had woken and she was going to be ok, there had been a release of some sort of energy in the room. The pent up frustration had emerged via Frank and Sean. Frank, after the incident, knew his number was up. Seamus had come to him and told him that it would be best if he came back at another stage. Ever the gentleman, Seamus did not believe it was his place to say anything. What ever happened from now on was between him and Amy.

  As it was five o’clock in the morning, everyone scattered in their own directions. Seamus and Sarah went home to Loughrea with Derek and Aidan. Liz to Amy’s house, Adam to his apartment, Frank and Sharon also went home albeit in different directions. Sean, however, sat outside until he calmed himself. At six, he walked back up the three flights of stairs and pleaded with the ICU staff to see Amy. They never let anyone who wasn’t family in to see patients. He convinced them that he was a cousin and that all he wanted to do was see her. Promising that he wouldn’t wake her, he sat and watched her through a glass partition. Her breathing was even, but her face was stony white. Her heart was strong. Stirring in the bed, she woke her eyes tired and heavy. Before falling back to sleep, she turned her head to the left. Sean stood and smiled at her. She smiled back, trying to raise her hand. He raised his hand to the glass leaving it with his palm facing her. Unable to keep her eyes open, she closed them. A few moments later, she opened them to see that he was no longer there. Maybe he had not been there at all. Maybe she dreamed it. It didn’t matter because she was asleep again.

  Days in the hospital seemed endless to Amy. Glad she was alive and well, she didn’t complain. It shook her to know that the man who crashed into her had died. Knowing he had a family made her very sad, but more so it made her very thankful that she had people around her who cared. Once she was out of intensive care, she had visitors every day, some of which she could do without. Frank was one such visitor. He called in to her just as Sarah and Seamus were leaving one day. Sarah, not saying anything, walked by him a stern look on her face. Seamus simply nodded at his son in law as he placed his hand on his wife’s back. He didn’t have to say anything but his serious expression left Frank in no doubt that he was not in this family’s good books. Reading a magazine, Amy looked up to see a bunch of flowers and Franks face at the foot of her bed. Surprised to see him but no longer angry, she raised her eyebrows at him as if to say ‘what are you doing here?’

  ‘Hi’

  ‘Hi’ she returned, no real tone to her voice.

  ‘Are you ok? I was so worried’

  ‘You were worried?’

  ‘Yes, I was worried. I haven’t been able to sleep for days thinking that something really awful could have happened to you’

  ‘How terrible for you! Something really awful did happen to me’

  ‘I know, you were very lucky not to have been killed’ he returned.

  ‘I wasn’t talking about that’ she flicked a page in her magazine not reading it at all.

  ‘Yeah, about that…’

  ‘Yeah, about that?’ Amy waited for his answer.

  ‘I’m so sorry Amy. I should never have done that. I’ve made the biggest mistake of my life. Sharon…well she…she’

  ‘She?’

  ‘She’s the biggest mistake I’ve ever made’

  ‘Well you made your bed Frank’

  ‘I’m so, so, sorry Amy. Please forgive me’

  Frank put the flowers he brought down on the bedside table. Already starting to wilt, they looked slightly pathetic. He moved to sit beside her, attempting to reach for her hand. Amy pulled away and looked out the window at the clouds in the sky. It was about to rain.

  ‘I will forgive you Frank. It will take a while but I will forgive you’

  Frank looked hopefully at his wife.

  ‘I’ll cancel the divorce proceedings immediately’

  Putting her magazine down and sitting up as much as she could, Amy cleared her throat to make sure Frank understood her clearly.

  ‘Frank, you have hurt me more than anyone should be hurt in a life time. I made my life with you and you destroyed that life when you chose Sharon’

  ‘But’

  ‘Please don’t interrupt me when I am talking’ Amy remained calm ‘I loved you more than you could ever imagine Frank and you took that love in your hands and you killed it. You nearly killed me. I never want to know that sadness again. I hope that you never have to either. 'I hate you for destroying our marriage but in time, I will forgive you. I will not be coming back to you. Please take those flowers and give them to someone else. You can throw them in the bin for all I care. Do not bother telling me anymore how sorry you are or how much of a mistake you have made. I am aware of the magnitude of that mistake. I was the bes
t thing that ever happened to you Frank and you had no idea. I am asking you to leave now. Don’t come back and do not bother me anymore. The divorce will go ahead’

  Frank did not know what to say, his face white. He got up and stumbled backward a little. He looked like he had been shot, as he raised his hand to his chest.

  ‘You know how it feels now Frank. Mind yourself, God speed!’

  Amy genuinely felt no sadness. She had spent it all. She felt empowered and strong. There were only good things in her future now. One thing this accident had taught her, was that life will knock you down. It is up to you to learn how to pull yourself up again.

  Adam and Sean also came to visit but both at different times. She was glad for small mercies. She didn’t need or want to have to start explaining anything to anybody. Adam came most days with a different present for her. Flowers, chocolates, teddy bears, magazines, books. He liked to overdo everything. Grand gestures were the way to a woman’s heart in his eyes. Amy told him that there was no need to be constantly bringing her gifts, it wasn’t that she didn’t like them. On the contrary, who was she to refuse? Sean didn’t visit as often as Adam. She tried not to let it bother her but she found herself waiting to hear Sean’s chuckle at the nurse’s station. He loved having a laugh with the old nurses, teasing them, telling them that his temperature was rising being around such hot auld birds. They loved his sense of humour as did Amy. He made her laugh when she was hurting and too tired for physio. She guessed he was busy at work, taking up the slack because she was off again.

  To her surprise, Sean came to pick her up the day she was released from hospital six weeks after the accident. Sure, that Seamus and Sarah were going to bring her home she laughed when he came into her ward with a wheel chair covered in balloons.

  ‘I’m not getting into that thing’ she giggled.

  ‘That’s good. I was hoping you’d say that’ Sean positioned himself in the wheel chair ‘you can push me then’ he winked at one of nurses he had just brought chocolates to.

  ‘Get out of that or I will be wheeling you down to the A&E in a minute’

  ‘Oh, don’t be getting frisky with me’ Sean laughed.

  ‘You wish Sean, you wish’ the larger set nurse replied smiling when she saw his back was turned.

  Amy had difficulty with her crutches and so gave up and sat into the wheel chair. Her ribs still hurt and so did her scars from her surgery. She realised that she had nothing to be complaining about and took in the crisp fresh air as they made their way to Sean’s car.

  ‘Now, let’s get you home’ Sean grabbed her two suitcases mostly full of presents and put them into the boot. Amy was sad to say good-bye to the good friends she made during her stay but was thankful that she was going home. Getting into the car was difficult for her both physically and mentally. She had not been in a car since the accident and got shivers at the thought of what had happened to her six weeks previous. It had not seemed that long ago, it seemed like yesterday.

  ‘It’s ok Amy, I won’t let anything happen to you. You are safe, ok!’ Sean stood by her side as she got into the car knowing that it would be hard for anyone to get back into a car after experiencing what had happened. She nodded back at Sean knowing that she had to do this sometime and it may as well be now.

  Once in the car and half way home, she was feeling a lot better. The thought of getting back into her bed was comforting to say the least. She had her fill of hospital beds. They drove along in silence, Sean humming along to the radio. He watched her now and again as she looked deep in thought staring out the window.

  ‘I have a surprise for you’

  ‘You do?’ Amy was curious.

  ‘Actually, I have two’

  ‘Come on, what are they? She had no interest in hiding her excitement.

  ‘Well they wouldn’t be a surprise if I told you now would they!’

  ‘Not fair’ she sulked.

  ‘Ah, we are nearly there. You’ll see when you get home’

  ‘What have you done? She was definitely curious now.

  Rounding the last few corners, her stomach danced wondering what Sean was talking about. What surprise could he be talking about? Pulling into her estate and then on towards her drive she instantly saw the surprise that waited for her.

  ‘Oh my God Sean’

  ‘I hope you like it’ Sean smiled with pride, knowing what he had done would make anyone happy. Sean, instead of visiting Amy every day after work, would go to Amy’s house. He had worked relentlessly on her gardens for weeks. With the help of Seamus, they had gone to a garden centre and had picked out plants and flowers of all shapes, sizes and colours. It had been very hard work but the evenings were still long enough for him to get a few hours most days. He wanted to give her something that would last a long time. Adam had given her lots of gifts but Sean wanted to give her something that would show her that she had so much to live for. He wanted to give her something that she would really love. She had talked about getting her garden ship shape for the longest time but because of one thing and another it was never done.

  Looking at her now, Sean felt her face said it all. Tears came down as she touched the flowers and laid her hand on the mature trees he had planted for her. She did not speak she just smiled, the tears still coming.

  ‘Thank you my dear… dear friend’ Amy eventually spoke ‘I love it’ She moved towards him, hugging him gently. She could smell him again. Memories of their time in Dublin came rushing back to her. She stayed there for a few moments eventually composing herself.

  ‘I’m so glad you like it’

  ‘When did you do it?’ She looked around her in wonder.

  ‘When I wasn’t visiting you in the hospital, I came here nearly every evening’

  ‘Ah you didn’t, Sean I don’t know what to say’

  ‘Don’t say anything. Come on inside and I’ll tell you your other surprise’

  Shuffling inside, her crutches in tow, Amy looked at Sean curiously ‘Well? What’s my other surprise?’ She sat down on the couch in the sitting room looking around her but not seeing anything out of place or new.

  ‘Me!’

  ‘You what?’

  ‘I’m your surprise’

  ‘You’ She paused ‘you are my surprise!’

  ‘I should explain’ Amy nodded.

  'Well, we all got together and you see, your Mum and Dad didn’t want you staying on your own and they’re not really in a position to leave their house…having two grown men children to be taking care of and all’

  Amy nodded slowly, not knowing what to say in return.

  ‘Liz, on the other hand has to work and with her dad and all needs to stay in Sligo’

  Amy nodded again, still unsure what he was really coming to.

  ‘So, because I’m living in Galway and work for me is only in the road, I volunteered to stay with you for a few weeks. Until you get better’ Sean waited for a reply, a sheepish look overcoming him.

  ‘I see…right…I see’ Amy had no idea what to say. She had to admit to herself that she would be glad not to be alone. She had become used to the constant company in the hospital and even though she hated being woken up at the crack of dawn every morning, she enjoyed having people around her all the time. This was definitely not a time to be alone.

  ‘Now, don’t go and have a heart attack from the excitement of it’

  He went to take her bags upstairs before she had a chance to disagree. Shouting down to her ‘Anyway, it doesn’t matter what you think. We made an executive decision on it, so you’ve to put up with me until you’re better’

  ‘I do’

  It seemed to Sean that poor Amy was in shock.

  ‘Yes, you do’.

  12

  Living with Sean was not how Amy had planned to spend her recovery period. Not that she didn’t enjoy his company, she did. He was being overly fussy. She did appreciate that he was just trying to take care of her but at times, he was a little over bearing. She over l
ooked it for the most part and laughed at his mothering her. He was such a good friend she realised and she was very lucky to have him. Every day before work, he would get her breakfast and prepare a lunch for her. She looked forward to him coming home every day, having watched all the day time TV she could handle, any conversation with an actual human was welcome.

  While Sean had been staying with her, she had put off any face to face contact with Adam. She wasn’t sure why it mattered. It had seemed what happened between Amy and Sean had just been a onetime thing. Besides, she remembered the conversation he had on the phone that day in the office with, well she wasn’t sure who she was. In any case, she just didn’t want to make things weird by bringing Adam into the fold. Sean had asked her what was going on with her and Adam one night watching C.S.I. Not really knowing what she and he were, she told him that she wasn’t sure.

  ‘Are you seeing him?’

  ‘I guess!’ She looked at Sean for a reaction. Sean didn’t even blink.

  ‘You guess’ He watched the TV screen intently.

  ‘Yeah, I guess’

  ‘Right’ Sean got up and headed for the kitchen. Amy looked in his direction.

  ‘Are you making tay?’ Amy asked, trying to lighten the mood a little.

  ‘What are you going to do when you don’t have me looking after you, huh?’

  ‘I’ll have to employ someone!’

  ‘Ah jasus and I thought I was being paid?’

  ‘Good luck with that!’ Amy giggled.

  Sean took off to bed after CSI, leaving Amy alone with her thoughts. She had hoped that Sean was ok with her going out with Adam. Maybe they needed to meet properly. Get to know each other. What was she talking about? She barely knew Adam. She needed to get to know him. She hadn’t even put him out of her mind when her phone beeped, a message coming through.

  ‘Hi there. Just wondering what you’re doing tomorrow evening?’

  She wasn’t doing anything tomorrow. In fact, she wasn’t doing anything any evening.