My face must have looked like I was angry from me concentrating on the events replaying in my mind, because Charlie started to get worked up again. He broke contact and stood up, “I’m sosorry. This shouldn’t have happened. I probably shouldn’t be here as I’m sure I’m the last person you’d ever want to see.”
As he was heading for the opening in the curtain, a woman walked through wearing a light blue button-down, short sleeve blouse with a white overall skirt over it and a little white cap pinned in her up-do hair style, almost right into Charlie. He skirted to a stop to avoid hitting her.
“Oh good, you’re awake.,” when she saw me, but kept looking at Charlie with an uncomfortable eye. “I’m Nancy, one of the nurses in this ward. How are you feeling? How is your pain? I can get you something more if you need it since your sedative has probably worn off.”
“I’m okay for now, but I would like to know what happened,” I stated since I haven’t gotten my answer yet from Charlie.
She eyed Charlie again, probably noticing his anguish and the tears, “You came in with a stab wound in your lower back on the left side. We were told it happened in the mine, but that was it. The doctor can fill you in on how he treated you when he makes his rounds shortly. Is there anything I can get you?”
Yeah, for her to leave but all of a sudden, I became thirsty, so I asked for some water. When she left, I motioned for Charlie to sit. After a false start, he came around and sat back down. Nancy came back and left a glass of water for me.
After she left again, I looked at Charlie and reached my hand out again, which he willingly took. Maybe it’s me that needed his comfort. I kissed his knuckles before saying, “It’s okay, Charlie. I’m not mad, but will you please tell me what happened?”
He told me the events of the incident, with fear and hesitation in his voice still. Most of the fuzzy details in my head I knew. I got stabbed when I was on topof Charlie, but no one realized until after. We also assume it was Richard. They rushed me here as fast as they could while I was profusely bleeding through my jumper.
Then it hit me, “You came with me?” I was in awe but also left me in a bit of a stupor.
“I couldn’t leave you. My dad tried stopping me, but I couldn’t just wait by without knowing,” he paused and squeezed my hand. “Tom, David and I brought you. They went back to the mine, but I refused to leave. I couldn’t. David isn’t to please with me, and rightly so.
“He’ll get over it.” I would make sure of that.
That’s when the curtain parted and Mike barged in. He was in normal clothes and looked none too pleased either. Of course, the first thing he zeroed in on was our hands touching because we barely had time to react. He aggressively whispered, “Let go of each other, we are in public. Are you out of your god damn minds?” I could see the heat radiating off him like gas from a toxic spill.
Our fingers broke contact and I instantly missed Charlie’s warmth in this cold environment. Mike stood standing like a statue, with a glare that would have put me in this bed if I wasn’t already in it. That’s when I noticed the book in his hands. He saw me look at it and he tossed it on the foot of the bed in Charlie’s direction. “First of all, do you know how many trolley’s it took me to get here and how much it cost!”
“Mike,” I tried to come across as stern but anything compared to him right now was just meek. Especially in my condition.
“Don’t,” he clipped at me. “This is betweenme and my kid.”
“No, it’s not,” I shot back, “You are in my hospital ward. So, it involves me. And stop calling him that. He has stated he doesn’t like it, and we should respect his wishes.”
“Fine, you want to be involved,” looking between the two of us. “You both are being careless. And beyond foolish.” He looked at Charlie, “You left that DOWN. IN. THE. MINE.,” pointing at the book. “What were you thinking bringing that there where others could possibly have found it? And YOU,” turning to me, “What were you thinking giving it to him?”
Okay, that was pretty stupid of Charlie, giving him a little side-eye with pursed lips but Mike was overreacting a bit. I went to answer but Mike seemed to be on a roll and barely stopped to breathe, looking back at Charlie. “And you, refusing to leave when Tom left and staying here. How do you think that looks? How were you going to get back? Huh?”
Throughout his rant, he slowly got louder. Charlie sat there stiff as a board. Before I could come to his and our defense, which I was still trying to come up with, Nancy walked in. “What is all the racket and who are you,” she asked startled. “How did you get back here?”
Well, there was our out. “He was just leaving.” I plainly stated not wanting to come across that Mike’s outburst was affecting me any, but also knowing that just made what Mike thought of me way worse. But at that moment, I didn’t care. He was upsetting Charlie more than he always was and I was already having a hard time smoothing out his worries.
“Maybe it was time for ALL of your visitors to leave,” Nancy ordered.
“What? No,” Charlie spoke for the first time since Mike arrived.
“No, Charlie can stay if he wants,” not wanting him to go with his father. Not that I feared he would physically hurt him, but he is already a mess, and Mike wouldn’t be any help for him right now.
Nancy put her hands on her hips. Mike glared at us then swished out of the curtain without another word, almost certain if he had gone any harder, he would have been ripped down. Nancy stood there eyeing us. “No more outbursts,” she said with authority. Then her eyes softened looking between us. “I will try to keep others at bay and warn you when the doctor arrives,” giving us a knowing smile before walking out.
I closed my eyes, needing a moment after all that, but without looking, I grabbed for Charlie’s hand again, for an anchor to weigh me down. I needed him just as much as he needed me.
How did this happen to me?
I was fine alone. I was surviving. How hadwegotten here? And so fast too. Not that here was anywhere at the moment, but I felt like where we were now compared to Sunday was five big steps forward, when it should have been a half step at most.
When I finally opened my eyes, Charlie had terrified tears. “How am I going to get home? I didn’t even think about it. I just knew I wasn’t leaving–”
“Charlie,” I tried to stop his ramble, clearly he got that attribute from his father.
“And how am I going to handle my dad when I do? I’ve only ever seen him this mad once, which is what led us to Pittsburgh. I can’t believe this is happening again. What was I thinking dragging you to talk in the mine, like we weren’t going to get caught and then bringing that book down there? I’m such an idiot!”
