Attack at the Gardens
Title: Attack at the Gardens
Words: ~7,500
Notes: Part of YAME. This is a draft because I wasn't quite sure about hospital procedures or my english anatomy and haven't had time to do some throughout research. Also, this was written in chunks over the past week or so, so there may be some discrepancies since it changed in my mind a few times. I tried to catch them when I read it over again, but I might've missed something. I also tried to distance myself from the hurt so I hope it doesn't sound flat.
Summary: In which people get hurt, some things come out into the open, others stay hidden, and bad memories come to the surface.
Warnings: Violence, my memory of grade 10 spanish.
Attack at the Gardens
“Oi! Wait up!” Anita shouted, sounding confused and irritated as she ran after me. It didn’t take her long to catch up despite her fancy shoes; the Public Gardens was full of obstacles that would take me down if I went too fast. She put a hand on my shoulder, forcing me to stop for a moment. “What’s going on?”
“Someone’s getting hurt over there.” I pointed past the gazebo, towards the duck pond that occupied the centre of the Gardens. “Let go!”
Instead of doing as I asked, she grabbed my hand and forced me to run behind her. We actually made better time than we would’ve otherwise since she could see which way the gravel path meandered around the plants. As I ran, the sounds of pain and laughter became stronger, until I was fairly sure Anita could hear them too. The scent of blood wafted towards me almost masked by the scent of flowers, tress, and pond life. If the flowers had been in full bloom like they had been last month, I would’ve never been able to detect it.
Finally, we came upon the culprits in the left corner of the Gardens. They were hiding behind the observation shack overlying the duck pond. Their victim was already on the ground, his breathing erratic between kicks to his sides. By the sound of it, they were even wearing boots. “Leave him alone!” I ordered them, letting go of Anita’s hand so I could wield my walking stick with both hands.
“What’s a blind little girl with a cane going to do to us?” One of the men jeered, making his two buddies laugh. “We were just having a discussion with this hobo. Nothing to worry your pretty little head about.”
“Is that you Peter?” Anita asked softly, completely ignoring the man in front of us.
“…run…” He replied weakly, exhaling sharply as somebody gave him another kick to the stomach.
“I’m not leaving you behind you idiot.” I walked forward, keeping their positions firmly in mind. “Get out of my way.”
“Sorry babe, but I don’t take orders from freaks of nature.” The man’s voice lost its pleasantness, becoming hard and violent. “If you come any closer, than you’ll be trash like him.”
I whacked one of his cronies over the head with my cane as an answer. The man was too close to the pond, being on guard duty or something, so when he lost his balance and fell backwards, he fell into the water with a large splash. A couple nearby ducks gave indignant quacks before swimming back towards the island in the middle of the pond where they built their nests.
The other crony ran towards us with a yell, and then Anita was shoving me to the side. I heard her first connect with the man’s face, making him take a step back. But then he seemed to recover from the blow and came forward again with a feral growl. Next thing I knew, he was lying on the ground and Anita was walking towards Peter and the leader. “You caused me to ruin my manicure.” She informed him furiously, tapping her foot against the gravel path irritably. “Now get the hell away from that man or I’ll make you join your buddy in the duck pond.”
“What’s a beautiful woman like you helping that blind freak for?” He asked curiously, not moving. “And where did you learn to fight?”
“My roommate from college insisted that I learn something more dignified than street brawling.” Anita answered impatiently. “And I happen to think that her blindness adds to her beauty so get the hell away from our friend.”
“You’re a dyke?”
“Of course.” Anita punched him in the face, forcing him to take a step away from Peter, towards the left of the shack. I heard someone take a deep breathe from above. I ignored the sound for now to keep Anita’s opponent from noticing the child, and knelt down beside Peter, feeling his body for mortal injuries. Thankfully, there were no gaping wounds, just some torn skin and a lot of painful bruises.
I did not notice Anita’s first opponent until he had his hands around my throat. I reacted immediately though, elbowing him in the solar plexus and then breaking away when he loosened his grip slightly. I then whacked him over the head with the end of my cane.
Still, Anita must’ve heard the scuffle because she turned away from her fight for a second to see if I needed help. The next thing I heard was a metal blade sliding into flesh and Anita’s scream of pain. She stumbled away from her opponent, losing her balance only to fall to her knees. “Anita!!” I screamed, running towards Anita’s attacker. “You bastard!”
I was going to charge right at him, but dodged left instinctively when I was a foot away. He gave a little sound of irritation before shifting his body weight, the knife making a distinct sound as he stabbed it forward. I took a quick step backwards and swung my cane at chest-level, hitting his knife hand with all the power I could muster. He hastily backed away from my follow up swing, shaking his numbed hand to get the feeling back. He ducked when I tried to smack him in the head but couldn’t evade my forward jab to his stomach.
And then the inconsiderate coward ran away before I could knock him unconscious.
I kneeled down beside Anita, dropping my walking stick in favor of feeling her back. The man stabbed her just below her ribs, a wound that zigzagged downwards to her lower back, becoming shallower as it went. I took off my shirt and tore the lower half into one long strip of fabric. I then started to wrap it around her waist tightly, wondering why no one had noticed a man falling into the pond yet.
“I must remember that getting hurt is a good way to get you half-naked.” Anita said, falling forwards into my lap (on purpose or by accident I don’t know). Either way, she ended up resting her face against my breasts.
“Don’t you dare die on me!” I hissed, holding her tightly. “How does Peter look? I can hear him breathing but it sounds ragged.”
“Like he’s been through the meat grinder.” Anita said after a moment, and I realized that her blood was soaking through my makeshift bandages onto my hands. “Oi, Peter, you still alive?”
“…told you to run…” He groaned, unable to move away from where he was lying. “…you okay Melissa?” He asked.
“MOMMY!!!” The child screamed from the top of the look-out shack. Apparently, Peter had helped her up there so she could hide from his attackers. Considering what had happened, it was amazing that she waited that long before screaming for help.
Instead of joining her, I kept Anita and Peter talking. I don’t know many times I threatened to kill them if they left me here alone, nor do I want to. I do remember wishing that Kelly was with me though, she always had a cell phone on her, either in her jacket or in her purse. Either way, it would be very useful.
And then I felt like a complete moron.
“Anita, where’s your cell?” I asked as the child’s desperate cries suddenly became happier. I could dimly hear someone running our way, the child’s mother probably.
“In my back pocket.” Her voice sounded distracted, as if she was losing her focus on her surroundings. I found it after a minute, a hard metal rectangle that was a sharp contrast to her ass. “I like a woman who’ll cope a feel.” She murmured, nuzzling my chest weakly.
I called 911, ignoring her comment in favor of getting us some help. The child’s mother arrived as I was hanging up, lifting her child off the roof of the shack before coming over to us.
“I’m Laura, a nurse at the VG. What happened?”
“Three men attacked Peter when he was defending your kid.” I pointed to the man who seemed to be seriously considering passing out. “Then Anita got stabbed and the other guy ran away.”
“What’d he look like?”
Why do people always ask that?
“Blind leading the blind.” Anita muttered faintly.
“I called the ambulance.” I said instead of answering the newcomer’s question. “Can you help him stay conscious? I’m having a hard time keeping her focused.”
“What’s his name?”
“Peter Langly.” I answered, hitting Anita’s cheek lightly as her head started to droop forward.
I heard the nurse give a sharp gasp but she wasted no time going to Peter’s side. I thought I heard him whisper ‘Laura’ but Anita suddenly started coughing so I’m not sure. “Don’t you dare fade on me Anita Sanchez!” I ordered her, rubbing her upper back.
“Why not? It would hurt less.” She managed, shuddering like mad. Until then, I didn’t realize how cold I was, having nothing but a bra to protect my upper body from the northern wind. I shoved that to the back of my mind, forcing myself to focus on her words. “Maybe pleasant…”
“I don’t want you to leave me too!” I told her fiercely. “I love you too much.”
“You Kelly.” She protested.
“I love you and Kelly.” I kissed her gently on the lips. At first, it felt like she wasn’t going to kiss me back, but then she did. It was surprisingly tender, but the tinge of blood in her mouth kept me firmly in the moment. I could hear sirens coming from South Park St., finally arriving at the park gates as Anita pulled away.
“Will you finally have sex with me then?” She asked curiously, resting her head on my shoulder.
“Only if you get better soon.” I told her, wondering how I’d explain that promise to Kelly. “Or maybe you’ll get your threesome.”
“Ooh goody.” She said dreamily. “I guess I’ll have to get better then.”
“Damn straight.” I muttered, hoping that the other people hadn’t been eavesdropping.
Then the emergency personnel finally arrived and lifted Anita onto a stretcher and Peter onto another. One of the dears even gave me his jacket as they loaded my friends into the ambulances.
“What’s you’re name?” The female paramedic asked Anita gently
“Anita Sanchez. Did I tell you you’re pretty?”
“Thank you. Now Anita, I need to know if you’re allergic to anything? What’s your blood type? Are you on any drugs?”
“I’m A, drug-free, and I can take whatever you throw at me.” She answered giddily, tapping my head with a hand. “She’s finally going to let me make love to her.” She added conspiratorially.
And then the bugger fainted, leaving me to explain to the amused paramedic that I didn’t know anything about her medically. Another oblivious paramedic asked me the same questions about the unconscious Peter.
“Peter Langly’s type is AB negative and he gets a rash when you give him more than three doses of general anesthesia.” It was Laura the nurse who answered. “And the only drugs he’s ever taken was Tylenol, sleeping medication, and booze.”
“And you are?”
“Laura Hudson, a nurse at the VG. He was my husband five years ago.”
Then the female paramedic shut the door of our ambulance and we were off to the hospital. She asked me to go over the story again as she worked. I did as she asked, holding Anita’s hand in both of mine.
And in my heart, I wished for things to turn out all right.
~@~@~@~@~
Things seemed to pass in a blur as they unloaded Anita’s stretcher from the ambulance and wheeled it into the ER. The paramedics gave the responding doctor the abbreviated version of the story and left after they lifted her onto a bed. I couldn’t really follow what they did after that: there were too many people; too many machines beeping, whirring, and hissing; too many abbreviations to follow what they were saying. I just kept one of Anita’s hands in mine, hoping that she would be okay. Somebody called for a Dr. MacDonald, and another man soon joined the space around the bed.
“You have to let go now.” He said gently, putting his hand between Anita’s and mine. “Non-family members have to wait in the reception area while the doctors work. I’ll escort you there.”
“Why?” I asked, not wanting to leave Anita in the hands of strangers. “She always says that being around people you love makes you heal faster so shouldn’t I stay?”
“I’m sorry ma’am, but I can’t let that happen.” The man said firmly, pulling me away from Anita. He actually started to push me out of the room. “The best thing you can do for her right now is help the receptionist fill out an admission form and contact the next of kin.”
“Will she be okay though?” I stalled, turning around when I heard Anita suddenly take one shallow breath after another.
“She’s young and healthy.” The doctor said reassuringly, continuing to nudge me forwards. “I’ve seen people recover from much deeper stab wounds.” He patted me on the shoulder a couple of times and then we were back in the main lobby. I could hear people groaning in pain, milder injuries that could wait until the busy doctors could attend to them. “Layla, can you held Miss McKay here fill in a form for her friend? I need to go check on my intern.”
I heard a disapproving ‘tut’ from my left, and suddenly a woman was leading me by the hand towards the counter. “You poor dear, I don’t know why nobody offered you a better jacket. I know they don’t have much in ambulances but somebody could’ve gotten you a jacket that zipped up further.”
“There wasn’t time.” I murmured, only half paying attention to the woman as she sat me down on a chair behind the main counter.
“I keep a spare t-shirt here for just that purpose. It’s one of my husbands so it’ll be big on you, but it’ll keep the men from staring at your bra.” Layla rummaged around her desk for a moment. She made a triumphant noise as she pulled out a shirt from a drawer. “Now be a dear and lift up your arms.”
“I can dress myself.” I said mildly, taking the shirt from her hands. Before she could argue, I put the shirt over my head and pulled it down. With the jacket underneath, it was fairly large; but after I removed the jacket, it felt like I could swim in the t-shirt. It actually kind of reminded me of when I was a kid and I wore my father’s shirts as a nightie.
“You look like a kid.” Layla agreed with my thoughts. “Now, what’s your friend’s name?”
“Anita Sanchez.. S-A-N-C-H-E-Z.”
“Birthdate?”
“May 17th, 1979” I smiled a little, remembering Anita’s temper tantrum when Kelly told me her real age. I had thought that they were the same age because they were in the same year of college, but apparently Anita took a couple years off so she could actually afford it.
“Your relationship to the patient?”
“I’m a friend.” I answered, not really wanting her to write ‘possible love interest’.
After that, things got a little more complicated. Since I knew where she lived, I never bothered asking her address, I didn’t know if she had any history of health problems, what drugs she’s taken, I didn’t know her parents’ name or address, who was the designated next-of-kin, whether she had allergies, etc. Layla seemed to lose some of her cheerfulness as we got further down the list, until she politely asked me if I knew anyone who would actually be helpful.
“Kelly’s going to kill me.” I realized, wondering if my brain had died when I wasn’t paying attention.
“May I ask who Kelly is?”
“My lover and Anita’s best friend. Where’s the phone?”
“Right here.” She said after a second, handing me a phone with a built-in shoulder piece “Just push 9 before dialing honey.”
“Thank you.” I said, pushing the 9 button before I forgot. The phone rang a couple of times before Kelly picked up, sounding out of breath.
[Hello?] She asked, sounding mildly irritated at being interrupted during her workout session. The reason why she didn’t come with Anita and I when we went for our walk was that she had to train for a tournament that was coming up. She doesn’t participate in them very often but apparently there’s a cash prize this time so she figured it wouldn’t hurt anything. It was nice to hear her voice. I could almost pretend I wasn’t in a hospital where the scent of sanitizer can never quite get rid of the scent of disease and death.
“Hi.”
[Hello love.] Kelly’s voice became cheerful. [I had the best workout I’ve had in a while and I still have so much energy! I missed you when I was showering after though.]
I blushed, aware of Layla’s stare. “Can you come to the VG and bring Anita’s purse with you? She forgot it on the couch when we left.”
[Why are you at the VG Carolyn?] Kelly said slowly, and I could just imagine her stopping whatever she was doing. [Are you okay?]
“Peter was being attacked by a bunch of guys so Anita and I helped him. He got beat up pretty bad and made it worse by protecting us.” I said quickly, struggling to keep my voice steady. The urge to become hysterical and pour the whole story out to Kelly was overwhelming. “He’s in surgery at the moment with his ex-wife.”
[What about you and Anita? Are you guys okay?] Kelly asked, sounding like she was moving quickly, grabbing a jacket and her keys I guess.
“Anita got stabbed.” I managed after a moment. “I got kicked out of the room because I’m not family.”
[I’ll be there in five minutes.] Kelly declared, hanging up abruptly.
“And?” Layla prodded gently.
“Kelly’s coming.” I answered, standing up. “I think I’m going to go throw up now.”
“I’ll show you to the bathroom.”
“It’s okay, I remember where it is.” I said softly, trying to force myself not to think about the last time I was here.
“Oh?”
I didn’t answer, but the memories came back anyway. Waiting in the same room as a child, waiting for any news from the doctors on the status of my brother. Waiting amid the scent of the bleeding, the sick, the dying, the healthy and the tired with an Aunt who didn’t believe in relying on others. She only told me why once I asked twenty times. Mom and Dad died under the ice, but they managed to push Kyle back up onto the surface since he was the smallest. I heard that Dad tried to get Mom out of the water but the ice-water stole his strength before he succeeded.
I made it to an empty toilet when I thought I couldn’t hold it back any longer. I remembered the exact moment I realized that the funny smell that hung around some of the patients was death, the moment I backed away from someone who had chopped off their finger by accident because I could actually feel his pain run over my skin like a thousand little needles. The groans, the whimpers, the screams, the pain, the blood, the despair. Finally receiving the news that my brother had joined my parents.
The realization that my family was really gone.
“Fuck fuck fuck Fuck FUCK!” I slammed my fist on the wall behind the toilet bowl as hard as I could, using the pain to make myself focus. My throat felt raw, the tissue made raw from bile until my whole mouth tasted like blood. I flushed the toilet before the smell could make me vomit my innards and got unsteadily to my feet, still a little nauseous. I staggered over to the sink and turned on the cold water tap, splashing the water onto my face and drinking a bit to soothe my throat. Once I couldn’t stand the taste anymore, I started sucking on a package of Life Savers I found in my pocket.
I don’t know how long I stood there listening to the water run down the drain, but eventually someone came through the doorway. I was about to go outside and leave them to do their business in peace when I heard a familiar gasp.
“Kelly.” I breathed in relief, dropping the last couple of Life Savers.
“Carolyn.” She pulled me into a hug immediately. I didn’t realize I had been crying until she wiped away my tears with her sleeve. I started to shiver and I just couldn’t stop, even when she put her fall jacket on me. “You’re freezing.” She rubbed my back soothingly, crushing the distance between us in a moment.
“I ripped up my shirt to stop the bleeding.” I said, crying. “But it just wouldn’t stop! It never stops and then people die and I’m all alone! It’s so cold out but I had to try. I couldn’t do nothing!”
“I’m here.” She just held onto me. Suddenly, I couldn’t hold anything back, I sobbed, I shuddered, I pleaded with whatever powers I could think of for people to be okay and then cursed them for taking my family, I spoke of my last trip here, I spoke of what happened today. And Kelly just held me, a pillar of strength and warmth that I so desperately needed.
When I finally got a hold of myself, I realized that she had been crying with me. Of course, then the tears started to flow again. “It’s my fault.” I moaned, forgetting who was comforting whom since we were both trembling. It didn’t really matter. “Somebody was trying to choke me so she turned around and got stabbed.”
“She chose to protect you because she loves you.” Kelly said soothingly, her voice a bit hoarse.
“But I hurt her so much because you love me and she actually thought that dying wasn’t such a bad idea! But I love her so I told her that I’d have sex with her to keep her from thinking like that.”
Kelly’s hold on me tightened as she listened, as if she was afraid I’d fade away if set free. “What?”
“I thought she would die Kelly! I had to do something to make her want to get better. I don’t want to get left behind again!”
“Anita won’t die.” Kelly said soothingly, rubbing my back. “She’s a quick healer and she has us to help.”
“You’re not mad?”
“No.” She kissed me, and brushed my tears away again. “You’re not the only one that loves Anita. She’s the first real friend I’ve ever had. Breaking my heart didn’t change that.”
“She’s still in love with you.” I told her, sniffling.
“Well, that explains a lot.” Kelly managed after a moment of contemplative silence. “She didn’t want you to tell me?”
“You were happy.” I explained, getting a hold of myself again.
“And she’s in love with you too.” Kelly said, talking more to herself than me. “This is awkward.”
“Why?”
“Because I don’t know what to do.” She answered slowly, sounding a little surprised that I needed to ask.
“Well, first you need to go fill out Anita’s forms because I couldn’t answer Layla’s questions. Then we have to talk to her about sharing.”
“Do we?”
“Don’t we?”
“I don’t know.”
“Can’t put it off forever.” I pointed out.
“Let’s talk about this later.” Kelly pleaded, sounding like she had a very large headache.
“Okay.”
I introduced Kelly to Layla and we went to sit down so she could fill out the forms. Apparently they had small clipboards for that exact purpose. Layla sounded a little surprised when she learned Kelly’s identity, but didn’t explain why. We sat down in a quiet corner, away from the sick and injured who were also waiting, and Kelly started writing. I curled up beside her, lying across a couple plastic chairs so I could use her lap as a pillow. The gap between the chairs and their tendency to curve around the ends weren’t very comfortable, but I felt safe and that’s what was important. If Kelly was with me, I can face anything.
And so we waited.
***
I don’t know how I fell asleep. The waiting room was by no means quiet; people were still bleeding, moaning, and breathing harshly. The smell of disinfectant, blood, and disease (a standard mix in the hospital) was still prominent.
It must have been the crying I guess.
Anyway, I woke up and Kelly was stroking my hair. It isn’t that long but I guess she found something about the motion soothing so that’s okay. I didn’t move.
After a few minutes, she tapped me on the nose. “I know you’re awake.” Kelly said softly. “You don’t have to pretend. My lap isn’t the best of pillows, you can go home, I’ll stay here.”
“No.” I sat up and stretched, feeling pain spread down from my neck to my back and sides. “Ow ow ow ow ow!”
“Turn around.” Kelly instructed, moving over a seat to be next to me. I did as she asked, pulling my legs up to my chest and adjusting Layla’s shirt. Kelly started to massage the back of my neck, her calloused hands brushing my skin slowly and soothingly. “I’m not as good as you but I know how.”
“I’m not that good.” I argued.
“Honey,” She kissed the side of my neck, slipping her hands under my shirt so she could massage my spine. “You have no say in the matter.”
I shivered at her touch. “Whatever Kelly.” I noticed someone coming towards us, papers rustling as he searched for something on his clipboard.
“Misses LaFontaine and McKay?” He asked politely.
“That’s us.” I answered, blushing a little since Kelly had her hands under the tent I was using as a shirt. “What’s going on with Anita?”
“Miss. Sanchez is in the recovery room and her mother is on her way. She’s going to be fine with a lot of rest.”
“Can we see her?” I pleaded.
“Follow me.” He answered.
***
The orderly led us through the halls of the VG and Kelly took the opportunity to grill him about Anita’s condition. I couldn’t really follow their discussion since I never took any biology after grade 10, but he kept telling Kelly that Anita would be fine. I don’t think Kelly believed him because her grip on my hand kept getting tighter and tighter. By the time we got to our destination, my hand felt like it had gotten too friendly with a vice. I didn’t want Kelly to feel any worse though so I didn’t say anything.
The orderly opened the door purposefully, letting out a whoosh of air and two voices in the middle of a conversation.
“… must say, that was your best stabbing yet Willows.” A man was saying cheerfully. “Haven’t seen you this passionate about saving someone since you became floor supervisor. I know she’s beautiful but isn’t she a little young for you?”
“Davidson.” The other man, Willows, said gruffly. “There’s people at the door.”
“Welcome to the ER’s temporary recovery ward.” The doctor greeted us, unruffled at our interruption. “I’m Dr. Erik Davidson and this is Dr. Miles Willows, the doctor in charge of Miss Sanchez’ health. May I ask your names?”
“Carolyn McKay.” I answered, shaking his hand. The name Willows seemed familiar but I couldn’t remember where I heard it before. Had a feeling it was important though.
Kelly seemed to ignore the two doctors, her attention on something beyond their bodies. Her grip on my other hand went limp, and she started walking forward hesitantly, disbelief radiating from her body. I heard a faint “Anita you fool” over the beeping and the hum of machinery, and then Kelly was sitting down beside Anita and I was left alone.
It was strange to feel like such an outsider when I had been the focus of attention for so long.
“That’s Kelly LaFontaine.” I added, ignoring the surge of longing.
“Take my hand.” The other doctor said gently, an unexplained guilt coloring his voice and making it unexplainably familiar. “I don’t want you to trip over a wire.”
I let him lead me across the room and sat on the chair he unearthed for my benefit. I took the opportunity to rummage around my memory, trying to classify the deep voice, the faint him of cologne under sanitizer and blood. Frustrated with my memory, I turned my attention to Anita, running my fingers over her face. I felt the oxygen mask over her face, the source of that mechanized hissing sound, then down her left side only to find an IV needle in her arm. ‘She won’t be happy about that.’ I thought, remembering that she was a lefty. Dr. Willows started back towards his waiting co-worker, sensing we wanted some privacy.
“We’re moving her upstairs in twenty minutes.” Dr. Willows informed us mildly. “Try not to touch anything.”
He was about to close the door behind himself when I finally remembered. “YOU!” I stood up so quickly that I knocked the chair over. The sound of wood hitting tile was enough to snap Kelly out of it. “You touched her!”
The man froze, taking a sharp breath when he realized that I had remembered him after all. “I’m sorry I couldn’t save him.” He apologized, seventeen years after the death of my brother. To be fair, he apologized then too but I hadn’t been in the right state of mind to notice the pain in his voice. News of my mother and my father’s deaths had just reached the hospital, and then this young doctor who just finished his internship told me I lost my brother too.
Even now, it was hard to keep from breaking down again. I took a few deep breaths, forcing myself to not get hysterical. I felt Kelly take my hand, holding it reassuringly as she waited to see if I could handle the situation. “Thank you for saving her.” I said finally, forcing the past to the back of my mind again.
“I did my best.”
“I know.” I let Kelly pull me into a hug, feeling numb. It was too much for one day. “I couldn’t lose another one I love.”
“You shouldn’t have had to lose any.” He answered sadly, closing the door behind himself.
“Carolyn?” Kelly sounded worried as I slumped against her.
“He treated my brother.” I explained, clinging to Kelly. I didn’t have any more energy to keep from being swept away by the past. She sat down on the edge of Anita’s bed again, maneuvering my body so I was sitting on her lap while facing her. She took the opportunity to kiss me softly. It was scary how much I needed it.
Trying not to think, I rested my head against her body, smelling her usual mixture of soap and shampoo. “Will we be able to take her home?”
“They want to keep her here for observation tonight but tomorrow should be okay.”
“I hope so. I hate it here.”
Kelly knew better than to suggest I go home. There was no way either of us were leaving until Anita woke up. Instead, she just said “I know.”
***
Anita still hadn’t woken up when a couple of nurses came into the room and started to unplug her from some of the bigger machines. We followed them into the elevator once they were ready to move Anita, Kelly even took the opportunity to ask them what we would have to do to be able to bring her home tomorrow. We wandered through the hallways of the VG for a few more minutes until we reached Anita’s new room, and then the nurses started to hook her back up to monitoring machines. After telling us to push the call button if we needed anything, they left us alone again.
“Are you okay?” I asked Kelly, feeling her grip on my hand tighten slightly. Anita’s breathing rate seemed to change, become less deep.
“I almost lost you both and I didn’t even realize it.” She whispered, pulling a chair over from the other side of the room, placing it next to Anita before sitting. I sat on her lap with my legs towards Anita’s bed, pulling her against my body. She wrapped her arms around my waist, resting her head against my chest. “You two are the only ones I have and I didn’t sense a thing. I always thought I’d be able to you know? But I couldn’t.”
“We’re okay. And you do have other people who care about you.” I disagreed.
“None of them know me. After we broke up in college, I managed to keep myself together out of pride but I can’t do that again. It’s hard to risk everything when you’ve lost your family that way.”
“I think your parents have their heads on sideways.” I said mildly, hating the exhaustion in her voice.
“They hate me.” Kelly said again.
“They’re idiots.” Anita rasped, finally coming back to us.
“Anita!” Kelly’s hold on me tightened as she twisted her body sideways in order to face Anita. “You’re awake!”
“You’re stating the obvious honey.” She replied, sounding pained.
I always knew that Kelly is strong but I never expected her to be able to lift me up while sitting down. That’s what she did though, holding me in her arms like a child as she stood up. I tightened my hold on her as she gave me a short ride to Anita’s bed, feeling slightly unnerved by the whole experience.
I will even admit to gibbering for a few seconds.
“Kelly, you’re a tank.” Anita breathed in awe. “You even reduced the fox to gibberish.”
“Shuddup.” I wanted to say something wittier but nothing else had come to mind.
“Aw… She’s blushing!” The imp said gleefully, taking off her mask.
“Anita.” Kelly said sweetly, standing up.
“Yes superwoman?”
“Don’t you ever change.” And then my girlfriend leaned over the hospital bed and kissed Anita on the lips. I heard Anita take a sharp breath, the heart monitor started to beep more frequently, and she gave a happy but confused moan.
Anita wrapped her arms around Kelly, deepening the kiss even as Kelly tried to pull away. I could feel her passion from where I sat, years of longing and regret charging the atmosphere around them until the hairs on the back of my neck stood up. It made me feel a lot like a voyeur actually.
Then, Kelly was backing away, her breathing wild. “I’ll be back.” She promised, practically running out of the room.
“Don’t go!” Anita yelled after her, trying to sit up. I pushed her down gently to prevent her from fucking up her stitches, and she didn’t have the strength to resist me. She started to swear in Spanish though, talking so fast that it seemed like one continuous word.
“She’ll be back.” I said reassuringly, taking the opportunity to lie down beside her. It was a bit tricky since there were wires running around the bed and it wasn’t that big to begin with; but after I snuggled up close to the now-silent woman and stole half her pillow, it wasn’t that bad.
“What’re you doing?” Anita wondered, lying still but her body was tense. “I just lost control of myself and chased Kelly out of the room and now you’re snuggling with me??”
“She’ll come back in a few minutes once she gets over the shock.” I answered, flinging an arm across her body. “She’s just sensitive because you almost died and I was being hysterical in the bathroom.”
“?Que?” Anita lapsed into Spanish. I think it’s the first time she’s ever done that in front of me, aside from swearing that is. According to Anita, English swearwords didn’t have the same “oomph” as Spanish ones.
“My brother died here.” I explained shortly, shuddering despite myself.
“Lo siento.” Anita said, giving me a one-arm hug. She sounded vaguely frustrated at not being able to do more so I shifted my body so I could rest my head on her chest. It was actually more comfortable than the pillow and it allowed her to hug me properly.
“Dr. Willows helped you get better though.” I murmured, feeling sleepy again. I could hear her heartbeat through her chest as well as the monitor, a duet that complimented the steady ‘whoosh’ of air going in and out of her lungs. “And Laura seemed optimistic about Peter so I’m glad.”
“Who’s Laura?” Anita asked, running her finger through my hair fondly.
“Peter’s ex-wife.”
“Ah. I forgot he was married.” Anita’s voice seemed to get fuzzy, and my thoughts slowed down. “Are you okay?”
“G’night.” I murmured.
I felt her lips on my forehead for a moment, a gentle good-night kiss that let me finally relax.
%_%_%_%_%_%
Usually, I pass from the state of unconsciousness to wakefulness immediately, forgoing the in-between state because I usually manage to hurt myself when I’m not fully aware of where I am. This time though, I first became aware of the warmth next to me (and around me to a lesser extent). It was a soothing feeling, floating in a protective limbo. Voices started to drift around me, a familiar voice and another strange one with a Spanish accent.
“… that?” The stranger was asking.
“That’s Carolyn.” Kelly answered fondly, sounding like she was standing by the chair instead of sitting on it. “Did you want to take a seat Mrs. Sanchez?”
“Thank you dear.” The other woman replied sitting down, her creaky bones making themselves known as she did so. “I thought I told you to take care of mi niña. This is not taking care. She loves you and you have duty to take care of her, sí?”
“She’s hard to take care of.” Kelly said defiantly but I could hear the guilt in her voice.
“Yes, she is child.” Anita’s mother agreed. “But you responsible anyway. Look at her: her eyes puffy, hair messy, only sleeping because of drugs. I told you I left mi hija in your charge. You disappoint me.”
“I’m sorry… I… I…”
“You are child too. Children makes mistakes, I know.” Anita’s mother said gently, forgiving Kelly immediately. “Come here and give me kiss, mi otro hija.”
And then I drifted into unconsciousness again. Kelly wouldn’t accept mothering if she knew anybody else was paying attention. Especially if it was me.
***
When I woke up again, Kelly was talking to a doctor in the doorway (he was starting to sound mildly panicked as she talked) and Anita was still sleeping. I rubbed my eyes because the crusty bits were annoying. I didn’t think anybody would’ve noticed a small thing like that, but Anita’s mother started talking to me almost immediately. “What are your intentions for Anita?”
“Eh?” I asked blearily, opening my eyes for a moment to get the rest of the gunk.
“What is wrong with your eyes?” She asked, sounding concerned. “You sick? Hit your head?”
“She’s blind.” Kelly answered from the other side of the room, letting the doctor go for the moment. He took the opportunity to scurry off; she didn’t seem to mind as she knelt down beside the bed, taking my hand.
“Ah.” Anita’s mother patted my head. “I’m Alejandra Sanchez, Anita mother.”
“Carolyn McKay.” I introduced myself, pushing against the mattress on either side of Anita’s body so I could sit up. She made a little distressed noise and held onto my waist tightly, muttering “mine” in her sleep. I blushed, facing my bedmate’s mother.
“What are your intentions?” Alejandra repeated herself. “She got hurt for you. What do you want?”
“I don’t want her to do something stupid like that again.” I said the first thing that came to mind.
“Not stupid, brave. Hasty too.” The older woman admitted, sounding unimpressed. “Why you wearing tent?”
“I used my shirt to wrap her stomach.” I answered meekly, shrugging. “This is the receptionist’s shirt.”
“Why you sleeping with mi hija and not Kelly?”
I really wasn’t coming out on top of this interrogation.
“Mrs. Sanchez,” Kelly came to my rescue, “I had to leave the room for a moment and Carolyn didn’t want to leave Anita alone. Since they’re both fond of hugs and had a long day, it’s utterly understandable.”
“Not talking to you Kelly.” Alejandra replied dismissfully. “What type of woman allows her lover, mi hija, to sleep with another?”
“Actually mother, Kelly’s not my lover.” Anita said groggily, trying to pull me back down onto the bed.
“Pero usted dijo que elle es te amor!” Anita’s mother exclaimed, confused.
“Sí.” Anita answered wearily. And then she went into a long explanation that I couldn’t follow but by the pain in her voice, I had a fair idea of what it was. She let go of me though, and I went to Kelly, going slowly so I didn’t crash into something important.
Kelly quickly pulled me into a hug, giving me a quick kiss that made me blush. “Welcome back.”
“Can you understand them?” I whispered.
“No, they’re going too fast.” Kelly whispered back. “Brace yourself, she’s looking this way.”
“Kelly!” Alejandra stood up quickly. “You no tell me you were not with Anita, why?”
“Madre!” Anita snapped. “Don’t talk to Kelly that way! I already told you why.”
After a short argument in Spanish, Alejandra stormed out of the room, muttering to herself. Once the door slammed shut, Anita sighed wearily. “I don’t know why she even came. We always end up doing this.”
“She loves you.” I answered simply, giving Kelly a kiss on the cheek to calm her down. Yelling always made her feel guilty for some reason. “It’s a good thing.”
“Hmpf.” Anita snorted. “You might be right. She always brings me something to eat afterwards. Anyway, why are you two standing over there? Didn’t you promise me a threesome?”
“You’re in no condition for sex.” Kelly told her reproachfully as I blushed.
“Wanna try me?”
“I’m not going to be responsible for your stitches coming out.” I told her.
“Come on, people do it all the time.” Anita said innocently.
“No.”
She stayed silent for a moment, giving me enough time to feel relieved, before coming up with another proposal. “Than why don’t you two have sex and I’ll watch?”
“No.” Kelly said shortly, holding me tightly against her as more blood went to my face.
“Come on! I kept my hands to myself while she was sleeping on me so why can’t I have some porn? The endorphins will make the pain go down.” Anita wheedled.
“I’m sure you’ll survive a few weeks.” Kelly answered sweetly in a tone of voice that made the students at the dojo run for cover. “Being confined to a bed until you recover and all. I think being celebrate for a while will do you some good.”
“Ouch.” Anita sounded apprehensive; I don’t think she ever thought about that before.
“What do you think Carolyn? Should we lock the apartment door behind us or should we just leave her here?”
“Kelly!”
“Well?”
“I think we should take her home with us.” I answered, trying hard not to smile at the anguish in Anita’s voice. “Put her on the futon in the living room and let Sachiko nibble on her feet for a few days.”
“That would be a nice change.” Kelly said dreamily. Our cat still liked to use Kelly’s feet to sharpen her fangs while she slept before curling up in the crook of my neck for the night.
“I love you Carolyn!” Anita agreed happily.
“She’s such a flirt.” I kissed Kelly, and then wandered over to Anita so I could do the same to her.
“Carolyn?” Kelly sounded a little funny.
“Well, she is going to have to face her mother while we go eat something. She could use the luck.” I said serenely. “I’m hungry and I need to go to the bathroom.”
“See you later Anita.”
“That’s not fair!” Anita yelled at us.
“You can imagine us having sex somewhere if it makes you feel better.” I told her impishly. “Of course, someone will come in while you’re indulging yourself so I wouldn’t recommend it. You’re a resourceful woman, I’m sure you’ll figure something out.”
“Carolyn!” Kelly pulled me out of the room, giggling. “She looked like she swallowed a fly!”
“I was just indulging my inner Anita.” I replied angelically. “I’m serious about the food though. I’m starving.”
Kelly kissed me on the cheek and put her arm around my waist. “Let’s go somewhere then.”
A Picnic In Winter ~~ Encounters ~~ The Club Incident ~~ Kelly Part 1 ~~ Kelly Part 2 ~~ Kelly Part 3 ~~ Interview With Anita ~~ Vacation ~~ Anita's Truth ~~ Aftermath ~~ Needing You ~~ Attack At The Gardens ~~~ Attack At The Gardens Part B ~~~ Don't Tie Me Down
Words: ~7,500
Notes: Part of YAME. This is a draft because I wasn't quite sure about hospital procedures or my english anatomy and haven't had time to do some throughout research. Also, this was written in chunks over the past week or so, so there may be some discrepancies since it changed in my mind a few times. I tried to catch them when I read it over again, but I might've missed something. I also tried to distance myself from the hurt so I hope it doesn't sound flat.
Summary: In which people get hurt, some things come out into the open, others stay hidden, and bad memories come to the surface.
Warnings: Violence, my memory of grade 10 spanish.
Attack at the Gardens
“Oi! Wait up!” Anita shouted, sounding confused and irritated as she ran after me. It didn’t take her long to catch up despite her fancy shoes; the Public Gardens was full of obstacles that would take me down if I went too fast. She put a hand on my shoulder, forcing me to stop for a moment. “What’s going on?”
“Someone’s getting hurt over there.” I pointed past the gazebo, towards the duck pond that occupied the centre of the Gardens. “Let go!”
Instead of doing as I asked, she grabbed my hand and forced me to run behind her. We actually made better time than we would’ve otherwise since she could see which way the gravel path meandered around the plants. As I ran, the sounds of pain and laughter became stronger, until I was fairly sure Anita could hear them too. The scent of blood wafted towards me almost masked by the scent of flowers, tress, and pond life. If the flowers had been in full bloom like they had been last month, I would’ve never been able to detect it.
Finally, we came upon the culprits in the left corner of the Gardens. They were hiding behind the observation shack overlying the duck pond. Their victim was already on the ground, his breathing erratic between kicks to his sides. By the sound of it, they were even wearing boots. “Leave him alone!” I ordered them, letting go of Anita’s hand so I could wield my walking stick with both hands.
“What’s a blind little girl with a cane going to do to us?” One of the men jeered, making his two buddies laugh. “We were just having a discussion with this hobo. Nothing to worry your pretty little head about.”
“Is that you Peter?” Anita asked softly, completely ignoring the man in front of us.
“…run…” He replied weakly, exhaling sharply as somebody gave him another kick to the stomach.
“I’m not leaving you behind you idiot.” I walked forward, keeping their positions firmly in mind. “Get out of my way.”
“Sorry babe, but I don’t take orders from freaks of nature.” The man’s voice lost its pleasantness, becoming hard and violent. “If you come any closer, than you’ll be trash like him.”
I whacked one of his cronies over the head with my cane as an answer. The man was too close to the pond, being on guard duty or something, so when he lost his balance and fell backwards, he fell into the water with a large splash. A couple nearby ducks gave indignant quacks before swimming back towards the island in the middle of the pond where they built their nests.
The other crony ran towards us with a yell, and then Anita was shoving me to the side. I heard her first connect with the man’s face, making him take a step back. But then he seemed to recover from the blow and came forward again with a feral growl. Next thing I knew, he was lying on the ground and Anita was walking towards Peter and the leader. “You caused me to ruin my manicure.” She informed him furiously, tapping her foot against the gravel path irritably. “Now get the hell away from that man or I’ll make you join your buddy in the duck pond.”
“What’s a beautiful woman like you helping that blind freak for?” He asked curiously, not moving. “And where did you learn to fight?”
“My roommate from college insisted that I learn something more dignified than street brawling.” Anita answered impatiently. “And I happen to think that her blindness adds to her beauty so get the hell away from our friend.”
“You’re a dyke?”
“Of course.” Anita punched him in the face, forcing him to take a step away from Peter, towards the left of the shack. I heard someone take a deep breathe from above. I ignored the sound for now to keep Anita’s opponent from noticing the child, and knelt down beside Peter, feeling his body for mortal injuries. Thankfully, there were no gaping wounds, just some torn skin and a lot of painful bruises.
I did not notice Anita’s first opponent until he had his hands around my throat. I reacted immediately though, elbowing him in the solar plexus and then breaking away when he loosened his grip slightly. I then whacked him over the head with the end of my cane.
Still, Anita must’ve heard the scuffle because she turned away from her fight for a second to see if I needed help. The next thing I heard was a metal blade sliding into flesh and Anita’s scream of pain. She stumbled away from her opponent, losing her balance only to fall to her knees. “Anita!!” I screamed, running towards Anita’s attacker. “You bastard!”
I was going to charge right at him, but dodged left instinctively when I was a foot away. He gave a little sound of irritation before shifting his body weight, the knife making a distinct sound as he stabbed it forward. I took a quick step backwards and swung my cane at chest-level, hitting his knife hand with all the power I could muster. He hastily backed away from my follow up swing, shaking his numbed hand to get the feeling back. He ducked when I tried to smack him in the head but couldn’t evade my forward jab to his stomach.
And then the inconsiderate coward ran away before I could knock him unconscious.
I kneeled down beside Anita, dropping my walking stick in favor of feeling her back. The man stabbed her just below her ribs, a wound that zigzagged downwards to her lower back, becoming shallower as it went. I took off my shirt and tore the lower half into one long strip of fabric. I then started to wrap it around her waist tightly, wondering why no one had noticed a man falling into the pond yet.
“I must remember that getting hurt is a good way to get you half-naked.” Anita said, falling forwards into my lap (on purpose or by accident I don’t know). Either way, she ended up resting her face against my breasts.
“Don’t you dare die on me!” I hissed, holding her tightly. “How does Peter look? I can hear him breathing but it sounds ragged.”
“Like he’s been through the meat grinder.” Anita said after a moment, and I realized that her blood was soaking through my makeshift bandages onto my hands. “Oi, Peter, you still alive?”
“…told you to run…” He groaned, unable to move away from where he was lying. “…you okay Melissa?” He asked.
“MOMMY!!!” The child screamed from the top of the look-out shack. Apparently, Peter had helped her up there so she could hide from his attackers. Considering what had happened, it was amazing that she waited that long before screaming for help.
Instead of joining her, I kept Anita and Peter talking. I don’t know many times I threatened to kill them if they left me here alone, nor do I want to. I do remember wishing that Kelly was with me though, she always had a cell phone on her, either in her jacket or in her purse. Either way, it would be very useful.
And then I felt like a complete moron.
“Anita, where’s your cell?” I asked as the child’s desperate cries suddenly became happier. I could dimly hear someone running our way, the child’s mother probably.
“In my back pocket.” Her voice sounded distracted, as if she was losing her focus on her surroundings. I found it after a minute, a hard metal rectangle that was a sharp contrast to her ass. “I like a woman who’ll cope a feel.” She murmured, nuzzling my chest weakly.
I called 911, ignoring her comment in favor of getting us some help. The child’s mother arrived as I was hanging up, lifting her child off the roof of the shack before coming over to us.
“I’m Laura, a nurse at the VG. What happened?”
“Three men attacked Peter when he was defending your kid.” I pointed to the man who seemed to be seriously considering passing out. “Then Anita got stabbed and the other guy ran away.”
“What’d he look like?”
Why do people always ask that?
“Blind leading the blind.” Anita muttered faintly.
“I called the ambulance.” I said instead of answering the newcomer’s question. “Can you help him stay conscious? I’m having a hard time keeping her focused.”
“What’s his name?”
“Peter Langly.” I answered, hitting Anita’s cheek lightly as her head started to droop forward.
I heard the nurse give a sharp gasp but she wasted no time going to Peter’s side. I thought I heard him whisper ‘Laura’ but Anita suddenly started coughing so I’m not sure. “Don’t you dare fade on me Anita Sanchez!” I ordered her, rubbing her upper back.
“Why not? It would hurt less.” She managed, shuddering like mad. Until then, I didn’t realize how cold I was, having nothing but a bra to protect my upper body from the northern wind. I shoved that to the back of my mind, forcing myself to focus on her words. “Maybe pleasant…”
“I don’t want you to leave me too!” I told her fiercely. “I love you too much.”
“You Kelly.” She protested.
“I love you and Kelly.” I kissed her gently on the lips. At first, it felt like she wasn’t going to kiss me back, but then she did. It was surprisingly tender, but the tinge of blood in her mouth kept me firmly in the moment. I could hear sirens coming from South Park St., finally arriving at the park gates as Anita pulled away.
“Will you finally have sex with me then?” She asked curiously, resting her head on my shoulder.
“Only if you get better soon.” I told her, wondering how I’d explain that promise to Kelly. “Or maybe you’ll get your threesome.”
“Ooh goody.” She said dreamily. “I guess I’ll have to get better then.”
“Damn straight.” I muttered, hoping that the other people hadn’t been eavesdropping.
Then the emergency personnel finally arrived and lifted Anita onto a stretcher and Peter onto another. One of the dears even gave me his jacket as they loaded my friends into the ambulances.
“What’s you’re name?” The female paramedic asked Anita gently
“Anita Sanchez. Did I tell you you’re pretty?”
“Thank you. Now Anita, I need to know if you’re allergic to anything? What’s your blood type? Are you on any drugs?”
“I’m A, drug-free, and I can take whatever you throw at me.” She answered giddily, tapping my head with a hand. “She’s finally going to let me make love to her.” She added conspiratorially.
And then the bugger fainted, leaving me to explain to the amused paramedic that I didn’t know anything about her medically. Another oblivious paramedic asked me the same questions about the unconscious Peter.
“Peter Langly’s type is AB negative and he gets a rash when you give him more than three doses of general anesthesia.” It was Laura the nurse who answered. “And the only drugs he’s ever taken was Tylenol, sleeping medication, and booze.”
“And you are?”
“Laura Hudson, a nurse at the VG. He was my husband five years ago.”
Then the female paramedic shut the door of our ambulance and we were off to the hospital. She asked me to go over the story again as she worked. I did as she asked, holding Anita’s hand in both of mine.
And in my heart, I wished for things to turn out all right.
~@~@~@~@~
Things seemed to pass in a blur as they unloaded Anita’s stretcher from the ambulance and wheeled it into the ER. The paramedics gave the responding doctor the abbreviated version of the story and left after they lifted her onto a bed. I couldn’t really follow what they did after that: there were too many people; too many machines beeping, whirring, and hissing; too many abbreviations to follow what they were saying. I just kept one of Anita’s hands in mine, hoping that she would be okay. Somebody called for a Dr. MacDonald, and another man soon joined the space around the bed.
“You have to let go now.” He said gently, putting his hand between Anita’s and mine. “Non-family members have to wait in the reception area while the doctors work. I’ll escort you there.”
“Why?” I asked, not wanting to leave Anita in the hands of strangers. “She always says that being around people you love makes you heal faster so shouldn’t I stay?”
“I’m sorry ma’am, but I can’t let that happen.” The man said firmly, pulling me away from Anita. He actually started to push me out of the room. “The best thing you can do for her right now is help the receptionist fill out an admission form and contact the next of kin.”
“Will she be okay though?” I stalled, turning around when I heard Anita suddenly take one shallow breath after another.
“She’s young and healthy.” The doctor said reassuringly, continuing to nudge me forwards. “I’ve seen people recover from much deeper stab wounds.” He patted me on the shoulder a couple of times and then we were back in the main lobby. I could hear people groaning in pain, milder injuries that could wait until the busy doctors could attend to them. “Layla, can you held Miss McKay here fill in a form for her friend? I need to go check on my intern.”
I heard a disapproving ‘tut’ from my left, and suddenly a woman was leading me by the hand towards the counter. “You poor dear, I don’t know why nobody offered you a better jacket. I know they don’t have much in ambulances but somebody could’ve gotten you a jacket that zipped up further.”
“There wasn’t time.” I murmured, only half paying attention to the woman as she sat me down on a chair behind the main counter.
“I keep a spare t-shirt here for just that purpose. It’s one of my husbands so it’ll be big on you, but it’ll keep the men from staring at your bra.” Layla rummaged around her desk for a moment. She made a triumphant noise as she pulled out a shirt from a drawer. “Now be a dear and lift up your arms.”
“I can dress myself.” I said mildly, taking the shirt from her hands. Before she could argue, I put the shirt over my head and pulled it down. With the jacket underneath, it was fairly large; but after I removed the jacket, it felt like I could swim in the t-shirt. It actually kind of reminded me of when I was a kid and I wore my father’s shirts as a nightie.
“You look like a kid.” Layla agreed with my thoughts. “Now, what’s your friend’s name?”
“Anita Sanchez.. S-A-N-C-H-E-Z.”
“Birthdate?”
“May 17th, 1979” I smiled a little, remembering Anita’s temper tantrum when Kelly told me her real age. I had thought that they were the same age because they were in the same year of college, but apparently Anita took a couple years off so she could actually afford it.
“Your relationship to the patient?”
“I’m a friend.” I answered, not really wanting her to write ‘possible love interest’.
After that, things got a little more complicated. Since I knew where she lived, I never bothered asking her address, I didn’t know if she had any history of health problems, what drugs she’s taken, I didn’t know her parents’ name or address, who was the designated next-of-kin, whether she had allergies, etc. Layla seemed to lose some of her cheerfulness as we got further down the list, until she politely asked me if I knew anyone who would actually be helpful.
“Kelly’s going to kill me.” I realized, wondering if my brain had died when I wasn’t paying attention.
“May I ask who Kelly is?”
“My lover and Anita’s best friend. Where’s the phone?”
“Right here.” She said after a second, handing me a phone with a built-in shoulder piece “Just push 9 before dialing honey.”
“Thank you.” I said, pushing the 9 button before I forgot. The phone rang a couple of times before Kelly picked up, sounding out of breath.
[Hello?] She asked, sounding mildly irritated at being interrupted during her workout session. The reason why she didn’t come with Anita and I when we went for our walk was that she had to train for a tournament that was coming up. She doesn’t participate in them very often but apparently there’s a cash prize this time so she figured it wouldn’t hurt anything. It was nice to hear her voice. I could almost pretend I wasn’t in a hospital where the scent of sanitizer can never quite get rid of the scent of disease and death.
“Hi.”
[Hello love.] Kelly’s voice became cheerful. [I had the best workout I’ve had in a while and I still have so much energy! I missed you when I was showering after though.]
I blushed, aware of Layla’s stare. “Can you come to the VG and bring Anita’s purse with you? She forgot it on the couch when we left.”
[Why are you at the VG Carolyn?] Kelly said slowly, and I could just imagine her stopping whatever she was doing. [Are you okay?]
“Peter was being attacked by a bunch of guys so Anita and I helped him. He got beat up pretty bad and made it worse by protecting us.” I said quickly, struggling to keep my voice steady. The urge to become hysterical and pour the whole story out to Kelly was overwhelming. “He’s in surgery at the moment with his ex-wife.”
[What about you and Anita? Are you guys okay?] Kelly asked, sounding like she was moving quickly, grabbing a jacket and her keys I guess.
“Anita got stabbed.” I managed after a moment. “I got kicked out of the room because I’m not family.”
[I’ll be there in five minutes.] Kelly declared, hanging up abruptly.
“And?” Layla prodded gently.
“Kelly’s coming.” I answered, standing up. “I think I’m going to go throw up now.”
“I’ll show you to the bathroom.”
“It’s okay, I remember where it is.” I said softly, trying to force myself not to think about the last time I was here.
“Oh?”
I didn’t answer, but the memories came back anyway. Waiting in the same room as a child, waiting for any news from the doctors on the status of my brother. Waiting amid the scent of the bleeding, the sick, the dying, the healthy and the tired with an Aunt who didn’t believe in relying on others. She only told me why once I asked twenty times. Mom and Dad died under the ice, but they managed to push Kyle back up onto the surface since he was the smallest. I heard that Dad tried to get Mom out of the water but the ice-water stole his strength before he succeeded.
I made it to an empty toilet when I thought I couldn’t hold it back any longer. I remembered the exact moment I realized that the funny smell that hung around some of the patients was death, the moment I backed away from someone who had chopped off their finger by accident because I could actually feel his pain run over my skin like a thousand little needles. The groans, the whimpers, the screams, the pain, the blood, the despair. Finally receiving the news that my brother had joined my parents.
The realization that my family was really gone.
“Fuck fuck fuck Fuck FUCK!” I slammed my fist on the wall behind the toilet bowl as hard as I could, using the pain to make myself focus. My throat felt raw, the tissue made raw from bile until my whole mouth tasted like blood. I flushed the toilet before the smell could make me vomit my innards and got unsteadily to my feet, still a little nauseous. I staggered over to the sink and turned on the cold water tap, splashing the water onto my face and drinking a bit to soothe my throat. Once I couldn’t stand the taste anymore, I started sucking on a package of Life Savers I found in my pocket.
I don’t know how long I stood there listening to the water run down the drain, but eventually someone came through the doorway. I was about to go outside and leave them to do their business in peace when I heard a familiar gasp.
“Kelly.” I breathed in relief, dropping the last couple of Life Savers.
“Carolyn.” She pulled me into a hug immediately. I didn’t realize I had been crying until she wiped away my tears with her sleeve. I started to shiver and I just couldn’t stop, even when she put her fall jacket on me. “You’re freezing.” She rubbed my back soothingly, crushing the distance between us in a moment.
“I ripped up my shirt to stop the bleeding.” I said, crying. “But it just wouldn’t stop! It never stops and then people die and I’m all alone! It’s so cold out but I had to try. I couldn’t do nothing!”
“I’m here.” She just held onto me. Suddenly, I couldn’t hold anything back, I sobbed, I shuddered, I pleaded with whatever powers I could think of for people to be okay and then cursed them for taking my family, I spoke of my last trip here, I spoke of what happened today. And Kelly just held me, a pillar of strength and warmth that I so desperately needed.
When I finally got a hold of myself, I realized that she had been crying with me. Of course, then the tears started to flow again. “It’s my fault.” I moaned, forgetting who was comforting whom since we were both trembling. It didn’t really matter. “Somebody was trying to choke me so she turned around and got stabbed.”
“She chose to protect you because she loves you.” Kelly said soothingly, her voice a bit hoarse.
“But I hurt her so much because you love me and she actually thought that dying wasn’t such a bad idea! But I love her so I told her that I’d have sex with her to keep her from thinking like that.”
Kelly’s hold on me tightened as she listened, as if she was afraid I’d fade away if set free. “What?”
“I thought she would die Kelly! I had to do something to make her want to get better. I don’t want to get left behind again!”
“Anita won’t die.” Kelly said soothingly, rubbing my back. “She’s a quick healer and she has us to help.”
“You’re not mad?”
“No.” She kissed me, and brushed my tears away again. “You’re not the only one that loves Anita. She’s the first real friend I’ve ever had. Breaking my heart didn’t change that.”
“She’s still in love with you.” I told her, sniffling.
“Well, that explains a lot.” Kelly managed after a moment of contemplative silence. “She didn’t want you to tell me?”
“You were happy.” I explained, getting a hold of myself again.
“And she’s in love with you too.” Kelly said, talking more to herself than me. “This is awkward.”
“Why?”
“Because I don’t know what to do.” She answered slowly, sounding a little surprised that I needed to ask.
“Well, first you need to go fill out Anita’s forms because I couldn’t answer Layla’s questions. Then we have to talk to her about sharing.”
“Do we?”
“Don’t we?”
“I don’t know.”
“Can’t put it off forever.” I pointed out.
“Let’s talk about this later.” Kelly pleaded, sounding like she had a very large headache.
“Okay.”
I introduced Kelly to Layla and we went to sit down so she could fill out the forms. Apparently they had small clipboards for that exact purpose. Layla sounded a little surprised when she learned Kelly’s identity, but didn’t explain why. We sat down in a quiet corner, away from the sick and injured who were also waiting, and Kelly started writing. I curled up beside her, lying across a couple plastic chairs so I could use her lap as a pillow. The gap between the chairs and their tendency to curve around the ends weren’t very comfortable, but I felt safe and that’s what was important. If Kelly was with me, I can face anything.
And so we waited.
***
I don’t know how I fell asleep. The waiting room was by no means quiet; people were still bleeding, moaning, and breathing harshly. The smell of disinfectant, blood, and disease (a standard mix in the hospital) was still prominent.
It must have been the crying I guess.
Anyway, I woke up and Kelly was stroking my hair. It isn’t that long but I guess she found something about the motion soothing so that’s okay. I didn’t move.
After a few minutes, she tapped me on the nose. “I know you’re awake.” Kelly said softly. “You don’t have to pretend. My lap isn’t the best of pillows, you can go home, I’ll stay here.”
“No.” I sat up and stretched, feeling pain spread down from my neck to my back and sides. “Ow ow ow ow ow!”
“Turn around.” Kelly instructed, moving over a seat to be next to me. I did as she asked, pulling my legs up to my chest and adjusting Layla’s shirt. Kelly started to massage the back of my neck, her calloused hands brushing my skin slowly and soothingly. “I’m not as good as you but I know how.”
“I’m not that good.” I argued.
“Honey,” She kissed the side of my neck, slipping her hands under my shirt so she could massage my spine. “You have no say in the matter.”
I shivered at her touch. “Whatever Kelly.” I noticed someone coming towards us, papers rustling as he searched for something on his clipboard.
“Misses LaFontaine and McKay?” He asked politely.
“That’s us.” I answered, blushing a little since Kelly had her hands under the tent I was using as a shirt. “What’s going on with Anita?”
“Miss. Sanchez is in the recovery room and her mother is on her way. She’s going to be fine with a lot of rest.”
“Can we see her?” I pleaded.
“Follow me.” He answered.
***
The orderly led us through the halls of the VG and Kelly took the opportunity to grill him about Anita’s condition. I couldn’t really follow their discussion since I never took any biology after grade 10, but he kept telling Kelly that Anita would be fine. I don’t think Kelly believed him because her grip on my hand kept getting tighter and tighter. By the time we got to our destination, my hand felt like it had gotten too friendly with a vice. I didn’t want Kelly to feel any worse though so I didn’t say anything.
The orderly opened the door purposefully, letting out a whoosh of air and two voices in the middle of a conversation.
“… must say, that was your best stabbing yet Willows.” A man was saying cheerfully. “Haven’t seen you this passionate about saving someone since you became floor supervisor. I know she’s beautiful but isn’t she a little young for you?”
“Davidson.” The other man, Willows, said gruffly. “There’s people at the door.”
“Welcome to the ER’s temporary recovery ward.” The doctor greeted us, unruffled at our interruption. “I’m Dr. Erik Davidson and this is Dr. Miles Willows, the doctor in charge of Miss Sanchez’ health. May I ask your names?”
“Carolyn McKay.” I answered, shaking his hand. The name Willows seemed familiar but I couldn’t remember where I heard it before. Had a feeling it was important though.
Kelly seemed to ignore the two doctors, her attention on something beyond their bodies. Her grip on my other hand went limp, and she started walking forward hesitantly, disbelief radiating from her body. I heard a faint “Anita you fool” over the beeping and the hum of machinery, and then Kelly was sitting down beside Anita and I was left alone.
It was strange to feel like such an outsider when I had been the focus of attention for so long.
“That’s Kelly LaFontaine.” I added, ignoring the surge of longing.
“Take my hand.” The other doctor said gently, an unexplained guilt coloring his voice and making it unexplainably familiar. “I don’t want you to trip over a wire.”
I let him lead me across the room and sat on the chair he unearthed for my benefit. I took the opportunity to rummage around my memory, trying to classify the deep voice, the faint him of cologne under sanitizer and blood. Frustrated with my memory, I turned my attention to Anita, running my fingers over her face. I felt the oxygen mask over her face, the source of that mechanized hissing sound, then down her left side only to find an IV needle in her arm. ‘She won’t be happy about that.’ I thought, remembering that she was a lefty. Dr. Willows started back towards his waiting co-worker, sensing we wanted some privacy.
“We’re moving her upstairs in twenty minutes.” Dr. Willows informed us mildly. “Try not to touch anything.”
He was about to close the door behind himself when I finally remembered. “YOU!” I stood up so quickly that I knocked the chair over. The sound of wood hitting tile was enough to snap Kelly out of it. “You touched her!”
The man froze, taking a sharp breath when he realized that I had remembered him after all. “I’m sorry I couldn’t save him.” He apologized, seventeen years after the death of my brother. To be fair, he apologized then too but I hadn’t been in the right state of mind to notice the pain in his voice. News of my mother and my father’s deaths had just reached the hospital, and then this young doctor who just finished his internship told me I lost my brother too.
Even now, it was hard to keep from breaking down again. I took a few deep breaths, forcing myself to not get hysterical. I felt Kelly take my hand, holding it reassuringly as she waited to see if I could handle the situation. “Thank you for saving her.” I said finally, forcing the past to the back of my mind again.
“I did my best.”
“I know.” I let Kelly pull me into a hug, feeling numb. It was too much for one day. “I couldn’t lose another one I love.”
“You shouldn’t have had to lose any.” He answered sadly, closing the door behind himself.
“Carolyn?” Kelly sounded worried as I slumped against her.
“He treated my brother.” I explained, clinging to Kelly. I didn’t have any more energy to keep from being swept away by the past. She sat down on the edge of Anita’s bed again, maneuvering my body so I was sitting on her lap while facing her. She took the opportunity to kiss me softly. It was scary how much I needed it.
Trying not to think, I rested my head against her body, smelling her usual mixture of soap and shampoo. “Will we be able to take her home?”
“They want to keep her here for observation tonight but tomorrow should be okay.”
“I hope so. I hate it here.”
Kelly knew better than to suggest I go home. There was no way either of us were leaving until Anita woke up. Instead, she just said “I know.”
***
Anita still hadn’t woken up when a couple of nurses came into the room and started to unplug her from some of the bigger machines. We followed them into the elevator once they were ready to move Anita, Kelly even took the opportunity to ask them what we would have to do to be able to bring her home tomorrow. We wandered through the hallways of the VG for a few more minutes until we reached Anita’s new room, and then the nurses started to hook her back up to monitoring machines. After telling us to push the call button if we needed anything, they left us alone again.
“Are you okay?” I asked Kelly, feeling her grip on my hand tighten slightly. Anita’s breathing rate seemed to change, become less deep.
“I almost lost you both and I didn’t even realize it.” She whispered, pulling a chair over from the other side of the room, placing it next to Anita before sitting. I sat on her lap with my legs towards Anita’s bed, pulling her against my body. She wrapped her arms around my waist, resting her head against my chest. “You two are the only ones I have and I didn’t sense a thing. I always thought I’d be able to you know? But I couldn’t.”
“We’re okay. And you do have other people who care about you.” I disagreed.
“None of them know me. After we broke up in college, I managed to keep myself together out of pride but I can’t do that again. It’s hard to risk everything when you’ve lost your family that way.”
“I think your parents have their heads on sideways.” I said mildly, hating the exhaustion in her voice.
“They hate me.” Kelly said again.
“They’re idiots.” Anita rasped, finally coming back to us.
“Anita!” Kelly’s hold on me tightened as she twisted her body sideways in order to face Anita. “You’re awake!”
“You’re stating the obvious honey.” She replied, sounding pained.
I always knew that Kelly is strong but I never expected her to be able to lift me up while sitting down. That’s what she did though, holding me in her arms like a child as she stood up. I tightened my hold on her as she gave me a short ride to Anita’s bed, feeling slightly unnerved by the whole experience.
I will even admit to gibbering for a few seconds.
“Kelly, you’re a tank.” Anita breathed in awe. “You even reduced the fox to gibberish.”
“Shuddup.” I wanted to say something wittier but nothing else had come to mind.
“Aw… She’s blushing!” The imp said gleefully, taking off her mask.
“Anita.” Kelly said sweetly, standing up.
“Yes superwoman?”
“Don’t you ever change.” And then my girlfriend leaned over the hospital bed and kissed Anita on the lips. I heard Anita take a sharp breath, the heart monitor started to beep more frequently, and she gave a happy but confused moan.
Anita wrapped her arms around Kelly, deepening the kiss even as Kelly tried to pull away. I could feel her passion from where I sat, years of longing and regret charging the atmosphere around them until the hairs on the back of my neck stood up. It made me feel a lot like a voyeur actually.
Then, Kelly was backing away, her breathing wild. “I’ll be back.” She promised, practically running out of the room.
“Don’t go!” Anita yelled after her, trying to sit up. I pushed her down gently to prevent her from fucking up her stitches, and she didn’t have the strength to resist me. She started to swear in Spanish though, talking so fast that it seemed like one continuous word.
“She’ll be back.” I said reassuringly, taking the opportunity to lie down beside her. It was a bit tricky since there were wires running around the bed and it wasn’t that big to begin with; but after I snuggled up close to the now-silent woman and stole half her pillow, it wasn’t that bad.
“What’re you doing?” Anita wondered, lying still but her body was tense. “I just lost control of myself and chased Kelly out of the room and now you’re snuggling with me??”
“She’ll come back in a few minutes once she gets over the shock.” I answered, flinging an arm across her body. “She’s just sensitive because you almost died and I was being hysterical in the bathroom.”
“?Que?” Anita lapsed into Spanish. I think it’s the first time she’s ever done that in front of me, aside from swearing that is. According to Anita, English swearwords didn’t have the same “oomph” as Spanish ones.
“My brother died here.” I explained shortly, shuddering despite myself.
“Lo siento.” Anita said, giving me a one-arm hug. She sounded vaguely frustrated at not being able to do more so I shifted my body so I could rest my head on her chest. It was actually more comfortable than the pillow and it allowed her to hug me properly.
“Dr. Willows helped you get better though.” I murmured, feeling sleepy again. I could hear her heartbeat through her chest as well as the monitor, a duet that complimented the steady ‘whoosh’ of air going in and out of her lungs. “And Laura seemed optimistic about Peter so I’m glad.”
“Who’s Laura?” Anita asked, running her finger through my hair fondly.
“Peter’s ex-wife.”
“Ah. I forgot he was married.” Anita’s voice seemed to get fuzzy, and my thoughts slowed down. “Are you okay?”
“G’night.” I murmured.
I felt her lips on my forehead for a moment, a gentle good-night kiss that let me finally relax.
%_%_%_%_%_%
Usually, I pass from the state of unconsciousness to wakefulness immediately, forgoing the in-between state because I usually manage to hurt myself when I’m not fully aware of where I am. This time though, I first became aware of the warmth next to me (and around me to a lesser extent). It was a soothing feeling, floating in a protective limbo. Voices started to drift around me, a familiar voice and another strange one with a Spanish accent.
“… that?” The stranger was asking.
“That’s Carolyn.” Kelly answered fondly, sounding like she was standing by the chair instead of sitting on it. “Did you want to take a seat Mrs. Sanchez?”
“Thank you dear.” The other woman replied sitting down, her creaky bones making themselves known as she did so. “I thought I told you to take care of mi niña. This is not taking care. She loves you and you have duty to take care of her, sí?”
“She’s hard to take care of.” Kelly said defiantly but I could hear the guilt in her voice.
“Yes, she is child.” Anita’s mother agreed. “But you responsible anyway. Look at her: her eyes puffy, hair messy, only sleeping because of drugs. I told you I left mi hija in your charge. You disappoint me.”
“I’m sorry… I… I…”
“You are child too. Children makes mistakes, I know.” Anita’s mother said gently, forgiving Kelly immediately. “Come here and give me kiss, mi otro hija.”
And then I drifted into unconsciousness again. Kelly wouldn’t accept mothering if she knew anybody else was paying attention. Especially if it was me.
***
When I woke up again, Kelly was talking to a doctor in the doorway (he was starting to sound mildly panicked as she talked) and Anita was still sleeping. I rubbed my eyes because the crusty bits were annoying. I didn’t think anybody would’ve noticed a small thing like that, but Anita’s mother started talking to me almost immediately. “What are your intentions for Anita?”
“Eh?” I asked blearily, opening my eyes for a moment to get the rest of the gunk.
“What is wrong with your eyes?” She asked, sounding concerned. “You sick? Hit your head?”
“She’s blind.” Kelly answered from the other side of the room, letting the doctor go for the moment. He took the opportunity to scurry off; she didn’t seem to mind as she knelt down beside the bed, taking my hand.
“Ah.” Anita’s mother patted my head. “I’m Alejandra Sanchez, Anita mother.”
“Carolyn McKay.” I introduced myself, pushing against the mattress on either side of Anita’s body so I could sit up. She made a little distressed noise and held onto my waist tightly, muttering “mine” in her sleep. I blushed, facing my bedmate’s mother.
“What are your intentions?” Alejandra repeated herself. “She got hurt for you. What do you want?”
“I don’t want her to do something stupid like that again.” I said the first thing that came to mind.
“Not stupid, brave. Hasty too.” The older woman admitted, sounding unimpressed. “Why you wearing tent?”
“I used my shirt to wrap her stomach.” I answered meekly, shrugging. “This is the receptionist’s shirt.”
“Why you sleeping with mi hija and not Kelly?”
I really wasn’t coming out on top of this interrogation.
“Mrs. Sanchez,” Kelly came to my rescue, “I had to leave the room for a moment and Carolyn didn’t want to leave Anita alone. Since they’re both fond of hugs and had a long day, it’s utterly understandable.”
“Not talking to you Kelly.” Alejandra replied dismissfully. “What type of woman allows her lover, mi hija, to sleep with another?”
“Actually mother, Kelly’s not my lover.” Anita said groggily, trying to pull me back down onto the bed.
“Pero usted dijo que elle es te amor!” Anita’s mother exclaimed, confused.
“Sí.” Anita answered wearily. And then she went into a long explanation that I couldn’t follow but by the pain in her voice, I had a fair idea of what it was. She let go of me though, and I went to Kelly, going slowly so I didn’t crash into something important.
Kelly quickly pulled me into a hug, giving me a quick kiss that made me blush. “Welcome back.”
“Can you understand them?” I whispered.
“No, they’re going too fast.” Kelly whispered back. “Brace yourself, she’s looking this way.”
“Kelly!” Alejandra stood up quickly. “You no tell me you were not with Anita, why?”
“Madre!” Anita snapped. “Don’t talk to Kelly that way! I already told you why.”
After a short argument in Spanish, Alejandra stormed out of the room, muttering to herself. Once the door slammed shut, Anita sighed wearily. “I don’t know why she even came. We always end up doing this.”
“She loves you.” I answered simply, giving Kelly a kiss on the cheek to calm her down. Yelling always made her feel guilty for some reason. “It’s a good thing.”
“Hmpf.” Anita snorted. “You might be right. She always brings me something to eat afterwards. Anyway, why are you two standing over there? Didn’t you promise me a threesome?”
“You’re in no condition for sex.” Kelly told her reproachfully as I blushed.
“Wanna try me?”
“I’m not going to be responsible for your stitches coming out.” I told her.
“Come on, people do it all the time.” Anita said innocently.
“No.”
She stayed silent for a moment, giving me enough time to feel relieved, before coming up with another proposal. “Than why don’t you two have sex and I’ll watch?”
“No.” Kelly said shortly, holding me tightly against her as more blood went to my face.
“Come on! I kept my hands to myself while she was sleeping on me so why can’t I have some porn? The endorphins will make the pain go down.” Anita wheedled.
“I’m sure you’ll survive a few weeks.” Kelly answered sweetly in a tone of voice that made the students at the dojo run for cover. “Being confined to a bed until you recover and all. I think being celebrate for a while will do you some good.”
“Ouch.” Anita sounded apprehensive; I don’t think she ever thought about that before.
“What do you think Carolyn? Should we lock the apartment door behind us or should we just leave her here?”
“Kelly!”
“Well?”
“I think we should take her home with us.” I answered, trying hard not to smile at the anguish in Anita’s voice. “Put her on the futon in the living room and let Sachiko nibble on her feet for a few days.”
“That would be a nice change.” Kelly said dreamily. Our cat still liked to use Kelly’s feet to sharpen her fangs while she slept before curling up in the crook of my neck for the night.
“I love you Carolyn!” Anita agreed happily.
“She’s such a flirt.” I kissed Kelly, and then wandered over to Anita so I could do the same to her.
“Carolyn?” Kelly sounded a little funny.
“Well, she is going to have to face her mother while we go eat something. She could use the luck.” I said serenely. “I’m hungry and I need to go to the bathroom.”
“See you later Anita.”
“That’s not fair!” Anita yelled at us.
“You can imagine us having sex somewhere if it makes you feel better.” I told her impishly. “Of course, someone will come in while you’re indulging yourself so I wouldn’t recommend it. You’re a resourceful woman, I’m sure you’ll figure something out.”
“Carolyn!” Kelly pulled me out of the room, giggling. “She looked like she swallowed a fly!”
“I was just indulging my inner Anita.” I replied angelically. “I’m serious about the food though. I’m starving.”
Kelly kissed me on the cheek and put her arm around my waist. “Let’s go somewhere then.”
A Picnic In Winter ~~ Encounters ~~ The Club Incident ~~ Kelly Part 1 ~~ Kelly Part 2 ~~ Kelly Part 3 ~~ Interview With Anita ~~ Vacation ~~ Anita's Truth ~~ Aftermath ~~ Needing You ~~ Attack At The Gardens ~~~ Attack At The Gardens Part B ~~~ Don't Tie Me Down