Page 26 of The Book of Wrath

My body slowly starts to tingle, the darkness slowly fading, replaced with blurry lights. The silence of peace now replaced with the sound of chaos. Voices erupt, machines beeping, a female sobbing in the distance. But it was the face that came rushing into my view, the blonde male with the beckoning blue eyes, that I was focused on.

He was waiting for me to return. He was here.

“Max.”

Chapter 22

Max

It has been days since Megan was brought into the hospital. Days of her being kept in a medical coma so they could process her, assess her damages, give her blood, and have a female doctor examine her. The two people responsible for this are both dead. One by my hands and the other by Ally’s hands. Tony has been glued to Ally’s side since that night. Andy and Roark have stayed close to me to make sure I don’t break apart. Her mother and sister have come and go a few times. Awkward as fuck meeting her mother and explaining who I was. Her sister, however, apparently already knew about me long before that night. I felt a sense of pride know that she talked about me.

The door creeps open a small bit, a male voice calling into the room, “Bitch you better not be dead.” The words set my blood boiling, as I went to stand up to tell the person to fuck off, Ally put her hand up.

“Ethan, watch your words,” she calls out as the door fully opens revealing a tall, tanned male as he walks into the room. He pauses in the doorway and looks around. Machines beeping from the bedside next to me.

“Fuck, I’m sorry. I thought it was just you in here Ally. I didn’t mean anything by it,” he apologizes to the room.

“You’re fine, they just don’t know you like we do,” Ally stood up, walking over to him to embrace him in a hug. “That’s Tony in the chair over there, Andy by the window, Roark here making sure no one enters without permission, and that’s Max, Megan’s new boyfriend.” She smiles at me, and I try so hard to relax. “Guys, this is Ethan, he is our best friend and don’t worry Max, she doesn’t have the equipment he likes to play with.”

“Did you really have to go there?” He sputters out, glaring at Ally who is already heading back to her empty chair next to Tony.

“Yes, Max gets a little handsy when it comes to Megan. I don’t want him getting the wrong idea with you walking up in her calling her bitch,” Ally turns and sits down. Eyes burning a hole into Ethan. He nods in understanding then walks toward the bed, stopping short right in front of me.

“Do you mind if I sit on the other chair by her?” He was asking me permission to step closer to her.

“Go for it, I won’t stop you unless you try some shady shit. As long as you’re good, I’ll be good,” I try to smile, but I just don’t have it in me. I can’t fake anything right now. The guys have been taking shifts here with me and Ally. Mainly because they still have work to do. I have an interview with Rick in the morning about my reinstatement. The call to dispatch was clear, and they heard everything. Tony got the audio from his sister and gave it to Andy to take a look at. Andy didn’t let me hear it; Roark told me it would be a cold day in hell that he would let me hear it. Tony, however, said if I tried to listen to it he would beat me until I’m unconscious.

I wouldn’t put it past any of them all to beat me into submission. Ethan moved to the chair on the other side of the bed. He looked at her like she was the last person in the world he wanted to see like this. I wonder how close they are. As I go to open my mouth, the machines attached to her begin to beep loud with a steady beep. She was flatlining.

A group of nurses bust through the door, nearly knocking Roark to the floor. He quickly regains his footing and grabs the door handle to hold it open, Ethan and I move back from the bed. Tony, Andy and Roark leave the room, Ethan following them out, trying to pull Ally with him, but she stays put next to me. We’re not leaving our girl. Not now.

Nurses work on her, getting her heart stabilized beating back in the proper rhythm. It’s happened twice now; they say the stress on her heart is what’s causing the episodes. I believe when they say that stress can kill you, this is what they meant. They say her body is fighting the medication that’s keeping her in the coma, and they are going to be slowly bringing her back to consciousness. They can’t take another chance of her having an episode while sedated.

Reluctantly, the guys decide it’s best to leave us there for the night. Ally has work in the morning so Ethan offers her a ride home, much to Tony’s pleasure, she says no and that she will be riding home with him. Ethan doesn’t argue as she takes Tony’s arm, and they head down the hall. Dear god, those two could be trouble together. Tony’s smart mouth and quick thinking on his feet are a kiss of death, but with her skills. It wouldn’t surprise me if they kill anyone who wrongs them. She seems like a walking hellfire.

“Mr. Carter, you don’t have to stay the night. Her sister will be here in the morning,” Millie, the night nurse, says as she enters the room to clean up.

“It’s fine. I don’t really want to go home with her here,” I say as I take my seat back by the bedside. I brush a strand of hair off of Megan’s cheek. She’s warm which signals to my body that she is still alive. Millie smiles at me, continuing her rounds.

“How long have you two been together?” She asks, a normal question from an older woman just trying to make conversation. I realize most people treat the nurses here like servants. It pisses me off and I want to punch them every time I hear it. They should be lucky these people are here to care for them.

“The night of the attack, we made it official that night,” I reply, taking Megan’s hand in my own, gently squeezing it in hopes she will squeeze back.

“Oh,” she replies as she grabs the trash bag from the can. I give her a questioning look. “I didn’t mean any offense. I just assumed you two had been together for a while seeing the way you are with her. Making sure she’s covered up when visitors come, staying close by her side during this whole stay. That’s not something a boyfriend of a few hours would do.”

“I’ve known her for a bit, we just didn’t make things official because we both just got out of some horrible relationships. We didn’t want to rush into anything, or assume anything from one another,” I gaze back at Megan. “86.”

“What’s 86?” She asks, tying up the bag before placing it on the ground by the door.

“How many freckles she has across her nose and cheeks. I count them every day. I don’t know why, I don’t expect a new one to show up or one to vanish, but I do. I’m sorry, I must sound like a complete idiot,” I ramble on.

“No need to apologize, people do mundane things when they are here for long periods of time. I had a client once tell me exactly how many times this one nurse took a piss in a day. Found out later, that patient had told the nurse she was pregnant, guessed about three weeks along from the frequency of her peeing,” Millie laughs as she puts a fresh bag in the can.

“Was she right?” I ask, curiosity now getting the best of me.

She laughed, “Yes, down to the exact week. The patient was a retired gynecologist. Good at her work. When she was finally released, she told the nurse that she would go into labor probably a week early and to bed ready. Before you ask, she was right about that too. Creepy, but the woman delivered the nurses baby and has been right on four other occasions too. All because she was bored out of her mind in here and she hated whatever was on tv.”

“That’s one way to cure boredom I guess,” I say. Millie banters on for a little bit more as she moves about the room. I respond with a few okays, that’s nice, that’s awful and the personal best, I can’t believe it. I was barely listening when she paused entirely. I look up to see her glancing at Megan in the bed. I zoned out completely, not noticing that Megan was gripping my hand. A gentle squeeze, but enough for me to know that she’s awake, or close to it.

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