The Futile Effort

Part 6

JESS POV

The sound of beeping woke me up. I immediately regretted that I was already awake when I felt a terrible pain in my shoulder. Just above my heart. I opened my eyes after a moment, blinking to get them used to the bright light. I was in a hospital bed. Breathing with a tube hooked up to my mouth.

"My god! You're awake! I'll get the doctor." Eva's mother said and ran out of the room.

I noticed that she must have been here for a while, because the blanket was lying in disarray on the couch on the other side of the bed. After a while the doctor came into the room, with Mary Trenton and my father trampling on his heels.

"Jess! All right!" My father said. I was taken aback by his behaviour. It seemed as if he was genuinely worried about me and relieved when I woke up.

The doctor checked something on the monitor and wrote in the chart. I pointed weakly with my hand at the tube near my mouth. He understood and disconnected me from the artificial oxygen.

"Water..." I whispered through chapped lips. My throat was sore.

Mary put a cup of water to my lips, I drank a few sips.

"You were very lucky, Mrs. Hunter. The bullet didn't damage anything serious. The momentary faintness and weakness are the result of blood loss. However, you may be back on your feet soon." Said the doctor with a smile.

I nodded and immediately started sliding my legs down to the floor. I was in a hospital tunic.

"But not so fast!" The doctor wanted to hold me down, but I rejected his hand, and stood up wobbly.

"Jess, wait, what are you doing?" Mary Trenton asked.

"Where's Eva? Is she okay?" I asked concerned. Flashes of events from the wedding began to come back to me. Why hadn't I paid that stupid ransom?

"Hey, hey! Sit on the bed, easy." Said my father, who wanted to put his arm around my shoulders, but I rolled away, slumping against the cupboard. My left hand was immobilised in a sling.

"Where's Eva?"

"Eva is fine, honey, please listen to the doctor and come back to bed."

"I need to see her first, convince myself..." I said weakly, leaning against the cupboard as I felt slightly dizzy.

"The other Mrs Trenton? She's in the next room, if you absolutely want to see her." Said the unsuspecting doctor. Mary gave him a sidelong glance.

I immediately moved shakily in the direction indicated. I walked through a corridor that was quite empty, probably to protect our privacy. Father had taken care of that. I opened the door to the room.

Eva was lying in bed. She looked at me bewildered. Apart from the drip and the pale face, I couldn't see any sign that anything was wrong with her.

"Jess? What are you doing here? Why aren't you in bed?" She asked.

"Are you okay?"

"Yes! Go back to bed!" Eva rebuked me, I breathed a sigh of relief. Right behind me a doctor entered the room.

"How is she, doctor? Why are you keeping her here?" I asked about Eva's condition.

The doctor smiled slightly.

"Mrs. Trenton is here because she wanted to do some tests. She said that lately she has been bothered by nausea and feeling worse. We checked her condition. Other than mild anemia and dehydration, she's fine. Well, I must congratulate you. Your wife already knows!" The doctor said cheerfully. Eva looked at me like waiting for my reaction. I didn't like it.