Flight or Fight? An Eddie Munson Love Story

Chapter Twenty One

"When can I see her?" I asked, hours later.

"We've finished flushing the chloroform out of her system, she was still a little disorientated. So she could rest, we've given her a mild sedative. She's just down the hall, you can see her now if you wish." The doctor said.

"I would, please."  I replied.

The doctor led me down the hallway and to her room, where she was sleeping soundly in the hospital bed.

She looked clean, and peaceful.

I sank down into the plastic chair next to her, and immediately took her hand in mine, thanking every god possible that she was safe.

It was over, Travis was dead.
No more flying.

It was over.

Geoff appeared in the doorway, looking tired and I smiled weakly.

"She sure put up a fight. Like something out of a movie." Geoff said.

"The police told you then huh?" I asked.

"They told me what they could." Geoff said.

"She was smart. She saved Chrissy, too." I said.

"They arrested her officially this morning, she's in custody." Geoff said.

"I hope we never see her again. She had me fooled." I said, mentally berating myself.

"She had us all fooled." Geoff corrected.

"He never talked about his family......"

We both stopped and turned to the newly awake Torvi in the bed and she shifted slightly.

I leaned over out of my seat and propped up the pillows behind her, helping her into a sitting position.

"He never told me about her. I didn't even know she existed. So if anyone was fooled, it was me." She said, sounding tired.

Her hands were red, from where the tape had been removed and she flexed them, wincing slightly.

"He fooled her too though. He told her that I was making it difficult for me to get access rights.... To his son. He made her believe it was me refusing to see him or give him access, and that somehow I'd gotten a restraining order to prevent him from exercising his parental rights. She had my scan photo..... I told her the truth and when she believed me he went to attack her. So I lunged for him, and told her to find you." She said to me.

"She did." I said.

"He wasn't going to let me leave..... it was him or me." She said.

"We know that Tor." I sad, sympathetically.

"It should never have come to this. He gave you no choice." Geoff said.

"I was told you were awake. You okay to quickly talk?"

Mark.

She smiled and nodded, as he stepped inside.

"Chrissy has been charged with kidnapping, assault, stalking and battery. She will be in court sometime next week. I suspect she'll plead guilty so there'll be no trial. She willingly gave us all the details, how long they'd been planning it, everything Travis had said or done. It's the best outcome we could have hoped for, for your sake." Mark said.

"It is, I agree." I said.

"She believed his lies, I know what that's like." Torvi said.

"But she was also complicit. That's where my sympathy ends." She added, before I could.

Seems I didn't need to, she felt the same as me.

"Will you let us know how it goes?" Geoff asked.

"Of course." Mark replied.

And he suddenly hesitated.

"Everything okay?" Torvi asked, with a slight frown.

"Listen, there's something else I wanted to talk to you about."

"Okay?" She said, hesitant.

"When you were rushed for emergency surgery, and they removed what they thought was endo trauma.... An accompanying surgeon from the surgery wasn't entirely convinced and had scheduled to investigate.... Research if you like and so what was removed was frozen. It was already negligence.... And someone should have gotten in touch with you to report, because they did confirm their failings and also confirmed what the surgeon had found. Your son is here, Torvi." Mark said.

"I'm sorry.... What?" We all asked in unison.

"I know this is very hard and shocking to hear, but he is here. Only I wanted to try and make it as easy as I could for you. And so I requested that he was humanely cremated. I paid for that myself, and made sure he has a comfortable resting place." Mark continued.

"I don't know what to say....." Torvi said, her voice hushed.

"You don't have to say anything. We all failed you in our own ways, Torvi. This is my apology." He said, as a nurse came in carrying a small, white wooden box with an engraving on.

"You had nothing to apologise for, Mark. Nothing at all." I said, as Torvi was silent.

She was shell shocked and her eyes were on the tiny wooden box in the nurses hands.

"That's my boy?" She asked, her voice hushed.

"It is, I'll just settle him down here and give you a moment." The nurse said.

"You did enough Mark." I said, when the nurse had left the room.

"I feel I have some things to atone for still. That's why I'm semi coming out of retirement and I'm going to be working within the domestic violence and social services sector. So that hopefully what happened to you, doesn't have to keep happening for others." Mark said.

"To me, if that's how you feel..... What you'll be doing more than makes this right. In my eyes you have nothing to atone for, but I guess I know how that feels. It doesn't matter what someone says, it's how you feel." She said.

"I agree." I said, breaking my momentary silence.

"I can see you two being very happy together and I hope that the next time we see each other, it's as friends." Mark said, as Torvi climbed slowly out of bed.

She hobbled over to him and gently embraced him, a hold he returned gratefully.

"Good friends." She said, in agreement.

I stifled a laugh, but they'd both noticed.

"We'll just pretend that my bare ass isn't out right now. It's these god awful hospital gowns." Tor said, as Mark chuckled.

"I was overlooking it." He said, reassuring her.

"Bye kiddo." He said, squeezing her shoulders.

"Thank you for everything." I said, as we shook hands.

"Take care, both of you." He said, before giving us one final glance and leaving.

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