High Sierra: A Red Dead Redemption Story

Chapter Fourteen: Stay

Three days have passed since Arthur regained consciousness. Eliza has hardly left the hospital. Almost every time has woken up, there she is, waiting. Her devotion hasn't gone unnoticed, but every time he tries to gather the courage to tell her how he truly feels about her, they are either interrupted by a nurse checking in or he chickens out.

    Arthur has begun to wonder about her. How was she able to be at the hospital all the time? Did she have a lot of time off work saved? It would make sense, considering the hours she put into her job, but where was Isaac? Was he with his parents?

    Arthur is eating his hospital lunch, which could use some salt. Eliza is sitting in a chair by the near wall, looking through a newspaper. The nurse switches Arthur's oxygen back on. As a routine, she'll turn it off in five hours. Hopefully, after weaning him from the help of oxygen day by day, he won't need it at all. Regardless, Arthur has been doing better, which gives Eliza hope. The nurse smiles at Arthur, then leaves the room.

    "Eliza?" Arthur asks. She looks up from her paper.   "Does it say anything about the fire? Or Micah in there?"

    She flips back to the front page and skims over it. "No, it doesn't. I wasn't even looking for it."

    "Then, what are you reading?"

    She doesn't look up from reading. "The help wanted section."

    "What? Why?"

    Eliza looks into his eyes and sighs. "I quit Bronte's."

    "Woah, really? Why did you quit? What happened?"

    "A lot of things. I was tired of Mr. Bronte. He made several "propositions" that I refused, and he was mad that I had to take time off to be here with you. Your parents were kind enough to take Isaac so I could be here."

    Arthur feels anger building up inside him, his protective nature seething in his tone. "What kind of propositions?" Eliza doesn't answer. "Had I known, I'd–"

    "That's why I never told you. I needed my job, but now I realise there are things that are more important." Eliza tries to reassure him by giving him a comforting smile.

    They hear a tap on the door and they look to see the doctor come in.

    "Good morning." He turns to Eliza. "I expected you'd be here this morning."

    Eliza sets her newspaper down. "Good morning, doctor."

    "Has he been coughing much since you've been here?"

    "Only once, and he was just put on oxygen."

    He notes something down on his clipboard. "Very good. That just confirms things for me."

    Arthur sets his lunch tray on the table next to his bed. "Is everything alright, doc?"

    "Yes. I have good news, Mr. Morgan. Since you woke up, you've been making a steady recovery. You've beaten the odds against you."

    "So...I get to go home?"

    "In two days, yes. We  just want to make sure the oxygen is helping you. You'll be on it for a little bit and we will prescribe the medicine you have been taking. Because your body is still in recovery, you are prohibited from returning to work until we have cleared you. You will need someone to help look after you for a few weeks. Now, we can have a nurse check on you–"

    "I'll do it."

    Arthur and the doctor turn to Eliza. She shrugs her shoulders. "I have the time and I am used to taking care of our son, who has cancer."