Challen and Addy

Chapter 2 (Challen): I Need Some Help

Copyright © 2024 by GroveltoHEA

There was something horrifying about seeing my wife in a hospital bed, bruised, broken and suffering. Knowing she'd been alone in the hospital for three days. Alone. She could have been killed, and I wouldn't have known because I'd been on my high horse, irritated that she couldn't even be bothered to respond to my text because she was mad at me.

There was something even more horrifying knowing that she was in the hospital bed as a result of an argument she'd had with me. An argument that had driven her to get on her bike and go for a ride, leaving her at the mercy of a driver whose texts were more important than looking at the road.

And the most horrifying thing of all was when this broken woman looked at you with tears in her eyes and told you to leave.

My wife had just ordered me to leave. I had no clue if she meant her hospital room or her life, but I had to hope she meant her hospital room.

"Addy, sweetheart –"

"Sweetheart." Her lips looked painfully dried and cracked, and her eyes were still hazy. "As if."

Two people came into her room.

"Hi," the one woman said. "I'm Dr. Sam. And you are?"

"I'm Addy's husband."

"Oh, I haven't seen you before."

"I didn't know," I said lamely. "I haven't been home in three days. I was at work for an emergency –"

The doctor and nurse didn't say a word, but I could feel their judgment rolling off of them.

"Well, I guess there are all sorts of emergencies," the nurse said briskly after the uncomfortable silence stretched on.

"What can you tell me about my wife's condition? The police wouldn't tell me much, other than an unidentified woman was hit on her bicycle and was badly injured and brought here."

"No," my wife whispered. Her tongue darted out to lick her lips, then she said more firmly, "No. Don't give him information. I want him to leave. Now."

"Addy, what the hell?" I asked.

The nurse and doctor turned their full attention to my wife.

"Addy, I need to verify what you just said," the doctor said. "You do not want us to share any information about your condition with your husband. Is that correct?"

"That's right. Don't tell him anything." Her voice was quiet, but it sounded like she was shouting it in my mind.

"And you want him out of your room?"

"Yes. Now. Get him out."

As if they had this fucking synchronized, the doctor and nurse turned toward me, forming a wall of protection for Addy. For my wife. They thought that my wife needed to be protected from me. From her husband.

"Addy, don't do this," I begged her. "Please let me stay."

"Just go," she said. "Go ride your Jennifer."

Everyone's eyes widened at that, including mine since that sounded so awful. "See? That's got to be the drugs talking," I said to the doctor and the nurse. "She doesn't know what she's saying."

"Mmhmm," the nurse said. "She sounds perfectly lucid to me."

"Sir, I'm going to have to ask you to leave the room. If the patient doesn't want you in here, you can't be in here," Dr. Sam explained.

"She's my wife!" I protested. "She doesn't know what she's saying because of whatever pain meds you're giving her. I have a right to be with my wife!"

"Sir, if you won't leave on your own, I'll have to call security." Dr. Sam still sounded calm.