Madeline

23. Call A Spade A Spade

23. Call A Spade A Spade

Madeline
Things had been going well until those pictures surfaced. At first I thought the devil did it, but that didn't make sense. He would have done it a long time ago if he'd been sitting on something like this. I'd also suspected his partner in crime was the one who did it, but that didn't make any sense either. Then Aurora's face came to mind. She'd visited me late last night begging me to put an end to this.

"You've made your point. Let's stop this," she'd said. "You've damaged his reputation. You've turned his life upside down. Don't you think that's enough? Would you really condemn an innocent man? What did he do that was so wrong? He saved you from making the biggest mistake of your life. Put a stop to this. Forgive him. Forgive them. Forgive yourself."

Of course I ignored her words.

"You're sick, Madeline. You need help. Your boyfriend left you because you refused to get the help you need. Please, stop this."

Aurora did this. Why would she betray me like this? She said she was on my side. She's just like them. Because they had money and power they think they can do anything. Well I don't need her. I can do this on my own.

Within a few days the charges against the devil were dropped and I was back at square one. No one has seen or heard from him since those pictures were released. Maybe I had gone too far this time. I just wanted him to suffer. That's all I wanted. I was confused by the direction of my thoughts. I should at least feel some satisfaction for causing turmoil in his life, but I didn't. I felt nothing. Did I make a mistake pursuing this revenge? I didn't want to think so, but when I looked at how things turned out I couldn't help but think I had.

An indescribable pain in my abdomen woke me up that night. It felt like there was a deep sharp knife inside of me. I couldn't move or even find the strength to make a sound. I started sweating profusely because of the pain. I curled into the fetal position waiting for it to end quickly, but it didn't. I don't know how long I stayed like that until it dawned on me that something could be seriously wrong with me. I wanted to call for help but there was no one I could call. I needed to get myself to a hospital. Something was seriously wrong.

Fighting against the pain in my abdomen I rolled myself from the bed and reached for my cell phone. I knew enough from living with a doctor what pain like this might mean. I wouldn't wait until it gets worse before seeking assistance. Fighting with everything within me to be strong I managed to call an ambulance. Their response time wouldn't be long because of my location. I just had to hang on until they came.

"Ma'am, Ma'am, can you hear us?"

I groaned while twisting from side to side.

"It hurts."

Someone pressed down on the right side of my lower abdomen. I screamed. It hurt so bad.

"It hurts," I managed to get out. "It hurts."

I was going in and out of consciousness while they worked around me. At one point I remember moving and being loaded into a vehicle. It must have been the ambulance. Another time I remembered someone asking for my name but I couldn't remember if I answered. The pain had me battling between conscious and unconscious. I didn't want to feel pain anymore. I wanted it to go away. I chose the unconscious.

Marc
I'd just come downstairs from visiting Eric when the ambulance came in. Usually I didn't pay attention to these things, but the woman they brought in changed that. I overheard them say something about a rupture. I was concerned. Once the hospital staff took over I asked the man and woman from the ambulance what the matter was. They said they weren't sure but the signs of her condition pointed to it possibly being appendicitis. I thanked them for the information and went to the emergency room. I didn't get in their way. I let them do their jobs until they kept asking for her emergency contact. I frowned. She was experiencing tremendous pain and they were asking for emergency contact.

"What's the matter?" I couldn't stand by idly any longer.

The doctor didn't get a chance to answer because at that moment Madeline let out and ear shattering scream and her back arched off the bed.

"What the hell are you all doing? Give her something for the pain now!"

"We can't. We don't know if she's allergic to any medication."

My hands balled into fists.

"Get her to the operating room and remove that ruptured appendix now!" They looked conflicted but didn't dare defy me. Just to ease their minds I told them I'd take responsibility for her. Madeline had been a patient here before. That means she's on file. All her medical history should be recorded.

"She was a patient here before. I'll get her file."

"Of course, Mr. Paxton.

It was about two hours before I was allowed to see Madeline. I didn't know why but I felt protective of her, even after everything she's done. She was still experiencing some grogginess but not enough to not recognize me. She couldn't look me in the eye. That meant she felt guilty about what she'd done. Good.

"You had your appendix removed. How do you feel?" She didn't answer. "So you're not talking to me now? The least you can do is talk to me after what you've put me through."

I sat down in the empty chair beside her bed. "Okay, I'll go first. I don't hate you or harbour any ill feelings towards you or about what you've done. I also want to apologize for the part I played all those years ago. It was cruel and unkind. I hope we can put this behind us and maybe even be friends."

"Why would you want to be friend with me after what I did?"

"Because I understand why you did it."

"Is that why you didn't do anything about it no matter how out of control things got?"

"That's part of it."

"What's the other part?"

"Eric," I said simply.

"Oh."

She said nothing more and neither did I. I left her to rest and went back upstairs.

"How is he now?

"We have him sedated. He's aware of what's going on around him but can't do anything."

"Thank you."

The doctor left and I sat down. I didn't do or say anything for a few minutes. I needed the time to gather my thoughts. Eric was here because of me. I should have just apologized to her the minute I realized she was after revenge, but I didn't and now we're here.

"You were right," I said simply. "There's something there. I feel something for her. I'm not sure what it is just yet. I know you're probably screaming at me in your head right now. You think I'm a fool. Maybe am I. I can't pretend anymore. I do feel something for her. She almost ruined me but yet I can't help worrying about her." I sighed. I am a fool I always tend to protect others before protecting myself.

I spent the rest of the night by Eric's bed but I did take a short break to check on Madeline. I watched her sleep for how long I'm not sure. She'd been through so much in her life already and she really has no one. I wanted to be there for her. No. I would be there for her from now on. I made that vow beside her out loud even though I knew she couldn't hear me.