Noble Causes

Chapter 7

The trip to the hospital was a blur.  I remember the police escort, the private security, and that the trip seemed to take hours even though I'm sure it wasn't more than fifteen or twenty minutes.

When we finally made it inside we were immediately rushed to the intensive care unit where I was met by a very nice doctor with kind and worried eyes.  Dr. Wright was plumper than most doctors I'd met and he had a kind face beneath a mop of unkempt white hair.  There was far more blood on him that I had wanted to see.

"Ms. Crawford, I'm Dr. Wright. I've been seeing to Mr. Miller since he was brought in." he said as he stepped in between me and what was obviously Edward's room.

"Thank you. Really, thank you so much. I'm just going to go in and..."

"Ms. Crawford I can understand you want to see Mr. Miller right now but I really think we should speak first, before you go in."

"Dr., I..."

"Please, this is important."

"Okay. Okay."

The doctor and I stepped in to a small sitting room near the elevator. He pushed the door closed gently and gestured towards one of the chairs. I've come to learn that when doctors ask a person to sit down it means that they're about to say something terrible.

"Ms. Crawford..."

"Scout."

"Scout, I wanted to brief you before you go in. Mr. Miller is...uh...well, he's in bad shape you see."

"Doctor, I...I know what's happened to him. I saw all of it along with everyone else."

"I'm just concerned that the reality of seeing Mr. Miller in the condition that he's in could be distressing and right now we feel its best to keep him as calm as possible. In addition to the litany of injuries he's suffered he has a tachycardia although we're hoping that may sort itself out with rest and proper nutrition. I just want you to be prepared so that you can remain as calm as possible when you see him."

"How bad...is...how bad?"

"His collar bone is fractured in two places, his jaw in three. His right orbital bone is broken in two places that we're sure of. His left femur is broken. All of his fingers as well as all of his..."

"Okay, okay. That's enough, I get the idea. I'll see him now."

"Scout please, as much as possible, remain as calm as possible."

"I know, I know. I'll stay calm. I just want to see him."

"Alright, I know he's anxious to see you too."

"He's been speaking?"

"Only to ask about you. He kept asking if you were safe, just kept asking until one the police officers told him you were fine. Apparently he was a little hard to understand which is...understandable.

Kim and Avery were the first people I saw when I stepped back in to the corridor.

"I called his family. They're coming as soon as they can get a flight." Avery said flatly.

I opened the door to Edward's room as quietly as I could, slipped inside, and pushed the door closed again, almost silently.

I stood in the doorway for a moment while my eyes adjusted to the dim light in the room. I was surprised to see the lights so subdued but at the time I suspected that it had something to do with the way he was held, in that white room with the lights always on.

I walked towards the bed slowly, delicately. Edward's chest rose and fell quickly but not deeply. I stood beside his bed for the longest moment of my life as I waited to see if he knew that I was in the room. The man lying in the bed didn't look like Edward. His face was a mess; swollen and discoloured. His beard has been shaved by the hospital staff when he was brought in. Every inch of his body that I could see was covered in welts and bruises, some old and some very new. With what seemed like a lot of effort, Edward opened just his left eye.

"Moitie?" he managed through gritted teeth.

"Yeah, yeah I'm here."

"Are you okay?"

"Me?"

"Are you okay? Did anyone hurt you? They said..."

"No, I'm okay. I promise. I've got you back. You're going to get better and that's all that matters."

"I love you so much. It was all worth it."

I knelt down beside his bed and wrapped my fingers around his hand as gently as I could. He immediately squeezed my hand before wincing and loosening his grip.

"Do you need anything? Do you want anything at all?" I asked.

He lay perfectly still for the longest time, just breathing and holding on to my hand as tightly as he could manage.

"You. Can you...uh...can you stay?" he asked with his voice shaking.

I'd never heard his voice shake like that and it was terrifying. Edward had always been my protector, even during those times when he knew I didn't need him to be. Even during those rare times when he had really opened up to me he was always strong. As I held his hand I couldn't help but think that he sounded very much like a scared little boy. I couldn't imagine what must have been going through his head as he lay there holding my hand, hooked up to beeping monitors, and asking me not to leave him.

"Of course.  I'll stay with you until...I'll stay with you."

I sat in the room with him for the longest time in complete silence.  Everything was an effort for him.  Just speaking a few words with his jaw in the condition it was in or keeping his eye open was exhausting.  Once I was sure he was asleep I sneaked out in to the hall and found Kim and Avery just outside the door.  There had been so many things, over the last nearly four months, that had seemed wrong and awful that I'm not sure why something as trivial as Avery's demeanor would grab my attention but it did.  She didn't seem relieved or even generally upset by Ed's condition.  She seemed angry.  She scowled as she sent text messages one after another.  Kim returned to the ICU moments later with an overnight bag for me.  I thanked them and told them that I would let them know as soon as anything changed.  As I turned and headed back to Ed's room and they began to make their way out I knew, positively, that I heard Avery say "they went too far."