Oh, Eleanor

Chapter 29 : An emergency

Martha came running up to Ron's room. There was sweat on her forehead. Her lower lip was shivering. Ron was working on his homework but seeing his mom like this he couldn't stop but ask what happened.
He could feel the scare inside his stomach even before Martha slipped any words.
"That girl, Billy's neice...She...She..."
"Mom what."
"She is in hospital. Something happened."
Ron could feel the heavy rock slightly lowering itself over his chest. What could have happened? He thought.

***

Outside the emergency room, he stood. His mom was sitting besides on a chair. She offered a chair to him but Ron couldn't sit. He was damn too restless to rest.
He tried to hid his apprehension from his mother. He did not want her to get any hint that they knew each other.

Billy was inside the emergency room with Eleanor. Ron felt his teeth clenched just merely thinking about him. He almost bit his cheek and tasted blood.
It better not be Billy's doing. He thought.
He looked down at the bandage over his hand, that pain felt nothing now, when he thought about what Eleanor must be feeling currently.
He looked at his mother sitting on the chair. She was reading a magazine and tried not to look over. Such things usually scare her and the best she can do is ignore.
He went over and sat besides her.
Martha shifted a quick glance at him before refocusing on the magazine.
"What really happened?" Ron asked.
"That's not even the first of worries, kid. The thing I have in mind right now is, how come she is still here, with Billy? He told us the other day at the dinner that Rachel will be leaving the next day!"
Right, he almost forgot that Eleanor is Rachel for his mom too.
He couldn't think of a possible explanation which he could give that that won't sound wrong.
"Turns out she decided to stay a few more days, I guess." He said, finally.
She shrugged.
"I don't know why, but I have this hunch that there is something a lot more than that." She said after a moment or two.
He did not reply.
"A lot more." She repeated.
They became quiet for the next half an hour. Not talking much and trying to keep busy.
But Ron couldn't stay quiet. He wanted to know exactly what happened to Eleanor. His blood was drying out without an answer. And he could feel that stone beginning to crush a few of his ribs now.
"Mom! Will you please tell me what happened? Why is she in there? Why are we here?"
She looked at him with scrunched brows. As if trying to decipher why he cared.
But she told anyway, "Eleanor was found unconscious up in one of Billy's bedrooms. The back of her head was bleeding heavily. There was nothing besides her that could have caused such a blow. Maybe she slipped because she was under some stairs to the attic."
Slipped! He thought. Like that wouldn't be the perfect explanation Billy would give.
He tried to breath normally and control his anger and fear at the same time.
He wanted to smack Billy across so hard that he would never get up from his bed. But at the same moment he thought, right now Eleanor mattered more.
"Is the injury serious?" He asked.
Martha sighed.
"Son, have you seen us getting away from this place for the last one hour? Yes, it's serious."