The Lover's Diaries

I Need Linda

The wind gets knocked out of me, and I crumple to the floor. I swallow hard, trying to get up. I hear laughter and foot steps leaving the room.... or are they coming? My vision is blurry, and I think I hear sirens- usually a sound I hate. But today, right now, it sounds heavenly.
I feel my chest constricting, and I'm not sure that it's because of the extra adrenaline, or that adrenaline wearing off. I feel like sleeping, and, painfully, I reach for Linda. I need her close, to breath her air, to right the dizziness I'm feeling. My hand hits concrete, and I groan, feeling something trickling down the side of my face. I close my eyes and smell blood, and, in a fit of desperation, I roughly rub it away. Which, hindsight, is a terribly, awfully, incredibly stupid idea.
My head throbs, and I hear muffled hysterical screams. It takes a minute to figure out that the screams are coming from the small closet. Ashley. She's still in there. I want to move, want to release her, want to kill Wilder. But how can I do all that if I can't see?
I'm so tired, and I know I shouldn't succumb to sleep, but my eyelids keeping getting heavier and heavier. Soon, I feel like floating, and I'm almost in a dreamless sleep. A peaceful, dreamless slumber that is sounding better and better by the minute. The slamming of doors catch my attention, and I feel myself jerk. I groan, and hear footsteps. Again, I can't tell if they're coming or going.
Danny.
Against my better judgement, I let my eyes close.
Danny.
I can't tell who's calling me. Is it Dad? Pops? Erin? Jamie? Linda? Oh, I hope it's Linda. I need to see her fantastic face; her luscious lips; her electric blue eyes.
Danny!
I manage to groan out, "Linda?" My voice is hoarse and dry, and I barely recognize it.
"Maria," Baez answers. "But I called her. She's waiting for you at the hospital."
I sense someone's hand, and I swat it away, my face crumpling in pain. I hear an unfamiliar voice, and can't tell if it's a friend or a foe. More footsteps, lots of static, and muffled voices fill my ears. Again, I try getting her attention. I know she's here, I saw her. "Linda."
"We're taking you to Linda, just hang in there, partner." The voice is filled with worry, yet an underlining tone of determination.
Weakly, I try to get those stunning irises to look into my duller ones. Barely opening my eyes, I call out, "Linda," once more before I succumb to the sleep.
************
I look around, everything is blurry. Warm air mingled with cold air surrounds my mouth and nose. The wailing sound is almost deafening as my head throbs. All I can think about is my wife, how scared and worried I must've made her. I know she's with me, in the claustrophobic-inducing vehicle. I know she's here; I saw her at the.... the... other... place. So she has to be with me. Lamely, I try to sit up, multiple hands gently push me down. "Linda. I need... where is.... Lin..."
"You'll see Linda in a few seconds, just be a little patient," it's Baez's voice again. It's a little irritated.
"But. Linda..." I'm aware of the fact that that sounded, to quote her, "absolutely beyond the realm" of pathetic. But I don't care. I need my blonde-haired, blue-eyed beauty.
I fall back into the sleep again, and all I can see is Linda. But she's in all white. Her smile is wide, her eyes filled with love and excitement. It takes a moment before her hands cup my face, and her lips are on mine. The kiss is absolutely heavenly. Her hands are soft on my face, and she smells like a summery cocktail. Her tongue explores my mouth; it's wet, it's warm, it's welcoming. I moan in pleasure, and she wraps her arms around my neck. Am I dreaming? Is she really kissing me?
Her lips move to my cheek, onto my neck. She licks, nips, and sucks, all while unbuttoning the shirt I'm wearing. Until now, I didn't notice how uncomfortable the fabric is. It's refreshing as she pushes it down my arms, making my skin prickle with goosebumps. She kisses my chest, raking her fingers along the muscles- the muscles I know she loves. Her fingers slowly go lower, her mouth follows their wake. She gets lower, and lower, and lower until-
"Oh my gosh! What happened?!"
A soft hand grasps mine, and I recognize the voice immediately. I'm a little disappointed that I was dreaming, but I'm still so happy to hear her voice.
Linda. Her name doesn't come out; it's lodged in my throat. Another voice answers, and there's movement in the room.
I'm lifted, and I feel softness beneath me. I reach for her hand again, but nothing happens. My eye lids flutter open and closed, and my brain is slow on the uptake of my surroundings. A hand and something else hovers over my face again, and I swat it away once again. "No." My voice is finally firm, "where's. Linda?"
It doesn't mean to be choppy or mean, but it comes across like that. All I want is my wife; don't they understand that?
"I'm here, it's okay." She touches my cheek, and the bed dips. "Baby, you need oxygen."
I barely shake my head, not knowing if we were alone or not. "No-"
"Yes. Come on, Danny. Please?" Her hands and the same machine-thing hover over my face.
I swat them away again, feverishly convinced that we're not in a hospital. Or that Wilder almost beat me to death.
"No, baby, no. Listen to me." Her voice is firm, but I still hear the fear in her sweet voice. "Sweetheart, you need the oxygen, okay? You need it, baby."
I concede, and let her put the mask on my face. The air blows at me, and I want to tear it off. It's stinging to my busted lips, but I know I have to hold still.
"Any concussion? Broken bones? Internal injuries?"
"There's a pretty decent concussion. We think there are at least four broken ribs, but we need to do an X-ray. However, he just needs to-"
"Calm down first, yeah."
Her fingers are tracing my hair, softly and slowly, and it feels like heaven.
"As far as we know, there's no internal bleeding. There really shouldn't be. He's got a dislocated shoulder, but that's an easy fix."
"Right.... can I have a minute?"
"I don't-"
"Please? I know him. If there's doctors and nurses hovering around, he won't be calm enough for the X-ray. Just gimme a few minutes."
I assume the other person nods, and leaves with the nurses. I reach for her hand, and am glad to feel her fingers curl around mine.
She shifts so she's more comfortable, and I try to move so she can lie next to me. Her voice stops me.
"No, baby. Just stay still. You really need to calm down, honey. You've got a concussion. And you've had enough head injuries to know that calming down is essential."
I frown as a tear starts to slowly make its trek down her face. It falls off her cheek and onto the exposed skin of her chest.
Painfully, I reach up and touch her cheek. A small sob escapes her lips and she presses a kiss to my palm.
"Oh, Danny," she whispers, and my heart breaks.
"I'm okay, I promise."
"But you have a concussion and broken ribs and dislocated shoulder."
"Maybe. But I have you, and that makes me okay."
She smiles slowly, the pink growing in her cheeks, down her neck, across her chest, and all the way down. "Stop."
"It's true." I smile back, thinking about that blush and that dream.
She sniffs and wipes a tear away, "I called the family. They're coming soon."
I nod, wishing I hadn't. My head's throbbing, and I'm still upset my vision's blurry. Despite her earlier protests, I scootch over just a bit, making room for her. I hold out my arm, inviting her to curl up next to me.
Linda smiles, tears still slowly streaming down her reddened cheeks. She shifts positions, laying her head on my shoulder. She puts her other hand on my heart, needing to feel it beat beneath my rib cage. "I love you."
"I love you more."
"I love you most." She moves her head and kisses my cheek.
Wilder is going down, that I'm sure of. He's going to rot in jail or rot in a hole in the ground.... which ever came first. I'm also sure of the fact that I love my wife with all my heart. I hold her tighter, run my fingers through her hair. The doctor will be coming soon, and she'll be whisked away from me. But right now, as her breathing evens out, I'm calm, peaceful. And for a brief moment in time, everything is perfect.