Post by emily on Jan 11, 2022 12:26:55 GMT -5
Thursday December 30th
There was no fancy private hospital room for Duncan Shepard. He was laid up on a ward with only a curtain pulled around him to give him a modicum of privacy. Not that it really mattered to Duncan at the moment, he’d been mostly unconscious for the past fifteen hours. The nurses had cleaned the blood from his face and his lacerations had been stitched though there was nothing that could be done about the bruising and swelling. He looked like he’d gotten into a fight with a hornet’s nest. The display of damage was topped off by the addition of a saline drip that was running into his left forearm and an oxygen mask that sat over his mouth and nose.
This was the scene Emily Simms struggled to take in as she discreetly parted the curtain and stood at Duncan’s beside. She covered her mouth with her hand as tears began to fall, pulling a chair over to the bed Emily sat down and carefully placed a hand over top of his right hand and gave it a gentle squeeze.
“Hey you…”
She said quietly as the tears continued to fall. Emily was upset that the doctors took fifteen hours to let her in to see Duncan. She had told them that all of his family was back in England and she was the closest thing Duncan had to family here in the states. A nurse finally bent the rules and let Emily go and sit with Duncan. She’d followed the ambulance to the Emergency Room and had spent several hours waiting until told to go home, Emily did so reluctantly and had a shower and a cat nap before heading back to the hospital.
“They’re going to pay Duncan.”
Emily pictured the lead pipe in her hands and wished she had taken it and smashed Larry’s ugly mug into oblivion. Leaning over, Emily laced her fingers with Duncan’s and kissed his hand.
“I wish you would wake up.”
She said as a nurse came in to check on Duncan’s vitals.
“Any idea on when he might wake up?”
“He’s been heavily medicated because of his injuries. Once the meds wear off he should become more coherent…You can stay as long as you want,” The nurse replied with a smile.
Emily nodded her head in thanks and looked back to Duncan. Emily drifted in and out of sleep over the next couple of hours, when she woke up Emily stood up to stretch and went to get herself a sandwich and a Pepsi from a nearby vending machine. Scarfing the sandwich down, she cracked open the bottle of Pepsi and took a sip before heading back into Duncan’s room. The other three patients in the ward were sleeping and Emily wondered what their stories were but, her main concern was Duncan. Emily texted her dad a few times to let him know how things were and he offered to come and get her but Emily said no.
“I want to be here when he wakes up daddy,” she said.
Parting the curtain again, Emily stood by the side of the bed. Leaning over, she kissed Duncan’s temple and whispered the words, “I love you Duncan.”
The hours passed. In their curtain bordered world Emily tracked them by the shifting shadows, illuminated by the indirect sunlight coming through the window at the end of the room. In all that time the only sign that Duncan was still alive was the shallow rise and fall of his chest. Despite herself Emily drifted into a weary half sleep.
"Hey…kiddo."
The words, spoken in a pained and hazy rasp, separated by a deep wheezing breath snapped her back to consciousness.
“Duncan!”
Emily gently slipped an arm around his waist and hugged him.
“I’m so glad you’re awake. I’ll be right back okay? I’m going to grab a nurse,”
Emily stood up and left the room quickly and quietly. She found a nurse in the hallway and told her that Duncan was awake.
“I’ll be right there.”
Emily headed back to Duncan’s room and his eyes were closed again.
“Duncan?”
She spoke his name quietly as she cupped his cheek with her hand and pressed her forehead to his. Emily sat back as Duncan opened his eyes again as the nurse came in to check on him.
“You’ve had us all quite concerned Mr. Ryder,”
The nurse shined a light in Duncan’s eyes and had him follow it. Emily hoped all of this was a good sign and that he’d be able to go home soon. Once the nurse left, Emily looked at Duncan and fought hard to hold back the tears that were threatening to fall all over again.
“When you’re well enough to leave Duncan, you’re coming to stay with me for a few days. No arguments,” Emily said sternly.
Duncan frowned as he looked up at her and weakly pulled the oxygen mask off his face. "Have you….been...crying?"
Emily looked at him and nodded her head.
“When I got here they wouldn’t let me see you at first. One of the nurses finally bent the rules and let me in, I’ve been here for…I’ve lost count. I was so worried about you, the paramedics wouldn’t let me ride with you in the ambulance so my dad drove me here…I was afraid Duncan.”
Duncan raised his hand and started making the universal 'settle down' gesture. "Hey, hey, it's OK, it's OK. I'm fine. I've been beat up before, I'll get beat up again. It's an occupational hazard. Don't worry about me."
Emily held up her hand this time and looked at Duncan.
“This was more than just you getting beat up Duncan, this was personal and you know it. You’ve likely got cracked ribs, possibly internal bleeding and who the hell knows what else! Don’t tell me to calm down! Larry is a douche and he is going to pay!”
“H-how do you…plan to…do that?” He asked.
“I don’t know, I haven’t worked that part out yet but, I will!”
"Don't do...anything...stupid. Leave...Larry...to me."
“No promises Duncan…Larry has gone too far,” Emily replied as she looked at Duncan and folded her arms across her chest.
"Great...you can have...the bed over there…" said Duncan raising his hand and gesturing across the ward.
“What? You think I can’t handle Larry with my trusty lead pipe?” Emily asked raising her voice. She heaved a huge sigh and looked at Duncan.
“I don’t want to fight with you Duncan….Can I get you something to eat? A sandwich or something from the cafeteria?”
Duncan rolled his head back and forth against the pillow, "Not hungry...could you...get me...some...water?"
“Sure, be right back..” Emily replied as she stood up and laid her hand over his for a moment and then left the room.
She returned a few minutes later with a bottle of water and a straw. Opening the water, Emily helped Duncan to have a few sips and then put the bottle on a bedside table.
“How are the painkillers?” Emily asked as she ran a hand through her pink hair.
"Heh, they're OK...I guess. Everything...still hurts….Suppose...it could...be worse. They're giving me….weird...dreams though."
"Oh yeah? Like what?"
"Hard to remember...for sure. I remember miniature...purple...elephants and...talking cheeseburgers," Duncan chuckled, "the weirdest though….I had one where...you said...you loved me," Duncan broke into full hearty laughter then which quickly devolved into a painful sounding coughing fit.
Emily helped Duncan to sit up and she rubbed his back for him to ease the pain in his lungs.
"Duncan, I did say it."
There was no fancy private hospital room for Duncan Shepard. He was laid up on a ward with only a curtain pulled around him to give him a modicum of privacy. Not that it really mattered to Duncan at the moment, he’d been mostly unconscious for the past fifteen hours. The nurses had cleaned the blood from his face and his lacerations had been stitched though there was nothing that could be done about the bruising and swelling. He looked like he’d gotten into a fight with a hornet’s nest. The display of damage was topped off by the addition of a saline drip that was running into his left forearm and an oxygen mask that sat over his mouth and nose.
This was the scene Emily Simms struggled to take in as she discreetly parted the curtain and stood at Duncan’s beside. She covered her mouth with her hand as tears began to fall, pulling a chair over to the bed Emily sat down and carefully placed a hand over top of his right hand and gave it a gentle squeeze.
“Hey you…”
She said quietly as the tears continued to fall. Emily was upset that the doctors took fifteen hours to let her in to see Duncan. She had told them that all of his family was back in England and she was the closest thing Duncan had to family here in the states. A nurse finally bent the rules and let Emily go and sit with Duncan. She’d followed the ambulance to the Emergency Room and had spent several hours waiting until told to go home, Emily did so reluctantly and had a shower and a cat nap before heading back to the hospital.
“They’re going to pay Duncan.”
Emily pictured the lead pipe in her hands and wished she had taken it and smashed Larry’s ugly mug into oblivion. Leaning over, Emily laced her fingers with Duncan’s and kissed his hand.
“I wish you would wake up.”
She said as a nurse came in to check on Duncan’s vitals.
“Any idea on when he might wake up?”
“He’s been heavily medicated because of his injuries. Once the meds wear off he should become more coherent…You can stay as long as you want,” The nurse replied with a smile.
Emily nodded her head in thanks and looked back to Duncan. Emily drifted in and out of sleep over the next couple of hours, when she woke up Emily stood up to stretch and went to get herself a sandwich and a Pepsi from a nearby vending machine. Scarfing the sandwich down, she cracked open the bottle of Pepsi and took a sip before heading back into Duncan’s room. The other three patients in the ward were sleeping and Emily wondered what their stories were but, her main concern was Duncan. Emily texted her dad a few times to let him know how things were and he offered to come and get her but Emily said no.
“I want to be here when he wakes up daddy,” she said.
Parting the curtain again, Emily stood by the side of the bed. Leaning over, she kissed Duncan’s temple and whispered the words, “I love you Duncan.”
The hours passed. In their curtain bordered world Emily tracked them by the shifting shadows, illuminated by the indirect sunlight coming through the window at the end of the room. In all that time the only sign that Duncan was still alive was the shallow rise and fall of his chest. Despite herself Emily drifted into a weary half sleep.
"Hey…kiddo."
The words, spoken in a pained and hazy rasp, separated by a deep wheezing breath snapped her back to consciousness.
“Duncan!”
Emily gently slipped an arm around his waist and hugged him.
“I’m so glad you’re awake. I’ll be right back okay? I’m going to grab a nurse,”
Emily stood up and left the room quickly and quietly. She found a nurse in the hallway and told her that Duncan was awake.
“I’ll be right there.”
Emily headed back to Duncan’s room and his eyes were closed again.
“Duncan?”
She spoke his name quietly as she cupped his cheek with her hand and pressed her forehead to his. Emily sat back as Duncan opened his eyes again as the nurse came in to check on him.
“You’ve had us all quite concerned Mr. Ryder,”
The nurse shined a light in Duncan’s eyes and had him follow it. Emily hoped all of this was a good sign and that he’d be able to go home soon. Once the nurse left, Emily looked at Duncan and fought hard to hold back the tears that were threatening to fall all over again.
“When you’re well enough to leave Duncan, you’re coming to stay with me for a few days. No arguments,” Emily said sternly.
Duncan frowned as he looked up at her and weakly pulled the oxygen mask off his face. "Have you….been...crying?"
Emily looked at him and nodded her head.
“When I got here they wouldn’t let me see you at first. One of the nurses finally bent the rules and let me in, I’ve been here for…I’ve lost count. I was so worried about you, the paramedics wouldn’t let me ride with you in the ambulance so my dad drove me here…I was afraid Duncan.”
Duncan raised his hand and started making the universal 'settle down' gesture. "Hey, hey, it's OK, it's OK. I'm fine. I've been beat up before, I'll get beat up again. It's an occupational hazard. Don't worry about me."
Emily held up her hand this time and looked at Duncan.
“This was more than just you getting beat up Duncan, this was personal and you know it. You’ve likely got cracked ribs, possibly internal bleeding and who the hell knows what else! Don’t tell me to calm down! Larry is a douche and he is going to pay!”
“H-how do you…plan to…do that?” He asked.
“I don’t know, I haven’t worked that part out yet but, I will!”
"Don't do...anything...stupid. Leave...Larry...to me."
“No promises Duncan…Larry has gone too far,” Emily replied as she looked at Duncan and folded her arms across her chest.
"Great...you can have...the bed over there…" said Duncan raising his hand and gesturing across the ward.
“What? You think I can’t handle Larry with my trusty lead pipe?” Emily asked raising her voice. She heaved a huge sigh and looked at Duncan.
“I don’t want to fight with you Duncan….Can I get you something to eat? A sandwich or something from the cafeteria?”
Duncan rolled his head back and forth against the pillow, "Not hungry...could you...get me...some...water?"
“Sure, be right back..” Emily replied as she stood up and laid her hand over his for a moment and then left the room.
She returned a few minutes later with a bottle of water and a straw. Opening the water, Emily helped Duncan to have a few sips and then put the bottle on a bedside table.
“How are the painkillers?” Emily asked as she ran a hand through her pink hair.
"Heh, they're OK...I guess. Everything...still hurts….Suppose...it could...be worse. They're giving me….weird...dreams though."
"Oh yeah? Like what?"
"Hard to remember...for sure. I remember miniature...purple...elephants and...talking cheeseburgers," Duncan chuckled, "the weirdest though….I had one where...you said...you loved me," Duncan broke into full hearty laughter then which quickly devolved into a painful sounding coughing fit.
Emily helped Duncan to sit up and she rubbed his back for him to ease the pain in his lungs.
"Duncan, I did say it."
