Until The End Of Time
Chapter Nine
LATER AT THE HOSPITAL
Erica had been put in a private room and was surrounded by everyone. Aubrey had made her way up to the hospital as well. Mike had been holding onto Erica’s right hand while her father held her left one. She hadn’t yet woken up.
“I’m going to get a coffee, does anyone else want anything?” Vic asked trying to kill the tension in the room. “I’ll have one please” Said Huw. “I’ll come with you” Tony suggested as he got up from the seat in the corner of the room.
“Do you know where these bruises are from?” Huw asked the nurse who was now checking on Erica, as he pointed to her wrists. “I’m sorry sir I don’t. They look as if someone or something has had a tight grip on her wrists at some point” She offered, she really didn’t know where they were from. Mike did though. He didn’t say anything because he didn’t know how to, or what exactly he would say. Just as the nurse was about to leave the room, there was a slight cough. Erica was waking up.
The nurse was made sure that Erica was okay before writing something on the clipboard that hung at the end of the bed. “Just try to keep her calm, no sudden movements or anything like that and she should be okay. I’ll be back in about 20 minutes to see how she is” Everyone in the room nodded but nobody spoke. Erica’s eyes fluttered open and she was unaware of her surroundings. She didn’t know where she was or how she got there. She looked around to see Mike, Jaime, Vic, Tony, Aubrey, Trent and Huw all sat someone in the room. Mike and Huw still either side of her. She realised now that she was in the hospital.
“Hey sugar plum, how are you feeling?” Huw asked calmly. “Groggy, why am I here?” Erica replied with a small cough. “You had a panic attack sweetie. A bad one, you passed out and the ambulance bought you here. You’ve been out for about 3 hours” She nodded and noticed that her hands weren’t free. She changed that rather abruptly causing everyone to become confused. She gave Mike a look as if to say sorry. “Oh, okay” She looked around the room smiling at everyone individually. She reached for the water but couldn’t reach. Mike got her a glass and passed it to her.
“Erica, I know this might not be the right time, but you haven’t had an attack like that in a long time. What triggered you?” Erica knew this would come up sooner or later. She didn’t want it to come up at all. She tried to figure out a quick lie. “I don’t know. I think I’ve just been so busy these last couple of days. I think the stress caught up with me. I don’t know?” She said. Everyone seemed to buy it. Erica had been lying to the people closest to her since she was little. She had become somewhat a pro at it. Mike shook his head, got up and left the room, slamming the door behind him.
“What’s his bloody problem?” Jaime said a bit annoyed. “God knows” Replied Vic. “I’ll go check on him. Sorry E” He gave her a soft smile. She loved this little nickname they had all given her. “It’s okay.”
Vic found Mike sitting outside on a bench with a cigarette in his mouth. “What the fuck was that back there?” Vic hissed while standing in front of him. He was not amused. “Just fuck off Vic. I’m not in the mood.”
“Not in the mood for what? The girl you just started seeing or whatever it is you two are doing, is in there after a bad panic attack and you walked out as if you had something to be pissed off about! What the fuck?” Vic was getting really angry now.
“It’s just I was scared for her you know? I couldn’t do anything. Then when she woke up she pulled her hand away from me as if I had done something wrong. It upset me. I didn’t know what to do so I stormed out” He really was upset.
“Well that wasn’t the best way to react. Look come back inside, I’m sure she wants to see you.” Vic was now comforting his brother on the bench.
“Fine” The pair got up and headed back towards Erica’s room.
When they entered all eyes were on them except Erica’s. Jaime and Tony looked super pissed off “Hey, sorry about that” Mike said softly.
“Can I have some time alone please?” Erica asked looking towards her father. “Sure thing sweetie, we’ll all be outside if you need any of us” She nodded “Mike, can you stay” She asked hopefully.
“Er, sure” Mike said and he sat back in the chair where he had previously been sitting.
“E, I want to ask you something. You don’t have to say anything if you don’t want to but this is serious okay?” She nodded having a feeling she knew what he was about to say. “Look I heard what Leon said to you, did he… did he rape you?” Erica closed her eyes in an attempt to stop the tears but it was no use they were already falling down her cheeks. She couldn’t look at Mike so she just nodded slowly.
“Shit Erica, you have to tell someone. He can’t get away with that. You ended up in hospital because of him” Mike too was now crying. “I can’t. You heard him, no one would believe me. I wasn’t drunk that night but I had been drinking. Plus he has this charm about him that makes people believe every word out of his mouth.” She looked at Mike for the first time since he bought this up “If he found out that I told anyone I’d be beaten near to death, again. Why do you think I’ve never said a thing about it? People will think I’m just a slut that didn’t like the guy she slept with. You probably already think I’m disgusting.” Her tears had become sobs.
“I don’t think you’re disgusting. This is not your fault. It’s his. I can be a witness to what he said. The bruises on your wrists can be evidence to how violent he is” Erica hadn’t even noticed the bruises; she looked to her wrists and sobbed harder than before. “I can’t, I’m sorry I just can’t”
Suddenly the door opened and the nurse came back in. They both stopped talking and began wiping away tears. “Hey Erica, how are you feeling now?” The nurse asked.
“A lot better thank you.” She gave the nurse a reassuring smile “Okay, well we’re going to put you back on anxiety medication, the same ones that you had a few years ago but with a higher dosage, okay?” Erica nodded “Okay”
“Okay, well I’ll go get them for you now and then you’re free to go. I suggest you do nothing too stressful for the next week. Relax, take some time out and not get too worked up. Within a week you can go back to doing what you normally would, okay?” She said softly, Erica nodded and the nurse walked out of the room, followed by everyone else coming back in. “I’m free to go, the nurse is just getting me some meds” Erica said with fake joy in her voice.
Erica had been put in a private room and was surrounded by everyone. Aubrey had made her way up to the hospital as well. Mike had been holding onto Erica’s right hand while her father held her left one. She hadn’t yet woken up.
“I’m going to get a coffee, does anyone else want anything?” Vic asked trying to kill the tension in the room. “I’ll have one please” Said Huw. “I’ll come with you” Tony suggested as he got up from the seat in the corner of the room.
“Do you know where these bruises are from?” Huw asked the nurse who was now checking on Erica, as he pointed to her wrists. “I’m sorry sir I don’t. They look as if someone or something has had a tight grip on her wrists at some point” She offered, she really didn’t know where they were from. Mike did though. He didn’t say anything because he didn’t know how to, or what exactly he would say. Just as the nurse was about to leave the room, there was a slight cough. Erica was waking up.
The nurse was made sure that Erica was okay before writing something on the clipboard that hung at the end of the bed. “Just try to keep her calm, no sudden movements or anything like that and she should be okay. I’ll be back in about 20 minutes to see how she is” Everyone in the room nodded but nobody spoke. Erica’s eyes fluttered open and she was unaware of her surroundings. She didn’t know where she was or how she got there. She looked around to see Mike, Jaime, Vic, Tony, Aubrey, Trent and Huw all sat someone in the room. Mike and Huw still either side of her. She realised now that she was in the hospital.
“Hey sugar plum, how are you feeling?” Huw asked calmly. “Groggy, why am I here?” Erica replied with a small cough. “You had a panic attack sweetie. A bad one, you passed out and the ambulance bought you here. You’ve been out for about 3 hours” She nodded and noticed that her hands weren’t free. She changed that rather abruptly causing everyone to become confused. She gave Mike a look as if to say sorry. “Oh, okay” She looked around the room smiling at everyone individually. She reached for the water but couldn’t reach. Mike got her a glass and passed it to her.
“Erica, I know this might not be the right time, but you haven’t had an attack like that in a long time. What triggered you?” Erica knew this would come up sooner or later. She didn’t want it to come up at all. She tried to figure out a quick lie. “I don’t know. I think I’ve just been so busy these last couple of days. I think the stress caught up with me. I don’t know?” She said. Everyone seemed to buy it. Erica had been lying to the people closest to her since she was little. She had become somewhat a pro at it. Mike shook his head, got up and left the room, slamming the door behind him.
“What’s his bloody problem?” Jaime said a bit annoyed. “God knows” Replied Vic. “I’ll go check on him. Sorry E” He gave her a soft smile. She loved this little nickname they had all given her. “It’s okay.”
Vic found Mike sitting outside on a bench with a cigarette in his mouth. “What the fuck was that back there?” Vic hissed while standing in front of him. He was not amused. “Just fuck off Vic. I’m not in the mood.”
“Not in the mood for what? The girl you just started seeing or whatever it is you two are doing, is in there after a bad panic attack and you walked out as if you had something to be pissed off about! What the fuck?” Vic was getting really angry now.
“It’s just I was scared for her you know? I couldn’t do anything. Then when she woke up she pulled her hand away from me as if I had done something wrong. It upset me. I didn’t know what to do so I stormed out” He really was upset.
“Well that wasn’t the best way to react. Look come back inside, I’m sure she wants to see you.” Vic was now comforting his brother on the bench.
“Fine” The pair got up and headed back towards Erica’s room.
When they entered all eyes were on them except Erica’s. Jaime and Tony looked super pissed off “Hey, sorry about that” Mike said softly.
“Can I have some time alone please?” Erica asked looking towards her father. “Sure thing sweetie, we’ll all be outside if you need any of us” She nodded “Mike, can you stay” She asked hopefully.
“Er, sure” Mike said and he sat back in the chair where he had previously been sitting.
“E, I want to ask you something. You don’t have to say anything if you don’t want to but this is serious okay?” She nodded having a feeling she knew what he was about to say. “Look I heard what Leon said to you, did he… did he rape you?” Erica closed her eyes in an attempt to stop the tears but it was no use they were already falling down her cheeks. She couldn’t look at Mike so she just nodded slowly.
“Shit Erica, you have to tell someone. He can’t get away with that. You ended up in hospital because of him” Mike too was now crying. “I can’t. You heard him, no one would believe me. I wasn’t drunk that night but I had been drinking. Plus he has this charm about him that makes people believe every word out of his mouth.” She looked at Mike for the first time since he bought this up “If he found out that I told anyone I’d be beaten near to death, again. Why do you think I’ve never said a thing about it? People will think I’m just a slut that didn’t like the guy she slept with. You probably already think I’m disgusting.” Her tears had become sobs.
“I don’t think you’re disgusting. This is not your fault. It’s his. I can be a witness to what he said. The bruises on your wrists can be evidence to how violent he is” Erica hadn’t even noticed the bruises; she looked to her wrists and sobbed harder than before. “I can’t, I’m sorry I just can’t”
Suddenly the door opened and the nurse came back in. They both stopped talking and began wiping away tears. “Hey Erica, how are you feeling now?” The nurse asked.
“A lot better thank you.” She gave the nurse a reassuring smile “Okay, well we’re going to put you back on anxiety medication, the same ones that you had a few years ago but with a higher dosage, okay?” Erica nodded “Okay”
“Okay, well I’ll go get them for you now and then you’re free to go. I suggest you do nothing too stressful for the next week. Relax, take some time out and not get too worked up. Within a week you can go back to doing what you normally would, okay?” She said softly, Erica nodded and the nurse walked out of the room, followed by everyone else coming back in. “I’m free to go, the nurse is just getting me some meds” Erica said with fake joy in her voice.
Aw, thank you :) <3
8/13/13