Chapter 7 Halo
SEVEN
HALO
BENJI
The emergency room waiting area is filling up quickly as everyone arrives, waiting on word about Dani.
Sitting beside Dottie is both heaven and hell.
It’s great because, shit, I’m sitting next to Dottie, but it sucks because it took me like five whole minutes to get up the nerve to take her hand in mine when she was crying, shaking, and just all out in pure agony about her twin.
I know what I think it is but refuse to open my mouth, as I don’t know who to trust or who not to.
When I was a POW, all of us prisoners would go through what Dani is going through about once or twice a month.
The guards would laugh their asses off as we would not be able to hold anything down or in our stomach.
As time went by it got worse, as one by one guys were dying.
It took Doc a bit to figure it out, but we were being slowly poisoned.
After he put it together, he watched and it happened after we would eat the meat, who knew what kind it fuckin’ was ’cause it tasted horrible.
I mean, half the time it had maggots in it, but when you are slowly starving to death you eat whatever is put in front of you.
Until we stopped eating the meat and no one got sick.
Doc told us to fake it and that’s what we did and it worked.
The longer we did it the stronger we became, so yeah, I get what Dani is feeling.
Feeling Dottie squeeze my hand extremely hard; I look down at her to see her eyes looking forward at something, as she goes to stand up but seems to fall back.
Quickly I get to my feet, pulling her up, and putting my hand cautiously around her waist to steady her.
I can feel like a hundred eyes on me, but fuck them.
This woman needs someone to take her side and for some reason the gods have put me here.
I know these people don’t trust me and I get it, but that doesn’t matter right now.
What truly is important is helping Dottie get through this and praying Dani is going to be okay.
“Family for, um, Dani Smith?”
Hearing Dottie clearing her throat to speak, I raise my hand motioning to her.
“Over here, this woman is her sister.”
Two doctors and what looks like a cop walk over to us, as all of the Devil’s Handmaidens present do the same.
On the other side of Dottie is all of the women.
Shadow, who seems to be struggling like me with the human touch, is trying to stand off to the side a little bit, probably wanting distance, though Squirt is almost attached to her hip.
The doctor looks around then back at Dottie, who’s wiping her eyes. Before he can say a word, she nods.
“Yeah, Doc, this is her family too. Just tell me what you found out, please. I’m going crazy with worry. Is my twin going to be okay?”
He turns to the woman doctor, who gives him the slightest nod. Taking that in, he turns and looks down at Dottie.
“Hello, I’m Dr. Drake Northwood and we are treating your sister for some kind of poisoning.
Um, well, Miss Smith, we are currently pumping your sister’s stomach to remove all of the poison she ingested.
Once we are done with that, then we’ll see where she’s at.
Right now Dani is as comfortable as we can make her at the moment.
If I may ask, does your sister do drugs or drink excessively? ”
“Absolutely fucking not. What kind of asinine question is that? My sister is lying in a bed while her stomach is being pumped and you are questioning her family about stupid shit like that? For Christ’s sake, someone call Sheriff George so we can figure out how she got poisoned to begin with.
That would have been a better question, Dr. Northwood. ”
“Miss, I apologize, as I don’t mean to offend you, this is our normal questioning. I was going to ask if she has a new boyfriend/girlfriend or if there is someone new hanging around?”
Shadow leans over glaring at me until Dottie elbows her in the rib area. It gets totally quiet until I hear a voice coming from the entrance.
“Where the hell is Dottie and how is Dani? Why can’t I get any goddamn answers, for Christ’s sake? Find me Yoggie, he’ll know what the fuck is going on. Oh shit, I see my daughter. Zoey, what the fuck is going on?”
Well, guess the sheriff is here. As he works his way through the mass of people the woman doctor steps forward. This gets everyone’s attention.
“Hi, my name is Dr. Veronica Truncher and between Dr. Northwood and me, we’ve been treating Dani.
Now besides the questions asked, I have a few more questions if you don’t mind.
This is just my perception, but it seems like this wasn’t a one and done type of poisoning.
Your sister shows signs of chronic poisoning, which means this has been going on for a while.
I can’t say, maybe a week, month, or longer.
When she woke up briefly, I asked if she had any pain and she told me her stomach has been bothering her for quite some time now.
Then she shared that she has had bloody diarrhea most of the time while her stomach aches all the time.
Also she noticed her hair coming out more than usual.
Finally, before she fell back asleep she said that at times her mouth tasted like some kind of metal.
We are running tests and I’m going to have a few other tests done while we can on Dani.
If you would like to go back and see her you can, but not the whole bunch of you. Any questions?”
Everyone just shakes their heads while I watch closely.
If this has been going on for weeks or months, then fingers can’t point at me ’cause I just got into Timber-Ghost within the last week or two, if memory serves me right, and I have no reason to poison anyone here.
Dottie grabs my hand, which sends a shock up my arm and then down my back.
Knowing the skin on that hand was burned pretty bad, I want to pull it back but don’t.
She took a chance during a very emotional moment to reach out to me for support, and I’ll be damned if I’m not available.
I squeeze her hand back and hear her soft gasp of shock.
When she starts to walk toward the doctors and nurse I start to let go, but she again holds on tightly, pulling me with her.
I hear the gasps, but fuck them, for some ungodly reason this woman wants me at her side.
I kind of feel like a total asshole as I’ve not disclosed many things to her, but not since before I was a POW have I felt the way I do when I’m with Dottie.
As we follow the nurse down one hallway to another, I can feel the tension rolling off of her body.
I ask the nurse to give us a minute then I move to the short hallway to our left to give us some privacy.
She looks up at me with that look in her eyes that says everything.
Her sister is her life, especially because they are twins.
I’m sorry now that I just met Dani so never really talked with her, though all I’ve heard from the guys and Avalanche is that she’s the direct opposite of Dottie.
When I asked what that meant, they either smiled or chuckled saying where Dottie is direct and blunt, Dani is shy and reserved.
Avalanche told me about the time four of the girls went down to Texas for a book signing and got into tons of trouble.
When half the club went down to save them, all Dani wanted to do was sit in their cabin and read.
And when they finally got to go to the signing, Dani bought like—I forget what he told me—fifty or more paperbacks.
She was beyond ecstatic because they were all signed by her favorite authors too.
“Don’t think the worst yet. Neither doctor sounded gloom and doom, so before you make yourself sick, check in on her first. If I’m overstepping, just tell me, Dottie, but I get the feeling you need a ‘new friend’ for this.
Hope I’m reading it correctly ’cause I don’t want to upset ya any more than you already are. ”
She leans into me so I wrap my arms loosely around her waist. When she drops her head on my shoulder, I just hang on to her until it hits Dottie so hard; first I feel the trembling before her soft sobs start.
The adrenaline dump can be brutal but better here than in front of her sister.
I hear footsteps so I partially turn, putting my hand up for one more minute.
When the nurse sees Dottie she gets it and walks away.
Never one to push or pressure anyone, I just let her have all the time she needs.
Once Dottie has cried her soul out and has herself under control, she tilts her head up to me with a quiet, “Thank you, Benji.” I dip my head down, watching her eyes getting big while her pupils dilate.
I gently kiss the top of her head then let her go.
“Come on, let’s check on your sister, see how she’s doing. Just a forewarning, she’s gonna feel like total dog shit for a few days. Gettin’ your stomach pumped sucks.”
She just nods and we find the nurse, who takes us to Dani’s room. When Dottie tries to pull me in, I resist.
“You go in by yourself first. If she seems okay then I’ll step in, but this is between you two. I haven’t even gotten to know her yet as we just recently met, like today, Dottie, and I don’t want to start off on the wrong foot by making her feel uncomfortable.”