Chapter 2 Bruises We Don’t Speak Of
bruises we don’t speak of
Along, painful week had inched by since Lana and Kim’s brawl and her resulting arrest. It had put everyone else at ease, but Lana still hadn’t left Kayden’s side since.
Maureen and Paula stayed glued to them both, and surprisingly, Maureen was at Lana’s beck and call.
She even demanded that another hospital bed be brought into Kayden’s room so that she could recover with him.
Maureen’s journey of redemption appeared to be real and squashed all the beef they had had months ago, for the time being.
Sam, on the other hand, was having a hard time understanding she didn’t need or want his help.
He undoubtedly had helped save Kayden’s life that night, and she was grateful, but she was still very uncomfortable having her past mingle with her present.
If Sam hadn’t been there, things could’ve been worse, and she reminded herself of that whenever she started to lose her temper with him.
Her parents were also still in town but were preparing to go home soon, now that she had the all clear.
Regardless of it, they still tried to convince her to follow them home every day.
Lana lay in her bed, head turned to Kayden’s, and stared at the stubble growing on his face.
He needed a shave and would ask the nurse for the supplies so she could do it herself later in the evening.
Please be OK, Kayden, she thought. The warm, tingly sting of tears threatened her eyes again, and she blinked them away.
She was too exhausted to exert any energy crying and didn’t want to give her parents or Sam a reason to think she needed them to stay longer.
She loved having her parents nearby, no doubt, but there was still a lot they didn’t understand, and she didn’t feel like going over the last few months with anyone.
At least not with anyone but Kayden. His physician, Dr. Rolle, a tall man with big, kind eyes and graying hair, had been updating them constantly on his condition.
The swelling in his brain had gone down, and soon they’d be reducing the anesthetic cocktails to bring him out of the induced coma.
She said a silent prayer that there would be little damage and continued to watch him sleep peacefully, ready to take on whatever she had to, to keep him safe.
THEY PRESSED IN close around the bed, every gaze locked on Kayden, waiting for even the smallest sign of life—a twitch, a word, anything.
An hour ago, the doctors had slowly stopped the medication keeping him in the coma, and the only thing left to do was wait for him to wake up finally.
No one said a word while they watched for any signs that he was coming out of it.
Lana’s face filled with anguish as she, Paula, and Maureen exchanged worried glances with each other.
Sam was still there too, claiming to be concerned for him, but Lana knew he was only there for her, not for Kayden. No one acknowledged his arrival when he came into the room, and he finally took a seat in the corner, feeling like an outsider.
“We have to be patient. Remember, it will take time,” Dr. Rolle explained, after a few more minutes of breathless waiting.
Lana already knew all that, but her medical knowledge didn’t make the situation easier to deal with. She nodded at him, sat on the edge of the bed, and grabbed Kayden’s hand, lightly rubbing her fingers over his knuckles.
“Come on, baby. Open your eyes,” she whispered.
Maureen sat on the other side of the bed and grabbed his other hand, still in a cast at his side.
“He’s a fighter. He’s gonna be fine,” she reassured, smiling through a face of tears.
“I think it may be wise to let him rest; it could be hours before he wakes,” Dr. Rolle deadpanned.
“I agree,” Paula said, “Come on, Mom.”
“I want to be here,” Maureen protested, turning to her.
“I’m...fine...” Kayden groaned, his voice low and raspy.
“Kayden!” Lana yelped.
He groaned and licked his dry, cracked lips. He blinked his eyes open slowly, struggling to focus, and, finally seeing his beautiful seafoam-colored eyes, reduced Lana to tears.
“Lana?” he croaked, then coughed.
Dr. Rolle raised his bed.
“Take it easy, don’t try to speak too much. Let’s get you some water.”
“Yes, I’m here. I’m here, Kayden,” she replied, holding onto his hand for dear life.
“That’s my boy,” Maureen added, smoothing his hair, bending, and kissing his forehead.
Sam stood and walked over to the bed behind Lana, his arms folded across his chest. Nurse Thompson entered the room with a pink pitcher of water and a few plastic cups, placing them on the overbed table.
Lana grabbed the pitcher, poured him water, and helped him sip.
“I need to examine him,” Dr. Rolle said, touching Maureen on the shoulder.
She stood and moved out of the way. “Of course,” she replied.
“Kayden, it’s Dr. Rolle. Do you know where you are?” he asked, shining a penlight into his eyes.
“The hospital,” he replied.
“That’s good, yes. Do you remember what year it is?” Dr. Rolle continued.
Kayden answered correctly, but he kept his eyes on Lana’s and squeezed her hand.
“That’s very good,” Dr. Rolle continued.
“He’s lucky,” Sam interjected.
Kayden looked over at him, a frown creasing his face. “Who is that?” he asked.
Lana turned her head to Sam, then back to Kayden. “It’s Sam,” she said finally.
“He was there, I remember...” Kayden started.
“Yeah, he saved your life,” Maureen said.
Kayden locked eyes with Lana’s again.
“Thank you,” he said, then his eyes flicked back to Sam.
“No thanks needed,” he turned to Lana, “I’m going to head out and give you guys some privacy.”
“Yeah, we will too,” Paula added.
Lana nodded, never turning his direction. She kept her eyes on Kayden as Sam walked out, and Paula practically dragged Maureen behind her as well.
“What did I miss?” he smiled weakly.
Lana had so much she had to tell him, but the flurry of thoughts and words got caught in her throat. She wasn’t sure where to start and burst into tears, lowering her head to his chest.
“Shh,” he consoled, “It’s going to be OK.”
She nodded her head as he rubbed her back, then sat up again.
“Well…we’re gonna have a baby,” was all she could get out, and Kayden’s eyes grew two sizes bigger.
“What?” he replied, the smile on his face the biggest Lana had ever seen.
FOLLOWING A SERIES of examinations by Dr. Rolle and a team of specialists, it became clear that Kayden’s memory of that night was fractured—certain details were missing entirely.
Lana spent the next few days figuratively guiding him through the events until he finally started remembering on his own.
After the doctors ran their tests, they showed that he didn’t suffer any brain damage but would need time to come to terms with what had happened physically to his body.
His motor skills were intact; he knew what year it was, and soon after that, he had no trouble remembering in detail everything that led up to them both being in the hospital.
As Dr. Rolle used his penlight to check his eye movements, Kayden reached his hand over to Lana, who stood at the bedside, flanked by Paula, Maureen, Heathcliff, Taylor, and Sam.
Why is he still here? Kayden thought as the doctor put the light away.
“Your head-to-toe assessment looks really good, but you’re not out of the woods yet,” he finally stated.
“You need to remain in the hospital for a few more weeks so we can monitor you, Mr. Capshaw. With a fractured pelvis, femur, and extensive nerve damage to your arm and hand, you’re gonna need it. ”
“Well, certainly we can have a private doctor monitor him at home,” Maureen interjected, half asking the doctors’ permission.
Kayden was grateful that his injuries weren’t worse and relieved that he took the brunt of the hit from the car. The only thing that worried him was not having full sensation or use of his hand. Being an architect, drawing was important to him.
“I’d advise against that right now,” Dr. Rolle asserted, his eyes narrowing on Maureen.
Kayden spoke, interrupting the fight he saw his mother was about to give.
“I’m actually getting stir crazy in here.”
“Are you sure about that?” Paula asked, concerned.
“Yeah, a few more weeks wouldn’t make a difference, man,” Taylor added.
“I can’t stop you from leaving, but you would have to sign papers agreeing that you’re doing this against the doctor’s orders. I don’t advise this, Mr. Capshaw.” Dr. Rolle replied.
“I understand,” Kayden acknowledged to him, then squeezed Lana’s hand.
“Are you sure about this?” she asked worriedly.
“It would be better to stay in a facility that can help in an emergency,” Sam commented, his arms crossed over his chest.
“I’m fine,” Kayden hissed, his steely eyes connecting with Sam’s.
The two of them sized each other up, and Kayden’s brow furrowed and narrowed on Sam’s. The tension in the room grew so thick that Lana could barely breathe.
“Suit yourself,” Sam blurted, then turned to Lana. “Can I speak to you a moment?’
Lana looked at him, then at Kayden, who tightened his grip on her hand. She bent and gave him a quick peck on the lips.
“I’ll be back in a sec,” she smiled.
“Get rid of him,” Kayden urged, not attempting to whisper.
He gave her a deep and inappropriate kiss in front of everyone in the room. Sam rolled his eyes and walked out as Lana hobbled behind him with the use of her bedazzled crutches—sentiments from Paula, and closed the door behind her.
“He did save your life, ya know,” Taylor teased.
“I appreciate that and told him so. Now he can go home and leave my fiancée alone, too,” Kayden replied.
“Don’t stress yourself. We’ll get him out of town soon enough,” Maureen added.
“You hungry?” Paula asked, standing from the loveseat.
“No, I’m good, but you guys go ahead,” Kayden replied.
“I’m going to make a call downstairs where there’s better reception, but I’ll be right back, OK?” Maureen said.