47. Celine #2
A sudden throbbing sensation bursts through my arm as I feel something heavy squeezing against it.
I hiss at the ache and drop my eyes to see where it’s coming from, and find my arm is covered in a cast. My gaze drops to my lap, and I see that I’m no longer wearing the white dress.
Instead, I’m wearing soft sweatpants and a loose, comfortable shirt.
Everything that was once covered and soaked in blood is gone.
“Miss?” The officer’s cautious voice pulls me from my thoughts. “I was able to get your belongings from the church,” he tells me as he sets the bag on the empty chair next to me.
“The church…” I repeat quietly, my eyes falling to the bag that’s embroidered with ‘Grace Community,’ and everything comes flooding back to my memory. “Alex.” I search the room, my voice rising slowly as my chin quivers and the panic sets in. “Where’s Alex?”
I begin to stand when I hear the officer yell for a nurse, who is quick to come over and help calm me down.
She tells me her name is Nurse Sophie and informs me that I’m at City Hospital.
She motions for me to breathe and sit back down as she kneels with me, repeatedly assuring me that I am okay, that I am in a safe place, and that Alex is safe, too.
Nurse Sophie turns her head to the officer and informs him that this is a possible reaction for someone who’s just come out of a traumatic experience, and tells him that she will keep an eye on me. He nods in understanding and leaves the lobby.
With the nurse at my eye level, she asks, “Can you tell me the last thing you remember?”
Closing my eyes, I take in a deep breath and try to really think about it. “Being in the ambulance, I think. I-I don’t know… How long have I been here? Where’s Alex?”
“You and Father Alexander arrived here about three hours ago. The doctors took him into surgery right away.”
I’ve been out of it for three hours?
“You were taken to see a doctor, and once he looked over the intensity of your injuries, he decided to order some X-Rays. He determined your wrist had been broken and applied a cast.” She points to my arm and lightly jokes.
“I hope you like the color green because you’re stuck with it until your wrist heals. ”
I look at the cast, and I feel the ghost of a smile tug at my lips. It’s green, and even though it’s not the same shade, it’s still Alex’s favorite color.
“I love it.”
“Good, I’m glad.” She smiles. “Your ribs are also severely bruised, so you’ll need to be extra careful with your movements. Tylenol and Ibuprofen will be your best friends right now. They will help relieve some of the inflammation and pain.”
“Okay.” The only place I feel pain right now is where the cast is attached to my arm, which I guess is a good sign that the medication is working.
“We also got you some new clothes to wear. The sizes are limited, but hopefully you find them cozy and comfortable.”
It feels nice to be in something other than that damn dress. After the traumatic events unfolded, I don’t think I’ll ever look at a white dress the same.
“Once you were discharged, I brought you here to rest, given how upset you seemed about Father Alexander’s condition.”
I stare at my feet, but nod my head to acknowledge what she is saying.”Did you call his mom?”
“Someone called his emergency contact. She is on her way.” The news that Alex’s mom is coming makes me relax a bit. “I will go check and see if Father Alexander’s doctor has any updates. Okay?”
She uses the arm of my chair to help push herself back to a standing position, then turns to walk towards the door that leads back to the patient rooms.
“Alex,” I mutter.
“What was that?” She turns back around.
“His name is Alex. He doesn’t want to be a priest anymore.”
“I see. I’ll pass your message along to Alex’s doctor,” she emphasizes his name to reassure me that she understands. I look up and thank her before she walks away and disappears through the door.
Sinking back into the chair, I let out a shaky breath as I try to recollect what happened from the time we arrived at the hospital to where I’m sitting now. As hard as I try, I don’t remember being taken back into a room to be seen, to get X-rays done, or to get a cast put on.
Knowing that there was a window of time that I have no recollection of sends chills down my body. My shoulders quake as I try to get rid of the uncomfortable feeling, and then my eyes fall to the bag in the chair next to me.
My breathing turns heavy as I stare at the embroidery. It’s almost like I’m scared to touch it because it is affiliated with that awful place, but I find myself reaching to pick it up and placing it on my lap.
The long handles are draped over each other, so I pinch the thin straps between my fingers and slowly peel them apart as if I’m waiting for something to jump out of the bag and attack me.
When the handles fall to the side, a small sigh of relief leaves me as I see the familiar fabric tucked on the inside.
My blue dress is the first thing I see, and I can instantly tell that it is full of creases, which makes sense considering it has been crumpled up in this bag for a while. Pushing it aside, I find my phone at the bottom of the bag.
The screen is black; surely the device is dead from not being used for some time. I dig it out and press the button on the side, hoping it will miraculously turn on. My chest deflates when nothing happens. I realize if I want to get hold of anybody, then I need to find a charger.
Taking the bag off my lap, I set it in the chair next to me and use my good arm to help me out of the seat. I still feel unbalanced, my head woozy from the trauma and the medicine, but I manage to wobble to the front desk to speak with a nurse.
It is a different one than before, and I swallow, wetting my throat before I ask, “Excuse me? Do you have an extra charger?”
“Let me check.” The nurse kindly smiles at me and opens a drawer to her left. I watch as her face falls in confusion, and that expression worries me. “I thought we had one in here. Someone must be using it already.”
Her tone is apologetic, and I flash a tight smile. “Oh, okay.”
She must see the defeat in my eyes because she says, “You can use mine.”
Bending over in her chair, she reaches under the desk, and when she sits back up, there is a charger in her hand.
“Thank you so much,” I say with an abundance of gratitude. “I’ll bring it back once I’m done.”
“No rush,” she waves me off. “I’m here all night.”
I give her another grateful smile and head back to my seat.
Luckily, there is an outlet right under my chair, but the process of plugging in the charger is a struggle.
I crouch down, wincing at the soreness in my ribs.
To reach the outlet, I need to move the chair a bit, so I set the phone and charger down in order to use my good hand to pull the chair off the wall.
Once there is a better opening, I grab the charger and push it into the outlet. Sliding the chair back to its original position, I carefully stand up, then sit down, and plug my phone in.
Moments later, I hear a door open, and Nurse Sophie walks towards me. I immediately stand, not caring if pain accompanies me as I stare at her with hopeful eyes.
“They just finished surgery, and everything went great. The bullet missed his heart.”
“He’s okay?” I ask with an unsteady voice.
She nods. “He is. Recovery will be long, and the doctor would like to keep him in the hospital to keep an eye on him.”
“When can I see him?” I ask with urgency.
“Once he is settled in his room, I’ll come get you.”
I thank her with a nod and let my eyes meet the floor as she walks away. A silent tear rolls down my cheek, knowing that he is okay. He survived. Inhaling and exhaling deeply to collect myself, I wipe the tear away, and when I look up, I see Amelia and Vince sprinting towards me.
For a moment, I truly believe that I am hallucinating because there is no chance that they are here. In a matter of seconds, the belief that I was imagining them dissipates as they wrap their arms around me.
I can feel them.
I can smell them.
They are really here… this is real.
I grip their shirts, lean into the hug, and cry. The shock of them being here is overwhelming, and whatever pain I’m feeling from their hold is nonexistent right now.
“How did you guys know I was here?” I ask once I’ve calmed down.
“It’s all over the news,” Amelia says, releasing her hold of me the same time Vince does. “We were on our way to the church when the hospital called me, saying you were admitted. Vince turned the car around, and we sped here instead.”
“It’s on the news already?” I ask in disbelief.
“Well, not all the details, but that something went down,” Vince says. “What happened?”
I flop back down in the chair with a sigh. Amelia moves the church bag from the chair next to me, setting it on the ground, and takes a seat. Vince stays standing, eyes on the lobby doors, and gestures to a woman walking toward us, her gaze on me.