20. Chapter 20
My head hurts.
Actually, my whole body hurts, and my limbs feel heavy.
The smell of bleach assaults my nose, which makes my already queasy stomach even queasier. Someone, or a few someones maybe, are talking quietly nearby, but I can’t make out what they’re saying. Their words are fuzzy.
A beeping sound registers, and it’s only then that I realize where I’m at.
I’m in a hospital.
I’m in a hospital!
The kids!
Oh, no! Did someone find me and bring me here? Oh God, please don’t say Stephan’s carried through on his threat toward my children. God, please say my babies are all right!
The beeping sound intensifies as my panic rises and someone curses.
“Shit. Get the lights,” someone hisses and then I feel hands on my face. One cupping my cheek and the other brushing my forehead.
The hands feel… familiar in a way.
“Siren, it’s okay. You’re safe. The kids are safe and they’re at my friend’s house. It’s okay. Stephan’s not going to get his hands on you. Not again. You’re safe. Can you open your eyes for me?”
Luke? Is he really here? Or is it a dream?
I struggle, but after a few attempts, I’m finally able to open my eyes. Well, eye. One of them must be swollen shut.
“L-Luke?” I all but croak out, wincing at how raw my throat feels. At the same time, relief flows through me at seeing his blurry figure sitting beside my bed.
He turns, grabs my glasses and a cup with a straw off the table. After putting on my glasses, he brings the cup up to my lips. I almost moan when the cool liquid hits my throat.
After a second, he chuckles, and the sound warms my chest. God, how long has it been since I’ve heard that sound?
“Don’t drink too fast. I know it feels good on your throat, but with all your injuries, getting sick from drinking too fast is gonna hurt like a bitch.”
I slow my drinking and take a final sip before leaning back. Looking at him, the rest of the pieces start falling into place.
Thanksgiving with my παππο?? και γιαγι? (grandparents).
Tucking the kids in bed.
Stephan delivering the worst beating he’s ever given me.
Stephan threatening to kill the kids and then me if I left and went to the hospital.
Vaguely, I remember talking to Luke at the house and in the back of a truck.
He puts the cup back down and when he faces me again, he slightly tilts his head to his left, a soft smile pulling at his lips. I turn, my eyes watering when I see my παππο?? και γιαγι? (grandparents) standing at the foot of my bed, smiling down at me with tears in their eyes.
“ Γιαγι? (Grandma). Παππο?? (Grandpa),” I barely get out before a sob rips through me, tears spilling down my cheeks.
Luke steps back and at the action, they both rush to my side, one on either side of me.
On my right, γιαγι? (grandma) leans forward, wrapping my upper body as best as she can in her arms. Leaning forward a little further, I rest my forehead against her shoulder. Παππο?? (Grandpa) takes my hand in his calloused one, threading his fingers through mine before raising it and kissing the back of my hand.
“Shhh, λουλο?δι μου (my flower). It’s okay. You’re safe now,” γιαγι? (grandma) says as she soothes me and pats my hair gently.
“I’m s-so s-sorry,” I sob and both of them immediately tsk me.
“ Λουλο?δι μου (My flower), none of this is your fault.” Παππο?? (Grandpa) pauses and γιαγι? (grandma) leans back slightly as παππο?? (grandpa) gently grasps my chin, making me look at him. “The fault for all of this lies with Stephan. Stephan, Diego, and Isaac. I don’t know who else in the Vasquez family was involved in this, or anyone else for that matter, but we’ll find out and make them pay. None of this is on you, Mary Elizabeth Catarino.”
My breath hitches when he uses my full maiden name and fuck do I want to get rid of my married name so I can go back to that name. Back to me. I shake that thought off for now as he continues.
“You did what you had to do to survive that bastard and protect those three precious babies of yours. When you found out they were up to something, you put yourself at risk to get information that will help bring them down. While I hate that you had to endure more of his abuse while you did that, I’m also so fucking proud of you. We all are, and I know our Nikos would be, too. We’re all here to help you get back on your feet. To get that spark back. Like I said earlier, ‘ ?χουμε την πλ?τη σου, λουλο?δι μου (We’ve got your back, my flower)’.”
His words unlock something in me and opens the floodgates. Tears pour down my cheeks once again and they both crowd closer, holding me gently as I cry. A gentle caress on my calf lets me know that Luke is still in the room, and I’m thankful that he’s here. Well, not to see me completely losing it, but thankful for his presence. I’ve always felt safe around him.
After a few minutes, I feel much lighter, and I pull back. My παππο?? και γιαγι? (grandparents) step back as I wipe my eyes, but then hiss when I move my right arm and shoulder. Glancing down, I didn’t even realize my arm was in a sling.
Luke clears his throat and I look up at him. “Doc said your shoulder was partially dislocated. You’ll need to wear the sling until it heals.”
I look down again and then notice all the little bandages wrapped around my arms and I can feel a few more on the rest of my body. Not to mention the itchy cast on my leg and something itchy on my cheek. Turning my attention back to Luke, I swallow thickly. “What all did the doctor say? What all did he do to me?” My voice wobbles on that last bit and I blink rapidly to keep my tears from falling again.
Luke steps forward, taking my left hand in his, but instead of looking at me, I notice he’s checking my monitors. After a few moments, his gaze returns to me. “Before I answer that, how are you pain wise? I need to tell the Doc that you’re awake so she can go through her checks.”
Chewing on my lip, I nod. “Could definitely use something, but I really don’t want morphine or anything like that. I’d rather take ibuprofen or something similar. I don’t like the way those other drugs make me feel or knock me out…” My voice trails off after that, and as I clear my throat, I swear I see his jaw clench, but then it’s gone. His gaze turns worried and I lick my lips, figuring it’s probably best if he knows why.
“If I was ever given stronger meds, like hydrocodone, when he broke something, I’d have to painstakingly hide them. No pun intended. If I didn’t, he’d find them and take them. I’m pretty sure he was either taking them himself or selling them. Or both. Besides, I didn’t like taking a full pill anyway because they’d knock me out. I didn’t like being that vulnerable around him. Or leaving the kids vulnerable. It reminded me too much of being drugged at my house and waking up in that cell-like room. Whenever I needed to take the edge off pain-wise, when over the counter pills wouldn’t touch the pain, I’d only take a partial pill of the heavier meds.”
“Motherfucker,” Luke curses as his other hand rakes through his hair roughly. His eyes close for a minute, tension running through his body, but his grip on my hand remains loose. None of his tension bleeding into it or squeezing me too tightly.
When he opens his eyes again, I can still see the tension and anger, but I know it’s not directed at me.
“We can talk to Doc about that, but if you do need something stronger, you can accept and take it. You never have to worry about leaving yourself vulnerable around me. I’ll make sure nothing happens to you or the kids.”
As if he hasn’t just tilted my world on its axis, he pushes the nurse button on the bed, letting them know that I’m awake before he turns his attention back to me. All the while, I’m left reeling at his words.
I’ve practically been ‘on’ twenty-four-seven for the past nine years. Never able to fully rest or relax. Not to mention having a good night’s sleep. I learned quickly to never fall into a deep sleep around Stephan. A shiver works down my spine as memories of those beatings threaten to bring more tears, but I push them down for now.
Other than working, Stephan never did anything to help with things around the house or with the kids. It was all on me. Cook. Clean. Laundry. Groceries. Pay the bills, well, before we were able to set up automatic payments on practically everything. Take care of the lawn. Clear the driveway in winter. Doctor appointments. Take the kids to pre-school. Any school event or bake sale. All of that and everything in between fell on my shoulders while I was also doing my best to stave off Stephan’s beatings and protect my children.
Luke clears his throat and I shake my head to clear my thoughts.
“Other than your shoulder, you have twelve wounds that needed stitches. Your leg was broken in two spots, so you’ll be in a cast for at least six weeks. Thankfully, your ribs aren’t broken, but they could be bruised. Especially with how much your skin is bruised in that area. Your kidneys are bruised, and Doc said that you’ll most likely see some blood in your urine. Your eye is swollen shut, but I’m sure you already noticed that. The silver lining in all of this is that you don’t have a concussion.”
Right as he finishes, a woman in a lab coat enters and smiles at me while also nodding toward Luke.
“Thanks, Luke, and yes, I’m very glad that you don’t have a concussion on top of all of that,” she says before turning and looking me over from head to toe. “Hello, Mary. I’m Dr. Rodgers. How are you feeling? Need anything for pain?”
I nod. “Yes, please, but I don’t like how drugs like morphine make me feel or knock me out. It’s too close to…” I bite my lip as I pause, looking down at my hand. “Maybe for just when the pain is too bad? Or a lower dose? If that’s not possible, maybe something over the counter?” Tears sting my eyes once again, but I try not to let them fall.
Tension fills the room again, but I don’t look up. I continue staring at my lap as I pick at the blanket.
“We’ll get you a painkiller prescription when you leave so that you have it for when you need it. And yes, you can use over the counter medicine, but never together. We don’t want you overdosing on us. I would like to give you a painkiller for right now though, but I’ll lower the dosage. Your body needs to heal and being in pain will hinder that. Is that okay?”
I chew my lip as I think about it, and finally nod. The pain is pretty bad. I just hope Luke means what he said. That he won’t let anything happen to me if the meds knock me out. “Okay.”
“I’ll get the order in after I’m done in here. Luke, how about you help me get her into a sitting position so I can listen to her lungs?”
For the next ten minutes, Dr. Rodgers checks me over and tells me that once a room opens up on TCU, their transitional care unit which is sort of like the ICU but a step down, then I’ll be moved up there for a minimum of twenty-four hours. Assuming things go well, I’ll spend another twenty-four hours in a regular room before being discharged.
When she leaves, tension fills the room again and I swallow thickly. Looking up at the clock on the wall, it’s just after two in the morning. I’m tired, and hurting, but there’s something I want to do before I give in and fall back asleep.
Clearing my throat, I look over at Luke. Then at παππο?? (grandpa). “I want to file a restraining order against Stephan. For the kids and me. Then file divorce papers.”
Παππο?? (Grandpa) gives me a knowing, sort of smug, smile and then walks over to a bag laying on a table that I hadn’t noticed before.
“Funny you should say that, because I already have the paperwork drawn up for both of them, λουλο?δι μου (my flower). I figured you’d want to take this route. I’ve already talked to a judge I know I can trust, and as soon as they are signed, he’ll process them,” he says as he raises the papers.
Panic seizes me, and everyone’s faces turn worried.
“What is it, Siren?”
Licking my lips, I take a deep breath. “What’s his name? The judge?”
Both Luke’s and παππο? (grandpas) foreheads crease while they share a look. Γιαγι?? (Grandma’s) gaze bounces between all of us in confusion, but I know from history she won’t ask. At least not yet. After a few seconds, it’s παππο?? (grandpa) that speaks.
“Judge Tom Hansen. Why?”
Immediately, the tension in my body leeches away. “I vaguely remember telling Luke this in the truck, but is it possible for Sam, and…,” I pause as I clear my throat, nervous about this next part. “If Sam and Brady can come in? I’d rather only say this all once.”
Understanding dawns on Luke’s face as he nods and pulls out his phone, probably texting Sam and/or Brady.
Once again, my body tenses as I think about Brady. I wonder if he really has changed, or if I’ll be on the receiving end of his vitriol once again.
Guess it’s time to find out.