Chapter 22
Max
It has been days since Megan was brought into the hospital. Days of her being kept in a medical coma so they could process her, assess her damages, give her blood, and have a female doctor examine her. The two people responsible for this are both dead. One by my hands and the other by Ally’s hands. Tony has been glued to Ally’s side since that night. Andy and Roark have stayed close to me to make sure I don’t break apart. Her mother and sister have come and go a few times. Awkward as fuck meeting her mother and explaining who I was. Her sister, however, apparently already knew about me long before that night. I felt a sense of pride know that she talked about me.
The door creeps open a small bit, a male voice calling into the room, “Bitch you better not be dead.” The words set my blood boiling, as I went to stand up to tell the person to fuck off, Ally put her hand up.
“Ethan, watch your words,” she calls out as the door fully opens revealing a tall, tanned male as he walks into the room. He pauses in the doorway and looks around. Machines beeping from the bedside next to me.
“Fuck, I’m sorry. I thought it was just you in here Ally. I didn’t mean anything by it,” he apologizes to the room.
“You’re fine, they just don’t know you like we do,” Ally stood up, walking over to him to embrace him in a hug. “That’s Tony in the chair over there, Andy by the window, Roark here making sure no one enters without permission, and that’s Max, Megan’s new boyfriend.” She smiles at me, and I try so hard to relax. “Guys, this is Ethan, he is our best friend and don’t worry Max, she doesn’t have the equipment he likes to play with.”
“Did you really have to go there?” He sputters out, glaring at Ally who is already heading back to her empty chair next to Tony.
“Yes, Max gets a little handsy when it comes to Megan. I don’t want him getting the wrong idea with you walking up in her calling her bitch,” Ally turns and sits down. Eyes burning a hole into Ethan. He nods in understanding then walks toward the bed, stopping short right in front of me.
“Do you mind if I sit on the other chair by her?” He was asking me permission to step closer to her.
“Go for it, I won’t stop you unless you try some shady shit. As long as you’re good, I’ll be good,” I try to smile, but I just don’t have it in me. I can’t fake anything right now. The guys have been taking shifts here with me and Ally. Mainly because they still have work to do. I have an interview with Rick in the morning about my reinstatement. The call to dispatch was clear, and they heard everything. Tony got the audio from his sister and gave it to Andy to take a look at. Andy didn’t let me hear it; Roark told me it would be a cold day in hell that he would let me hear it. Tony, however, said if I tried to listen to it he would beat me until I’m unconscious.
I wouldn’t put it past any of them all to beat me into submission. Ethan moved to the chair on the other side of the bed. He looked at her like she was the last person in the world he wanted to see like this. I wonder how close they are. As I go to open my mouth, the machines attached to her begin to beep loud with a steady beep. She was flatlining.
A group of nurses bust through the door, nearly knocking Roark to the floor. He quickly regains his footing and grabs the door handle to hold it open, Ethan and I move back from the bed. Tony, Andy and Roark leave the room, Ethan following them out, trying to pull Ally with him, but she stays put next to me. We’re not leaving our girl. Not now.
Nurses work on her, getting her heart stabilized beating back in the proper rhythm. It’s happened twice now; they say the stress on her heart is what’s causing the episodes. I believe when they say that stress can kill you, this is what they meant. They say her body is fighting the medication that’s keeping her in the coma, and they are going to be slowly bringing her back to consciousness. They can’t take another chance of her having an episode while sedated.
Reluctantly, the guys decide it’s best to leave us there for the night. Ally has work in the morning so Ethan offers her a ride home, much to Tony’s pleasure, she says no and that she will be riding home with him. Ethan doesn’t argue as she takes Tony’s arm, and they head down the hall. Dear god, those two could be trouble together. Tony’s smart mouth and quick thinking on his feet are a kiss of death, but with her skills. It wouldn’t surprise me if they kill anyone who wrongs them. She seems like a walking hellfire.
“Mr. Carter, you don’t have to stay the night. Her sister will be here in the morning,” Millie, the night nurse, says as she enters the room to clean up.
“It’s fine. I don’t really want to go home with her here,” I say as I take my seat back by the bedside. I brush a strand of hair off of Megan’s cheek. She’s warm which signals to my body that she is still alive. Millie smiles at me, continuing her rounds.
“How long have you two been together?” She asks, a normal question from an older woman just trying to make conversation. I realize most people treat the nurses here like servants. It pisses me off and I want to punch them every time I hear it. They should be lucky these people are here to care for them.
“The night of the attack, we made it official that night,” I reply, taking Megan’s hand in my own, gently squeezing it in hopes she will squeeze back.
“Oh,” she replies as she grabs the trash bag from the can. I give her a questioning look. “I didn’t mean any offense. I just assumed you two had been together for a while seeing the way you are with her. Making sure she’s covered up when visitors come, staying close by her side during this whole stay. That’s not something a boyfriend of a few hours would do.”
“I’ve known her for a bit, we just didn’t make things official because we both just got out of some horrible relationships. We didn’t want to rush into anything, or assume anything from one another,” I gaze back at Megan. “86.”
“What’s 86?” She asks, tying up the bag before placing it on the ground by the door.
“How many freckles she has across her nose and cheeks. I count them every day. I don’t know why, I don’t expect a new one to show up or one to vanish, but I do. I’m sorry, I must sound like a complete idiot,” I ramble on.
“No need to apologize, people do mundane things when they are here for long periods of time. I had a client once tell me exactly how many times this one nurse took a piss in a day. Found out later, that patient had told the nurse she was pregnant, guessed about three weeks along from the frequency of her peeing,” Millie laughs as she puts a fresh bag in the can.
“Was she right?” I ask, curiosity now getting the best of me.
She laughed, “Yes, down to the exact week. The patient was a retired gynecologist. Good at her work. When she was finally released, she told the nurse that she would go into labor probably a week early and to bed ready. Before you ask, she was right about that too. Creepy, but the woman delivered the nurses baby and has been right on four other occasions too. All because she was bored out of her mind in here and she hated whatever was on tv.”
“That’s one way to cure boredom I guess,” I say. Millie banters on for a little bit more as she moves about the room. I respond with a few okays, that’s nice, that’s awful and the personal best, I can’t believe it. I was barely listening when she paused entirely. I look up to see her glancing at Megan in the bed. I zoned out completely, not noticing that Megan was gripping my hand. A gentle squeeze, but enough for me to know that she’s awake, or close to it.
I jump up from my seat and lean over the bed. She looks as me, blinking a few times the whispers, “Max.”
“Call the doctor,” I say to Millie, but she is already out of the room and at the nurses station.
“I’m right her Megan, I haven’t left.” I put my face in her view, and she gives a weak smile. I kiss her cheek, her forehead, then her lips. I know any minute I will be pulled away so they can check her but until then, I am staying as close as possible.
“Am I?” She tries to talk, but she sounds so weak.
“You’re in the hospital, don’t talk right now, they had a tube down your throat until twenty minutes ago. Once the doctor comes in, she will tell me what you are and are not allowed to have,” I kiss her forehead once more as she closes her eyes, taking a deep breath. I pulled my phone out of my pocket and tap Ally’s name.
She’s awake.
Her response came back within seconds. Is she okay?!
Yes, I’ll text you once the doctor comes in. Can you text her sister? She said she would be coming in the morning before I left for the station .
Yeah, I got it. Take care of my girl will ya?
I laugh. She’s not leaving my sight; she better not be pee shy.
Gross! But I don’t blame you. Don’t forget to text me or you will be tasting the rubber of my shoe next time I see you. She threatens and I believe she would kick my ass if I forgot.
No worries, get some rest. I’ll text you as soon as I know anything.
You better. Was all she replied.
Megan’s eyes were still closed as the nurses fused around her, checking her pulse, checking her O2 levels, making sure her pupils are responsive. I know they are trying to do what is right by Megan, but I just want them out and the doctor in so we can know when she can go home.
The door opened once more, “Mr. Carter,” Doctor Silverman always says my name as if she is a principle and I am just a disappointing student. She gets under my fucking skin.
“Good evening, Doctor,” I nod and try to use the manners my mother taught me. Even though I was going to break my teeth with how tight I was clenching my jaw. My teeth squeaked in my skull setting goosebumps down my body. That feeling and sound is worse than nails on a chalkboard.
“Miss. Monroe, I’m glad to see you’re awake. Are you alright with me discussing your condition in front of Mr. Carter?” Again, with that disappointed principal voice. Megan looked at me and with a weak little laugh she replies.
“The future Mr. Monroe, yes.”
The look on that woman’s face was fucking priceless. She looked frazzled by Megan’s response as if she didn’t just drop a bomb in the ocean and she was in the splash zone. I fucking love this woman.
“Well, future Mrs. Carter, you might want to rest your voice. I don’t want you hurting yourself,” I smiled, my hand squeezing hers gently. She was making jokes. That is a good sign. Honestly a great sign. I was thinking she would shell up and the smiling woman before me would be hiding inside of herself. There’s still a chance she might, but right now I will take it.
“He’s right. You should rest your throat,” she glared at me the moment she uttered the word throat, like I was going to force my dick down her throat the moment we left her. Why the fuck does she keep giving me dirty ass looks? “Your body sustained significant injury, reopening a few cuts, and your ribs cracked a little more. You’re lucky the officers got to you when they did. As far as the other issue, I need to know if you had consensual sex with anyone the night of the attack if you can remember. You can shake your head, or I can give you a piece of paper.”
Megan shook her head, I guess she didn’t consider my fingers sex. Or I didn’t leave a lasting impression. That would have to change, if that was the case. She glanced over at me and smiled.
“Okay,” she took in a deep breath, I knew the news she had to relay. “I have some news that I need to inform you of. Something happened when you arrived here and were placed on sedation medication. You were in a room, thankfully, with another patient who recorded what they could of your second attack. Dr. Arthur Caden had sexually assaulted you while you were unconscious. Doctor Caden took his own life when two officers confronted him that night. I personally did the examination and all examinations since on you. Your boyfriend has made it well known that no one is to examine you without him or your friend Miss. Strom. Both have taken great care to make sure you are safe,” She looked over at me and I almost felt a look of pity on her face. Well shit, I guess I read this lady wrong.
“I was what?!” Megan practically screams out. I squeeze her hand again, trying to get her to remember to calm down, even though the thought of that man touching her makes me want to resurrect him and kill him all over again.
“The hospital will be taking full responsibility for your medical bill while you are here, so that is no issue. As for the earlier attack, there was trauma to the tissue that I believe was there before Dr. Caden’s assault. Can you tell me what might’ve happened?” she asks Megan. She freezes up as if the thought of Sandra attacking her was happening all over again. “I’m sorry Miss. Monroe, but I have to know. Did you do it with a toy or did something else happen?”
Megan was shaking, but she finally spoke, her words weak. “It was done with the barrel of a gun.” My heart sunk, I felt nauseous. “It was done against my will.”
Dr. Silverman wrote something down on her notepad, then put her pen down. She looks up between the two of us and I can see the gears turning in her head. “I’m so sorry that these violations have happened to you. It’s not right and it’s not fair. The trauma you sustained from the first attack will heal. Everything will heal with time. Will that make things any easier, no. It really won’t. Will intimacy be easy for you in the future? I don’t know. Some people are okay with things like this and can bounce back quickly. Some people take weeks, months or even years to be comfortable with a partner again. So, Mr. Carter, be patient with her.”
“I will never force her to do anything she doesn’t want or is ready to do. Her well being physically, mentally, and emotionally. That’s one thing you won’t have to worry about,” I say defiantly.
“Good, that is the biggest worry that we all have. No disrespect to you, but things aren’t always easy to read in situations like this. We misjudged a coworker, let me be frank, we believe what happened. We saw the proof from the patient, and I am so sorry that it happened, but I am grateful you weren’t awake for it. I am not grateful that I had to tell you. I’m sorry, but I did not think it right to keep that secret from you,” she says looking from me to Megan.
“I’m glad you didn’t keep it a secret. I’m also glad I wasn’t awake for it. I think I might’ve broken if I was,” she whispers. I honestly believe that. Megan has gone through so much in the short amount of time that I’ve known her. It’s not right and it’s not fair. “When can I go home?”
“Tomorrow afternoon, as long as you can hold food down and you’re not in a mass amount of pain,” Dr. Silverman replies to her. A sigh of relief washes over me. “Do you have anyone who can stay with you?”
Before she could answer, I chime in. “She will be staying with me at my place for a little while. We all agree that she needs to be out of that house. Nothing good has happened there recently.”
Dr. Silverman looked at Megan who nods in reply. Thank fucking god she agrees. She might give me shit later, but PTSD is a thing for more than just the military. We all have that place we can’t physically go to because of past trauma.
“If that’s the plan then I will get you paperwork ready to go. You’ll be discharged by noon.” She stood up from her chair, shook Megan’s hand then mine, and left.
“If I puke after I eat you better keep it to yourself. I am not staying here another damn night!” she threatens me, it’s the cutest thing ever.
“You’re cute, but if you puke, you stay,” I say firmly. She will have to deal with it. I’m not letting her put her life at risk.
I grab my phone out and tell Ally that she could go home by noon tomorrow, filling in the details and sending it over. Her response came a little while later, I hope I didn’t wake her up.
Megan rested her head back down on her pillow and closed her eyes. She needed the rest, and now that I know she is safe and leaving soon, I was able to finally fall asleep in my chair. I couldn’t be more thankful that she woke up. Not only did she wake up, but she woke up saying my name.
A sharp pain cuts through my chest, and I was hoping it wasn’t anything serious. But hey, if it is, at least I’m at the hospital already. I couldn’t think of a world without her smile in it. I can’t imagine how hard this whole thing is going to be for her when she goes back to work.
I closed my eyes and let sleep claim me. In ten hours, I should be able to take her home. Soon, she will be safe, in my arms. I’m never letting her out of my sight again.