At the hospital, Ponch was checked in quickly and then abandoned in chilly room with a bed, a TV, and a dresser stand. He had to wait an hour before a doctor came in to set his fractured arm and put it in a cast. Ponch asked him how Bonnie was doing but the doctor said he didn't know. Then the doctor left the room without so much as a 'Merry Christmas'.
Then an elderly nurse came in and gave Ponch an ice pack for his bruises.
"Thanks," he said, applying the ice to his busted cheek. "I…uh, don't suppose you know anything about Bonnie?"
"Who the hell is Bonnie?"
"The lady I came in with. She was wearing a Santa costume."
"Oh, right. Yeah, I saw her…Your wife?"
"No…friend," Ponch said, "Will she be alright?"
"I don't know," the nurse said, pulling a hospital gown from the drawer. "She looked pretty damn bad when I saw her…blood was running down her face and everything. I think her head really took a beating when you drove off that bridge."
"I didn't drive off a bridge!" Ponch yelled, "You make it sound like I wrecked the car on purpose!"
The nurse shrugged. "It happens all the time."
Ponch's anger was growing fast. "You don't know what you're talking about! Now answer me one question…will Bonnie be okay?"
"How the hell should I know?!" shouted the nurse. "I'm not a doctor."
"I'll say you're not," Ponch snapped.
The nurse threw the hospital gown on the bed in front of Ponch. "Put on that gown before I wrap around your neck and hang you with it. And don't even think about pissing on that bed or I'll break the only good arm you have left," she explained, harshly.
Ponch couldn't believe his ears. "You can't talk to me like that."
"Oh no?" she said, getting in his face. "Well, I have a tag with my name on it that says I'm nurse and that means I can get away with anything that the public doesn't know about."
"They'll find out if I report you!"
The nurse just laughed and walked out of the room, leaving Ponch stunned.
"Nurse…what a joke," he grumbled as he undressed and put on the hospital gown. "What is with these people? Don't they know it's almost Christmas? Where's their holiday spirit?"
Then he sat down on the bed and picked up the telephone. He called Jon and told him about what happened. Jon rushed over to the hospital as soon as he heard. Ponch then explained to him how he refused to play Santa Claus and how Bonnie had taken over the role. He told him about how it was his fault they got into an accident.
"I was cruel," Ponch said, on the verge of tears. "Bonnie told me to do it for children but I was too worried about how I would look. She had to play Santa herself and that's entirely the reason she got into my car in the first place. If I had done what Bonnie asked, she wouldn't be dying right now."
"What makes you think she's dying?" asked Jon, softly.
"I just know she must be…the nurse told me how bad she looked. She was bleeding from her head. I didn't see much of her…but all I know is that she's critically injured and it's my fault. I'm the one to blame. I'm a selfish ass and I shouldn't be given treatment for my broken arm."
"Don't talk that way, Ponch. It's a snowy night and the roads are in bad condition. It was just an accident and there's nothing you can do to change it now. Just don't lose hope."
Ponch was silent for a moment. "Do you think they'll let me see her?"
"I doubt it," Jon muttered. "But I'll talk to the doc…maybe he can arrange something."
"Thanks for coming, partner."
"No problem."
Ponch waited alone in his room for a long time, waiting for Jon to return. Finally, Jon came back in and shook his head. "Not tonight, Ponch. Wait until tomorrow and then we can visit her."
"She's not dead, is she?"
"No, the doc says she'll make it but she has a concussion."
Ponch lowered his head in shame.
"Don't be sad, Ponch. We can see her tomorrow."
Ponch lay down on the bed and shivered. Why did this room have to be kept so cold? He wrapped the blankets around himself. At least the blankets are warm, he thought.
Jon pulled up a chair and so he could sit at Ponch's bedside.
"You don't have to stay with me, partner," Ponch said, weakly.
"Of course I have to," Jon replied, "I can't leave you alone now. Tomorrow is Christmas Eve."
"What time is it now?"
Jon glanced at his watch. "10:45 pm."
