BELLS, STEAM AND BLADES
A hand squeezing his one, his first feeling after the darkness, then something soft touching his forehead and his lips: Enos Strate slowly opened his eyes, the sunlight in the room nearly blinding him. He could recognize that touch everywhere, her hand perfectly fitting in his palm: Daisy Duke.
He looked at her, a Daisy Duke totally exhausted and scared, but he had no strength to talk, he could barely take his eyes open, so he fell again in his darkness.
"He opened his eyes. He woke up". With a shout of joy, Daisy ran outside the room looking for a nurse, too much excited to remember she could simply call using the bell inside the room.
"Miss Daisy Duke, there's no need to shout like that, you're in Hospital, don't forget 'bout it"
Daisy turned to face the middle-aged nurse, an amused smile on her big face to smooth over her previous apparent crusty tone.
"Marie, Enos opened his eyes", Daisy grabbed the nurse's hand, and nurse Marie followed her to Enos' room; it was only one week that cop had been transferred from I.C.U. to her division but she felt as she knew that young woman from years ('cause she seemed to have taken root in deputy Strate's room); only one week to know everyone else 'round that cop, for sure a beloved cop since the number and frequency of visitors (on the top, Duke family).
"He opened his eyes, only for a moment, but he was awake, and he looked at me".
"OK, OK Daisy. It's a good thing, I know. But, now, calm you down"
Despite her apparent resistance, Marie entered the white room with Daisy, looking at the young woman sitting on the bed and starting caressing the cop, calling softly his name, tears flowing from her eyes when he didn't answer.
"He WAS awake, I wasn't dreaming. I REALLY saw him opening his eyes".
Marie sighed approaching the bed, sitting by Daisy's side and taking her hand in her big ones, "I trust you. He's goin' to wake up, I know, but you have to be patient. Sometimes he opens his eyes, I saw it, only for few seconds but he seems now to react. He's out of danger, you know, it's why doctors transferred him from I.C.U. to this division. Just be patient, and don't worry".
Daisy wiped her tears, nodding, "Yeah, but… Oh Marie, it's so… hard… all this waiting. And, even if I know he's now out of danger, I can't forget last weeks, praying day by day for his life".
Marie squeezed gently Daisy's hand, "Unfortunately, it's something you'll never forget, darling, but, now, please, try to smile. You're out the bad part of this thing. Don't look back at the worst days, but look forward".
"And have some rest, too". Uncle Jesse's voice interrupted the two women's chatting, "You can't spend all your time here, coming back home only for the night".
"And she'd stay here for the night too if we don't chase her out of the Hospital every evening", Marie stood up and she headed to the door, smiling, "if you need me, Daisy, call me… using that bell", she pointed at a push-button near the bed and she left the room.
Daisy wiped away the tears still on her cheeks and she smiled at her uncle, who's looking at her with his right eye-brown raised in a questioning way, "Enos woke up. He opened his eyes and he looked at me. So I run out the room to call Marie, forgetting… that", Daisy laughed pointing at the push-button, "but I was so happy, and… I forgot 'bout it"
Uncle Jesse smiled sitting down on the couch near the bed, "Really? Good news", then his look turned serious, "so, you can finally have some rest, Daisy. Lately you have pushed yourself … too further, you know". In uncle Jesse's voice all his worrisome, in his mind flowing scenes he prayed he had never to see again: Daisy hysterical crying during their run to Tri-County Hospital, her wandering in the corridor near the operating-room, her fainting as she saw the surgeon, his features tight, walking to them, her staying (the few granted time) by Enos' side when he was in I.C.U., … and everything linked with it; everything was perfectly impressed in her face, a totally exhausted, sad and still scared face. But, thinking 'bout it, uncle Jesse realized that, if Daisy was for sure the most affected of them all, last weeks had been ravaging for a lot of people, and for him too; he shivered remembering that call from Lulu, and he shook his head trying to avoid those pesky memories.
Enos Strate: their close friend, the man uncle Jesse knew since he was a little child, the man who has had a crush on Daisy since the seventh grade, the man Daisy nearly married only few months before (for reasons that seemed at that time incomprehensible), the man finally Daisy realized to love back after a long wandering (a long time spent falling, invariably, in wrong arms). Uncle Jesse observed the deputy still sleeping in his bed, the sheets covering his belly (where uncle Jesse imaged the cuts left by the stabbing and then by the operation), his exposed chest, his regular breathing, his paleness, the bruises almost gone scattered on his exposed skin, the liquid slowly entering his vein through a drip. He averted his gaze from that sight, a mix of rage and anxiety overwhelming him, and he looked at her niece, her eyes fixed on Enos' chest, as she was hypnotized.
"Daisy, I think Enos would keep on breathing even if you stop staring at him"
Daisy chuckled, "You're right, uncle Jesse, but I can't help but looking at him".
Uncle Jesse sighed looking at the clock (it was 1 p.m.) and remembering the reason of his visit; he took the bag he put on the table when he arrived, "Here's your lunch, Daisy. You should be able to eat everything whereas you keep on looking at him", he winked at her, trying to ease the discomfort he felt in that Hospital room with Enos in that condition, something totally unreal.
"Thanks, uncle Jesse"
Daisy hugged her uncle and she started eating her lunch, slowly, finally enjoying food's taste (something lost during last weeks), and keeping on looking at Enos, a tired but finally relaxed smile on her face: Enos was out of danger, and she thanked God for it.
Sunlight was slowly fading in the little room when Daisy opened his eyes, yawning and looking at the clock, realizing, horrified, she had slept for four hours, her first thought to Enos: did he wake up during her sleeping?
"He's still sleeping, and he's slept all the time"
Daisy turned to Luke sitting on a chair near the bed, "I didn't want to wake you up, Daisy. You were sleeping so peacefully, finally".
Daisy stretched her arms yawning again, "Yeah, I slept very well. It's the first time I sleep so deeply since…", she stood up without finishing the phrase and she approached the window, looking outside, her arms folded.
Luke looked at her silhouette standing out in the sunset's light. "Uncle Jesse told me Enos woke up. Did he…?".
Luke's unspoken words remained suspended in the room like steam.
"He opened his eyes and he looked at me, only for few seconds, but he didn't tell anything. I'd like to talk to him, but I don't know what to tell him, and … what he's goin' to tell me. I finally realized I love him, I realized it when I risked to loose him. These weeks are the worst weeks in all my life; I think I'm paying for all my mistakes, and I deserve it, but Enos… he didn't…"
New unspoken words, and other heavy steam filled the room like fog.
Dark and heavy steam closed in upon Enos, entering his lungs and mixing with air, so it was like he was breathing tainted water. He felt that water entering his nose and his mouth and reaching his lung; he was drowning, and other water lashed every inch of his exposed skin, then transforming in cold needles and piercing his flesh, hundreds of dark and cold needles torturing him while he was drowning. He couldn't move nor shout, he could barely breath, and the more he tried to breath, the more needles pierced his flesh deeply.
He strove to shout asking for help, but all his effort produced only a soft and painful moan and maybe a shiver.
She was there.
He felt her body adhering to him, her arms wrapped around his chest, and the needles suddenly melted under her warmth; he felt her mouth adhering to his one and somehow sucking away the rotten water in his lung. He was finally safe, he could breath easily and his skin was healed. She was saving him …
... Till a blade, firmly in her hand, sparkled in the darkness and it pierced deeply his belly; the cold and sharp blade passed through his skin and muscle reaching his bowels, and the worst pain he'd ever felt exploded in his head in the form of thousand of ringing bells.
It's happening, again. I started a story without any clear plot (or, it's better to say, no plot at all except the starting scene, LOL), and, slowly, an interesting idea is taking form in my mind... so I'm goin' to explore a new path in Daisy/Enos' story.
I'm very happy of your reviews (6 for the first chapter, WOW)! Thank you, they help me and they really mean a lot to me. So, again, REVIEW!
