Chapter 6 - Bruised and Battered
Caleb rubbed his hands over his face while he sat back in the hospital chair staring at the sleeping Sarah. He leaned forward in his chair reaching for her pale hand. He held her cold hand in his warm one. Caleb stood and bent down and kissed her lightly on her forehead, gently placed her hand back on the bed and headed to the door.
"How's Sarah?" Tyler met Caleb just outside the door of Sarah's hospital room handing Caleb a cup of coffee while sipping from his own.
"Still asleep. But the shock symptoms have subsided." Caleb sighed and took a sip from his cup. "Have the others gone home?" Caleb asked as he and Tyler walked down the corridor towards the waiting room.
"See for yourself." Tyler said as they rounded the corner. Caleb looked up and saw Kate asleep in Pouge's lap and Reid resting his head back against the wall with his eyes closed.
Pouge looked up and saw Caleb approaching. His best friend looked terrible, his face looked sad and angry and yet relieved. His jeans were stained with mud and shirt was stained with blood and dirt. He had a cut just below his left eye and a split lip. "How is she man?" Pouge asked afraid to talk no louder than a whisper, afraid to disturb the silence. He stood lifting Kate's head and placing it back down on his folded jacket and hugged Caleb.
"Still asleep." Caleb closed his eyes and allowed himself to be seated in between Pouge and Reid.
Reid opened his eyes and lifted his head at the sound of movement. He turned to Caleb. "Caleb, how's Sarah?"
"Sleeping." He repeated himself. "She hasn't woken yet, but the nurse said that was normal considering what she went through." He paused and leaned forward in his chair, resting his head in his hands, rubbing his eyes with his palms. "Her temperature has risen and so has her blood pressure, which is good apparently." He sighed and leaned back into the chair. "Have you all given your statements to the police?" Caleb asked looking around the room at his friends.
They all nodded. "Kate has to." Pouge answered for his sleeping girlfriend whose head was back resting in her boyfriends lap with his jacket covering her shoulders.
"They caught the guy." Reid spoke up. Caleb tensed. "He came out of the forest escorted by police and handcuffed while you were with Sarah in the ambulance."
Pouge squeezed Caleb's arm. "It's good he got caught man, the police said he probably won't pass bail." Pouge dropped his hand from Caleb's arm as Caleb closed his eyes and breathed heavily. He wanted to kill the bastard. He could feel the anger bubbling under his skin.
"So, do you know if...if...he...?" Reid didn't have to finish the sentence, he wasn't sure if he should have been asking yet, but everyone needed to know, they couldn't relax that little bit without knowing.
Caleb didn't respond right away. He continued concentrating on his breathing until he opened his eyes. "They did a test. It was negative." Caleb exhaled another breath. "There was just a lot of bruising apparently on her arms, thighs and stomach." Caleb continued. "Her arm was dislocated but the doctor put it back in while Sarah was still unconscious." Torturing himself with blame with every word he spoke.
Everyone shook their head and clenched their teeth wanting to rip the bastard to shreds at what he did to Sarah. They remembered seeing Sarah clinging to Caleb's neck as they appeared from the trees; her clothes were torn, covered in dirt and completely drenched in tears. They all looked up at the sound of approaching footsteps.
"Mr Caleb Danvers?" Caleb looked up at the nurse who was standing at the entrance to the waiting area. "Miss Wenham is awake and asking for you." Caleb stood and walked over the nurse."You may go in and see her." She looked over Caleb's shoulder to the others sitting and waiting. "You may go in after Mr Danvers has spoken to Miss Wenham if you like." She nodded for them to follow as she turned around and headed back down the corridor to Sarah's room.
"Sarah dear? There are people here to see you." The nurse said as she lightly touched Sarah's non-bandaged shoulder. Sarah opened her eyes and looked up at the nurse and gave a weak smile. She looked terrible with faint bruises on her cheeks that stood out against her pale skin. Her hair had been brushed and braided and no longer had dirt and leaves knotted in it.
"There you go dear, are you in any pain?" The nurse asked as she helped Sarah sit up and supported her bandaged shoulder.
Sarah shook her head. "Can you please pass me a glass of water." Sarah whispered, her words hoarse. The nurse poured her a glass and handed it to Sarah. Sarah sipped it and then placed it within arm's reach of her.
"If you need anything just press the buzzer." The nurse said as she placed the buzzer near the glass of water. The nurse walked around the bed and disappeared out in to the corridor.
"Mr Danvers you may go in now. The rest of you can wait out here." The nurses instructed as she crossed the corridor and walked behind the nurses' station.
Caleb walked into the room and closed the door behind him. He looked across the room at Sarah who was now sitting up with her beautiful blue eyes smiling at him as he crossed the room and sat on the side of her bed.
"How are you feeling?" Caleb asked as he kissed her on the forehead.
"Hopefully better than how you look." Sarah smiled into his dark brown eyes. Caleb shook his head and picked up her hand and kissed it. "How long have you been here?" Sarah asked concerned as she lifted her hand from his and held the side of his face.
"Umm..." Caleb placed his palm on the back of her hand and cupped it to his face. "I came with you in the ambulance at around 12 am and it is now 7:30 in the morning." He turned his head and kissed the inside of Sarah's hand.
"Please tell me the others actually are home sleeping." Sarah said feeling guilty that he stayed all morning with her in the state that he was in.
Caleb shook his head. "They are waiting outside in the corridor, they will be in soon."
Sarah gasped and then cringed as her ribs ached at the movement. "Are you alright? Do you want me to get the nurse?" Caleb said worrying looking over his girlfriend afraid to touch her any place besides her hand in case he hurt her.
Sarah gave a small smile and shook her head. "They should have gone home and got some sleep. So should have you." Sarah said guilt pouring from her eyes.
Caleb cupped the side of her face with his hand. Sarah closed her eyes at the touch. "They were too worried about you to leave and I was definitely not going anywhere away from this hospital while you were in here." Caleb said staring straight into her blue eyes.
They sat in silence for a moment just loving the presence of each other. "Do, do you remember what happened last night?" Caleb asked hesitantly afraid to see her break down or something.
Sarah didn't answer immediately. She sat there looking at Caleb as he looked back with anger and concern plastered on his face. Sarah nodded and closed her eyes. "The last thing I remember is you holding me in your arms and carrying me out of the darkness." She opened her eyes. "I don't remember the ambulance." Sarah said shaking her head.
Caleb nodded understanding why. "You went into shock."
Sarah nodded in response. Her mind wondered to thoughts of her attacker. She looked back at Caleb, her vision started to get blurry. "Did he..I mean...was he found?" Sarah asked as she remembered what she ran from, running in the darkness following the sound of Caleb's voice.
Caleb brought his finger to her cheek and brushed away the tears that spilled from her eyes. He nodded and then sat closer to her wrapping one arm around her avoiding the bandaged shoulder. "Did you see him at all?" Caleb asked hating to be making her remember the events of the night that just passed.
Sarah shook her head into Caleb's chest. "I never saw him. I couldn't see him in the darkness." She had no mental picture of him in her head which she was grateful for. There were no eyes or face to haunt her dreams, just his voice in the darkness.
"Do you feel alright for the others to come in now?" Caleb asked as he pulled back and surveyed her.
"Yes." She nodded and took another drink of water preparing herself for worried faces.
Caleb hopped up from the bed and walked to the door and gestured for the Reid, Tyler, Pouge and the awakened Kate to come in.
Sarah smiled as she watched her friends pour in from the corridor. They looked at her warily, afraid to say something that might trigger her to start crying. But they relaxed as she didn't appear to be an emotional wreck.
"Hey Sweetie." Kate came over and gave her a light one armed hug. "How are you feeling?"
Sarah shrugged. "Bruised and battered." She breathed out a laugh. "So how did the fight end up?" She asked curious to find out who won also in an attempt at directing the conversation away from her.
Reid laughed. "Well..." He began. "Before me and Tyler showed up Pouge and Caleb were losing something shocking." Reid said giving Pouge a slap on the back. "But when the numbers evened out a bit we kicked their asses! They had no chance in hell." Reid smirked filling himself with pride.
Sarah looked over the four sons of Ipswich, they all showed battle scars. Pouge had a black eye and a cut on his cheek, Tyler had a fat lip, Reid had a cut lip and a black ring around his eye while Caleb harboured a split lip and a cut below one eye. She only assumed that under their clothes they were as well covered in bruises.
"Kate ran inside Nicky's and called the police, Nicky came out and threatened everyone with his baseball bat who continued fighting or left before the police came." Reid continued. "We heard you scream and saw you being carried into the trees..." Reid paused surveying Sarah; hesitating to continue. "Caleb ran after you. Nicky held us back and sent someone to get touches and then we went in but we couldn't find you. The police arrived and we went back, not knowing where Caleb was either, and gave our statements to the police. They went in with torches and shortly after you appeared with Caleb." Reid finished not wanting to press Sarah emotionally any further.
Sarah nodded and looked up at the nurse who knocked on the door. "Sorry kids but Sarah needs to rest now, you can come back later in visiting hours after the doctor as been." Before they filed out the door they all kissed Sarah on the forehead promising that they will be back later. Caleb stayed behind. "Mr Danvers I'm afraid you need to go as well. Sarah does need to sleep and by the looks of you so do you and have a good shower." The nurse winked at Sarah and then disappeared back behind the nurses' station.
Before he left Caleb helped Sarah lay back down and kissed her lightly on the lips and walked to the door and lingered.
"Caleb, I'll be fine, you need to go home and take care of yourself." Sarah said as she waved himout the door with her bruised arm.
Caleb left smiling with the image of Sarah smiling back at him.
Sarah stared up at the ceiling with tears spilling from her eyes. She tried so hard to be strong for her friends; tried not to break down in a fit of tears. She didn't want them to see her like that. Now that they were gone and she was left in solitary confinement with no one to be strong for.
Images from the previous night rushed through head. Feelings of fear, anger and loneliness crept under her skin. Sarah sobbed into her pillow wishing her memory of it all would evaporate. Sarah wanted to never hear the attacker's voice playing over inside her head like a broken record again.
The nurse silently walked into Sarah's room hearing her sobs, put her comforting hand on her non-bandaged shoulder. "You are strong Sarah, but it is okay to cry." The nurse said in a soothing voice, which made Sarah cry even harder.
Sarah looked up at the nurse through her blurred vision. "Thank you." She said as she watched the nurse inject a fluid into her IV cannular.
"Sleep now Sarah, don't fight it." The nurse said as Sarah weakly nodded and allowed herself to be enveloped in sleep.
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