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Chapter 11
"Elvis"
Elvis awoke to a nurse manipulating his intravenous fluids. She noticed and said, 'good morning." He rubbed his eyes and said, "Good mornin." He looked around the room. There were no windows and his bed faced the doorway. He could see the nurses' desk just outside the door. He looked up at her again. "How do you feel?" she asked. Elvis took a moment then said, "Awake." She smiled. "I need to check your dressing." "Fine," he said. She lifted the sheet and examined his abdomen. The dressing was intact and there were no signs of bleeding. Elvis actually felt comfortable at the moment. "What time is it?" he asked, his voice raspy. "8 o'clock," she answered. Elvis looked toward the doorway again. "Do you need anything for pain control?" the nurse asked. Elvis rubbed his eyes again. "No. I'm fine. Thank you. I am a bit thirsty though," he said. "I'll bring you some ice chips. That's all you're allowed at the moment," she said and left the room.
Elvis' brows shot up. "Ice chips!" he said to himself. "I'd rather have a beer." He looked under the sheet again wanting to see the extent of his anticipated set back. "Fuck," he said. He felt bored already. But truly, he was bloody grateful that he was alive. As he became more accustomed to his new surroundings he tried to recall the events over the past days. "What a hell of a ride!" he thought and shook his head. Georgie had been here. He remembered she was distraught and crying. Elvis frowned. He had wanted so much to hold her and comfort her. He knew she had been trying to come to terms with her captivity and abuse. She had told him that she needed him. He looked at the doorway again. In the back of his mind he kept hearing Georgie say, "I'll see you in the morning." He felt that familiar hollow feeling not being with her. He was distracted from his musings when the nurse returned with his cup of ice chips and a plastic spoon. Actually, it was only half full and Elvis looked inside the cup, then up at the nurse. His expression was like a child who dropped his candy. "Really?" he said to her. "Have to start slow," she said smiling. "If ya say so," he said with a crooked smile. She pushed the button on the bed so he could sit up better and then helped him reposition himself. "Enjoy!" she said and left the room.
Elvis poked at the ice hips with the spoon, and then placed a few in his mouth. He smiled. The coolness felt refreshing and he leaned his head back closing his eyes. "Georgie said she loved me," he thought to himself and swirled the ice around in his mouth. "She loves me," he said out loud to himself and his heart began to pound. He took another spoonful of ice and was about to lean his head back again when his eye caught movement at the doorway. It was Georgie! She looked beautiful in her jeans and leather jacket. She was smiling from the moment she walked in and Elvis thought his heart would pop right out of his chest. "Well! This is welcome sight!" she said as she approached the bed. Elvis almost dropped his cup of ice. Georgie settled herself in, taking her jacket off and hanging it on the back of a chair. Elvis watched her every move, afraid he might miss something. "How are ya?" she asked. "Good," Elvis answered and almost forgot how to speak. He was so happy to see her. Did the room suddenly seem brighter? "You look so much better!" Georgie said as she eyed the intravenous and heart monitor. Elvis gazed at her. He could not believe she was here. Georgie looked at him, "starting ya on ice chips I see," she said. Elvis looked in the cup and said, "Want some?" Georgie looked at the offered cup. "Not unless ya have some gin to put in there," she said laughing. Elvis smirked, "I can't even secure a beer." They both laughed. Elvis had a brief thought that this was perhaps a dream. He could not get over the change in Georgie. "How are ya?" he asked looking at her warmly. "How am I?" she asked leaning over to kiss him. Elvis returned the kiss and hoped she would kiss him again. She did. A small little peck. He smiled and pushed the spoon around in the ice.
"Affirmative corporal, how are ya?" he teased. "Well captain, if you must know, my second wedding failed, which seems to be a trend for me. You got shot and I almost lost you. Uh, let's see. I discovered Jamie has had a piece on the side for a while, and I may be homeless." She sat down in the chair and blew hair out of her face. "Ave you been hittin the gin?" Elvis said laughing. "What?! No! That's the truth of it," she said. "Now, wait," Elvis said handing the cup to Georgie to set on the bedside table. "Alright. The weddin I get. Me, I get. Now what's this about wally?" he said completely amused. "Jamie," Georgie corrected him. "Wally, Jamie, same difference," Elvis said with a wave of his hand. "Yeah!" Boss and I saw them in the cafeteria. She's the same woman he was too friendly with back during that trip to London. Remember, when I met up with you?" Elvis nodded. "That bastard," he said. "That's what I said!" Georgie laughed, lifting her arm in the air. They both looked at each other and grinned. "Did ya talk to him?" Elvis asked. "No. Wouldn't waste by breath," she said. "Does he know ya had eyes on him?" Elvis said, now thoroughly amused. "Boss eyed him, so yeah, he knows he was spotted," she said. "Charlie?" Elvis asked surprised. "Yeah" Georgie said. "Did he buy him breakfast? "Elvis laughed remembering the confrontation in the diner. Georgie pushed her hair back, "I forgot about that!" she said. "Oh Elvis, I thought you were gonna drop Jamie right there," she said. Elvis closed his eyes and leaned back. "Stop it!" he said laughing, "It hurts. Dropping him would have too easy," he said and began to wince. "That's it! I don't want ya bleeding again. Settle down now!" she said. "Oh, right. As if you weren't contributing to this," he said grinning at her.
After a brief lull in the frivolity, Elvis looked intently at Georgie and said, "George." "Yeah?" she said. "What about the homeless part?" She returned his gaze. Their eye contact never wavered. "Last night, after I got home, I told my parents that basically you and I were getting back together," Georgie said rubbing her hands on her thighs. Elvis thought his heart stopped. "We are?" he said staring at her. "Well aren't we?" Georgie asked with a mischievous grin. "Well, uh, yeah, I reckon we could do that," Elvis said trying to string this along. "You reckon?" Georgie said sitting upright in the chair. Elvis continued to stare at her, trying to figure out what was going on here. As much as his deepest desire in the entire world was to be back together with Georgie, he was concerned about her emotional fragility. "You've been through a lot Georgie," he finally said reaching a hand out to her. Georgie extended her hand to his and they interlaced their fingers. Elvis took a deep breath and slowly exhaled. "I love you Georgie," he said. "I want nothing more than to be with you." Georgie gazed at him intently searching his face. Her heart began to pound. This was a serious moment. In all the harrowing hours leading up to this moment Georgie always felt that she needed to be with Elvis. Needed. Wanted. Loved him. As their eyes and hands were joined she relayed the events of this morning to him:
Her family left her alone after she secluded herself in her bedroom last night. She showered and relaxed and finally succumbed to a richly deserved slumber. When she awoke this morning the house was quiet. Marie had gone to work. Lulu was in school. Dad was on the job.
Georgie went into the kitchen and made herself a mug of tea and sat down at the kitchen table. She clasped her hands around the ceramic mug and nursed sips as she vacantly looked out the window. She was anxious to see Elvis. A short time later, her mum came in. Georgie said, "good morning." Grace looked at her and said, "Morning. Did you eat something?"
"No. Not yet," Georgie said. "I'll make us something," Grace said and proceeded to prepare breakfast. "You need to eat," she said to Georgie. Once the meal was prepared and they began to eat, Georgie said, "thank you mum." Grace looked at her. She had never seen Georgie like this. She recalled how she became deconstructed after Elvis broke her heart. Grace thought Jamie was the ideal remedy. What if he really was having an affair on the side? That would have completely destroyed Georgie. Obviously Elvis still held a special place in her heart. Grace wanted to know more about this baby. "Georgie," Grace finally said. Georgie looked up at her. "Tell me about Elvis and the baby." Georgie was shocked. "Well, on the morning of our wedding, a woman Elvis had seen before he met me showed up at his door with a little girl. She claimed Elvis was the father" Initially Grace wanted to say, "serves him right," but as she observed Georgie's reaction to telling the story she decided to let her finish. "It devastated him mum. He would never back away from his responsibilities. He saw it as his duty. He wanted to give that innocent child a life," Georgie said, eyes beginning to well with tears. Grace felt her hardened heart begin to soften. "I always thought he didn't want me. I always thought he was looking for someone else or had someone else. But that wasn't the case mum. He's not with Debbie. Never was. He realizes he handled the whole situation badly and is massively sorry. He thought I would reject him. He loves me mum. He's always loved me." "He could have contacted you Georgie" Grace finally said. "Yeah, well mum, that's not how it played out. He's here now," Georgie said looking up and away, seeing that which her mum could not. "Do you and dad know that if it weren't for Elvis I wouldn't be here? And I don't mean the rescue in Kenya. When I first met him in Afghanistan he saved my life. We were both fucked on that mission and he kept me alive!" I never told you the details because I couldn't really, but you need to know. Elvis has saved my life more than once mum. He took that bullet for me. For me. If he hadn't, that whole auditorium would have been blown to bits. I don't think he needs to prove anything to anybody. I know he loves me. And I love him…"
Elvis and Georgie both had tears in their eyes. He pulled her towards him. The rush of emotion making him dizzy and all he wanted to do was hold her. She needed him and she was the only one for him. "Put the rail down George," he murmured. Georgie did so and sat on the bed. Elvis reached his arms around her ignoring the pull on his bandage. Their embrace was heartfelt. Intense. "I love you," Georgie said. "I love you," Elvis responded and kissed her.