"He can't be blind!" Liane cried, shoving the doctor. The violence was out of character, but she couldn't stand the thought of her son being any more hurt than he already was. "How did you not notice before? How did this happen?" She sobbed. She spun to Mrs. Donovan, burying her face against the other woman's shoulder.
Mrs. Donovan shed a few tears along with her. Liane had raised the boy, but he was still her flesh and blood. Something deep within her ached at the injustice of it all. Sure, Eric wasn't the nicest boy around, but no one deserved the horrors he'd had to face in such a small amount of time.
"He wasn't coherent enough for us to check before." The doctor explained, annoyingly calm. He stared at the women with a detached curiosity, wondering if they were lesbians. He hadn't seen a man enter the room since the boys were admitted. "When people get severe head trauma, sometimes they lose their sight. They can lose other things too. We should be happy that all he lost was his sight."
"We should be happy?" Liane cried indignantly, drawing herself up to her full height. Eric made not have been her son by blood, but he had a lot of her mannerisms.
"He's not dead." The doctor replied simply. He cast them one final, cold look before walking away. "You can check him out at any time. The nurse will show you how to change the bandages." He called over his shoulder.
"I hate this fucking hospital." Mrs. Donovan whispered.
"Do you think Clyde could come spend a few days at our house? Your husband..." Liane trailed off, cringing as she remembered the fight from three nights ago.
"It would be for the best." Mrs. Donovan rubbed Liane's back as the two women walked towards the hospital room. Neither of them wanted to think about Eric being blind. It was just...tragic.
Liane wondered if Clyde had told him. The boy had promised he would, but after news like that...She closed her eyes as they walked, trusting Mrs. Donovan to lead her in the right direction. A small smile broke through her sadness. Despite all the horrible things going on around them, she could feel a bond building between Mrs. Donovan and herself. She wished it had been there before the pregnancy. Inside, she knew they could be close friends.
Liane went into the room first. The children fell silent as they stared at her. It was Wendy who finally spoke.
"Hello Mrs. Cartman." She said softly. She was sitting on the right side of Eric, holding his hand. Clyde sat on his left, although he wasn't holding his brothers hand. Liane smiled as she thought of Eric's no homo rule.
She watched as her sons head shot up. The door was straight ahead of the bed, and his clouded eyes were staring directly at her. A small shiver slid up her spine. "You fat fucking lying whore!" He screamed.
Liane stumbled back from the force of his words. They hurt like an actual blow. "Poopsiki-"
"Don't you dare call me that" He snarled in a darker voice than she'd ever heard him use. "You have no fucking right to call me that. I'm not your poopsikins. I'm not your anything. I'm a fucking lie. You're a fucking liar. I can't believe you! You're disgusting!"
Liane sobbed for the hundredth time that day. "Eric please-"
"No. Just go away! I hate you!" He bellowed, face red with rage.
That hurt. Never had he said he hated her - at least, never in a voice that sounded truthful. As a child, he had mumbled it into her leg, clinging at her. Little muffled 'I hate you's that were soon turned into smiles and happiness, when she showered him with love.
"Oh my God, Eric, calm down!" Wendy shouted suddenly. Her boyfriend swiveled his head around to glare at her...or rather, in her general direction. "Jesus, she's your mother."
"She's not she -"
"Raised you, fed you, clothed you, took care of you? Held you when you cried? Bought you every single fucking thing that you wanted? She's bent over backwards to make you happy Eric, and now you're treating her like this? You're ridiculous! She's still your mother no matter what."
Eric took a deep breath through his nose, leaning back down into the pillows. He didn't apologize, but the way he was nibbling his lip told Liane that he was sorry. That he was sad.
"Wendy...did you want to come spend a few nights at the house? Clyde's coming. Your mom and dad already gave the okay." She told the black haired girl while giving her a gentle, thankful smile.
"That'd be great Mrs. Cartman. Thank you so much." Wendy kissed her boyfriend's forehead. "I should probably go get some clean clothes, and my shampoo."
"Yes. You can take Clyde with you. We'll meet you both back at the house. Is that okay?"
Clyde and Wendy nodded, grabbing whatever little things they had left in the room before scurrying off.
Liane listened attentively as the nurse showed her how to change the bandages. She kept her cry of shock and disgust down, when she saw how ripped up her poor baby was. She hoped the scraps of road rash didn't end up scarring.
*
"Officer Barbrady, what brings you here?" Wendy asked the man cheerfully. He was always amusing, and she was in desperate need of a laugh.
"Just here to pick someone up." The officer replied in his strange voice, looking around for the secretary. The hospital was supposed to always have at least one person on the front desk. No one was to be found.
"Oh? Who're you looking for?" Clyde chimed in, head tilted to the side. Wendy grinned. She thought Clyde looked like an oversized puppy dog, curious about everyone and everything.
"A mister Stanley Marsh." Barbrady read off a slip of paper.
Wendy choked on air. "Stan? What for?" She gave the officer a horrified look, heart pounding wildly in his chest.
"Well it says he's being charged for driving while under the influence, and for hitting a pedestrian."
"What's the maximum?" Clyde asked. His face was blank, and Wendy wondered if he was glad that Stan was being charged.
"Maximum is three years, minimum, six months." Barbrady shrugged, finally catching sight of a nurse. "I'll catch you two later. Have a good day kids!"
"Stan can't go to jail." Wendy whispered to Clyde, clinging at his arm as they walked out of the hospital.
As they stepped out into the streets, seeing the people of South Park bustling about their days, Clyde sighed. "Yeah, Wends. He can."
