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Once through the barrier Perry was confronted with a long hallway lined with closed unlabeled doors. Frantic with worry and not knowing what else to do he stopped and called Della's name loudly. A heavy set middle-aged nurse in a starched white uniform appeared immediately.
"Sir! You are not allowed back here without the doctor's permission. I'm going to have to ask you to leave."
Perry planted his feet and refused to be budged. "With all due respect, Ma'am, if someone doesn't tell me where my wife is and let me see her I am going to tear the roof off of this place and then I will sue this hospital."
"Now look here Mr.?"
"Mason, Perry Mason. Please Ma'am... Just take me to my wife! I have to see her."
At that moment a door opened a few feet down the hall and Dr. Jeff Harris, Perry and Della's personal physician, stuck his head out.
"Mr. Mason is okay, Nurse. Let him in."
Perry raced forward before the nurse could protest. He shouldered past Harris and flew to the bedside.
Della lay pale and motionless, still unconscious, with an ice pack on top of a large goose egg on the side of her head. Perry lifted her hand and squeezed. "Della? Darling?" He turned to Jeff. "What happened? Is she okay? What about the baby? Is the baby all right?"
"One thing at a time, Perry." Jeff gestured to the woman standing next to him. "This is Dr. Elizabeth Cooper. She's Della's obstetrician. The medics had the hospital call me because I am Della's doctor of record. When your mother told them about Della's condition they called Dr. Cooper as well."
Perry nodded at the woman, unwilling to take up valuable time with small talk.
"We've both been evaluating Della since she arrived. She took a very hard blow to the head when she fell."
"Fell?"
"Your mother found her on the landing of the stairwell in your apartment building. Apparently Della was carrying groceries and a bottle of something broke. She had some lacerations, mostly minor but a few that bled a great deal and required stitching up."
"The baby?" Perry questioned again, his hand hovering above Della's distended abdomen but afraid to touch. She now looked so obviously pregnant when two days ago no one would have guessed. He wanted an immediate answer but at the same time was terrified at what that answer might be. How ironic that a few months ago the thought of this baby had terrified him and now the idea that the little life might be gone filled him with fear and dread.
"Miss Street..."
"Mrs. Mason!" Perry interjected emphatically.
Dr. Cooper nodded. "Mrs. Mason is experiencing some contractions but they are infrequent and I am hopeful that we can halt them completely with medication." She gestured toward the hanging IV bag. "There has been some spotting but that seems to be lessening as well. Nothing is guaranteed, Mr. Mason but I feel reasonably confident that right now the baby is in no real danger."
Perry released the breath that he didn't realize he'd been holding. He wouldn't have to tell Della that they'd lost their baby when she woke up... when...
"When will she wake up?"
Dr. Harris' gaze fell to his feet. "That's the thing, Perry. We don't really know. Head wounds are tricky... We don't want to do x-rays if we don't have to, because of her condition. We've called in a neurosurgeon to consult."
"Surgery?" Perry was scared again. "Brain surgery?!"
"Perhaps... Della has a concussion at the very least. But the longer she is unconscious... we need for her to wake up... soon, so we can get a better assessment. If not... well, let's see what the neurosurgeon says."
"But surgery... the baby..."
"Perry... I pray it won't come to this but... it could be lose the baby or lose both of them."
The hesitant husband turned back to his wife, his hand gripping hers even tighter. "No, Jeff. You HAVE to save them both. I can't lose them... not now... not when we're so close..."
Elizabeth Cooper looked up from where she was listening to the baby's heartbeat through her stethoscope, her hand on Della's womb feeling for contractions. "The medication seems to be working to stop any labor. Dr. Harris, could we speak outside?"
The female doctor walked past Perry but quickly retreated, dragging a chair with her. "Experts believe that the unconscious can still hear on some level. Talk to your wife, Mr. Mason."
Perry sank into the chair as the doctors closed the door behind them. "Hey, Baby. Can you open those beautiful hazel eyes for me? Please, Della. I need you... I love you. You have to try to wake up for me... for our baby."
"Perry..."
Mason looked up to see Jeff Harris had returned to the room.
"I... I think there is one other thing you need to see." He moved to the opposite side of the bed, motioning for Perry to stand and lean over. Harris carefully lifted Della's left arm and pushed up the short sleeve of the hospital gown. Perry's eyes were immediately drawn to the faint bruises there.
"Someone grabbed her..." Harris carefully rotated the arm slightly so that Perry could see the clear impressions of four half-moon crescents... fingernails that had dug into Della's arm with enough force to break the skin. "Perhaps someone helped Della down the stairs..."
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When it became apparent that Perry was not going to leave Della's side for any reason, Dr. Harris asked for and received permission from him to speak with the people in the waiting room. The neurosurgeon having been delayed in a case at another hospital, Harris asked them to wait until testing was finished before they went in to see the patient and suggested they go home and return in the morning. Mina flatly refused and knowing that Mae Kirby would soon be delivered by the operative he had sent for her, Paul didn't press. Lydia also tried to decline but Paul knew that she had an appointment the following morning so he insisted on taking her home, assuring Mina he would be back very soon.
Midnight wasn't far away and the stress of the evening was getting to Mina. Once the room emptied out she flipped off the overhead lights, leaving one small lamp burning, and curled up in the largest chair in the room to wait...
The silence enveloped her, the low buzz of hospital noises drifting in from the hallway just enough to help lull her into drowsiness. Her head began to nod, eyes blinking from heavy lids. Mina roused briefly when a nurse came in search of Paul Drake, saying that Perry needed to speak with him as soon as possible but she was more than half asleep when the lady in red dashed by the waiting room window.
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"Our back yard is going to be amazing! Any kids dream. If we have a boy, he is going to have the best tree house ever built... maybe walkways and rope swings. Or a girl... with dark curls and hazel eyes and her mama's sweet smile... a doll house? Or a playhouse... with lots of rooms and real curtains... you can decorate it anyway you want..." Perry rambled, creating a fantasy life for his family that he hoped would have the chance to become reality. "Wake up, baby. Wake up..."
Perry glanced around the room, wondering for the thousandth time in the last hour where the neurosurgeon was. Either Dr. Harris or Dr. Cooper was in the room every ten minutes to check the patient and thus far Della's condition hadn't deteriorated... but it hadn't improved. Sighing, his eyes closed as he lifted her hand to his lips.
"Perry, darling." The sweetly pitched voice reached his ears just nanoseconds after the distinctive perfume caressed his nostrils.
The big man's shoulders grew even broader as his spine stiffened. He didn't turn around.
"You shouldn't be in here, Laura. You need to leave."
"Please Perry! You can't believe the lies she told you. You have to let me tell my side." Laura had braced herself for Della's screeching protestations but the room was silent. Neither Della nor Perry made a sound.
"Look, darling... it was an accident! No matter what she says I know you believe me. I would never have intentionally..." She took a few steps toward the bed, her high-heeled shoes clicking on the linoleum.
"STOP!" Perry's tone halted Laura in her tracks even as his heart sank at her admission that she had been present when Della fell. "I asked you to leave. Please do so."
"But we desperately need to talk, darling. Just come out into the hall with me for a few minutes. I know that I can make you understand."
"You and I no longer have anything to talk about, Laura... ever. You need to leave and you need to stay away from Della... far far away. Don't ever come anywhere near her again. Paul, could you please escort our uninvited visitor out?"
Laura hadn't heard Paul creep into the room, the lanky man shifting into detective mode immediately on hearing her distinctive voice as he reached the door. But Perry had sensed his entrance and took advantage of it.
"Come on, your majesty..." Paul gripped Laura's upper arm firmly. "Your presence is neither required nor welcome here."
"Della Street! You tell him the truth!" Laura screeched. "You tell him it was an accident! Don't you dare blame your clumsiness on me!"
Perry breathed a sigh of relief as the door swung shut, cutting off most of Laura's declarations. He hadn't wanted her anywhere near the bed, in a position where she could see Della's now more than obvious pregnancy belly.
"She won't bother us again, Baby... I promise. I'll make sure of it."
Perry was rewarded with fluttering eyelids and then green orbs with slightly enlarged pupils and a touch of confusion looking up at him.
"Hey!" He whispered excitedly. "You're awake! Welcome back, my beautiful girl."
Della winced as she tried to look around. "Where/"
"You're in the hospital. Do you remember falling?"
Della immediately became agitated and Perry rang frantically for the doctor.
"Baby? Baby?" She kept asking over and over without waiting for a reply, her thin voice laced with panic. Finally Perry gripped her shoulders and held her still.
"Calm down." He commanded in his best courtroom voice, catching and holding her gaze. "The baby is all right but you need to stay quiet. I promise you, Della... the baby is still right here." He caught her opposite hand and pulled it to her belly, his hand coming down to rest on top of hers.
As if on cue the baby kicked.
Tears formed and flowed from Della's eyes as she breathed a sigh of relief. Drops of liquid flowed down her cheeks where they were joined by Perry's tears as he leaned over to place a tender kiss on her temple.
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"Let go of me, you dolt!" Laura struggled against Paul's iron grip but, mindful of her kicking feet and swinging elbows, he held on even tighter.
"Not a chance. Not until you are OUT of the facility and banned from coming back in!"
"NO! I have to talk to Perry! He has to understand! That bitch is in there telling lies about me!"
Paul Drake was a gentleman. He'd never in his life hit a woman... but Laura was very close to being the first. "SHUT UP!"
"Drake!" Tragg's voice stopped Laura's struggling for a moment. The detective had picked up his suspect's trail and followed her back to the hospital.
"Thank goodness! Officer, this man is assaulting me. I would like him arrested."
"I'm sorry, Ma'am but you'll have to come with us. We have a few questions we'd like to ask you at headquarters."
"Questions? Do you know who I am? What is the meaning of this?" Laura's temper flared even more at the site of Mina Mason staring out from the waiting room doorway at the spectacle taking place. "You're all just trying to keep me away from Perry. Well it won't work. Whatever that horrid woman told you... lies!"
"I am asking you to go voluntarily, Ma'am, but I will place you under arrest if I have to."
"You have to have a charge to do that." Laura sneered.
"Suspicion of attempted murder, Ma'am. Now will you come quietly or do I have to arrest you?"
Both Paul and Mina could see that Tragg was struggling to remain professional but Paul knew the cop well enough to know that he wouldn't let his personal feelings get in the way of making any charge against Laura stick.
When Laura yanked away from Paul this time he let her go, straight to Tragg. As the policeman led the haughty woman away he glanced back over his shoulder, a determined smile on his face.
The elevator doors slid open and Tragg led Laura on, waiting only for the lone occupant to disembark. The woman turned and watched the doors slide shut with venomous eyes as Mina and Paul moved to the new arrival's side.
"Is that...?" Mae Kirby asked.
"Ding dong, the witch is dead!" Paul announced, glee in his voice.
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The neurosurgeon had come and gone, his tests promising. As long as there were no further setbacks he didn't believe that surgery would be necessary. Dr.'s Harris and Cooper had also given a cautiously optimistic prognosis, while warning that Della would need to remain in the hospital under observation for several days.
Della continued to drift in and out of sleep, a condition which the doctors assured Perry was normal. Mae and Mina were finally convinced to go back to Perry's apartment with the promise that they could visit Della first thing in the morning.
The dawn of the New Year found Della resting quietly, one hand protectively over her stomach, the other tucked into Perry's massive grip. His head lay on the bed next to her as he snored lightly.
Eyes still closed, Della was awake and trying to make sense of everything. She remembered hearing Laura's voice... and Perry's answering... ordering Laura out. Why had he done that? But the harder she tried to remember the more her head hurt. Had she dreamed it?
"Hey... you're awake?" Perry had sensed her flinch, immediately coming awake. "Is something wrong? Do I need to get the doctor?"
"No," Della whispered. "My head just hurts."
"They can give you something for the pain."
Della smiled her beautiful smile as she patted her belly. "No. I can deal with it. Tell me again what happened?"
Perry had been warned that Della might ask for information over and over for a while, a symptom of the concussion. This time he decided to ask her. "What is the last thing you remember?"
Della blinked at the encroaching dawn. "We were going to have dinner with your mother. I stopped by the grocery to pick up a few things... snacks... sparkling grape juice... to toast the New Year..." Her eyes closed and her forehead furrowed. "I think I remember being on the elevator but..."
"It's okay, Baby," his hand rubbed her forehead soothingly. "Don't stress over it. You are going to be okay. Our little bambino is going to be okay."
"But what if it happens again?"
"It won't. I promise you, it won't."
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Mae and Mina finally succeeded in removing Perry from Della's bedside, but only a few feet. When it became clear that Mason had no intention of leaving the hospital Jeff Harris made arrangements for him to shower and clean up in a private room, the same room that Della was being moved into later that day. Paul Drake was duly dispatched to Perry's apartment to bring back a fresh set of clothes and the necessary toiletries.
The two older women whispered furtively amongst themselves, interspersed with intense glances at both Perry and Della. Perry simply smiled. Nothing any did could ruin his happiness today. His wife and his baby were okay. The doctors came in on morning rounds and their happy smiles reassured Perry that much more.
Paul arrived with the clothes and Perry finally moved a bit further away, to stand by the door.
"Look... about the other day..." The usually eloquent attorney stammered. "I was acting like a..."
"You were acting like a guy who is passionately in love with his wife."
"Well... I was going to say idiot but..."
"That too... It's forgotten... but this is the last time, Perry. Don't hurt her again." Paul was grinning but the steel in his eyes conveyed his message loud and clear.
"So what have you been able to find out?"
Paul sighed. "Not too much. I did figure out that most of the 'blood' on the landing was actually from a shattered bottle of sparkling grape juice so the lacerations were legitimate."
"Do you have a tail on...?"
"Not necessary. When I escorted the screaming shrew out of here last night Lieutenant Tragg was waiting. He took her downtown for questioning. Last time I checked she hadn't been charged or released yet but I have a man waiting just in case. Two more men are working your building, checking if anyone saw anything."
"Mom said that someone was attempting to open my apartment door. Laura did have a key once... but I changed the locks several months ago. We'd arranged to meet at Lorenzo's though... so I can't imagine why she would have gone there."
Perry noted his friends narrowing lips. "I met her only to tell her that is was over between us... that the only contact we would ever have from now on would be professional, if that. She's out of our lives, Paul, whether or not she had anything to do with this."
After a moment's hesitation Paul offered his hand to Perry. The lawyer took it with a grateful smile on his face.
"Would you hang around? Just make sure that things are okay while I shower?"
"Sure, buddy."
"Jeff... Dr. Cooper? I am hoping by your smiles that Della is still okay?"
"She's doing very well, Perry. Dr. Fischer will be by later on to reassess but at this time he doesn't think surgery will be necessary. Her confusion is dissipating, which is typical for a concussion. We have reason to be optimistic."
"Mr. Mason... your wife is improving but please... she does have a long recovery. The drugs have stopped her contractions but because of the trauma we are going to have to be extremely careful. Della will definitely have to be on bed rest for a while... perhaps even until she delivers."
Paul chuckled in the background as Perry smiled ruefully. "You don't know my wife very well, Dr. Cooper... Bed rest will drive her crazy. But whatever it takes..."
Both Paul and Dr. Harris stood silently, knowing looks on their faces.
Once Perry had disappeared to shower, Della feigned a yawn or two so Mae and Mina headed down to the cafeteria for a cup of coffee so that she could rest. Paul watched quietly and kept his mouth shut, knowing better than to incur Della's wrath by revealing her manipulation.
"Smooth, Beautiful." He slouched in the chair beside Della's bed as soon as the door closed behind the older women. "But why did you want to get rid of them?"
"Because I needed to talk to you alone and this may be the only chance I get."
"Me? What do you need from me, Beautiful?"
"Tell me why my husband has a large bruise on his chin?"
"Uhh... How would I know?.. I hadn't noticed... "
"You didn't come to the office at all yesterday even though I know you knew Perry had returned. His face was bruise free when I left work at six so you must have hit him sometime after that. I'm guessing that he wasn't there when I had my accident. That's why he feels so guilty and won't leave me now. So where was he? Was he with her?"
"Della, you don't need to deal with all of this right now. We can talk about it... Wait! I never said I hit him!"
"But you did, because he was with Laura?" Della prompted.
"You are too damned intuitive for your own good, Beautiful. If you ever get tired of being a secretary I'll hire you as an operative in a heartbeat. He was with Laura. They were dancing. I decked him."
"Good."
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