Chapter 20 – We All Have Pain, We All Have Sorrow
Adventures of the Melee
Nolan 16½, Ryder 12½, Olivia 9½
Annabelle 4½, Victoria 4½, Lucas 3
Monday, October 19
Since she couldn't find her cell phone, which was buried in the couch cushions, Lissa called Clarisse from the landline shortly after everyone left the house.
"Mom, it's me. We've gotta talk,"Lissa stated with courage, knowing she was in a safe and secure home behind a locked gate.
"Ok," Clarisse responded.
"Are you alone?" Lissa asked.
"No, no she's already left for school," Clarisse stated, trying to sound like she was having a plausible conversation as Larry sat in his chair across the room.
"Larry's there?" Lissa confirmed.
"Mmmhmm," Clarisse answered. "I'll tell you what, Jodi. I don't have to go into work today. I can go up to Lissa's room and see if I can find your textbook so I can drop it by the school. Let me go check."
Clarisse ran up the stairs, hoping some sort of text book was in Lissa's room. As soon as she spotted one, she returned to the phone and exclaimed, "I found it. I'll bring it by school in just a few minutes, hon." After explaining to Larry that Lissa's friend had loaned Lissa a book and needed it back sooner than anticipated, Clarisse got dressed and headed out of the house. Larry was clear that she needed to be back within an hour.
From a nearby coffee shop, Clarisse called Lissa at Nolan's house. She knew Larry would check her phone when she returned home, so using her cell was out of the question. After sharing what Larry had done to her, Lissa asked Clarisse if they could talk. Clarisse promised she'd be right over. Lissa let Clarisse in the gate and then into the house. The two sat down on the sofa to talk.
"Mom, I know he's hurting you too and he uses me like a punching bag. We have to get away from him," Larissa begged.
"That's just not possible, Lissa. He's my husband, he's the father of this baby, and he's our family now. He's really trying to watch his temper, honey. He really is," Clarisse attempted to assure her daughter.
Larissa shook her head, "Mom, you can't really believe that." Taking off her cardigan, Lissa showed her arms to her mother. "Mom, they are black and blue and green and yellow and red and every nasty color under the sun. Larry did this to me, Mom. I can't live there anymore. He scares me." Lissa began to cry as she begged. "And this is nothing, Mom. You should see my legs and my back and my gut. He kicks me all the time, punches me, smacks me with his belt. Mom, Larry is not safe. We need to leave."
"Larissa Lorraine, I've had enough of your exaggerations. Maybe I should tell Larry the lies you're telling me," Clarisse snapped.
Crying ever more deeply, Larissa moaned, "Mom! Why are you so brainwashed? He's evil. He is cruel."
Reaching over to her daughter, Clarisse slapped Lissa hard across the face. "I don't ever want to hear you say such things about my husband, Larissa Lorraine." Stunned, Lissa held her cheek and stared with wide eyes at her mother. Confusion and sadness poured over her.
With tears streaming down her face, Lissa eeked out, "You've… never… never hit me before."
Clarisse stared back at her daughter. Myriad responses ran through her head, none standing out clearly. The two women locked saddened, wounded, searching eyes. After a minute or two, Clarisse managed to share, "Lissy… I know Larry's not your idea of a dream man, honey. I had no idea he had such a temper, but I'm helping him with it. If you leave, if we leave, he won't get the help he needs. We need to be there to support him, honey. We need to be there for this precious baby I'm growing. Come home with me. The three of us can work this out."
"I'm scared. I'm scared of him. I don't want to be punched and kicked anymore, Mom," Lissa sobbed.
"I promise you he won't do that again. Trust me, Liss. I promise," Clarisse declared with all the best intentions.
A while later, when the two women parked in the duplex driveway, Clarisse repeated her promise that Larissa would be safe. Wanting to believe it, Larissa slowly approached the door and waited for her mom so they could walk in together.
"Well if it isn't the prodigal bitch and her mama," Larry growled. "Where the hell you been, Blondie? Aren't you supposed to be in school?" He shoved Lissa as he spoke and laughed as she attempted to maintain her balance.
"And what's your story? Are you in on this? Huh?" Larry screamed at Clarisse as he punched and slapped her. "I thought you were taking a text book to the school. Did you lie to me, Clarisse?" By this point, Clarisse was cowered in a corner and screaming for mercy.
Larissa attempted to run out the door as Larry beat her mother. He caught her by the hair and pulled her over to him, gripping both his hands on either of her shoulders, "You're not going anywhere, sweetheart." His eyes narrowed and his brow strengthened as it weigh heavily over his eyes. Keeping one hand on a shoulder, Larry removed his other hand and clocked Lissa's cheek and jawbone with incredible force. Phenomenally stunned, Lissa took in a surprised breath and put her hand on her face where she'd been hit. Tears gathered in her eyes, but she couldn't move because Larry still had her in his grasp. Out of panic, Lissa gasped for breath. She felt wetness on her hand and realized that her cheek was bleeding.
Dragging Lissa up the stairs to get a towel for the blood, Larry simultaneously ordered Clarisse to come with them. Obediently, Clarisse did as she was told. Larry shoved Lissa into the bathroom and told her to clean herself up. His push caused her to slam into the wall. He closed the door and resumed punching and kicking his pregnant wife who cried out for help. Larry kicked his wife one last time, causing her to tumble down the stairs and land motionless.
By the time Clarisse fell, Lissa was huddled against the bathroom door shaking, bleeding, and crying. She was already in shock and felt emotionally numb. She sat there praying that Larry didn't come to finish her off. When Lissa heard the distinctive sound of Larry's truck pulling out of the driveway, she sighed with relief as her head pounded, legs and arms swelled, gut cramped, and jawline bled. The pain from her back was so tremendous that she wasn't sure if she'd be able to stand back up.
After a few minutes of silence, Larissa tentatively opened the bathroom door. Her hand shook so intensely that grasping the doorknob was a challenge. She crawled to the window in her room and confirmed that Larry's truck was not present. Slowly and painfully, Lissa slithered and crawled to descend the stairs.
"Mama?" Larissa cried. "Mommy, are you awake?" She nudged her mother gently as she attempted to rouse her.
After trying to obtain a response after two to three nudges, Clarisse began coughing and moaning. Larissa leaned down to her mom's bloodied face and kissed her, promising that she would go find help. Larry, ever the expert at cutting off communication, had destroyed the landline in the process of the chaos. Lissa had no way to call for help from the duplex.
Forcing herself to stand and walk, Lissa stumbled out the door and began to walk toward a neighbor's house. The lady on the corner no longer drove and was often found chatting with people as she tended her roses and garden. She was always home and was a safe option. Lissa staggered and did her best to make her way to the woman's house, but eventually collapsed and passed out in the street.
A few minutes later, a mom was bringing her preschooler home from class and spotted Larissa in the road. At first, she wondered if the homeless who were often found at the park had now made their way up to the neighborhood looking for food and shelter. As she pulled her van into her garage, she wondered if it might be the nice girl from the house up the block. She was obviously bloodied and in bad shape regardless of who she was. The mom unbuckled her daughter and turned on the TV to engage the little one while she called 911.
Within minutes, ambulances, police, and paramedics swarmed the area. As the EMTs placed Lissa on a stretcher, she moaned incoherently. She was in and out of consciousness, but breathing on her own. On their way to Grey Sloan, they radioed in.
Owen, having taken a nap most of the morning, had just returned to the floor and happened to be walking by when the radio sounded. He answered, "Grey Sloan, Chief Hunt. Whatcha got?"
"We're running lights and siren with a Jane Doe, probably mid-teens, tachycardic at 130, BP 80/40. Ischemic. Multiple cuts and bruises, in and out of consciousness. ETA 3 minutes."
"We'll be ready," Owen confirmed. He called out to an assistant, "Page Karev and Pierce. Set up Trauma One."
"What's up, Chief?" Jo asked as she ran in response to the radio alarm she'd heard. Owen summarized the case and asked her to join them at the bay.
The ambulance sped to the hospital while the police attempted to find out the identity of their young Jane Doe. The neighbor walked the police up to Larissa's house and everyone noticed the front door was wide open. A trail of blood from where Lissa passed out to the door was also evident. Police drew their guns and entered the home carefully, ensuring that the scene was clear. One officer immediately spotted Clarisse and radioed an ambulance to the scene. The EMTs slowly, deliberately and carefully placed Clarisse on a backboard and loaded her onto another ambulance. They radioed ahead that they were on their way in with a 33 year old woman with possible facial fractures, severe vaginal bleeding, and multiple bruises. She had a deep gash in one leg and appeared to be extremely weak.
Lissa's ambulance pulled up and backed in. Owen opened the doors so his team could unload their patient while he received the bullets from the EMT who handed him some paperwork, an EKG read out strip, "Teenage Jane Doe found passed out on a neighborhood street. Oxygen in the field and immediate attempt to control multiple bleeding sites." The team began running Lissa in as the EMT continued, "Shallow, rapid breathing. Two 16 gauge IV's started bilaterally, skin is clammy and cold, pain responsive to stimuli. BP has jumped twice – once to 103/65 and back to 80/40 for a few minutes, then down 70/39 and back to 80/40. Prolonged cap refill, multiple sites of swelling. Kid's in bad shape."
"Let's get blood type and CBC," Karev called out before announcing, "On my count, 1-2-3."
The medical team swarmed Lissa as Karev listened to Lissa's heart and reported, "Still tachycardic. Let's get those leads on her right away. Where the hell is Pierce?"
"Profuse bleeding from her jawline – looks like it's started and stopped a few times. Page Plastics?" Jo shared.
"Yeah," Owen nodded, still unaware he was working on Lissa. In a situation this emergent, studying someone's face wasn't his first priority. Besides, Wilson was already up there, "Wilson, how are the pupils?"
"Equal and reactive," Jo reported as Lissa blinked rapidly and conveyed sheer terror as she looked around, "She's awake! Shhhh…shhhh. I'm Dr. Wilson. You're at Grey Sloan Hospital. Can you speak? What's your name, sweetie?"
Groaning and attempting to keep her eyelids open, Lissa mumbled but could not be understood.
"It's ok…don't try to force it. You have amazing doctors surrounding you and working on you. I'm right here by your side," Jo reassured Lissa as she held her hand. "Chief, she not only has the facial lac, there's a black eye, bruising along the cheek, extreme tenderness, possible facial fractures and a significant hematoma on her forehead, dark bruising behind one ear."
"Let's page neuro then," Owen ordered as he reported, "No external bleeding along chest or abdomen. Multiple contusions of various colors. This kid's been beaten for a while." Owen gently grasped the patient's arms and bellowed, "Son of a bitch! Her arms are nothing but bruises from wrist to shoulder. I'd like to get my hands on the asshole who's been doing this."
"Ooo…ww..en," Amelia stated very slowly as she walked in. She walked up to him, shook her head at the patient's arm and patted Owen on the back, whispering, "Deep breath." Amelia looked at the team for a report, "Who paged me?"
"I did, Dr. Shepherd," Jo offered. Jo ran through her bullets as Amelia locked her gaze on Jo's face.
"Is she conscious?" Amelia inquired as she lifted eyelids to check pupils. Lissa lowered her eyebrows and squeezed Jo's hand, trying to speak. She coughed and moaned again, this time groaning, "Amma…"
Amelia found it peculiar that she'd just heard Lissa's name for her, but chalked it up to a patient having trouble speaking. She leaned over Lissa and analyzed her face. "Lissa? Honey, is that you?"
"She squeezed my hand," Jo reported.
Freezing, Owen looked at Amelia and commented, "Could just be coincidence. How's BP looking? Are we any steadier? Give me the basic updates, people." Staff began responding with BP, pulse ox, and other news.
Amelia, worried that she was right about the identity of the Jane Doe, leaned down to Lissa's ear, "If you're my Lissa, move your eyes toward me." Lissa was able to do so. "How many kids do I have? Can you squeeze Dr. Wilson's hand once for each one?"
"Six squeezes," Wilson reported.
"Lissa, look at me. Forget all this chaos, look me in the eye," Amelia studied the bloodied, swollen, bruised face. Simply looking at her, it was impossible to know for sure if the patient was Lissa.
"Shepherd, let's worry about identity later. Tell me what you need in terms of neuro before I start planning other needs," Karev barked.
"I need a head CT – let's do upper body, Pierce will want that. I need some down time with the patient once the frenzy calms so I can check out these hematomas more thoroughly. Pupils are responding and reactive. Equal. She's becoming more responsive. We're on the right track," Amelia reported.
"You heard her, let's get a CT stat," Karev ordered. "Wilson, stay with her." Jo nodded.
While Lissa was undergoing a CT, another ambulance called in, "Grey Sloan, we're running lights. 33 year old woman. Obvious miscarriage with profuse bleeding, passing clots, IV and O2 in place, conscious. We're three-five minutes out. Patient's worried about her daughter. Teen, beat up badly, not sure which hospital she was transported to."
"We have a teen Jane Doe who arrived 45-60 minutes ago. Badly bruised, multiple hematomas, black eye, large gash along jawline, found on a neighborhood street," April reported.
"That's our girl. Almost 17. Larissa Howe: Hotel, Oscar, Whiskey, Echo. Mom's Clarisse Howe."
"We'll be ready for her and I'll let the trauma team know the ID," April confirmed as she requested an urgent page for OB.
Owen, Amelia and Pierce were conferring on the case when April burst into Trauma One. She announced, "We have an ID. Jane Doe's mother Clarisse is on her way in. Patient's name is Larissa Howe, 16." April ran out to the bay to receive Clarisse.
Amelia pursed her lips, "I'm recusing. I'll page Derek. Maggie, she's practically our daughter." Throwing off her trauma gown and slamming it into the bin, Amelia leaned her forehead against the cool tile wall of the room and took in deep breaths.
Walking up to hold Amelia, Owen informed her, "I'm calling Nolan." He leaned his head against his wife's head as they both took in deep breaths.
"I don't want him driving and knowing the news," Amelia stated as she sniffled and turned around to be chest to chest with Owen.
Owen put his hand over his mouth as he thought of options, "I'll send Patricia. You wanna walk up with me or stay down here?"
"I'll stay. I want to know Clarisse's status," Amelia said softly as she gave Owen a peck on the cheek and looked into his eyes with concern.
"They'll both be fine, Mia," Owen insisted.
Not wanting to wait for an elevator, Owen ran up the stairs to his office. He called Patricia in and explained the situation. She was more than happy to help. While she drove the short distance to the school, Owen called the school and explained that Patricia would be coming to get Nolan and Ryder due to a family emergency. He figured there was no way to pick up one and not the other and call it a family emergency. Besides, Nolan might find Ryder's company comforting. Owen knew Ry could rise to the occasion and be there emotionally for his brother.
When the boys each received notice that they were needed immediately in the school office, each of them wracked their brain attempting to determine what they'd done wrong. They met up in the hallway. As soon as Nolan saw Ry, he knew they weren't being called because they were in trouble. Something bad had happened. Nolan kept the information to himself as Ryder listed various hijinks to Nolan asking if any of them might have resulted in this trip to the office.
"Hi boys," Patricia greeted as she hugged both of them.
"What's wrong?" Nolan asked with the wisdom of experience.
"Your mom, dad and siblings are all fine. Your dad asked me to come down and pick you two up and bring you to the hospital. That's all I know," Patricia grinned with concern.
Within minutes, the eldest Hunt boys entered the Main Lobby and walked quickly toward Owen. After thanking Patricia, Owen pursed his lips and encouraged, "Let's… uh… let's go in the room over there."
Owen led them to an empty family consult room, sat down, and rested his forearms on his upper legs. "I don't know the whole story yet," Owen began as he glanced at both boys. Shifting his gaze to Nolan and grasping Nolan's knee, Owen continued, "Lissa and Clarisse are both here at the hospital. Both should be ok…"
Ryder interrupted, "Were they in a car accident?"
"No. I was in the room when Lissa was brought in. She appeared to be badly beaten. I haven't seen Clarisse yet," Owen spoke as calmly and factually as he was able.
"That f #$!ing son of a bitch! That a #$ole. Is he dead? Did police shoot him? Where the hell is Larry? He's in jail, right?" Nolan fumed. Ryder was completely perplexed, never having seen his brother so intensely on fire.
"Nolan, I know. That was my first thought too. Truth is, we don't know what happened yet," Owen pointed out. "Let me call down for a status report," Owen suggested as he walked to the phone on the other end of the room. For the brief minute that he was on the phone, Nolan provided Ryder with tip of the iceberg details.
"We can go down to the ER," Owen informed his son.
Arriving at the chaotic ER, Owen had the boys sit down in some side chairs while he determined details. Derek and Maggie were just beginning to review films and needed Lissa to themselves. Checking in on Clarisse, Owen found out she would be undergoing a surgery related to the miscarriage in a few hours. He sat next to her and spoke gently, learning details about the horrific day. Eager to know, Clarisse asked if Nolan knew what was happening. When he mentioned that Nolan was in the ER, Clarisse asked Owen to relay a message that she'd love to see him after surgery.
When Owen stepped out of the treatment room, Derek and Maggie approached him. "We have excellent news, but aren't sure who needs to know," Maggie explained. Owen took them to Clarisse where they shared that Larissa had no serious brain bleeds or heart issues. Three minor bleeds far too small for surgery were being watched. Lissa was weak and exhausted due to the pain, which Karev was working to manage. At this point, no surgeries appeared to be necessary. Given the extent of her bruising and the fact that she'd lost consciousness, they wanted to keep Larissa hospitalized for observation. Clarisse cried happy tears and advised Owen to pass the news on to Nolan. She also asked that Larissa be given an update about Clarisse – including the miscarriage – when possible. The police walked in as the medical team departed.
"How's her consciousness at this point?" Owen questioned as he and Derek headed over to the boys.
"Good, actually. She's still having trouble speaking. It could be that he pummeled her in the throat or that the voice loss is due to excessive screaming during the attack, but she has no neurological pathology to explain it.. She's able to communicate visually and by nodding her head. She clearly understands what's being said to her," Derek reported.
Owen shrugged, "Could be psychogenic dysphonia. The kid's been through a great deal."
"True," Derek nodded as he kneeled in front of his nephews and hugged them both. "Hey guys. Lissa is doing well. When she was first brought in, we didn't know it was Lissa and your mom worked on her. Your mom was amazing and thorough. She thought of details I wouldn't have," Derek lied to prop Amelia up to her kids and to reassure Nolan that Lissa had been in great hands from beginning to end. "She has no need for any surgery. Her brain and heart are fine. I'm watching three very minor bleeds just to be safe – they're equivalent to a tiny papercut. She's in pain, really tired, and very bruised. She's having trouble speaking. Last I heard, Dr. Karev was working on having her transported to a room. Shall we go see if she's still down here?" Derek looked at Nolan as he asked.
Nolan nodded as Owen gently put his hand on Ryder's shoulder to signal that only Nolan was going in. "She's very swollen – your parents didn't recognize her when she first arrived. Brace yourself. She looks rough," Derek advised.
"Hey, Larissa, I brought someone with me who wants to see you," Derek smiled as he walked up to Lissa and did a very brief exam. Motioning his head toward Lissa, Derek encouraged Nolan to join him. "Look who I found," Derek teased. He pulled up a chair for Nolan and stepped out of the room.
"Hi Shorty," Nolan grimaced as he saw Lissa. He leaned down and kissed her unharmed cheek. "I'm so, so sorry this happened to you." Nolan grasped Lissa's hand in his as he sat down.
Lissa smiled and whispered very quietly, "Wasn't you."
"I know. I'm still devastated. How's your pain? 8?" Nolan guessed. Lissa motioned her head upward. "10?" She nodded. Although he didn't know all the medical nuances, Nolan knew the names of common pain meds. He stood up and looked at the bags running into Lissa's IV. "They've got you on some good dope. You should start to feel better soon," he smiled.
Attempting to whisper again, Lissa barely shared, "Tired. You stay?"
"I'll stay with you until my dad insists I go home," Nolan promised with a grin as he continued holding her hand. Lissa closed her eyes and immediately fell asleep.