Blind, Thick-Headed and Handsome - 21
Matt decided to pass the time by listening to a ball game he managed to find on the TV, figuring it would be his entertainment of choice for a while. His attention diverted, though, when he heard the door open and footsteps like that of a woman wearing high heels walking towards him. The nurses didn't usually wear those type of shoes, so he figured it was his wife, disobeying his advice after all. His ire was up.
"CJ, I thought you said you were going home to …"
"Hi Matt. It's me."
With a voice and perfume different then CJ's, it took him a moment to realize it was a woman he used to know.
"Elizabeth?"
She choked back tears as she braced for what she had to say, somewhat thankful that he couldn't see her face right now.
"Yeah, it's me."
Awkward silence filled the air for more than a few seconds as neither one of them knew what to say. A few days ago, Matt had plenty he wanted to tell her and here before him was a golden opportunity. He should probably take advantage of it.
"Why don't you have a seat."
She cautiously obeyed, nervously sitting in the chair next to his bed.
"Look, I don't have a lot of time, Matt, and Hoyt's right outside waiting for me. I wanted to come here and tell you in person, in case I never get the opportunity again."
"Tell me what?"
She fumbled with her hands, stalling the bad news.
"So ah, you ah married CJ. That's nice."
He was quick to respond.
"I know it must have come as a shock to you. I wanted to tell you in person. I was going to as soon as I got back from the honeymoon and then this happened …"
"That ah, would have been too late, you see ah … I saw the tabloid headline the day after you got married. I almost couldn't believe it. You sure move fast, Matt."
"Depends on your perspective. If you ask CJ, she'd probably tell you I move rather slow."
"How's that?"
"Elizabeth, CJ and I have been in love with each other for years. We were just always too scared to admit it."
"You scared?"
"Terrified. So terrified that I tried to convince myself I could find love with other people only to fail miserably. I know the timing isn't all that great and I'm sorry if I hurt you, Elizabeth. I never meant to."
"So ah, you never really loved me."
He was afraid she'd say something like that. Now he had to add to her pain by confirming it, since a lie would only hurt her more in the long run.
"I thought I did, but as it turns out, not as much I love CJ."
She swallowed hard, trying to digest the information calmly.
"So, were you like friends with benefits all those years or something?"
The question shocked him coming from her.
"What?"
"Well you worked so closely together for so long. You mean to tell me that you never took advantage of that fact?"
"No! I know it may be hard to believe, but we never acted on our feelings until after you and I ended our relationship."
This information made Elizabeth feel better enough to share what might cause him to question her character. She took a deep breath and proceeded to rant for the next few minutes, confessing the same information she so recently shared with Hoyt...
"You must hate me, Matt," she said afterwards.
He shook his head.
"No! I don't hate you … I could never hate you! I think it took great courage and strength to do what you did."
"I guess."
"No, you listen to me. You'll get through this, we'll both get through this. We'll find Robert Tyler and nail him six ways from Sunday and then we'll both be able to get on with our lives!"
She couldn't help but smile at his charm and optimism.
"I guess this is the part where you tell me I'll find someone else."
"Oh, but you will, Elizabeth! I know you will! You're attractive, have a heart of gold…"
"… and a six figure bank account doesn't hurt, right?"
He tried to smile at that.
"No, I guess it doesn't."
"But you - your face and your eyes …"
"The doctor is optimistic. Hell, I was unconscious for a shorter amount of time than they thought, so I'll probably heal from my other injuries more quickly, too."
Even though her heart was breaking, Elizabeth knew she couldn't have handled all the drama and excitement that went along with being Matt's wife as well as CJ, especially with the way he looked now.
"I can't even imagine being in CJ's shoes. How's she doing, dealing with all this?"
"She's been my rock, always has been. Hasn't left my side until just a few minutes ago when I finally convinced her to go home and get some rest."
She contemplated her next sentence, resisting the urge to say what was really in her heart.
"As much as I hate to admit it, I can see how much you two love each other ... and belong together. I wish you both well, Matt."
"That's nice of you to say."
Yes, it was, she thought, very nice. She looked at her watch and rose from the chair.
"Well, I guess I should be going. Midnight mass awaits me," she said lightly.
"Before you go..." he said, holding out his arms for a hug.
She stared at him, a little reluctant at first, then embraced him for what would probably be the last time. As they released he smoothed his hand over her trademark frizzy hair as tears filled her eyes.
"Hey, at least I'm Catholic," she said, trying to collect her emotions.
"Atta girl!"
She pulled herself away from his bedside and rushed towards the door, resisting the urge to look back.
The next morning CJ arrived at the hospital a bit later than planned. She overslept, having been more tired than she first thought and had to rush to the hospital, worried that she was absent when Matt needed her.
When she opened the door to his room she noticed he was sitting in a chair in front of the window as if he was staring at it. Did his sight improve? Could he see something now that his bandages were changed?
"Matt, I'm so sorry I'm late. I guess you were right about how tired I was. I overslept, right through my alarm."
"Hey," he grumbled as she bent down to kiss any part of his face not covered by bandages.
It was then that the aroma of a woman's perfume distracted her thoughts. She's smelled that brand before, but who did she and Matt both know that wore it?
And then it hit her. She pulled away and stared at her husband in disbelief, knowing if she asked him point blank, he might deny it in an effort to protect her feelings. Maybe there was a logical explanation for it. Maybe it was a coincidence.
She braced herself, hoping her instincts were wrong.
"Matt, when did Elizabeth visit you?"
He turned her direction, stunned by her question.
"What makes you think that Elizabeth was here?"
He wasn't convincing and CJ's anger commenced.
"She left her perfume behind … oddly enough on you. Is this why you wanted me to spend the night at my house, huh? Did you have a hot date with your ex-fiance?"
Matt couldn't deny the evidence but was surprised by the accusatory tone in her voice.
"Now just hold on a second, CJ. It's not what you think."
"Oh, it isn't?"
"No, it isn't," he said more firmly. "Elizabeth came by just after you left last night to tell me what she knew about the accident. She had been meaning to tell me about it for a few weeks. I was glad she did because it gave me a chance to talk to her in person about our sudden marriage. I didn't think it right she heard about it from Robert Tyler."
"What?"
"He paid her a visit a few weeks ago, showed up at her house with the tabloid announcing our marriage and wanted money from her so he could fund some sort of plan to break us up. When she refused, he threatened violence on me and promised to hurt her if she reported it. Her conscience eventually won over her fears and now Hoyt's putting her in protective custody until they can bring Tyler in."
CJ sank to the chair, feeling slightly ashamed of her thoughts, shaking her head in disbelief.
"God!" she exclaimed softly, thinking maybe that's why Robert Tyler just so happened to be volunteering at the hospital the day Matt was admitted. But, she'd keep that between Hoyt and her for now, no need to add to Matt's stress.
"I hurt her, CJ," he said remorsefully, interrupting her thoughts.
"You didn't intend to Matt. She'll find her true love someday, and then she'll understand."
"Not gonna find her true love in a convent …"
"Huh?"
"That's where Hoyt put her in protective custody."
A part of CJ wanted to smile, but knew it wasn't appropriate and held back by biting her lip and changing the subject.
"Matt, was the opthamologist in this morning? Did he take a look at your eyes?"
"Uh huh."
"Well," she anxiously asked.
"Well what?"
"Matt, what did the doctor say? Could you see anything?"
He shook his head.
"Can't see shit."
She leaned in closer and tried to comfort him with an embrace, but he remained stoic.
"Matt, I'm sorry."
"Yeah, well, what are ya going to do."
She pulled away and observed his depressed disposition, something she wasn't accustomed to seeing.
"Well, it's still too soon, right? Dr. Flynn said it could take weeks. It's only been two days."
"Dr. Rinehart said that I should have at least a little sight by now. He's afraid it might be permanent."
"Permanent?!"
Just then a knock came to the door, forcing their conversation to end.
"Mr. and Mrs. Houston? I'm Dori Fields, hospital administrator."
CJ politely extended her hand, "Oh, yes, we met before."
Dori moved to shake Matt's hand, but then backed off after seeing he wasn't in a very good mood.
"What can we do for you?" CJ asked, apologizing for him as best she could.
"Well, I just spoke with Dr. Rinehart. He said the preliminary view of Matt's eyes wasn't too positive, so he asked me to put him on the wait list for a cornea transplant."
"The wait list, so soon?"
She nodded. "He's just being proactive, in case Mr. Houston's loss of vision is permanent."
There was that word again, cutting through Matt like a knife and making CJ feel even more regretful for oversleeping.
"Tell me, Mrs. Fields, is it?"
"Call me Dori."
"Okay Dori, is there anyway I can speak with Dr. Rinehart? See, I missed him when he visited Matt this morning, and I have a few questions I'd like to ask."
"Sure, why don't you just wait here a minute and I'll see if I can page him."
She waited until Dori walked out of the room before moving closer to her husband.
"Matt …"
She grabbed onto his hand firmly with both of her hands. All the visits from Elizabeth, Dr. Rinehart and the administrator had caught up with him and he was visibly upset.
"Everything will work out, fine, Matt. It'll be okay. I'll stay by your side, won't leave again," she assured him as she rubbed his hand in between hers. She was wishing she had disobeyed him and stayed the night so she could have in some way shielded him from his previous visitors.
"I'm supposed to protect you, remember?" he said tenderly.
"I know, and you're fantastic at it, but now it's my turn – at least until you get your sight back – and you will get your sight back, ya hear? Because you're a person who never gives up, no matter what the odds. It's one of the many reasons I love you so much. Once you've had a chance to get past all the negativity you've just been hit with, you'll take the challenge and rise above it. I know you will!"
He squeezed her hand.
"I want to be a good husband to you, CJ. I don't want to be a burden."
She started to cry.
"You're not a burden! And you are a good husband … a great one in fact! We're going to get through this - together, like the way we've always managed to handle all the crises in our lives."