Hondo walked down the hall, checking his cell phone for incoming messages, then found a washroom. After washing his hands, he answered Chris and Deac's questions about how he was feeling with a short 'I'm okay'. In total he had been gone maybe ten minutes, but when he got back to Christina's room, a surprise awaited him. The hard plastic chair on which he had spent the past few hours had been pushed into a corner, and in its place was a high-backed, leather-covered upholstered chair with armrests. The nurse checked the monitors.
"Nice furniture," said Hondo.
"After I suspect you won't sleep in your own bed tonight, I figured it couldn't hurt to be a little more comfortable. If you need a pillow, let me know. There is a water bottle next to the chair."
"Thank you. How is she doing?"
"Blood pressure and pulse are okay. She has a temperature, but that was to be expected. She was given a bunch of medication, antibiotics and donated blood."
"How do you rate her chances now?"
"I'm not a doctor, but I'm thinking still a little better than this morning or noon. It takes time and patience. "
"Mhm. Thank you."
"Nothing to thank for. Good night."
The nurse quietly left the room. Hondo made himself comfortable in the chair, which was clearly better than the hard visitor's chair. It was almost midnight and he read a few more pages before putting the book down, placing his head in his hand, and sleeping a little.
Cynthia stopped by twice during the night to check that everything was going well. At half past six she brought him coffee.
"I have to put you out the door for a while. I have to take care of the wounds and then it's round."
"No problem."
Hondo took the coffee mug from her and pushed the chair aside. He took Christina's hand. "I'm just outside, you're in capable hands. See you later."
Cynthia smiled and nodded to him, then he went outside. From the window alcove he watched as Dawson, who had been standing outside Christie's room all night, was replaced by a colleague. The officer obviously pointed out his presence to the newcomer, which he read from their body language. Dawson waved to him before heading for the elevator. The other cop took the place in front of the door.
Hondo watched the station come to life. The next room to Christina's was occupied with a new patient. More nurses and carers fanned out and started their morning routine. He sat there for a while and sipped his coffee, then suddenly heard hurrying footsteps. In search of its origin, he discovered Phillip Santiago. Hondo raised his hand to make himself known. Santiago spotted him, also raised his hand and came over to him. "Morning. What are you doing out here?"
"They're doing things they don't want men to be there. But otherwise she is relatively stable. The night was calm."
"That's good to hear. You can go home if you want. Sleep another round in your own bed."
"Mhm. I'm going to wait until I can say goodbye. The night nurse had the impression that Christina was at least aware of a minimum of her surroundings."
"Cynthia? She already said that to me. I have no idea what to think of it."
"Let's put it this way, she's been doing the job here for so long, she knows what she's talking about."
They had to wait another ten minutes, then Cynthia came out of Christina's room one more time and beckoned them over.
"We're done, it's your turn."
"Thank you," both men replied in unison. Hondo went in first and said goodbye. Back in the hallway, he promised Phillip to come back in the evening, then he left the hospital. In the car, he saw a message from Jess on his cell phone asking how he was. He answered her just as monotonically as his colleague the night before.
Los Angeles was still in the middle of rush hour traffic, it felt like an eternity to get home. When he finally made it, he discovered a thermos on the kitchen island with a note on it that said 'Eat us'.
When he unscrewed the lid, the sweet smell of warm waffles fanned his nose. For a moment he thought about getting a plate, but then he reached into the bowl with his bare fingers, took out a waffle and took a bite with relish. He took a shower, uncomfortable with the hospital smell in his clothes, and changed his clothes. After four hours of sleep in his own bed, he almost felt human again.