Caroline and the Unfortunate Circumstance
Chapter Two: Where is Caroline?
By S. Arallion
Disclaimer: All characters in this story are owned by their respective copyright holders—namely, not myself. Anything you don't recognize is my fault. I make absolutely no profit from my use of these characters. ~~Arallion
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The nurse on duty leaped out of her chair in alarm as a panicked-looking young man dressed like a pallbearer dashed through the automatic doors and up to her desk.
"Wheelchair?" he panted at her, eyes round behind his wire-rimmed glasses.
"Right here," she soothed, pushing one out from behind the desk. "Easy now, you're all eyeballs and elbows. Do you need some help?"
"Not me," came the reply, over his shoulder as he dashed through the doors again. "Be right back. Don't leave."
The nurse shook her head, bemused, and decided to call her orderlies anyway.
Outside the door, the friends were trying to coax Caroline out of the car. "C'mon, Cair," Del was crooning. "We're not going to hurt you. We're your friends."
Richard rushed up with the wheelchair, which sent Caroline scooting back further into the car. "Oh, damn. She's awake, though, that's something."
Annie snorted angrily. "What a time for you to start turning optimistic, Richie. Come on, Caroline... "
In the dark of the car, the glitter of grey eyes emerged. "Annie...?"
Annie's lips tried to smile, but twisted instead. "Hey, buddy... come on out and sit in our new chair! It's really cool, it rolls, and stuff..."
The voice continued in a dreamy tone, as if she hadn't heard. "Annie, where's Richard? I went to find him and Julia said he wasn't home, so I was looking for him... it was three in the morning and nobody should be out that late.... but I can't remember what happened after that.... Have you seen Richard? Is he all right.....?"
Richard held tightly to the wheelchair, his face stricken. "I'm fine, Caroline. I'm right here. Come out and see."
"Richard?" The huddled form inched forward toward the door, with a little squeak of pain. "Help... I can't get up, for some reason..."
"You're just covered in coats, that's all," Richard murmured reassuringly, past the raw sensation in his throat. He reached in to move the tangle away from her feet and winced as she flinched. "Easy, Caroline... now take my hands...." He held them out to her so she could pull herself out of the seat.
The grey eyes stared at his hands for a long moment, then lifted to his face. He couldn't disguise his fear, or his love, in the light of that wavering gaze. "Caroline...are you in there?"
She took his hands, and stood, and then practically fell into the waiting chair. But there was a flicker, just a flicker, of Caroline, looking out of those dazed, bruised eyes. And Richard felt like thanking God for something for perhaps the first time in his life.
"Keep talking to her, Richie," Annie murmured in his ear. "Strangely enough, you're helping." He shot her a dismayed look, and began chattering to his disoriented employer as they all escorted the wheelchair up the walk. Listening, Annie was forced to chuckle. The subject, of all things, was cats.
The nurse was waiting for them when they made it into the hospital. "Didn't I just see some of you here earlier this evening..." she murmured as she took Caroline's name and entered it into the computer. "Oh, yes, food poisoning..."
Annie looked across at Del. "Food poisoning?" He shrugged, passing it off to Richard.
"Caroline made seafood chowder for her dinner party, with some refrozen shrimp. It wasn't really bad enough for anyone to want to take revenge for," Richard replied dryly, regaining some of his composure as he wrote rapidly on a form the nurse had given him. He stopped, skimming the rest of the form. "Here, Del. You know this stuff better than I would."
Del looked at it. "Oh, right, like she ever told me her real weight..."
"Not the weight, the insurance."
The nurse was having her interns move Caroline to another chair when she stopped, intently staring at the arms of the wheelchair. She walked quickly over to the others and spoke in a quiet voice. "Did any of you notice bleeding earlier when you found her?"
"I didn't find her," Del answered quickly.
"No," Richard muttered, with a shaken look. "I found her in the coat, and I didn't think to have her change."
The nurse patted his arm. "It's all right. Actually, it's for the best, in this sort of situation. I was just hoping to find out how long it's been going on."
"There was blood," Annie groaned, suddenly remembering. "On her bedroom carpet. It's about 5 a.m. now, so I'd bet it's at least 3 hours old. She's going to be okay, right?" A sharp edge rose in her voice and Del and Richard both caught one of her arms, lending unobtrusive support.
"We're going to do our best, dearie," the nurse replied. "You three might want to go home for a couple of hours--" she smiled as all of them looked at her disbelievingly--"or, if you'd like, the inpatient waiting room is right around the corner, and much more comfortable than this one. We'll let you know when you can see her, all right?" And she was gone.
Annie, Richard, and Del stood staring at each other for a moment. Then, Annie sighed and wrapped an arm around each man's waist. "C'mon, guys, there's a waiting room anxious for our angst."
Richard managed a feeble scoff. "Annie, you can't even spell that, let alone indulge in it..."
"Oh, you'd be surprised, Mr. Happy," Annie sniffed. Del chuckled. It was as if they had all decided to try and take a big step back to normalcy... as long as Richard and Annie continued to insult each other, all might be right with the world.
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"What's taking so long?" muttered Del, pacing back and forth across the small section of the waiting room that they had claimed.
Richard looked up from his position on the hard, hospital-issue couch. "That's the eighth time you've asked that in the last twenty minutes," he returned, stretching awkwardly. He was surprised to discover that he was holding a magazine, looked at it more closely, and winced in distaste. "Oh my God, what am I reading?"
Annie leaned over and peered at the cover. "Oh, yeah, that was a good one, though." Richard shuddered and tossed the magazine back onto the table.
Del had stopped pacing. "Well, I wish someone would let us know what's going on. It's frustrating, sitting out here. All right, pacing out here," he revised as the other two stared at him flatly.
"We know, Del," Annie sighed, relenting.
"I just would like to know what happened," growled Richard, sprawling back onto the couch. "Ow. That is really hard...."
The nurse that had checked Caroline in appeared in the doorway. "I expect that you're all talking about how long it's taking us to get to you?" she asked rhetorically. The three looked up with sheepish expressions. "Well, it's been unpleasant for us all, and I'm sorry to say, it isn't over yet."
"What do you mean?" Annie gasped. Richard was on his feet without thinking. Del moved to flank them with wild concern in his eyes.
"Calm down," the nurse said calmly. Oddly, it worked. "Your friend is going to be fine, physically. And, I should say, most of the bleeding I noticed earlier was from some glass lacerations on her feet and hands... perhaps from a glass pitcher or vase." Annie nodded, nudging the other two to remember the broken vase. They all looked slightly relieved. "She'll heal fast. But it may be a while before any emotional problems can be dealt with. I assume you all understand what I'm saying?"
Del choked on it. "Yeah, you're saying she's been... raped... right?" He could feel the others flinch from the word. "What do we need to do?"
The nurse touched Annie's arm reassuringly, her eyes sympathetic. "I'm glad to see she has such good friends. There are a lot of things you can do. The doctor has recommended some informational packets for you to read, and I'll get those to you in a moment. We can go over anything you'd like. She does need a lot of trusted companions around her right now, though, so if at least one of you could stay with her at all times, that would help. Also, as soon as you can, you need to find out what happened from her." Her gaze sharpened. "The hardest thing for date rape victims to do, it seems, is to press charges against their attackers. I think she's sensible enough to do it, though, once the shock is past."
"We'll do what we can," replied Annie, subdued.
"Great," the nurse smiled. "I'll go get that information." She was gone again.
Del collapsed onto a couch. "Oh, this really stinks."
"You're telling me." Annie was grim. "Richard, sit down before you fall down."
The artist's face snapped up to her, blankly, and he groped his way to a chair. Pulling off his glasses, he scrubbed at his face violently. "Thank you, although I think I might feel better if I fell down."
"I know what you mean," Del sighed
"No, I don't really think you do," Richard muttered, face still grim. With a visible effort he composed himself. "Alright, then, let's schedule. Del, can you stay this morning while I go and take care of the strip for Caroline?"
"You're going to what?" Del looked askance at Richard, who made a placating gesture with both hands.
"Remember that time when Caroline hurt her back, and we wrote the strip for her?" At Del's nod, Richard continued. "During the next two weeks, I convinced Caroline that she had to have at least two emergency sequences ready, just in case. I think we have a stockpile of at least twenty, now."
"That's terrific, Richard," Del said, amazed. "I would have thought she'd have used them up ages ago meeting deadlines, though."
The colorist almost smiled. "I hid them in my canvases, and she forgot about them."
Annie laughed. "Oh, that is so typical. Well, since I'm up anyway, _I_ can take the morning while you fellas go and do work things. I have rehearsal tonight, though, so you'd better get back by noon so I can sleep."
"Here you are, then," the nurse's voice interrupted. "You're staying-- Annie? Good. And I'll jot your names down too, Mr. Karinsky, Mr. Cassidy, as authorized visitors. We're not going to let anyone else in to see her, though. I'm sure you understand?"
"I'd rather not, but I do," Richard said dryly. Del thumped him on the shoulder half-seriously.
"See you later, Spadarro. Call me on the cell if anything changes."
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Richard had Del drop him off at Caroline's apartment to collect the emergency strips. He searched through several stacks of sketches and canvases before he found them, in several innocuous-looking, but thick, manila envelopes. The apartment was dull and gray as he stood finally by the double desk, looking out the window. It was appropriate, he decided. But he didn't have to like it.
A soft but insistent meow caught his attention. He looked under the side of the desk that Caroline usually sat at and saw Salty huddling in the corner. "Oh, great, we forgot about you," he grumbled, running a hand through his hair. "Come on out and lead me to the cat food, beast." The cat meowed again, plaintively, but didn't move. Sighing, deciding that nothing could possibly get any worse, Richard reached under the desk. "Don't claw me now, you hear?" Salty sniffed his hand cautiously, and allowed herself to be picked up, even beginning an enthusiastic purr as the artist's long fingers massaged her fur. Richard was surprised, but he supposed that he couldn't blame the cat for being a little confused.
"What were you doing when all this happened last night?" he wondered softly. Maybe she'd hidden under the desk the whole time. He carried Salty into the kitchen, where she struggled to get down, running directly to the cupboard that contained cat food. He fed her, and watched the cat eat for a second. "Well, you'll be fine, I suppose."
It really was dismal in the apartment, Richard decided as he gathered up the envelopes again. His eyes fell on the plug for the Christmas lights Caroline had insisted on stringing haphazardly about the room. Electricity didn't cost extra for her, so it wouldn't hurt... He plugged them in, and despite the habitual groan he felt rising in reaction to the merry colors, he also felt much better. It seemed to awaken the Caroline in the walls. Now, if only they could be sure to awaken the Caroline in Caroline again....
He shook his head sadly. "See you later, Salty."
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The secretary at Del's agency was surprised to see Richard walking through the door, carrying some unlikely-looking copy envelopes. "Hello, what are you doing here?"
"Del didn't tell you?"
"He's been on the telephone since he got in this morning. I heard that Caroline was under the weather, though."
"You might say that." Richard leaned on the counter, momentarily at a loss. "Charlie is coming in today, right?"
"Oh, yes."
"Can I write him a memo, quickly---" she handed over pen and paper. "Thank you. I need him to let Lou know that these are stand-alone strips, and that Caroline would appreciate a note printed letting people know that the strip will continue in sequence as soon as she's back... she hates getting out of sequence."
The secretary giggled. Richard looked at her quizzically, and she sobered. "I'll make sure he gets it, and that he understands it," she promised, smiling.
"Thanks," he replied, almost smiling in response to her understanding of Charlie, but another thought occurred to him. "Del's still on the phone?"
She checked. "Yes, sorry."
"Could you ask him, for me, if he can afford to rent a carpet cleaner? And have him call me at Caroline's."
"Sure," she said, a little confused. He saw her write it down on a notepad.
"Thanks, " he called again, and vanished through the doors.
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Richard rummaged around in Caroline's cupboards until he found the cleaning supplies, grumbling at Salty who had decided that he was going to be her buddy for the day and was wrapping herself around his ankles at every opportunity. "Go away. Remember, I'm the one who hates you? No, don't purr.... oh, lovely." He pulled several bottles of 'organic chemicals' out of the cupboard and squinted at them in an effort to figure out their use. "Why couldn't she use Lysol like every other person I know...." Richard briefly considered trekking down to the nearest store and buying a bottle, but squelched the idea. Lysol smelled awful, and she'd notice. He resigned himself to twenty minutes of experimental chemistry, instead, and hauled the items to the kitchen.
Vacuuming was actually the worst part, especially since the vacuum cleaner didn't want to work properly. Richard had no idea of how to fix it, being primarily a broom and mop person, but he managed to give everything a superficial look of tidiness. Luckily, the apartment wasn't very dirty to begin with.
He sank down on the couch with a sigh. Stop avoiding it, he told himself. It's the only thing that really needs to be done. He couldn't so much as glance at the stairs without feeling ill, though. And Salty wouldn't even go to that side of the room-- he'd had to move her water dish because of it. Maybe Annie would clean upstairs this evening....
Knock it off, he snarled silently, and forced himself to his feet. You can't do that to her, either. Get the vacuum and the dustpan and get up there.
Caroline's bedroom had a surreal look in the dim afternoon light. The broken glass crinkled beneath Richard's shoes as he pulled up the Venetian blinds and turned on all the lights he could find before getting started. The limits of Caroline's garbage service were severely tested before the glass and ceramic bits were cleaned up enough to vacuum, and even then the vacuum bag had to be changed. He hesitated before cleaning up the area at the foot of the bed and then left it untouched, not knowing if he'd be cleaning up important evidence or not.
Picking up the clothing and bedding from the mattress where he'd piled it, Richard fought back a surge of helpless anger. If only he'd driven them all back here together, last night. If only Caroline hadn't invited that --person-- in. If only... if only he hadn't been such an idiot in the first place, maybe none of this would have happened.
He gently folded the comforter, and stuffed the sheets in a laundry bag. Then, he remade the bed, trying to leave it as precise as he'd seen it before, although he'd been so nervous that time that he'd forgotten how almost anything had looked. Annie would be having a great time teasing him about that, if she were here.
Speaking of Annie, she should have been back if Del had shown up to relieve her. And Del hadn't called, either. Raising an eyebrow, he absently turned out the lights and looked about the room again. Much better, if one avoided looking at the center section. He dragged the cleaning equipment back downstairs and snagged his coat off the couch with one long arm, waving goodbye to an offended Salty, who had been napping on top of it.
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To be continued….
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Author's Note: Sounds fairly bad, I know. But remember, Caroline is a spunky gal… she'll pull through with that amazing Wisconsin resiliency. And Richard… well, Richard needs to spend some "quality time" with his feelings. ~~Arallion