Ch. 23

Bursting through the main door of the emergency department of the hospital with Shannon still unconscious in his arms, Chris shouted for some help and before he knew what was happening, she was being wheeled away by a couple of nurses. As he moved to follow, a doctor stopped him and pointed in the direction of the waiting room.

"Sir, we're going to need you to wait until we've checked her over, so if you could ....." he began.

"But ....." tried Chris, not wanting to let her out of his sight.

"I'm sorry, sir, but it is procedure. Try not to worry though, your girlfriend will be in good hands."

"She's not ....." Chris started to explain, but the doctor had already disappeared, "..... my girlfriend."

With a heavy sigh, he trailed over to an empty seat in the corner and sank into it. Distractedly watching the motley assortment of typical late-night patients, Chris kept looking restlessly at his watch as the minutes ticked by, each one seeming to him to last for hours. Just when he was about to go in search of someone who could tell him what was happening, the doctor who had spoken to him returned. Chris leapt from his seat, bombarding the man with questions.

"How is she? Is she awake yet? Can I see her?" he asked sharply, without pausing to let the doctor speak.

"First things first." the doctor said calmly, holding up his hands, "I don't even know my patient's name yet ....."

"Shannon, Shannon Benson." supplied Chris quickly, "And I'm Chris Benoit, and you ....." he paused in order to read the nametag fixed on the top pocket of the doctor's white coat, "..... you're Doctor Jameson. So, now that the pleasantries are out of the way - how is she?"

Knowing concern lay at the root of Chris's brusque manner, the doctor merely nodded and motioned for Chris to follow him. Hoping he was taking him to see Shannon, Chris followed and soon found himself disappointed when he was led into a small office.

"Please, take a seat." instructed Doctor Jameson, rounding his desk to sit behind it as he did so.

Chris remained standing for a moment, his impatience giving way to fear as he noted the serious look on the face of the doctor.

"I don't need a seat." he said edgily, "If you got something to tell me, just tell me. Is it about Shannon?"

"Yes, it is about your girlfriend's condition." Doctor Jameson informed him, still convinced they were a couple, "Now, normally we would only be discussing this with immediate family but I feel we can bend the rules slightly in this case."

Hearing this, Chris considered just letting him think Shannon was his girlfriend but he realised he was going to have to explain what he thought had happened and, if he didn't tell the truth, it was going to get very complicated.

"Look, Doc." he sighed, "I'm gonna come clean here - she's just a friend, but she has been for a long time and ....."

"Oh, I'm sorry, but in that case ....."

Chris fought to control his temper, but slammed his fist down on the table in irritation, making the doctor jump. He leaned close to the now nervous man and spoke slowly.

"If you want me out of here, you're gonna have to throw me out." he said, straightening up and folding his arms across his chest, a look of determination plain on his face.

Looking up from his seat at the now strangely calm man, the doctor swallowed uneasily and began to stammer a response.

"Uh, well, you see ..... the thing is ....."

Feeling a little guilty for intimidating the man who was only doing his job, Chris decided to cut him a little slack.

"Look, I haven't been around lately, but she is a friend and I care about her. If I knew how to contact her family, I would, but I don't and I'm NOT leaving her alone. Just let me stay and, when Shannon wakes up, if SHE wants me to go, I will." promised Chris, leaning on the table.

The anxiety in his voice went a long way towards shaping the doctor's response.

"As you are our only contact, I suppose an exception can be made just this once." said the doctor reluctantly, "Firstly, I need to find out exactly what you KNOW to have happened - not what you THINK happened."

"Well if you go by what I know, then very little happened - the bedroom door was knocked off its hinges and I found Shannon lying on the floor with blood all over the back of her head." said Chris, his impatient tone implying he knew much more than that.

"But you do have suspicions as to what happened?"

"Yeah - I don't need a full-scale investigation to figure out her asshole boyfriend beat her up!"

"I should warn you, Mr. Benoit, that assault is a serious allegation to make without proof."

"Well, it's a serious offence without cause." Chris threw back.

The doctor nodded and continued, "The police will be notified by the hospital and no doubt they will be anxious to find the guilty party, considering the nature of the injuries received."

"What do you mean? Just how bad is she?" Chris demanded.

"Shannon has sustained various injuries ranging from a superficial cut to the cheek, to badly bruised ribs, to the head injury. Now, there may be further complications with the rib injury, such as fractures or even breaks but we will be unable to tell until the swelling goes down. At the moment it is the head injury which is causing greatest concern as Shannon is still unconscious, although we have reason to believe she will regain consciousness sooner rather than later." The doctor paused to look up from his notes at which he had been glancing and look seriously at Chris. "Something which has drawn our attention is the placement of the minor injuries, the quite numerous bruises, which have been sustained."

Chris looked at him blankly, "I don't understand - if they're minor, surely you should be concentrating on the more serious problems."

"I'm afraid this could indicate a more serious problem," explained Doctor Jameson, "The positioning of these bruises is consistent with that which would occur through an assault of a sexual nature."

Feeling as if someone had punched him in the face, Chris dropped onto the chair he had refused earlier and closed his eyes in shock.

"Tell me that doesn't mean what I think it means." he begged, before raising his head and looking the doctor square in the eye. "Are you telling me she was ....." he could barely bring himself to think it, let alone say it, "..... raped?"

"At this stage, we don't think so, but we can be almost certain of an attempt to do so. When Shannon wakes up, we'll know more."

"Can I see her now?"

"Yes, I think that would be a good idea. When she wakes up it will be good for her to see a familiar face."

*****

Moments later, the doctor led Chris into a small private room and, taking his pointed look as the hint which it was, backed out of the room and left him alone with Shannon.

"Oh, Shan, I knew he was no good, but THIS?" he groaned, making his way to a chair beside her bed.

Shannon lay motionless in the high hospital bed, long lashes closed but an expression of pain easily discernable on her face. A small cut stood out in stark contrast to her unusually pale, but otherwise flawless, skin. Her head was bandaged, her hair flowing from under the bandages and fanning over the pillows, and her left hand rested lightly on top of ribs which were presumably also bandaged. Her right hand lay limply by her side and, pained by this sight of her, Chris reached out to cover her hand with his.

"I swear I'll make sure that bastard pays." he vowed fervently, leaning over to kiss her lightly on the forehead, just below her bandages.

As he sat in that strangely quiet room, he merely watched Shannon intently for any sign that she was waking up and eventually his patience was rewarded. Suddenly he felt the slim fingers flex beneath his and, without opening her eyes, Shannon shifted uncomfortably, murmuring in pain as she did so.

"Shan?" Chris asked hopefully, "Shannon, can you hear me?"

Although there was no reply, Chris though that she had heard him as her head turned slightly as if trying to follow the sound of his voice. Still holding her hand tightly, he leaned closer and called her name. At first there was no further reaction, but finally her lashes flickered and her eyes opened. At first she stared past him unseeingly and it was only when he saw a flash of recognition that Chris realised he had been holding his breath. Her lips parted and Shannon tried to speak, but no sound emerged. Swallowing painfully, she wet her lips and tried again.

"Chris?" she managed in a whisper, "What ..... what are you doing here? Where am I?"

Unsure of what she remembered of her ordeal, Chris was reluctant to say too much.

"You were hurt and I found you." he explained carefully, "You're in hospital."

"Hurt?" she looked puzzled, but then nodded and raised her free hand to her head shakily. "My head ..... it hurts."

She tried to push herself into a sitting position and gave a little cry of pain, making Chris let go of her hand and jump to his feet.

"Careful, honey, more than just your head is gonna be hurting for a little while." he warned, laying a gentle, supporting hand on her ribs. "Try not to move too much."

"I feel kinda dizzy." she confessed weakly.

"I'll go get the doctor." said Chris anxiously, "He's been waiting on you waking up."

"No!" she said as quickly as she could, "Please, don't leave."

"Shannon, I'm not leaving you, darlin' - I'm only going to get the doctor, I'll be back before you know it."

"Please, Chris, don't go - not yet. I'll be okay. I just ..... I want to know what happened."

"Do you remember ..... anything?" he asked reluctantly, sitting down beside her on the edge of the bed. He felt her rest against him and was glad she was comfortable enough with him to do so trustingly.

"I remember being at the club and then the drive home," Shannon began, and even as she spoke, memories returned to her gradually. "I'd forgotten my jacket and Billy ..... he took me by surprize; he was so nice to me and gave me his own to wear.

She paused to try to remember more and Chris waited, a little puzzled and wondering if he had perhaps been too hasty in his presumptions. However, a look of fear swept over Shannon's features, her eyes widening, and she shivered involuntarily.

"It was him." she whispered, "HE did this to me. He was being so different and he kissed me, but then ....."

She stopped and reached out, relieved and a little reassured when her fingers found and were enveloped by Chris's. She took a deep breath, wincing from the pain which shot through her body, but could not steady her voice.

"H-He wouldn't ..... wouldn't s-stop." she choked out, "I asked him to, but he w-wouldn't. I got away once, but he knocked down the door ....." Her face crumpled and she could no longer hold back the tears which had been threatening, "Oh, God, Chris; he tried to rape me, he tried to rape me and I don't remember what happened - what if ..... what if he did?"

When she had managed that much, she buried her face in her hands and the rest dissolved into uncontrollable sobbing which racked her body, increasing her pain. Chris's heart went out to her, but, feeling more helpless than he had ever felt, he could think of nothing to say which would give her any comfort. Still being mindful of her injuries, he could only hope it was true that actions speak louder than words as he silently wrapped her in his arms, one hand stroking her hair soothingly while her hot tears dampened his shirt.

*****