Dave lay in bed, thinking about the events of the past few days after
his attack. He picked up the soft teddy bear that Jing-Mei had given him
and inhaled its sweet scent. He relaxed his arms across his chest and the
bear, enjoying the comfort of his stuffed friend. He couldn't help but
smile.'I knew she didn't hate me..' He closed his eyes and sighed. His
sides still hurt and his temple and healing black eye were still sore when
he touched them. He remembered when he'd first returned to his apartment
after leaving the hospital. Esperanza must have been keeping tabs on his
apartment for she knew when he had returned and showed up and hour later
with his puppy.
He'd been resting on the couch with his eyes closed when he'd heard the doorbell ring. Sighing, he rose and trudged over to the door, rubbing his eyes and noticing for the first time how dark it had gotten outside and that he hadn't turned on any lights yet. He opened the door and gave a weak- spirited smile to the waiting Esperanza. "Hey."
She grinned, her Hispanic beauty still radiant despite her age. "I thought you might be missing the little guy."
Dave smiled as he took Comanche from her arms. "Hey buddy, remember me?" Comanche stared at him blankly for a few seconds before suddenly lurching forward to lick his face. "I guess that's a yes," Dave chuckled. "Would you like to come in?"
Esperanza nodded as she looked at him kindly. He stepped aside to make room for her and was momentarily pondering how to put Comanche on the floor again. He bent his knees and let the puppy jump; even this small movement was painful and he sat down, leaning his head back breathing out sharply in an attempt to shift his focus from the pain. She sat down in a chair near the couch where he was seated. "That bad, huh?"
Dave moaned and rubbed his eyes, more frustrated with his weak, uncomfortable state than in intense pain.
"Have they given you anything for the pain?" She could see the anguish on the younger man's face.
"Yeah," he shifted his gave to her. "But it doesn't help much."
She smiled empathetically. "It's the emotional pain that hurts the most, isn't it?"
Dave was looking down and slowly nodded. She rose and moved to the vacant cushion next to him. "Do you want to talk about it?" Dave gave her a sarcastic grin.
She smiled back, "Maybe some other time, heh?"
Dave was quiet and looking over at the bookcase. "I was just checking for some Amoxacillin. All I needed was some stupid medicine for this anal patient."
She slipped her hand into his for support. He was looking away from her but she could tell that his face was beginning to contort in pain. "That stupid guy," his voice cracked. "He complained about everything. Then suddenly the lights went out and the door closed and I couldn't see-" his speech was speeding up, "- then something hit me in the back of the head. I hardly even remember what happened. I don't want to remember," his face was contorted in pain and she pulled him into a hug as he began to sob.
"Shhh. it's okay," she rubbed his back comfortingly, her own tears falling silently. "It's okay. everything will be all right now, it'll be okay sweetie." right then her own voice cracked and she gave in to the tears that now streamed down her face.
Dave wished that he could roll over onto his side but it would hurt too much so he had to be content with laying on his back. like he had back at the hospital. God, how he hated being a patient. The smell of hospital rooms had never scared him before yet now it deeply bothered him, instigating some fear that had sprung up recently. More and more he found himself regressing into the scared child that he had tried so hard to leave behind. And he knew that there wasn't much of anything he could do to stop himself. Yet when he was younger he had found the smells of the hospital to be comforting for it had always been his sanctuary. Somewhere that his father or anyone couldn't hurt him. Maybe that was part of the reason he'd chosen to be a doctor, so that he could always be in that safe place.
He remembered when Esperanza had brought Amanda to see him for the first time after his attack. Esperanza had explained to her that something bad had happened to Dave and that he would look a little bit different, but when she came over she still spent most of the short visit holding on to her mother and smiling nervously. Dave had kept his distance respectively, not wishing to frighten her with his split lip, black eye, and cut temple further, although it was his overall weak appearance that had frightened her most. Dave wasn't weak. Dave was strong. Dave was a warrior. Dave could do anything in her eyes. Later that evening a handmade 'Get Well' card was slipped under his door and he managed to get to it before Comanche had. All he wanted was to heal, forget, and move on. He drifted to sleep thinking of Amanda's drawings.
He awoke slowly the next morning, bathed in sunshine and surprised to see that it was nearly ten o'clock. He yawned and got up carefully, reaching into his bag and pulling out an over-the-counter long-term painkiller. He took it with a swig of the water he had left on his dresser and set out to the garage to let Comanche back in. He opened the door and flipped on the light, seeing his puppy wagging his tail in an enthusiastic greeting before his little eyes were even open. "Chee Chee! How's my little puppy?" Comanche was toddling over to him, blinking. Dave opened the door to the outside and made sure Comanche went to the bathroom before calling him into the house.
He had the whole afternoon to himself and was thinking of all of the best places to wander to when Comanche began to pee on the floor. "Oh no! Stop it!" he leapt up and snatched his puppy up, not even noticing that it didn't hurt so bad to do so. "Oh shit," he looked at the pee spot on the floor of his grandmother's beautiful carpet. He put Comanche back in the garage, telling him how much trouble he'd gotten Dave into before running back to the kitchen and filling a glass with water. He poured it over the urine then began to soak it up with a paper towel. There, no harm done. He bent down and smelled it. you couldn't notice that much. but still, he didn't want to take any chances. He searched the cabinets until he found a disinfecting spray. He swiped it off the shelf then misted it onto his target. "There," he stood up, proud of his work. "No one will be the wiser." He strut off to clean up and get dressed, not knowing that the "disinfecting spray" had concentrated levels of bleach and was only meant to be used on white drapery..
He'd been resting on the couch with his eyes closed when he'd heard the doorbell ring. Sighing, he rose and trudged over to the door, rubbing his eyes and noticing for the first time how dark it had gotten outside and that he hadn't turned on any lights yet. He opened the door and gave a weak- spirited smile to the waiting Esperanza. "Hey."
She grinned, her Hispanic beauty still radiant despite her age. "I thought you might be missing the little guy."
Dave smiled as he took Comanche from her arms. "Hey buddy, remember me?" Comanche stared at him blankly for a few seconds before suddenly lurching forward to lick his face. "I guess that's a yes," Dave chuckled. "Would you like to come in?"
Esperanza nodded as she looked at him kindly. He stepped aside to make room for her and was momentarily pondering how to put Comanche on the floor again. He bent his knees and let the puppy jump; even this small movement was painful and he sat down, leaning his head back breathing out sharply in an attempt to shift his focus from the pain. She sat down in a chair near the couch where he was seated. "That bad, huh?"
Dave moaned and rubbed his eyes, more frustrated with his weak, uncomfortable state than in intense pain.
"Have they given you anything for the pain?" She could see the anguish on the younger man's face.
"Yeah," he shifted his gave to her. "But it doesn't help much."
She smiled empathetically. "It's the emotional pain that hurts the most, isn't it?"
Dave was looking down and slowly nodded. She rose and moved to the vacant cushion next to him. "Do you want to talk about it?" Dave gave her a sarcastic grin.
She smiled back, "Maybe some other time, heh?"
Dave was quiet and looking over at the bookcase. "I was just checking for some Amoxacillin. All I needed was some stupid medicine for this anal patient."
She slipped her hand into his for support. He was looking away from her but she could tell that his face was beginning to contort in pain. "That stupid guy," his voice cracked. "He complained about everything. Then suddenly the lights went out and the door closed and I couldn't see-" his speech was speeding up, "- then something hit me in the back of the head. I hardly even remember what happened. I don't want to remember," his face was contorted in pain and she pulled him into a hug as he began to sob.
"Shhh. it's okay," she rubbed his back comfortingly, her own tears falling silently. "It's okay. everything will be all right now, it'll be okay sweetie." right then her own voice cracked and she gave in to the tears that now streamed down her face.
Dave wished that he could roll over onto his side but it would hurt too much so he had to be content with laying on his back. like he had back at the hospital. God, how he hated being a patient. The smell of hospital rooms had never scared him before yet now it deeply bothered him, instigating some fear that had sprung up recently. More and more he found himself regressing into the scared child that he had tried so hard to leave behind. And he knew that there wasn't much of anything he could do to stop himself. Yet when he was younger he had found the smells of the hospital to be comforting for it had always been his sanctuary. Somewhere that his father or anyone couldn't hurt him. Maybe that was part of the reason he'd chosen to be a doctor, so that he could always be in that safe place.
He remembered when Esperanza had brought Amanda to see him for the first time after his attack. Esperanza had explained to her that something bad had happened to Dave and that he would look a little bit different, but when she came over she still spent most of the short visit holding on to her mother and smiling nervously. Dave had kept his distance respectively, not wishing to frighten her with his split lip, black eye, and cut temple further, although it was his overall weak appearance that had frightened her most. Dave wasn't weak. Dave was strong. Dave was a warrior. Dave could do anything in her eyes. Later that evening a handmade 'Get Well' card was slipped under his door and he managed to get to it before Comanche had. All he wanted was to heal, forget, and move on. He drifted to sleep thinking of Amanda's drawings.
He awoke slowly the next morning, bathed in sunshine and surprised to see that it was nearly ten o'clock. He yawned and got up carefully, reaching into his bag and pulling out an over-the-counter long-term painkiller. He took it with a swig of the water he had left on his dresser and set out to the garage to let Comanche back in. He opened the door and flipped on the light, seeing his puppy wagging his tail in an enthusiastic greeting before his little eyes were even open. "Chee Chee! How's my little puppy?" Comanche was toddling over to him, blinking. Dave opened the door to the outside and made sure Comanche went to the bathroom before calling him into the house.
He had the whole afternoon to himself and was thinking of all of the best places to wander to when Comanche began to pee on the floor. "Oh no! Stop it!" he leapt up and snatched his puppy up, not even noticing that it didn't hurt so bad to do so. "Oh shit," he looked at the pee spot on the floor of his grandmother's beautiful carpet. He put Comanche back in the garage, telling him how much trouble he'd gotten Dave into before running back to the kitchen and filling a glass with water. He poured it over the urine then began to soak it up with a paper towel. There, no harm done. He bent down and smelled it. you couldn't notice that much. but still, he didn't want to take any chances. He searched the cabinets until he found a disinfecting spray. He swiped it off the shelf then misted it onto his target. "There," he stood up, proud of his work. "No one will be the wiser." He strut off to clean up and get dressed, not knowing that the "disinfecting spray" had concentrated levels of bleach and was only meant to be used on white drapery..