Chapter 10 – Seems So Real


'Excruciating' still could not perfectly describe the pain Luka bore from his injuries. There were no words to convey how he felt. The simplest movement was torture. He found himself thinking about every action before he tried doing it. Lifting his head or his arm, shifting or pointing ... it was all too exhausting but he was out of the coma now and when he thought where he had come from, being conscious and experiencing pain was definitely a better state.

The morning after he awoke, Davor and Rahela were with him. He could see how tired and frightened they had been and he hated having made them come so far and worry about him.

"Luka, how are you feeling?" Rahela asked him, in Croatian, gently taking his hand.

"Like I was hit by a truck," he replied slowly, with a smile.

"Always the joker," said Davor. How many times do you plan to scare us half to death this year?"

"What?" asked Luka.

"First, we hear that you were brought back from the Congo half dead from Malaria; then you think about going again and just when we think you've come to your senses and you're safe, you get run over by a truck ... because of a woman,"

"You know the story then?" asked Luka. He winced. There was no one area that hurt any more or any less than the other. It was difficult to talk; more difficult to breathe but he wanted to have this time with them.

"Sam told us," said Rahela. "The poor girl. She feels responsible ..."

"Not her fault. Steve, her ex ... he was trying to abduct Alex. Ow," He paused for a moment. "Has this ... routine of ... coming and going in their lives. This time ... I was in the picture. Guess ... I still have ... bad timing ... always in the wrong place at the wrong time,"

"I don't know about that," Rahela smiled at him. It was the way she had smiled at him when he told her he was thinking of asking Danijela to marry him or any time he'd bought her something to surprise her. "I think you're in love ... again ... finally," They both laughed. "We always do what we have to do for love,"

"I just hope she's worth it," grunted Davor.

"As he gets older, your brother gets more cynical about romance,"

"I am not," said Davor.

"Well stop acting like a grumpy old man. You're not quite 40 yet," she said.

Listening to them snip at each other made him laugh. It hurt like hell to laugh but seeing them made him happy. He always admired their love for each other. Davor would be lost without her ... very much like how he'd been lost for so long without Danijela.

"You two haven't changed ... Still ... in love," He managed a smile but quickly a sharp stabbing pain coursed through his body, radiating from his leg all the way through his chest and arm. He gasped and clutched the bedrail. They looked panicked and Davor, came over and held Luka's hand while Rahela rang for the nurse.

"It's ... okay ... it'll ... pass ..." He was gasping yet trying his best to mask how he felt because he didn't want to scare them but it was too late for that.

"You don't have to be a hero, Luka. If it frigging hurts, it hurts! ... I know I'd be crying like a baby,"

"You ... are a ... baby,"

"Don't make me smack you, Luka," Davor smiled. The nurse came in and checked Luka's chart.

"He's in a lot of pain. Can he have some medication now?" asked Rahela.

"He's due for another dose in ten minutes anyway, so I can give him something now,"

They were all (especially Luka) relieved. They didn't like seeing him suffer as much as he hated it. The pain seemed to be sucking all his energy and once the medication was pushed into his IV it would be mere minutes before he fell asleep. Luka didn't mind sleep but he did want to chat with his brother and sister-in-law. It had been so long since they had seen each other. Sure he called home frequently but he had so much he wanted to ask about things there; their father and his nieces and nephew but it seemed he could only stay awake briefly.

"Davor, how ... how long can you ... and ...Rahela ... how long can you ... stay?" They were about to answer the question when the morphine took effect. Davor fixed the covers about his brother and touched his head softly.

"We'll talk about that later, Luka. You get your rest,"

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"Alex! Alex wait! ... Luka! Stop him!" He looked up from the trunk of Sam's car and saw Alex bolting away from the motel towards the parking lot.

"Alex! Hey, Alex!" he called. Then in what seemed to be slow motion he heard the engine and saw the headlights approaching. Alex was in the way. He had to get to him - get him out of the way. He ran hard towards the boy. He grabbed him and threw him to the side. He had to get out of the way himself but he couldn't: - there was no time. The initial blow was hard but somehow he didn't feel any pain. He felt and heard the crunch of the bones in his leg, and as he took flight, the pain revealed itself. He heard the sounds of the fence boards breaking as he crashed through them and the sound of the bones in his arm breaking as the thudded to the concrete. The sounds and the headlights kept replaying in his head. The truck kept hitting him over and over again. He couldn't get away. Couldn't make it stop. He wanted to know what happened to Alex? Where was Alex? Where was he? Where was he?

"ALEX! ... ALEX! ... Oh God! ... ALEX!"

"Luka, wake up! It's just a dream Luka," the woman's voice said. "Alex is safe and you're safe. It's all over now," Her voice was so gentle, so believable. He opened his eyes. There was Sam, beside him; hugging him, comforting him. Drenched in sweat and sore from thrashing about as he dreamed, he leaned his head back onto the damp pillow.

"It's so ... real ... Sam. So ...God dammed .. real,"

"I know. I have them too ... so does Alex. He really screwed us up, didn't he?"

"We'll get through it. Can't ... believe I'm saying this ... but maybe ... we all need to see somebody ... or else ... we'll never ... sleep,"

"I know. Alex is already seeing a child psychologist and it's going to be a while, but he's going to get past this. I suppose we need to do the same,"

"Why don't you get a list ... of ... the specialists in psych ... tomorrow and ... maybe ...we ... could ... find somebody ... we both like ... maybe ... even ... see them ... together,"

"Okay, I can do that. Now ... you're breathless. No more talking. You're also soaked and I imagine pretty uncomfortable," she said. "Pain's what? ... About an 8?"

"It's up there, but ... it's bearable ... for now,"

Sam checked his chart. "You can't get anything for a couple more hours anyway. Let me be a good nurse and get you a towel. Do you want to try a gown?"

Luka shook his head. "Impossible to get ... over my arm ... anyway, the ribs, my arm ... shoulder ... hurts too much ... to move,"

"So ... you're still ... 'commando' beneath the sheets, huh?"

"YES ... and I'm doubled up ... on the sheets there ... so ..."

"So?"

Sam Taggert, stay away from me. In ... too much ... pain," She leaned in and hugged him and started kissing him when Davor and Rahela walked in.

"Davor, I think the patient is a lot better,"

"Maybe he needs a hotel room instead of a hospital room?" Luka and Sam blushed and Sam giggled and went to fetch Luka a towel and a dry pillowcase leaving a red-faced Luka to deal with the embarrassment.