You can't hide the truth
Carter was standing at the nurses' station when he watched Max storming out of Anna's room. He kept his eyes on the man while pretending to carry on a conversation with the nurse that was sitting there. Max stopped walking and stood next to Carter for a minute as he tried to figure out just what he was going to say to the man.
Max didn't try to hide the anger that he knew was across his face. He hated having his buttons pushed and hated even more that this man was trying to push his way back into his wife's life. Anna was his now and there was no place for Carter. "Dr. Carter, I would appreciate it, if you would stay away from Anna the rest of the time that she is here." Max said putting force behind his voice. "She has a surgeon overseeing her care right now and she doesn't need you involved in her care. We are grateful for what you did for her while she was in the ER, but your services are no longer needed while she is in the SICU."
"You're concern for your wife is very touching Dr. Rosher, but I follow up with all my patients while they are in the hospital not just your wife's." Carter said simply, not letting Max's tone intimidate him. "So unless my presence is some how disturbing your wife, or impeding with her medical care, I can see no reason why I can't follow her care until discharge." Carter turned his back now to the man.
"Dr. Carter, I am only going to ask you once to stay away from Anna. Her care doesn't concern you. My wife will be leaving this facility soon, actually the sooner the better as far as I am concerned. Just leave her alone." When Max finished saying that he crossed over at caught the elevator to leave the hospital. He didn't need some old flame of Anna's tearing apart his life.
As soon as the elevator doors were closed, Carter was back down the hall and into Anna's room. Her back was to him, but he could hear her softly crying, as if she was trying to hide it from the world. He crossed over so that he was on the side that she was facing. She didn't look up at him, she didn't have to. "Anna." Carter said softly, not wanting to startle her.
"Go away please John, you shouldn't be here." Anna said not lifting her head up, she didn't want him to see her face, see the tear stains that were now under her eyes, to see the red patch on her face from where she had been hit. He did not need to be getting into the middle of this right now. She didn't need Max more upset than he already was.
"Look at me Anna, look at me and tell me that every thing is alright and I will walk out that door and not come back." He said softly. "I will pretend that I didn't see anything and let you go back to your perfect little pretend world." His tone was harsher with her than he had intended it to be, but he didn't want to believe that someone that he had cared for and respected was letting herself be used as a punching bag.
She tried to lift herself up, but everywhere hurt too much to right now. Her face still stung from where he had slapped her, her arm hurt from having it twisted, her insides hurt from being wrapped up in her car like a Christmas present. "Everything is fine John."
"Look at me and say that Anna, look at my face and say it. You never could lie to me and I doubt that you can now. If you want me to believe you then you look at me and you say it to my face." Carter pushed her; he was trying to see if she would break under the pressure that someone had found out that her little world wasn't what she thought it was. Her secret was no longer a secret; Carter knew what was going on. When the nurse told him that when Dr. Corday reviewed the x-rays she had found several old healed fractures, Carter knew that Max was slapping, no knocking her around, and that angered him.
She found the strength somehow to force her eyes up to meet his. She knew she couldn't lie to him but she was going to try her damnedest to pull it off. "Carter, look nothing," her eyes cast downward now at the floor. She had to fight with everything that she had to move them back up to look at his face but when she looked into those concerned big brown eyes she lost all of her resolve to lie to him. She was silent for a minute as she tried; she tried her hardest to get the words to come out of her mouth. There was nothing, no words, she couldn't even stutter as she fought back the urge to cry, she couldn't cry in front of him, if she broke down he would certainly know that something wasn't right. She tried it again once more, come on Anna get it right. You can't let him know that there is anything wrong. Max will kill you if you don't get this right. "Carter nothing is.....nothing is....everything is....all right."
She hadn't been able to look him in the eye. Carter took a deep breath as he sat down next to her, "Anna, don't lie to me. Why are you so afraid of him, we can get you help." He said pushing her hair back from her face. "You are a beautiful, intelligent woman, you don't belong in a situation like this, and we can get you out of it." Carter was being honest with her; he would find a way to help get her out of this. He didn't want to see her suffer at the hands of a man like Max.
"John, Max is my husband; my place is at his side." She said, "You are talking nonsense now."
"No Anna." Carter said, "You do not belong with a man who would hit you and hurt you, you don't need that."
"He doesn't do it all the time Carter. He was just upset that's all." She found herself falling into that pattern of defending him again, "look you weren't in here; I said something that I shouldn't have and I made him mad. It was my fault. I shouldn't have upset him like that. He's sorry that he did it and I know that it won't happen again."
"Anna do you want to explain all the healed fractures that Dr. Corday found on your x-rays. How long has he been using you as a human punching bag?"
"John, you are not asking me what I think you are asking me." She replied back to him not looking at him now rather at the bed.
"Yeah I am Anna." He said, "how long has Max been abusing you?"
"Max doesn't abuse me Carter." Anna said her tone changing as she got into a defensive posture. "I am active in a sport that's how I got all those fractures. I kick box."
"You must take quite a beating then when you do." Carter said looking at her. Watching her change, this wasn't the Anna he remembered at all. The one who was full of confidence that didn't take anything from anyone, who would defend a woman who was being beaten with everything she had. She was just the opposite now, defending her husband the man who was beating her with everything that she had.
"Yeah it's pretty competitive," she said thankful that he seemed to be buying it.
Carter could see that she was relaxing again as he pretended to buy her story although he knew that she was just feeding him a bunch of lines. "Anna you know that it's not going to get any better, in fact you of all people with everything that you see should know that it's only going to get worse, what's it going to take for you to wake up and see that."
"You don't know what you are talking about Carter; you don't know the first thing about my marriage, or what goes on." She said to him. "I'm fine, everything is just fine, why can't you let it go?"
"Let it go, what? That one of my friends is that scum's punching bag."
"That's my husband you are talking about John, you seem to keep forgetting that." Anna said now able to look him in the eyes, "what goes on between us, goes on between us, the entire world doesn't need to be involved in it. I don't get into your relationships, please just stay out of my marriage."
"Anna when you came thru the door of the ER, what happened to you medically became my priority." Carter said, "Let me help you, let me help you get the help that you need to get out of this cycle."
"There is no cycle here John. There is......nothing wrong....with....my marriage." She said trying to fight back the uncontrollable sobs that were about ready to rack her body.
"Anna honey look," Carter said as he put his arms around her trying to let her know that while she was here and talking to him she was safe, that no one could hurt her while he was there, "you're safe here, I'm here and he won't hurt you while you are with me. But you have to let me help you."
"He'll.....snap." She said crying into John's shoulder, "I can't leave; you don't understand he won't let me leave. I can't walk away."
He looked at her, his eyes filled now with concern for her and her safety. "Anna are you afraid for your life, has he threatened to kill you?"
She didn't want to go there; she didn't want to admit that she was afraid of her own husband. The person who had promised to love her for the rest of her life, had promised her that if she told anyone about anything, or if she tried to walk away from her life with him that he would end hers right there and then. After everything that he had done to her, Anna still loved him, or did she. Did she love the man that she was with, or the man that she had married but yet time had changed?
Carter became concerned even more when Anna didn't answer him, she was awfully quiet now. Almost as if she wasn't there with him anymore. "Anna, did he threaten to kill you?" Carter asked her again, patiently waiting for her to answer. He needed to know so that he could make sure she was going to be safe.
Anna debated whether or not to tell him. She knew if she did she would never be safe again. She would be signing her own death warrant in Max's eyes and she had never known him not to go thru with a threat. In all the time that they had been together he had never made any idle threats. She nodded ever so slowly yet hopefully enough that John would get what she was trying to tell him.
John looked at Anna, he could tell that she was scared, her hands were shaking and her crying had softened from sobs to a steady stream of tears rolling down her cheeks. "We'll find you someplace safe. He won't get you I promise, but you have to tell the authorities. I will be right by your side, Abby and I can get you thru this, we will find a way to make sure that he can't hurt you anymore. Do you understand me Anna, do you know that I won't let him hurt you anymore?"
Anna couldn't let the fear go that had gripped her once she had told Carter the truth, she looked at him, wanting to feel safe but right now she didn't. She wanted to believe him that he could keep Max from hurting her but she didn't see how he could. There was no one that would ever be able to protect her from her husband. She let her eyes say more than her voice ever could to Carter.
Carter was standing at the nurses' station when he watched Max storming out of Anna's room. He kept his eyes on the man while pretending to carry on a conversation with the nurse that was sitting there. Max stopped walking and stood next to Carter for a minute as he tried to figure out just what he was going to say to the man.
Max didn't try to hide the anger that he knew was across his face. He hated having his buttons pushed and hated even more that this man was trying to push his way back into his wife's life. Anna was his now and there was no place for Carter. "Dr. Carter, I would appreciate it, if you would stay away from Anna the rest of the time that she is here." Max said putting force behind his voice. "She has a surgeon overseeing her care right now and she doesn't need you involved in her care. We are grateful for what you did for her while she was in the ER, but your services are no longer needed while she is in the SICU."
"You're concern for your wife is very touching Dr. Rosher, but I follow up with all my patients while they are in the hospital not just your wife's." Carter said simply, not letting Max's tone intimidate him. "So unless my presence is some how disturbing your wife, or impeding with her medical care, I can see no reason why I can't follow her care until discharge." Carter turned his back now to the man.
"Dr. Carter, I am only going to ask you once to stay away from Anna. Her care doesn't concern you. My wife will be leaving this facility soon, actually the sooner the better as far as I am concerned. Just leave her alone." When Max finished saying that he crossed over at caught the elevator to leave the hospital. He didn't need some old flame of Anna's tearing apart his life.
As soon as the elevator doors were closed, Carter was back down the hall and into Anna's room. Her back was to him, but he could hear her softly crying, as if she was trying to hide it from the world. He crossed over so that he was on the side that she was facing. She didn't look up at him, she didn't have to. "Anna." Carter said softly, not wanting to startle her.
"Go away please John, you shouldn't be here." Anna said not lifting her head up, she didn't want him to see her face, see the tear stains that were now under her eyes, to see the red patch on her face from where she had been hit. He did not need to be getting into the middle of this right now. She didn't need Max more upset than he already was.
"Look at me Anna, look at me and tell me that every thing is alright and I will walk out that door and not come back." He said softly. "I will pretend that I didn't see anything and let you go back to your perfect little pretend world." His tone was harsher with her than he had intended it to be, but he didn't want to believe that someone that he had cared for and respected was letting herself be used as a punching bag.
She tried to lift herself up, but everywhere hurt too much to right now. Her face still stung from where he had slapped her, her arm hurt from having it twisted, her insides hurt from being wrapped up in her car like a Christmas present. "Everything is fine John."
"Look at me and say that Anna, look at my face and say it. You never could lie to me and I doubt that you can now. If you want me to believe you then you look at me and you say it to my face." Carter pushed her; he was trying to see if she would break under the pressure that someone had found out that her little world wasn't what she thought it was. Her secret was no longer a secret; Carter knew what was going on. When the nurse told him that when Dr. Corday reviewed the x-rays she had found several old healed fractures, Carter knew that Max was slapping, no knocking her around, and that angered him.
She found the strength somehow to force her eyes up to meet his. She knew she couldn't lie to him but she was going to try her damnedest to pull it off. "Carter, look nothing," her eyes cast downward now at the floor. She had to fight with everything that she had to move them back up to look at his face but when she looked into those concerned big brown eyes she lost all of her resolve to lie to him. She was silent for a minute as she tried; she tried her hardest to get the words to come out of her mouth. There was nothing, no words, she couldn't even stutter as she fought back the urge to cry, she couldn't cry in front of him, if she broke down he would certainly know that something wasn't right. She tried it again once more, come on Anna get it right. You can't let him know that there is anything wrong. Max will kill you if you don't get this right. "Carter nothing is.....nothing is....everything is....all right."
She hadn't been able to look him in the eye. Carter took a deep breath as he sat down next to her, "Anna, don't lie to me. Why are you so afraid of him, we can get you help." He said pushing her hair back from her face. "You are a beautiful, intelligent woman, you don't belong in a situation like this, and we can get you out of it." Carter was being honest with her; he would find a way to help get her out of this. He didn't want to see her suffer at the hands of a man like Max.
"John, Max is my husband; my place is at his side." She said, "You are talking nonsense now."
"No Anna." Carter said, "You do not belong with a man who would hit you and hurt you, you don't need that."
"He doesn't do it all the time Carter. He was just upset that's all." She found herself falling into that pattern of defending him again, "look you weren't in here; I said something that I shouldn't have and I made him mad. It was my fault. I shouldn't have upset him like that. He's sorry that he did it and I know that it won't happen again."
"Anna do you want to explain all the healed fractures that Dr. Corday found on your x-rays. How long has he been using you as a human punching bag?"
"John, you are not asking me what I think you are asking me." She replied back to him not looking at him now rather at the bed.
"Yeah I am Anna." He said, "how long has Max been abusing you?"
"Max doesn't abuse me Carter." Anna said her tone changing as she got into a defensive posture. "I am active in a sport that's how I got all those fractures. I kick box."
"You must take quite a beating then when you do." Carter said looking at her. Watching her change, this wasn't the Anna he remembered at all. The one who was full of confidence that didn't take anything from anyone, who would defend a woman who was being beaten with everything she had. She was just the opposite now, defending her husband the man who was beating her with everything that she had.
"Yeah it's pretty competitive," she said thankful that he seemed to be buying it.
Carter could see that she was relaxing again as he pretended to buy her story although he knew that she was just feeding him a bunch of lines. "Anna you know that it's not going to get any better, in fact you of all people with everything that you see should know that it's only going to get worse, what's it going to take for you to wake up and see that."
"You don't know what you are talking about Carter; you don't know the first thing about my marriage, or what goes on." She said to him. "I'm fine, everything is just fine, why can't you let it go?"
"Let it go, what? That one of my friends is that scum's punching bag."
"That's my husband you are talking about John, you seem to keep forgetting that." Anna said now able to look him in the eyes, "what goes on between us, goes on between us, the entire world doesn't need to be involved in it. I don't get into your relationships, please just stay out of my marriage."
"Anna when you came thru the door of the ER, what happened to you medically became my priority." Carter said, "Let me help you, let me help you get the help that you need to get out of this cycle."
"There is no cycle here John. There is......nothing wrong....with....my marriage." She said trying to fight back the uncontrollable sobs that were about ready to rack her body.
"Anna honey look," Carter said as he put his arms around her trying to let her know that while she was here and talking to him she was safe, that no one could hurt her while he was there, "you're safe here, I'm here and he won't hurt you while you are with me. But you have to let me help you."
"He'll.....snap." She said crying into John's shoulder, "I can't leave; you don't understand he won't let me leave. I can't walk away."
He looked at her, his eyes filled now with concern for her and her safety. "Anna are you afraid for your life, has he threatened to kill you?"
She didn't want to go there; she didn't want to admit that she was afraid of her own husband. The person who had promised to love her for the rest of her life, had promised her that if she told anyone about anything, or if she tried to walk away from her life with him that he would end hers right there and then. After everything that he had done to her, Anna still loved him, or did she. Did she love the man that she was with, or the man that she had married but yet time had changed?
Carter became concerned even more when Anna didn't answer him, she was awfully quiet now. Almost as if she wasn't there with him anymore. "Anna, did he threaten to kill you?" Carter asked her again, patiently waiting for her to answer. He needed to know so that he could make sure she was going to be safe.
Anna debated whether or not to tell him. She knew if she did she would never be safe again. She would be signing her own death warrant in Max's eyes and she had never known him not to go thru with a threat. In all the time that they had been together he had never made any idle threats. She nodded ever so slowly yet hopefully enough that John would get what she was trying to tell him.
John looked at Anna, he could tell that she was scared, her hands were shaking and her crying had softened from sobs to a steady stream of tears rolling down her cheeks. "We'll find you someplace safe. He won't get you I promise, but you have to tell the authorities. I will be right by your side, Abby and I can get you thru this, we will find a way to make sure that he can't hurt you anymore. Do you understand me Anna, do you know that I won't let him hurt you anymore?"
Anna couldn't let the fear go that had gripped her once she had told Carter the truth, she looked at him, wanting to feel safe but right now she didn't. She wanted to believe him that he could keep Max from hurting her but she didn't see how he could. There was no one that would ever be able to protect her from her husband. She let her eyes say more than her voice ever could to Carter.