Lona slumped back in the chair she was occupying in the surgical
waiting room as yet another person exited the OR but wasn't Hook with good
news. She felt the sobs starting to well up once more as she looked over
at Chris with a hopeless expression on her face. Shouldn't Hook have been
out of there a long time ago, shouldn't someone have came to tell them
something either way?
"It's okay, Lona. I promise it's okay." Chris whispered as she wrapped her arms around her friend, holding her close to try and comfort her. "Hook's going to take good care of Elmer. He really likes him even if he can be a goof, remember? He's not going to let anything happen to him."
"It's all my fault." Lona whispered, trying and failing to get her sobbing under control. "Why did he do it?" She looked over at Chris with despair and heartbreak apparent in her eyes. "I've never.... Why would he do that for me?"
"He loves you." Chris cringed inside when her words caused Lona to break out into a fresh outburst of sobs. "Lona?"
"Why would he love me? I never tried to...." She was sobbing almost hysterically now as she thought of how she had treated Elmer,
refusing to take him seriously and yet using his affections for whenever she needed assistance with something. "He's so young. He deserves someone better, someone who...." She buried her hands in her face, no longer able to speak as she sobbed.
Chris looked over towards the door as she held her friend, worry filling her for not only Elmer but for Lona as well. The way that she was taking it was bad to put things mildly. She had nearly fallen apart down in the showers when she had looked in a mirror and seen Elmer's blood covering her and now.... She knew that surgery would take awhile,
especially considering the possible damage that Elmer might have suffered from the wound to his head but still, why hadn't someone came out to keep them updated? She couldn't even go back to check herself, not with Lona in her current hysterical condition.
Just then Chris heard footsteps coming down the hallway and she looked up as Louis appeared.
"What happened?" He demanded as he crossed the room. "Otto wouldn't tell me when he tracked me down. He just said something about Elmer having an accident." He looked at Lona nervously, concern for his son mounting as he noticed her hysterical condition. Why would Lona be this freaked considering how much she always said that Elmer annoyed her unless things were bad, very bad. "What happened," he demanded once more.
Lona let out a soft whimper before she started to speak. She knew that Louis was going to hate her forever for this but didn't he deserve to know the truth, to know who was to blame for him losing a second child?
"It's my fault, all my fault." She whispered.
"What?" Louis looked at Lona in shock and a bit of anger. What did she mean that it was her fault? Had Elmer been hurt helping her with one of her experiments or....
"Louis, it isn't Lona's fault." Chris said firmly as she hugged her friend closer, hoping to prevent her from saying more. "If anyone's to blame here, it's Stegman."
"What happened?" Louis asked as he looked at Chris. Stegman,
Lona. At the moment he didn't care who was responsible for his son being hurt. He just wanted to know what happened and then find out that his boy was going to be just fine.
"One of Stegman's patients snapped. Apparently our resident butcher botched another surgery." Chris said with a slow shake of her head at the thought of Stegman. "Somehow the guy got his hands on a gun and went looking for Steg. The only problem was that he ran across Lona first.
Elmer must have seen him and knocked her down just as he fired the gun.
He saved her life."
Shot? His son had been shot? In his wildest imaginings Louis had never thought of something like that happening. And Lona.... He knew it was wrong but he couldn't even look at her, not knowing that his only child had been shot in her place, might be.... "How bad?" he whispered.
"Hook's got him in surgery right now. I'm not really sure how bad it is. It was kind of hard to tell with everyone crowded in the hall."
Chris frowned inside when she saw the look that Louis was giving Lona, like he was fighting not to yell at her, to heap blame on for what had happened to Elmer. Before Chris could say anything though, Hook was suddenly standing in the doorway.
"How is he?" Louis demanded as he hurried over to Hook, Chris leading Lona at a slower pace. Louis tried to brace himself, fearing the worst, but he couldn't quite manage it. If the worst had happened, if his son was....
"He's fine. I don't know how he did it but both of those bullets only grazed him. He did lose quiet a bit of blood, especially from the head wound but there's no major damage." Hook shook his head as he thought of it. He had honestly expected much worse when he had first seen the wounds but now he felt like laughing. Something like this was almost typical of the kind of things that usually happened to Elmer.
"He's fine?" Louis repeated slowly, letting the words sink in.
"When can I see him?" He didn't look at Lona as he spoke, deliberately tuning out her slowing sobs.
"Right now if you want. He's still sedated from the surgery though so don't expect much in the way of conversation." Hook said with a soft laugh before looking at Chris and Lona. "Chris, do you want to bring her?"
"Let me see if I can get her calmed down a bit first. Elmer will totally freak if he sees her like this." Chris said softly as she led her friend back to a seat. "Lona, honey, Hook said Elmer's going to be fine.
It's okay. Do you think you can pull yourself together to go back and see him?"
"I can't." Lona whispered between sobs. "It's my fault he got hurt. Louis doesn't want me there and when Elmer has a chance to think about it...."
"Lona, Louis was freaked out. Once he calms down, he's going to realize that you're in no way, shape or form to blame for this. And as for Elmer, of course he's going to want you there. He loves you, Lona."
"He shouldn't. Look at what happened to him." she whispered.
"He's fine. Just a couple of grazes and probably a headache. You know Elmer. He'll be up and around in no time driving us crazy. Now come on. Please try to get a hold of yourself so you can go back and see him.
I'm sure that Elmer would want you there when he wakes up."
"It's okay, Lona. I promise it's okay." Chris whispered as she wrapped her arms around her friend, holding her close to try and comfort her. "Hook's going to take good care of Elmer. He really likes him even if he can be a goof, remember? He's not going to let anything happen to him."
"It's all my fault." Lona whispered, trying and failing to get her sobbing under control. "Why did he do it?" She looked over at Chris with despair and heartbreak apparent in her eyes. "I've never.... Why would he do that for me?"
"He loves you." Chris cringed inside when her words caused Lona to break out into a fresh outburst of sobs. "Lona?"
"Why would he love me? I never tried to...." She was sobbing almost hysterically now as she thought of how she had treated Elmer,
refusing to take him seriously and yet using his affections for whenever she needed assistance with something. "He's so young. He deserves someone better, someone who...." She buried her hands in her face, no longer able to speak as she sobbed.
Chris looked over towards the door as she held her friend, worry filling her for not only Elmer but for Lona as well. The way that she was taking it was bad to put things mildly. She had nearly fallen apart down in the showers when she had looked in a mirror and seen Elmer's blood covering her and now.... She knew that surgery would take awhile,
especially considering the possible damage that Elmer might have suffered from the wound to his head but still, why hadn't someone came out to keep them updated? She couldn't even go back to check herself, not with Lona in her current hysterical condition.
Just then Chris heard footsteps coming down the hallway and she looked up as Louis appeared.
"What happened?" He demanded as he crossed the room. "Otto wouldn't tell me when he tracked me down. He just said something about Elmer having an accident." He looked at Lona nervously, concern for his son mounting as he noticed her hysterical condition. Why would Lona be this freaked considering how much she always said that Elmer annoyed her unless things were bad, very bad. "What happened," he demanded once more.
Lona let out a soft whimper before she started to speak. She knew that Louis was going to hate her forever for this but didn't he deserve to know the truth, to know who was to blame for him losing a second child?
"It's my fault, all my fault." She whispered.
"What?" Louis looked at Lona in shock and a bit of anger. What did she mean that it was her fault? Had Elmer been hurt helping her with one of her experiments or....
"Louis, it isn't Lona's fault." Chris said firmly as she hugged her friend closer, hoping to prevent her from saying more. "If anyone's to blame here, it's Stegman."
"What happened?" Louis asked as he looked at Chris. Stegman,
Lona. At the moment he didn't care who was responsible for his son being hurt. He just wanted to know what happened and then find out that his boy was going to be just fine.
"One of Stegman's patients snapped. Apparently our resident butcher botched another surgery." Chris said with a slow shake of her head at the thought of Stegman. "Somehow the guy got his hands on a gun and went looking for Steg. The only problem was that he ran across Lona first.
Elmer must have seen him and knocked her down just as he fired the gun.
He saved her life."
Shot? His son had been shot? In his wildest imaginings Louis had never thought of something like that happening. And Lona.... He knew it was wrong but he couldn't even look at her, not knowing that his only child had been shot in her place, might be.... "How bad?" he whispered.
"Hook's got him in surgery right now. I'm not really sure how bad it is. It was kind of hard to tell with everyone crowded in the hall."
Chris frowned inside when she saw the look that Louis was giving Lona, like he was fighting not to yell at her, to heap blame on for what had happened to Elmer. Before Chris could say anything though, Hook was suddenly standing in the doorway.
"How is he?" Louis demanded as he hurried over to Hook, Chris leading Lona at a slower pace. Louis tried to brace himself, fearing the worst, but he couldn't quite manage it. If the worst had happened, if his son was....
"He's fine. I don't know how he did it but both of those bullets only grazed him. He did lose quiet a bit of blood, especially from the head wound but there's no major damage." Hook shook his head as he thought of it. He had honestly expected much worse when he had first seen the wounds but now he felt like laughing. Something like this was almost typical of the kind of things that usually happened to Elmer.
"He's fine?" Louis repeated slowly, letting the words sink in.
"When can I see him?" He didn't look at Lona as he spoke, deliberately tuning out her slowing sobs.
"Right now if you want. He's still sedated from the surgery though so don't expect much in the way of conversation." Hook said with a soft laugh before looking at Chris and Lona. "Chris, do you want to bring her?"
"Let me see if I can get her calmed down a bit first. Elmer will totally freak if he sees her like this." Chris said softly as she led her friend back to a seat. "Lona, honey, Hook said Elmer's going to be fine.
It's okay. Do you think you can pull yourself together to go back and see him?"
"I can't." Lona whispered between sobs. "It's my fault he got hurt. Louis doesn't want me there and when Elmer has a chance to think about it...."
"Lona, Louis was freaked out. Once he calms down, he's going to realize that you're in no way, shape or form to blame for this. And as for Elmer, of course he's going to want you there. He loves you, Lona."
"He shouldn't. Look at what happened to him." she whispered.
"He's fine. Just a couple of grazes and probably a headache. You know Elmer. He'll be up and around in no time driving us crazy. Now come on. Please try to get a hold of yourself so you can go back and see him.
I'm sure that Elmer would want you there when he wakes up."