Louis watched quietly as Hook and Chris settled Lona onto the cot
he had convinced one of the nurses to bring in. He hadn't paid much
attention to her before, had been too angry with her for Elmer's injuries
but now he took a careful look at her. She was pale, almost unnaturally
pale, and her eyes were so red and swollen that he wouldn't be surprised if
she couldn't open them tomorrow. Then he noticed something in her hair, a
slight smear of red...
"She didn't get hurt too, did she?" He asked, concern apparent in his voice as he joined Hook and Chris at Lona's side. He looked back at Elmer for a moment, not really wanting to be even a few feet from his son but he also knew how upset he would be if he woke up and found that Lona had been hurt and his father hadn't done a thing to help her. And Lona was his friend no matter how he might be feeling at the moment. He reached out and pushed her hair aside a bit. Yes, there was definitely blood there but was it hers or....
"It might be...." Hook started to say Elmer's name but then stopped concerned that reminding Louis of his son's injuries might set him off against Lona again. "And somehow, that nut who did this had his hand ripped off when I got up there. Needless to say, the hall was a bit messy."
"Did they reattach the hand?" Louis took a piece of gauze from Chris and cautiously wiped at the blood, relief apparent when he could see that the blood wasn't Lona's after all.
"Weirdest thing. They couldn't find it when they went to see about getting it for reattachment," Hook said with a shake of his head. They had been gossiping about it in the surgeon's lounge when he had finished patching up Elmer and he had gotten the entire story along with the most popular rumors. "The gun was there but the hand had vanished. Current leader in the gossip pool is that Blondi ate it."
"Remind me to buy Blondi a steak," Louis muttered under his breath. Okay, as a doctor he knew he shouldn't wish ill on someone but he wasn't a doctor at the moment but a very frightened father and he was going to wish as much ill as he could on the person who had harmed his son.
"Louis, you do know that this really isn't Lona's fault, right?"
Chris said gently. She was worried that talking about it would trigger Louis's anger once more but all the same she felt that she had to. Louis blaming her was tearing her friend apart and....
"I know, I just...." Louis couldn't explain exactly what he was really blaming Lona to begin with. Maybe it was just because she was there and a convenient target, maybe because she had been okay when his son.
But would he have honestly have wanted Lona to have been hurt? If something had happened to her, Louis knew that Elmer would have been devastated but....
"I saw the entire thing on the security cameras." Hook said quietly. "That guy just appeared out of nowhere and Lona had her back to him. If Elmer hadn't got her out of the way when he did, she would likely be paralyzed now or worse."
Louis slowly nodded. He understood rationally, he really did, that this wasn't Lona's fault but when he thought of his son laying in that hospital bed.... He closed his eyes for a moment, trying to calm himself.
Elmer was okay, Hook said that he would be fine that the wounds were really just grazes. Why was he reacting like this, hurting Lona so over a couple of grazes? He shook his head as he opened his eyes. Elmer would probably be actually pleased about his wounds, visible signs of his affection for Lona or something.
"You know, he's going to be so disappointed but I doubt they're even going to leave a scar." Hook said with a shake of his head as he looked over at the younger doctor. "Louis, this is really going to be okay but could you please just try to go easy on Lona for awhile?" He knew that she had to be seriously traumatized, although she had escaped physical injury.
Louis slowly nodded. His anger was starting to fade although he still couldn't help but be almost overcome by fear as he looked at his son.
If Elmer would just wake up, wake up and let him know that he was okay.
Then everything would be alright once more. He wouldn't even complain the next time his son pulled one of his goofy tricks to get Lona's attention like the head incident. Not as long as his son was alright.
"She didn't get hurt too, did she?" He asked, concern apparent in his voice as he joined Hook and Chris at Lona's side. He looked back at Elmer for a moment, not really wanting to be even a few feet from his son but he also knew how upset he would be if he woke up and found that Lona had been hurt and his father hadn't done a thing to help her. And Lona was his friend no matter how he might be feeling at the moment. He reached out and pushed her hair aside a bit. Yes, there was definitely blood there but was it hers or....
"It might be...." Hook started to say Elmer's name but then stopped concerned that reminding Louis of his son's injuries might set him off against Lona again. "And somehow, that nut who did this had his hand ripped off when I got up there. Needless to say, the hall was a bit messy."
"Did they reattach the hand?" Louis took a piece of gauze from Chris and cautiously wiped at the blood, relief apparent when he could see that the blood wasn't Lona's after all.
"Weirdest thing. They couldn't find it when they went to see about getting it for reattachment," Hook said with a shake of his head. They had been gossiping about it in the surgeon's lounge when he had finished patching up Elmer and he had gotten the entire story along with the most popular rumors. "The gun was there but the hand had vanished. Current leader in the gossip pool is that Blondi ate it."
"Remind me to buy Blondi a steak," Louis muttered under his breath. Okay, as a doctor he knew he shouldn't wish ill on someone but he wasn't a doctor at the moment but a very frightened father and he was going to wish as much ill as he could on the person who had harmed his son.
"Louis, you do know that this really isn't Lona's fault, right?"
Chris said gently. She was worried that talking about it would trigger Louis's anger once more but all the same she felt that she had to. Louis blaming her was tearing her friend apart and....
"I know, I just...." Louis couldn't explain exactly what he was really blaming Lona to begin with. Maybe it was just because she was there and a convenient target, maybe because she had been okay when his son.
But would he have honestly have wanted Lona to have been hurt? If something had happened to her, Louis knew that Elmer would have been devastated but....
"I saw the entire thing on the security cameras." Hook said quietly. "That guy just appeared out of nowhere and Lona had her back to him. If Elmer hadn't got her out of the way when he did, she would likely be paralyzed now or worse."
Louis slowly nodded. He understood rationally, he really did, that this wasn't Lona's fault but when he thought of his son laying in that hospital bed.... He closed his eyes for a moment, trying to calm himself.
Elmer was okay, Hook said that he would be fine that the wounds were really just grazes. Why was he reacting like this, hurting Lona so over a couple of grazes? He shook his head as he opened his eyes. Elmer would probably be actually pleased about his wounds, visible signs of his affection for Lona or something.
"You know, he's going to be so disappointed but I doubt they're even going to leave a scar." Hook said with a shake of his head as he looked over at the younger doctor. "Louis, this is really going to be okay but could you please just try to go easy on Lona for awhile?" He knew that she had to be seriously traumatized, although she had escaped physical injury.
Louis slowly nodded. His anger was starting to fade although he still couldn't help but be almost overcome by fear as he looked at his son.
If Elmer would just wake up, wake up and let him know that he was okay.
Then everything would be alright once more. He wouldn't even complain the next time his son pulled one of his goofy tricks to get Lona's attention like the head incident. Not as long as his son was alright.