As Lona felt herself drifting up out of her drugged sleep, her
first thought was that it had been a dream, that the entire situation with
Elmer saving her life and being shot wasn't real. Maybe they were even
still down in the lab running tests again. The entire thing felt like
another of Elmer's bizarre dreams. She really wished it had been the
morgue dream again though. She would have even been willing to let him go
a bit further than he had on their first visit if he would have dreamed
them there instead of into this nightmare.
"Here. You're probably going to need this for those eyes." Lona heard a voice speak from somewhere above her and after a moment she recognized Louis. She struggled to force her eyes to open just a little bit, enough for her to see that she was laying on a cot in a hospital room,
Louis standing at her side holding out a washcloth.
"Louis?" Lona murmured, reaching out and taking the washcloth,
pressing it against her painfully swollen eyes. He didn't sound like he was angry but.... "Louis, I am so sorry! Please believe me! I would never have done anything that would have put Elmer in danger. I never would have wanted him to...."
"Lona, it's okay." Louis said softly. Deep down he was still feeling a bit of anger at her but he had had time to think about it and realize how unfair he was being to her. Lona was just as upset as he was and being angry at her was only making a bad situation worse without helping in the slightest. And if Elmer woke up and found out that his father had upset Lona so.... Louis shook his head slightly as he pictured that reaction. Elmer could get aggravated with Lona not taking him seriously, true, but just let someone else say anything about her and he was up in arms.
Lona slowly pulled herself upright, still holding the washcloth to her eyes. "Louis, I swear I've never done anything or said anything to Elmer to make him do something like that. I've...."
"Lona, it's really okay. You have nothing to be apologizing for,
okay? If anything, I should be the one apologizing to you. I shouldn't have acted the way that I did yesterday, trying to blame this on you. I'm sorry." Louis said as he reached out a hand, helping her to her feet and guiding her to a chair at Elmer's bedside.
"You had every right. If it wasn't for me, then Elmer would be trying around on rounds with you right now instead of..." She could feel tears starting to well up once more. How could she have more tears though?
She thought she had used them all up the night before.
"Lona, If Elmer hadn't done what he did, I would be trying to comfort a hysterical son right now or even worse planning to attend a friend's funeral." Louis pulled his seat closer to her and wrapped an arm around Lona to comfort her. "Elmer did the right thing getting you down like he did. I do wish he had moved a bit faster and got himself out of the way too, though." Louis said with a slight chuckle.
"But...." Lona wasn't quite able to let go of her guilt just yet,
the memories of seeing Elmer laying crumpled in the hallway and all of the blood everywhere, too much blood. "Why? Why does he love me?" She whispered softly, barely able to keep from crying as she spoke.
"Why does anyone fall in love?" Louis said quietly. "Why did I love Emma after all those years, after how she hurt my boys so much. Lona,
it's going to be alright. Hook says that he's going to be fine."
Lona bit her lip, trying to pull herself together. It wasn't fair that Louis was having to comfort her like this. Not when he was Elmer's father and had much more right to be upset than she did.
"Lona, Hook says that when he wakes up...." Louis could see that he hadn't quite gotten through to Lona yet.
"When he wakes up?" Lona forced her swollen eyes open, looking at the bed once more and Elmer laying there. He looked so innocent and Lona had to admit more than a bit cute. He was so still though, unnaturally still. "Louis, hasn't he moved at all since last night?"
"No." Louis said slowly as worry suddenly came rushing back almost full force at Lona's question. He hadn't really thought much of Elmer not waking, had just assumed that he was still sleeping of the seditive but now that Lona had made him think of it, he realized that the medication should have worn off hours before. So why wasn't Elmer awake yet? "I'll page Hook."
"Here. You're probably going to need this for those eyes." Lona heard a voice speak from somewhere above her and after a moment she recognized Louis. She struggled to force her eyes to open just a little bit, enough for her to see that she was laying on a cot in a hospital room,
Louis standing at her side holding out a washcloth.
"Louis?" Lona murmured, reaching out and taking the washcloth,
pressing it against her painfully swollen eyes. He didn't sound like he was angry but.... "Louis, I am so sorry! Please believe me! I would never have done anything that would have put Elmer in danger. I never would have wanted him to...."
"Lona, it's okay." Louis said softly. Deep down he was still feeling a bit of anger at her but he had had time to think about it and realize how unfair he was being to her. Lona was just as upset as he was and being angry at her was only making a bad situation worse without helping in the slightest. And if Elmer woke up and found out that his father had upset Lona so.... Louis shook his head slightly as he pictured that reaction. Elmer could get aggravated with Lona not taking him seriously, true, but just let someone else say anything about her and he was up in arms.
Lona slowly pulled herself upright, still holding the washcloth to her eyes. "Louis, I swear I've never done anything or said anything to Elmer to make him do something like that. I've...."
"Lona, it's really okay. You have nothing to be apologizing for,
okay? If anything, I should be the one apologizing to you. I shouldn't have acted the way that I did yesterday, trying to blame this on you. I'm sorry." Louis said as he reached out a hand, helping her to her feet and guiding her to a chair at Elmer's bedside.
"You had every right. If it wasn't for me, then Elmer would be trying around on rounds with you right now instead of..." She could feel tears starting to well up once more. How could she have more tears though?
She thought she had used them all up the night before.
"Lona, If Elmer hadn't done what he did, I would be trying to comfort a hysterical son right now or even worse planning to attend a friend's funeral." Louis pulled his seat closer to her and wrapped an arm around Lona to comfort her. "Elmer did the right thing getting you down like he did. I do wish he had moved a bit faster and got himself out of the way too, though." Louis said with a slight chuckle.
"But...." Lona wasn't quite able to let go of her guilt just yet,
the memories of seeing Elmer laying crumpled in the hallway and all of the blood everywhere, too much blood. "Why? Why does he love me?" She whispered softly, barely able to keep from crying as she spoke.
"Why does anyone fall in love?" Louis said quietly. "Why did I love Emma after all those years, after how she hurt my boys so much. Lona,
it's going to be alright. Hook says that he's going to be fine."
Lona bit her lip, trying to pull herself together. It wasn't fair that Louis was having to comfort her like this. Not when he was Elmer's father and had much more right to be upset than she did.
"Lona, Hook says that when he wakes up...." Louis could see that he hadn't quite gotten through to Lona yet.
"When he wakes up?" Lona forced her swollen eyes open, looking at the bed once more and Elmer laying there. He looked so innocent and Lona had to admit more than a bit cute. He was so still though, unnaturally still. "Louis, hasn't he moved at all since last night?"
"No." Louis said slowly as worry suddenly came rushing back almost full force at Lona's question. He hadn't really thought much of Elmer not waking, had just assumed that he was still sleeping of the seditive but now that Lona had made him think of it, he realized that the medication should have worn off hours before. So why wasn't Elmer awake yet? "I'll page Hook."