"Listen, I'm going to go and check the lab again, see if they can
do some more tests." Hook said with a shake of his head. There were some
things that they didn't routinely test for, real long shots but.... What
did they have left now but long shots? There wasn't an obvious reason for
Elmer to still be in this coma. "Chris, want to come with me, see if you
might get something that I might be missing?"
Chris nodded, gently patting Lona's shoulder once more before heading out the door after Hook. As they left, Louis and Lona moved to Elmer's bedside once more.
"Elmer?" Lona whispered softly as she reached out and took his hand in hers. She had to force back tears as she touched him. She was so used to Elmer being bouncy and full of life, always following her around like a little puppy dog and to see him like this, so still and silent, his hand limp in hers, broke her heart in a way that she didn't think was possible. What in the world was wrong with him? Why wasn't he waking up?
A vague idea was starting to form in the back of her head of something that she could do to help him but she was still so foggy from the sedative that she couldn't pull it to the forefront of her brain so that she could see it. "Louis?" She looked over at Elmer's father with heartbreak in her eyes, He had to hate her for this. Goodness knows that she hated herself for it.
"It's okay, Lona." Louis had been angry with her at first, for being okay when his son was hurt and he had to admit that he could still feel that anger bubbling in the back of his head. He wouldn't give in to it, though, wouldn't explode like he had once more. Elmer was going to be fine. They just had to figure out why in the world he wasn't waking up and fix it, He would be fine once they did that. And honestly if he let himself admit it, Elmer had done the right thing by saving Lona. If not for him, she would be either dead or paralyzed right now. He just wished his son would have moved a tiny bit faster and gotten out of the way as well.
"I'm sorry." Lona whispered softly to Louis, a tear slipping down her cheek as she spoke. "I never would have wanted Elmer to do this, to get hurt like this for me. Why? Why did he...." She bit her lip trying to keep from slipping into hysterics once more. Elmer was so young with his whole life ahead of him. Why would he risk it for her? She was so much older and she had already had a good life. She wasn't worth it. She shook her head as she thought of it. She definitely wasn't worth it. Her fingers gently stroked his as she thought. Yes, as soon as Elmer woke up she was going to have to do something, find someone for him, someone younger who would treat him the way that he deserved to be treated, someone better than her.
Louis looked over at Lona but held himself back from speaking.
There was something that he wanted to ask her but he knew that it was wildly inappropriate considering the circumstances. All it would do would be to heap guilt on her as well as pressure. Could she love Elmer by any chance though? For his son's sake, Louis feverently hoped so. He had always tried to play down Elmer's affection for Lona as a simple crush but it was pretty obvious now that it was definitely something more. He shook his head ruefully as he thought of it, of the fact that their relationship had deteriorated to the point that he didn't know something that was so important to his son. He reached out, gently touching Elmer's forehead,
brushing at his hair. He knew that Elmer had always thought that he had loved Edgar more but... Edgar had been older than Elmer when Emma had left though, had been easier to talk to and.... He should have tried harder with Elmer though, should have tried to find a way to fix things. He shook his head once more, trying to keep from crying himself, knowing it wouldn't help the situation and would only make Lona even worse.
"What happened to the man who did this?" Lona asked quietly. She was worried that if Elmer could hear them that mentioning the man who had hurt him could make him worse. If he could hear though, then why wasn't he waking up for them?
"Downstairs under guard." Louis chuckled slightly as he spoke,
taking a certain bit of pleasure out the man's fate. "They couldn't find his hand, you know. The theory is that Blondi ate it."
"That dog eats everything," Lona said softly as she stroked Elmer's fingers. Cold, why was he so cold, almost like he was.... No,
no, no! She couldn't think that, wouldn't let herself thing that.
"Rumor is that Blondi got Stegman's birthday cake too." Actually,
Louis wished that the dog had left that alone. If he had, then Stegman would have been at the hospital when that patient went nuts, would maybe be the one injured right now instead of his son. He firmly pushed that thought away. Anger with anyone now, even someone who deserved it as richly as Stegman, just served to take his focus and energy away from where it should be, on his son. He reached out and gently patted Lona's arm,
pulling her close and letting her rest her head against his shoulder.
"He's going to be okay," he said softly as he started to rub her back.
"He'll be up and around in no time."
Lona couldn't speak, just nodded silently as she continued to stroke Elmer's fingers. She wanted to believe what Louis was saying but looking at Elmer lying there so unnaturally still, it was just hard to think of anything but the worst. He was never that still, was always bouncing around. She felt a tear slipping down her cheek once more as she thought of it. Why wouldn't he just wake up? She had checked the EEG.
There was nothing wrong with him. So why in the world wasn't Elmer awake?
"Maybe he just needs to sleep for a bit?" Louis said quietly as he held Lona close. If Elmer would just wake up for a few minutes, though,
something to show that his son was going to be okay, then he would feel so much better. 'And if Elmer would just wake up,' he thought as he looked down at Lona, 'then he would do anything, whatever Elmer needed, to help him to win Lona.'
Chris nodded, gently patting Lona's shoulder once more before heading out the door after Hook. As they left, Louis and Lona moved to Elmer's bedside once more.
"Elmer?" Lona whispered softly as she reached out and took his hand in hers. She had to force back tears as she touched him. She was so used to Elmer being bouncy and full of life, always following her around like a little puppy dog and to see him like this, so still and silent, his hand limp in hers, broke her heart in a way that she didn't think was possible. What in the world was wrong with him? Why wasn't he waking up?
A vague idea was starting to form in the back of her head of something that she could do to help him but she was still so foggy from the sedative that she couldn't pull it to the forefront of her brain so that she could see it. "Louis?" She looked over at Elmer's father with heartbreak in her eyes, He had to hate her for this. Goodness knows that she hated herself for it.
"It's okay, Lona." Louis had been angry with her at first, for being okay when his son was hurt and he had to admit that he could still feel that anger bubbling in the back of his head. He wouldn't give in to it, though, wouldn't explode like he had once more. Elmer was going to be fine. They just had to figure out why in the world he wasn't waking up and fix it, He would be fine once they did that. And honestly if he let himself admit it, Elmer had done the right thing by saving Lona. If not for him, she would be either dead or paralyzed right now. He just wished his son would have moved a tiny bit faster and gotten out of the way as well.
"I'm sorry." Lona whispered softly to Louis, a tear slipping down her cheek as she spoke. "I never would have wanted Elmer to do this, to get hurt like this for me. Why? Why did he...." She bit her lip trying to keep from slipping into hysterics once more. Elmer was so young with his whole life ahead of him. Why would he risk it for her? She was so much older and she had already had a good life. She wasn't worth it. She shook her head as she thought of it. She definitely wasn't worth it. Her fingers gently stroked his as she thought. Yes, as soon as Elmer woke up she was going to have to do something, find someone for him, someone younger who would treat him the way that he deserved to be treated, someone better than her.
Louis looked over at Lona but held himself back from speaking.
There was something that he wanted to ask her but he knew that it was wildly inappropriate considering the circumstances. All it would do would be to heap guilt on her as well as pressure. Could she love Elmer by any chance though? For his son's sake, Louis feverently hoped so. He had always tried to play down Elmer's affection for Lona as a simple crush but it was pretty obvious now that it was definitely something more. He shook his head ruefully as he thought of it, of the fact that their relationship had deteriorated to the point that he didn't know something that was so important to his son. He reached out, gently touching Elmer's forehead,
brushing at his hair. He knew that Elmer had always thought that he had loved Edgar more but... Edgar had been older than Elmer when Emma had left though, had been easier to talk to and.... He should have tried harder with Elmer though, should have tried to find a way to fix things. He shook his head once more, trying to keep from crying himself, knowing it wouldn't help the situation and would only make Lona even worse.
"What happened to the man who did this?" Lona asked quietly. She was worried that if Elmer could hear them that mentioning the man who had hurt him could make him worse. If he could hear though, then why wasn't he waking up for them?
"Downstairs under guard." Louis chuckled slightly as he spoke,
taking a certain bit of pleasure out the man's fate. "They couldn't find his hand, you know. The theory is that Blondi ate it."
"That dog eats everything," Lona said softly as she stroked Elmer's fingers. Cold, why was he so cold, almost like he was.... No,
no, no! She couldn't think that, wouldn't let herself thing that.
"Rumor is that Blondi got Stegman's birthday cake too." Actually,
Louis wished that the dog had left that alone. If he had, then Stegman would have been at the hospital when that patient went nuts, would maybe be the one injured right now instead of his son. He firmly pushed that thought away. Anger with anyone now, even someone who deserved it as richly as Stegman, just served to take his focus and energy away from where it should be, on his son. He reached out and gently patted Lona's arm,
pulling her close and letting her rest her head against his shoulder.
"He's going to be okay," he said softly as he started to rub her back.
"He'll be up and around in no time."
Lona couldn't speak, just nodded silently as she continued to stroke Elmer's fingers. She wanted to believe what Louis was saying but looking at Elmer lying there so unnaturally still, it was just hard to think of anything but the worst. He was never that still, was always bouncing around. She felt a tear slipping down her cheek once more as she thought of it. Why wouldn't he just wake up? She had checked the EEG.
There was nothing wrong with him. So why in the world wasn't Elmer awake?
"Maybe he just needs to sleep for a bit?" Louis said quietly as he held Lona close. If Elmer would just wake up for a few minutes, though,
something to show that his son was going to be okay, then he would feel so much better. 'And if Elmer would just wake up,' he thought as he looked down at Lona, 'then he would do anything, whatever Elmer needed, to help him to win Lona.'