AGAIN
Chapter Two: Open Your Eyes
Cee Cee
"Where is my favorite girlfriend?" Adam asked coming into my office. I was working in this new magazine we were going to launch. Gurl zone Magazine was going to be the new Seventeen, or so we hoped.
"I better be your only girlfriend, Adam McTavish." I answered fake annoyed as he kissed my cheek.
"You know you are. That's another reason why you're my favorite." I rolled my eyes. "Are you ready to go?"
"Yeah, I just want to call Suze, maybe I can meet her for coffee later, I really hope she takes this job. It will be so good for her."
"Okay then, I'll go and get the car," he said with a smile, thinking he would get to drive Suze in his new car; he would drive anyone just to show off his new car. "See you downstairs."
My goof of a boyfriend… but I love him anyway.
I dialed Suze number; I knew Slater was already out of the house. No answer. I tried her cell. Still, no answer. Tried her department again. Nothing.
I was starting to get a very bad feeling.
Call it reporter's gut, but I'm not an award winning journalist – college level but still – just because. I do have a good sixth sense to know when something is wrong. So I tried one last number before going down to meet Adam for lunch.
"Ocean Drive building." The doorman answered.
"Hello there, Thomas. This is Cee Cee Webb, you know. Mrs. Slater's friend?"
"Sure thing, Miss Webb."
"Listen, I've been trying to call Mrs. Slater but I get no answer from her phone."
"Don't tell me! The lines are failing again! I'll call the company right away."
"No, the call gets in but she doesn't answer."
"That's odd. Mr. Slater went out at nine as he always does but I haven't seen Mrs. Susannah all day."
"Oh, well, I was wondering if you could go up there and check if she's alright. Would you please do that?"
He sounded hesitant for a moment, but said. "Sure, for you anything."
"Thanks. Could you tell her to give me a call if she is alright?"
"Of course."
"Thank you, Thomas. Have a nice day."
"You're welcome."
I hang up and picked up my purse, making sure my cell phone was on and with good reception and went to have lunch with my boyfriend.
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Jesse
"Dr. De silva?" Abby, my assigned Med Student said. When I turned to look at her she continued. "The paramedics are bringing in a patient, Caitlin told me to get you."
I nodded and we walked to the paramedics. "What do we have here?" I asked taking a chart.
"Twenty-Three year old female, has been unconscious for about three hours. Minor cuts in the hands."
"Where all the water came from?" Abby asked.
"She was found face down in the floor; apparently she was washing the breakfast dishes when she passed out, left the water running and well… the floor got soaked. So did she." Carlos, the paramedic said. "Her pupils are equal and reactive, her airway is free. B.P. 60/100. Other than that it's all normal, by the looks of it, I think she had a nervous breakdown."
I was writing everything down. "Thanks, guys, we take it from here. Any name?"
"The doorman who found her said her name was Mrs. Slater. Susannah Slater." Now I looked up just as Susannah was starting to stir.
"Holy Shi-" I uttered under my breath. "Susannah, do you hear me?" I asked. "Susannah… Open your eyes."
She did. There was confusion in those big green eyes of hers. She looked at me and then around. She looked fine, other than she was confused, her BP was starting to go up. Then Abby asked. "Mrs. Slater?" Susannah turned her face to Abby. "Would you like us to call your husband?"
Susannah stopped looking confused. Now she looked terrified. "No. Please, not him. Don't call him."
Abby and I looked at each other, while I checked Susannah's heartbeat; it was a bit fast but not enough to worry. "What about your mother? Or Doc-I mean David?"
"Mom?" she asked in a daze. "Yes, mom…" She said and then stayed quiet as Abby and I worked on her.
"Physically she seems fine." Abby told me outside Trauma one, where we had Susannah. "She is low on her weight, which might explain the low blood pressure. But she seems very upset. Especially if you mention her husband. Do you think there is domestic violence?"
Better that bastard didn't land a hand on her… "I don't know, call social work. And could you get me the phone number for Ackerman's in the Hills?"
…………
After I called Susannah's mother, I was waiting for the social worker to finish talking to her. I never expected to see her like that again. She looked sick, that's for sure. But what bothered me the most was the sad look on her face and that scared look in her eyes when Slater was mentioned.
"So what's the verdict?" I asked Sherry Wendell, the social worker.
"Well, Mrs. Slater," Everyone seems lo enjoy calling her that. "Is very lucid, for what she described she had the classical form of a nervous breakdown, which is odd given her age and the fact that she seems to have no economical worries. So I asked about her marriage, she started to cry… so I think that's the source. She said that her husband hasn't hit her in…"
"Has he hit her?"
Sherry looked down at her notes: "Yes. Last time was over a year ago when he found out she was still taking contraceptives, he wants to have kids, she doesn't. I don't blame her… but anyway…he slapped her but Mrs. Slater says it has never gone farther than that. All in all there aren't sings of physical abuse but it was an abusive marriage none the less."
"Damn." I said more to myself than to Sherry. I started to rant in Spanish, something that I still do.
"Do you know them? Mrs. and Mr. Slater?" Sherry asked, curious, she knows I never speak much about my pass beyond five years ago, when I entered med school
"Yes." I said shortly.
"This most be difficult for you, maybe you should ask Jeremy to step in for you?"
"No is okay." I said, knowing it or not, I had a hand in all of this, I wasn't going to step out so easily.
"Your job." Sherry answered. She thinks I take my job to seriously. "I'm in till five. Want to grab early dinner after?"
"Sure." I said absently, my hand in the knob; I needed to speak with Susannah before her mother got here.
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Suze
"Have you loved enough?"
That little voice kept asking.
"No." It came another voice; it was so soft I almost didn't heard. "No. I'm not done." The voice sounded rusty from disuse. I figure it was my own voice, finally finding its way, it had been silent for so long that it sounded new, but it was mine.
"Then open your eyes."
"Susannah… Open your eyes." That voice I did recognize. And I always would. I did as bid and I saw Jesse. I almost fainted right there, if it weren't because this girl in a white coat asked if I wanted her to call Paul.
I almost went hysteric… Then Jesse said he would call my mom… that would be nice, almost never did Paul let me see mom. So I just stayed there… you know, letting them do whatever they want. I knew Jesse had become a doctor, as he always wanted, Father Dom had told me – when I was able to sneak in a phone call or a quick visit to the mission – and I knew he would never hurt me… well, no as a doctor.
I did go into hysterics when this social worker came, and finally I got cue to tell someone everything I had inside. I was done and I felt drained and I didn't know what the hell was I going to do.
So I just sat there, waiting for mom…
Mom's are supposed to have answers right?
Well… I hoped she at least had a lead.
I had just finished blowing my nose when Jesse came in… why did he had to be so handsome! He looked totally delectable in that doctor outfit of his. Not that it mattered, not anymore. He probably still didn't want anything to do with me, and I was married, dammit! And I've never been a cheater.
"How are you feeling?" He asked, sting by my bed side.
"I'm not really sure."
Then he explained all to me, about having a nervous breakdown and that I would be fine. "You mother should be here any second. Why don't you try to sleep for a while?"
I nodded and slumped down in the bed. Jesse pulled the sheet up to my chin. Then it occurred to me, "Please, don't let him call Paul, please." I didn't want to see him, I didn't exactly know what I was going to do now, but I knew I didn't want to go back to him… I wanted to be clean again, one, myself, whole…
"Don't worry querida." He said kissing the top of my head. "You just try to sleep."
He had called me querida, like he used to do… I don't think he noticed.
Not half an hour later my mom arrived, with Andy, David, Brad and Jake… apparently they all were worried about me.
"Oh, Suzie!" Mom launched herself at me. "Are you okay? Is she going to be fine?" Mom asked Jesse.
"She will be, Mrs. Ackerman. I'm going to keep her in for observation tonight, but you're free to take her home tomorrow." Jesse was acting all cool and professional. And was making sure to call me Susannah, if the querida had slipped out once, it wasn't going to happen again. "Now, Susannah, get some rest. I'll come back to check on you later."
"Thanks, Jesse." I said, letting my mom hug me like when I was little.
"No problem."
Once he was out, mom spoke again. "Oh, Susie, you should have told me! You should have told me things were bad between Paul and you."
"I'm sorry mom" I said, she didn't know half of it. "Hey, can I go home with you guys when I'm let out here?" I asked, looking at Mom and Andy.
"Of course, honey. Your room is right like you left it. It'll be like the old times."
"Yeah." I said, I could still see Jesse outside my room, talking to a nurse. "Like the old times."
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Jesse
It was six o'clock in the afternoon when my cell phone rang. I know, I know, me and a cell phone… but it's important to have one for medical emergencies, or so my friend Jeremy said. We had been friends all through medical school and when we both were assigned to Carmel Memorial as students and then as residents.
"De Silva." I said into the cell phone.
"Jesse? I thought you said you could meet me for early dinner?" Sherrie's voice came.
I'm always forgetting our dates.
"I'm sorry, things got kind of complicated here." I said, I did feel sorry, we had been dating for almost six months and I kept forgetting our dates. She sighed angrily.
"Fine. We'll reschedule." She said.
"Um… Jesse?" I turned to see David and his brother's standing there.
"Listen, Sherry, I need to check on a patient, I'll give you a call when I get home." I said and cut the communication.
"Sorry to interrupt." David said. "We just wanted to thank you, for calling today. Helen had been worried about Suze for a while."
"Its okay, David." I said. I was about to say goodbye when Brad stopped me.
"You are friends with Suze, right?" he asked looking at me very intently.
"We were acquainted with each other in the pass." I answered.
"Like hell, you were the guy she kept sneaking in her room, wasn't it?"
Both David and I shot him nasty looks.
"Brad, shut up." Jake said.
Then the four of us got distracted. "Hi, I'm looking for my wife, Susannah Slater?" Paul was asking in admission desk.
"You're Paul Slater?"
"Yes. Is my wife here?"
"Yes. But you're not allowed to see her. Her doctor forbids it."
"What? What's the name of this clown?"
"Let me see, let me see." The girl said. "Dr. De Silva, he's over there." She pointed at me and Susannah's stepbrothers.
Paul looked at us and started to walk towards us, clearly pissed off. "Rico Suave, so we meet again." He said sardonically. "Now, what is that that I can't see MY wife?" The emphasis in the "MY" I did not appreciate.
"Those were her wishes. As her doctor I'm bound to do as she asks."
"She told you she doesn't want to see me?"
"More or less. Now please exit the hospital before I call security."
"Listen, Suze is my wife and I'm taking her out of this low life hospital right now."
"You're not getting anywhere near her," David said.
"Are you going to stop me, boy?" He said looking at David, who had grown up quite a bit.
"Slater, you have never been among my favorite persons," Jake said. "If you try to get anywhere near our sister we, the three of us, are going to take turns and beat you into a bloody smear in the wall, now leave."
Paul swore and left the room, threatening he would be back.
I knew it wouldn't be the last time I'll hear from him.
End of Chapter Two.
Notes:
Thanks to everyone who reviewed!
Hope you like this chapter.
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