A new face after the race

Chapter 37

Elizabeth walked towards Emily's hospital room. She felt she can finally see her friend, she had it figured out. It was going to take a while to completely forget what she learned, but she could finally see Emily without seeing an abused person calling for help.

She met the doctor as he came out and he smiled softly at her. Dr. Quartermaine was a friend of her grandmother's and she knew him well, you could say.

"Morning Dr. Quartermaine." Elizabeth said politely.

The doctor was just as polite. "Morning Elizabeth, are you here to see Emily?" He asked, hoping as much. Maybe Emily's friend could lift her spirits. Emily seemed to be deeply depressed and wasn't eating, sleeping little, despite the pain she must be in.

"Yeah, I am. How is she doing today?" Elizabeth asked, full of hope. She was glad to hear Emily was doing well a few days ago, but sensed some trouble when the doctor hesitated in answering.

"She seems depressed, and that worries me. She isn't eating much, and the only way she will gain her strength back is to eat." The doctor reported.

"Maybe it's the hospital food." Elizabeth suggested.

The doctor gave her a smile of encouragement. "I agree, the hospital food isn't all that great, but that isn't the problem. Emily is. She just plays with the food and waits until the nurse or I leave before turning it away fully." He explained.

Elizabeth frowned. "Is she sleeping?" She asked, curious why neither Jason nor anyone else knew what was happening. It could have been a sudden thing, but that she doubted.

"It's hard to say. The pain killers usually knock her out, but she hasn't wanted them for a couple days. I'm guessing if she sleeps at all, it's not long. The last time I know she's slept, it wasn't deep, the conscious sleep I personally call it." The doctor responded.

Elizabeth waited for the doctor to translate what he said in understandable English with a patient look. "That means she closes her eyes and rests, but isn't really sleeping." The doctor followed after she gave a blank look.

Elizabeth nodded in understanding. "I see, what does that mean for Emily? Is it stalling her healing time?" She asked, curious.

"No, she's still healing, but not as much as she should be if she slept and ate. Those are big factors with her healing and to be frank, she's not doing either." Dr. Quartermaine answered.

"So what could I do about it? I can't make Emily eat or sleep. I don't have control of her, no one does." Elizabeth asked a little confused about what the doctor was saying.

"No, your right, but if you could get Emily to open up and talk about what is making her so depressed, and making her not sleep and eat, perhaps we could find a solution where she does. It's essential with Emily's already weak body." The doctor persuaded her.

Elizabeth nodded again. "I shall see what I can do." She turned and the doctor walked to continue monitoring his patients.

She took a deep breath for strength and opened the door. She entered and closed it behind her. She studied the room first.

IT was nice and big, comfortable. It was one of the nicest rooms in the hospital she saw. Simple, but motivated the patient for a good recovery, so it could be used again after they had. However, it was doing Emily no good.

She turned towards the bed, where Emily was. She was facing the window, and didn't acknowledge her presence at all. The breakfast was untouched and sitting on the table. Emily looked to be asleep, but somehow Elizabeth doubted she was. She was probably just lost in thought.

She walked over to where she was and took a seat near her. "Emily?" She called, looking for attention. Emily made no movement to acknowledge Elizabeth's presence again.

With a sigh of despair and disappointment, she walked to the other side of the bed. She frowned again. Emily was depressed to say the least.

Emily's eyes were open, but there was no emotion in them, it was as if she shut them off. She wasn't smiling and she wasn't frowning, she was just lifeless. There was no life there at all.

Elizabeth would have thought she was dead if she didn't move occasionally or blink for that matter. Okay, this was scary, Elizabeth thought. She must make Emily say something, move, or else she was going to start freaking out in fear.

"Emily, it's me Elizabeth. I came to visit you." She said and got absolutely no reaction whatsoever. "I'm sorry I didn't come sooner, I was just figuring out some things." There was still no reaction. "Emily, say something, acknowledge my presence, anything!" Elizabeth begged desperately.

She had never seen Emily so lifeless since they met and became friends. Emily was never happy, but she wasn't ever this uninterested either.

Emily finally blinked and Elizabeth found she got Emily's attention. "Elizabeth." Emily said neutrally, cool.

Elizabeth managed a smile. "Hey, everything okay?" She tried being happy for Emily's sake, maybe it'd be contagious.

Emily shook her head. "No, not really." She admitted, with some more emotion this time around.

"Anything you want to talk about?" Elizabeth suggested, trying to figure out the problem, though it'd be easier if Emily would say what it was.

Emily said nothing, just looked at the object in her hand. It was a small book, and had a red cover. She couldn't read what it said, but soon figured it out. It was her diary, the one Lucky read, and that was the clue to what was wrong.

It was Lucky, again, of all things. Lucky had done it again and now she was again cleaning up the pieces. "Lucky told you huh?" Elizabeth asked.

"No, that man he tracked down did. Lucky could have told me when I was out cold, but I obviously didn't hear." Emily said, being more specific.

"If it helps any, no one liked Lucky's actions." Elizabeth said, hoping that'd help.

Emily shrugged. "It doesn't matter, what is done is done." Elizabeth sensed more truth in that cryptic message, but didn't push it.

"Your right and I'm really sorry. The betrayal you must feel, I know your past is very personal, and not to mention that was invasion of privacy." Elizabeth replied, trying to make light of it because it obviously wasn't.

Emily didn't acknowledge her apology, but stated a fact. "You know." Emily said as if the whole world was forever cursed and it probably was in her point of view.

Elizabeth nodded. "Yeah, I know of your past. It's terrible." Elizabeth didn't bother with an apology, though she wanted to, but the fact was it couldn't have been changed. An apology was just a couple words, filled with pity, something Emily never liked.

Emily laughed as if evilly. "Yeah, terrible, my past was just terrible." She said with obvious sarcasm.

Emily must think it's all out. She had done everything to keep it hidden, and now it only increased with Lucky reading about it. She didn't know what to do to help Emily through those feelings.

"How's that saying go, what hurts you only makes you stronger?" Elizabeth tried motivation.

"Yeah, I guess." Emily didn't acknowledge the motivational part.

"Is there anything I can do?" Elizabeth wanted to help her friend, but didn't know what she could. It was all Emily's duty, and it was a heavy one.

"No, nothing unless you have magical powers and can change the past." Emily was obviously being sarcastic.

Elizabeth changed the subject. "Has Lucky been around today?" She asked, hoping that would make Emily happy. Lucky usually did.

"No, not since he gave me back my diary." Emily answered, impassive as ever.

Now it all made sense. Why Emily was so depressed. Lucky had to admit his crimes to her, returned what was rightfully hers, and disappeared. That was what happened. He felt so guilty he stayed away from Emily, thinking it had been the right thing to do. The idiot, it only made him look worse.

He definitely deserved a word or two. "Why don't you sleep?" Elizabeth suggested, knowing it was tempting. Emily looked so tired.

"Sleep sounds nice." Emily murmured as her eyelids closed and finally fell asleep.

Elizabeth quietly left the room and closed the door, wanting Emily to sleep. It was very much needed. She took out her cell phone and looked for Lucky's home telephone number.

She called and got Luke Spencer, Lucky's dad. "Hi, Mr. Spencer. Is she Lucky there?" She asked sweetly and politely though she felt anything but those things.

"No, actually he isn't. Could I take a message?" Luke asked, over the phone.

"No, that's okay. Do you, perhaps, know where he went?" Elizabeth asked, mentally adding: so I could give him a deadly piece of my mind.

"Work, surprisingly enough." Luke said and it was a surprise, but it only made her angrier. So he's throwing himself into his work to forget about Emily. Nice Lucky, really nice, Elizabeth thought.

"Okay, thanks Mr. Spencer." Elizabeth hung up and fished around her pockets for her keys. Usually she walked during the nice days they'd been having, but this needed to be said now.

She went down into the parking lot, where her car was and drove it to the headquarters where Lucky worked. She entered the double, glass doors and made her way to the receptionist. She smiled at Elizabeth. "Hello, what can I do for you?" Elizabeth personally wanted to wipe off that smile, so much it hurt but didn't, but the urge was there. It was just the lady's job, not her fault.

"Yes, I need to see a Lucky Spencer immediately." Elizabeth stretched the immediately, in serious tones.

"The computer specialist?" The lady asked, knowing only one Lucky Spencer.

"Yes, that's him." Elizabeth smiled sweetly, though really impatient.

"He's on his rounds; could you wait for him in his office?" The lady asked.

Elizabeth wanted to scream an impatient "no!", but didn't. She pasted on a patient face and stiffly said "Yes, I'm in no hurry." She openly lied, but doubted the lady noticed. She probably saw many people each day in a hurry that was openly rude and obnoxious.

"His office is on the fourth floor, down the right, room 440." The lady answered and Elizabeth thanked her and walked to the elevator. She got off on the fourth floor and easily found Lucky's office. It was open and unlocked, so she invited herself in.

Lucky's office was messy, but that was expected. Lucky had and never will be an organized person. Everyone had come to terms with that sentence. Lucky's poor parents, how had they gone through Lucky's messiness for all these years?

He had a desk, a chair behind it and a computer on it too. It wasn't too personal, for the exception of a photo of him and Emily from last summer. Everything was so great then, happy, nothing could go wrong.

She settled herself into Lucky's chair behind the desk, preparing herself to be the boss for this argument. It was comfortable; she'd die for it to be in her room, so she could do homework in style. Though there might have been a problem of her falling asleep in the process.

She was like that when Lucky came in. The door opened and it took Lucky a moment to register that Elizabeth was there and most of all in his chair. "Elizabeth?" He questioned. "What are you doing here?" He was curious. She had never come to see him like this before. No one had except Jax, his boss so he had a right.

Elizabeth gave him a direct look that said I'm in charge here; with a stiff smile. "Lucky, good you're here. I have some things I need to say to you." She said in all seriousness.

Lucky smiled and prepared himself. This wasn't going to be pretty.

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