Chapter Seventeen - A Void Within
Henry stood holding the hospital room door open, he paused for a moment catching a glimpse of Elizabeth, her soft smile that once set his soul on fire was breaking his heart, she looked so fragile and scared, hurt and above all vulnerable. Henry was desperate to break before her, collapse into her arms and let his own vulnerabilities through, but given the circumstances which cased him to leave Geneva he didn't feel able to, instead he was consumed with guilt and confusion. He shook his head and smiled as the doctors and nurses left the room, and the kids all came running in through the door to greet their mother.
'Woahhh Slow down, your mom has a lot of injuries' but it was no use, his orders were dismissed as they reached for her, clinging on to any part of her body they could grab. Elizabeth nuzzled her head into each one of them in turn, kissing them tenderly as she repeated her own apologies, constant reassurances poured from her as she too clung to her babies.
'I love you mom' Jason whispered and Elizabeth teared up, she instant looked over to Henry, desperately seeking some strength from him so she didn't cry, but he wasn't there, he'd gone. A sharp intake of breath parted from her lips as she swallowed back the lump in her throat. 'Are you ok?' Jason asked wiping his eyes.
'Yes, yeah I am fine, I love you too slugger, and you Stevie, and you Noodle' she gushed, kissing each child on the forehead as she spoke.
'I am so glad you're ok mom, and I am so thankful that dad left early and wasn't involved, I don't think I could have handled the two of you being hurt' Stevie sighed heavily as she sat back on her mothers bed. Elizabeth nodded, her mind still hazed, the tiny pieces of the events escaping her, but something deep down was telling her that things were not right, that something was wrong. Dad left early continued to ring in her ears.
'Where is dad?' Alison looked over her shoulder and Stevie shrugged. 'Why did he leave Geneva without you mom?' She asked. Elizabeth shook her head and tried to speak but her mouth ran dry.
'She might not remember Ali, remember what dad said about her injuries?' Stevie whispered but it didn't go unnoticed by Elizabeth.
'I don't remember Ali, sorry baby you'll have to ask your dad. I…I didn't even know I was in Geneva' she ran her hand through her hair and squeezed her eyes shut, the fog within her memory intensified the more she tried to think.
'Whats the last thing you remember?' Stevie pressed her. Elizabeth silently groaned, this is where she needed Henry, he would stop the interrogation, protect her. Her body shook as her eyes frantically searched the room for him, he still wasn't there. She let out a slow shallow breathe as she turned to her daughter.
'Urm… Iran I think' she paused, some moments were vivid but she had no recollection of when they were, if they were pre-Iran or recent events. Ali and Stevie shared awkward glances whilst Jason chuckled,
'Well, at least Dad is off the hook, that means you won't remember why you've made him sleep on the couch for the last two nights' He laughed
'JASON!' Both Stevie and Ali scowled at him. The sound of the girls shouting pierced through Elizabeths mind, causing a ricochet of pain down her body. She buried her head in her hands and slowly tried to calm her breathing as the panic and confusion arose within.
"What' Jason shrugged, but was quickly shut down with a glare from Stevie. He scoffed in frustration 'Fine, Mom I'll see you later I am going to call Piper' he kissed Elizabeths cheek and pulled out his phone as he exited the room.
'Stevie' Alison whispered as she nodded towards her mom, Stevie nodded silently and left to find her dad. Elizabeths mind was in overdrive, so many thoughts consuming her. Iran, Geneva, Piper? Who Is Piper?, why was Henry sleeping on the couch? He never sleeps down there. I knew something was off. Why wasn't he in Geneva, Why was he in Geneva with me, Why was I there, wait… who is Dimitri? Why is that name in my head, no one has mentioned a Dimitri? Have they…Her breathing became labile as her mind raced, she had lost all sense of her surroundings as she buried her head deeper into her hands, gripping at her hair to try and steady herself.
She felt a reassuring hand on her shoulder and she began to shake beneath as the emotion consumed her. She was pulled in for a hug, a very tight hold at that, one she deeply needed. She inhaled the scent that surrounded her and pushed the physical pain to one side as she soaked up the love from her husband as he held her tight.
'Shhh baby, Shhh' he soothed and slowly began rocking her as gently as possible. Her nails dug into him as she gripped onto his jumper, her soft whimpers of pain and exhaustion muffed into his chest as she battled her own mind. Henry just stayed silent and held her close a part of him thankful that when it mattered he pushed past everything to be there for Elizabeth, he found it oddly reassuring, it confirmed that he did love her, despite recent thoughts he hadn't expressed. Elizabeth slowly pulled away and swallowed heavy lumps of emotion.
With a sad smile Henry pulled his sleeve over his hand and softly wiped away her tears. Her broken blue eyes lay upon him and she pressed her lips together tightly.
'Are you ok?' He almost whispered, aware the air between them was fragile. She nodded and cleared her throat,
'I have so many questions' she shook her head as the thoughts began to gather momentum once again. 'I can't…I don't know…I'm so confused Henry' she whimpered and bit the inside of her lip hard to suppress the tears.
'Why don't we make a list, and we can start to go through them, one by one' he paused and she nodded, 'But…but Elizabeth you have to agree that we will not answer everything tonight, just one or two questions at a time?' He warned, to his surprise she didn't event attempt to argue with him. 'Ok, sit back for me' he stood up off the bed and plumped her pillows before helping her readjust her position, once she was settled back and calmer he pulled the chair closer to her bed and instantly covered her hands with his.
'Ok, so how about two questions tonight, and then you need to get some rest, I can bring you a pen and paper tomorrow and you can start writing things down, that might help'
'Ok..urm… I can't think, it's to-' she groaned in frustration as she trailed off unable to finish her sentence. Henry caressed her hands and waited patiently with her until she found herself willing to speak again.
'Conrad?' She whispered, Henry understood what she was asking and paused for a moment, trying to find the words to say.
'He's injured. He is stable, you don't need to worry, but the medical team are putting him into an induced coma, why I don't know, so don't waste the second question asking that' he chuckled as he teased her. 'I went to speak with Lydia, that's where I was a moment ago, I wanted to make sure she was ok, She is fine, But in his absence Teresa Hurst is acting President, and your job is safe, awaiting your return when you're well enough'
Elizabeth nodded as he spoke, thankfully that he was speaking slower than normal allowing her time to process the information. She wanted to know more about Conrad but she also know her mind was struggling enough, the additional stimulus would push her back over the edge.
'Thank you' she whispered. 'Next question?' She asked and Henry nodded waiting for her to speak…
'I've got a name in my head but I don't know why, I don't even know if you will know why but,…Who is Dimitri?'