A Caring Deception – Chapter 4
Lee paced back and forth in front of her chair in the waiting room. She realized she had left her pain killers at home, and left in such a rush, she had forgotten to take one at her scheduled time. The building pain was starting to become unbearable.
Watching as Amanda leaned her head against the wall, Lee walked up to the nurses' station again. "Can we at least wait in the exam room, these chairs aren't the most comfortable things in the world," he complained, and swore he saw the young woman roll her eyes at him.
"Sir, I told you, Dr. Felton got called into emergency surgery. The on call doctor is on her way, please be patient," the red head explained, and glanced toward the patient. She stood up, "Is she alright?"
Not looking back he clenched his teeth together, "I have been trying to tell you she's not! She was shot last week!"
Ignoring his tirade, she moved quickly around the horse shoe shaped desk to triage the young woman nearly unconscious in the plastic chair. "Ma'am, Mrs. King, can you hear me?" she asked taking her pulse.
A small moan escaped Amanda's mouth. She tried to open her eyes and focus, but found it nearly impossible.
"Tom, bring me a gurney," the RN shouted. "Amanda, can you tell me what day it is?"
Lee could taste bile rising in his throat, and had never in his life felt more helpless. "What's wrong with her? Help her please," he pleaded.
"Do you know what medication she's on Mr. King?" the nurse asked as the requested gurney arrived.
Lee chose not to correct her assumption, moved around to Amanda, gently lifted her from the chair, and laid her on the gurney. "I don't know what she was given," he finally answered.
"Get one of the ER residents up here, and Mrs. King's medical file," the red head instructed another nurse as she wheeled Amanda down the hallway.
Lee followed close behind.
The nurse was immediately checking her patient's stats, and had an oxygen mask securely in place before Lee even saw her get it out. Trying to stay out of the way, he looked on in concern from the doorway.
"Rebecca, what do we have?" a young woman asked rushing into the room.
"Dr. Anderson. Amanda King. Recovering from a gunshot wound to left abdomen, and shoulder injury. She presented with some bleeding from a broken suture. She lost consciousness two minutes ago. Pulse is 88, BP 150 over 82. O2 started at 8:32. Medication…" the nurse consulted the chart, "Percocet 30 mg every six hours and phenergan 25 mg for nausea."
Nodding the doctor walked around the table, and lifted her shirt to evaluate the wound. Lee flinched after seeing the blood soaked gauze. "When did she have her last dosage of percocet?" she asked looking up at Lee.
Nodding his head, he started doing some math. He had snuck into the house after he realized Dotty and the boys were gone. Making his way up to her room, he was surprised to see the bed occupied. Remembering the time on her alarm clock, he glanced down at his watch. "As far as I know it's been over six hours," he commented, nearly positive she hadn't remembered to take a pill before they left. He had her too flustered to think about her medication. His guilt multiplied. He had shot her, caused her to break her stitches, and was to blame for her missed pain killers.
"Has she been doing anything strenuous in the past hour?" the doctor continued with her assessment, examining pupil dilation with her flashlight.
Amanda jerked away from the light.
"Does arguing count?" he asked sheepishly.
Grasping at the oxygen mask, Amanda's eyes flickered open. "Lee?"
Rushing to her side, he grabbed her hand, and stroked her hair back with his other hand. "I'm right here Amanda," he told her, pushing the oxygen mask back on. "Leave this on."
"Mrs. King, when was the last time you took your prescriptions?" Dr. Anderson asked her removing the gauze from her side.
"I haven't taken one since I was released this morning. I got home and went straight to bed," she confessed.
"Rebecca, can you get an IV dose of morphine please? 10 mg," the young woman instructed.
Amanda shook her head, "I don't need morphine, and would rather not have an IV."
"Amanda," Lee scolded but was stopped short by an icy glare from his friend.
"I don't want to stay here tonight, and I didn't like how the morphine made feel," she told the group hovering over her.
Nodding the doctor changed her orders, "20 mg of percocet by IV," she instructed and looked down at Amanda, "You'll be off the IV by the time I'm done with this incision. Now, I'm going to roll you over and take a look at your exit wound. Make sure those sutures are still all in tact."
Hearing the words 'exit wound' suddenly made her injury very real to Lee. With Lee's help, she rolled to her side.
--/--
Three hours later, Lee and Amanda found themselves back in the corvette heading toward Arlington. Neither was willing to talk, it was almost midnight and they were mentally and physically exhausted.
Lee held a gentle grip on her hand, and would only release it to shift. Amanda for her part was struggling to stay awake.
"Amanda, why don't you stay at my apartment tonight? It's only a few blocks away, and I know how to keep an eye on you if you have anymore complications," he suggested, hoping she would say yes. "Dr. Anderson had some sample packets and gave me a few extra pain killers incase we didn't make it back to your house before you needed another pill."
Silence greeted him.
"Amanda?" he repeated, and looked over at his companion. She was awake, but clearly not 'all there'. He smirked slightly, he rarely saw her take a sip of alcohol, never mind a schedule 2 narcotic.
"Hm? Oh yeah, Lee that's fine. I can sleep on your couch," she answered, her words slurred with drowsiness and drugs.
Turning the corner, he shook his head. "Amanda King you are not sleeping on the couch," he told her parking the car. Taking the keys out of the ignition, he practically jumped over the hood, in order to reach her before she even had a chance to open the door. He opened the door for her, helped her unbuckle the seat belt she was struggling with.
He gently slipped his arms under her knees and behind her back.
"Lee, stop, I'm not an invalid," she protested.
"Amanda these seats are hard enough to get out of when you're healthy," he explained lifting her with ease. He felt her relax immediately in his embrace. She was asleep before they crossed the street.
Reaching the entrance to his building, the doorman opened the glass doors for them. "Had a little too much fun tonight Mr. Stetson?" he asked with a knowing smile.
Not wanting to waste time explaining, he merely nodded politely and headed for the elevators. The ride up allowed him a moment to process everything he had just learned. Looking down at her, he knew if the positions had been reversed he would have done the same thing, but that thought was quickly replaced with the idea that there positions would have never been reversed. He was sure she would have found a less dangerous plan.
The elevator doors slid open; he walked quickly to his door and deftly unlocked it with out disturbing Amanda's rest. Once inside, he shut the door with his foot, and moved directly to the bedroom. Gently laying her on the bed, he took a step back. Studying her, it looked like she had lost weight and her pale skin stood out against her dark hair that framed her face.
He was still angry, but it wasn't directed toward her. He was frustrated that he hadn't been at her bedside day one, he was ashamed at himself for allowing her to lay along the creek bed alone and bleeding and he was furious at Billy and Francine for hiding the truth from him.
Despite all those feelings, he felt confused when he realized how amazing Amanda was, protecting him, and lengths she went to for him. The conflicting emotions were giving him a headache. He closed his eyes. The mental image of her lying on the cold ground, blood pooling around her, struggling to stay awake, flashed through his mind. The look of pain and fear he imagined on her face was too much, and he bolted for the bathroom.
Amanda sensed his presence, but she really didn't want to open her eyes. The drugs had relaxed her, and for the first time in over a week she felt very little pain. She didn't want to open her eyes and ruin the moment.
Hearing his sudden retreat, and the close of the bathroom door, concern overrode her desire to fall asleep. Her eyes opened slowly, and she glanced toward his bathroom. She could hear him vomiting.
She saw him open the door, and exit the bedroom. Hearing the clink of ice, Amanda knew what he was doing, and decided he needed some intervention. Rolling to her right, she was able to sit up with little difficulty.
Leaning heavily against the door way, she silently watched him bring a glass full of an amber liquid to his lips. She noted his shaky hands, and decided to announce her presence. "Lee that's not going to make anything better," she spoke softly.
His head whipped around to see her watching him. "You should be sleeping Amanda," he informed her gently.
Walking over to the couch, she pointed toward the cushion next to him, "This seat taken?"
A small smile graced his face, "I was saving it for you." He watched her closely as she sat down, looking for any sign of trouble. Once she was settled, he took another drink.
Amanda shifted slightly to face her partner, and watched his jaw clench after downing the rest of the alcohol. "Feel better now?" she asked nodding toward the empty glass.
"No," was his only reply as he poured another glass.
They sat in silence until his glass was once again empty. "Now do you feel better?" she repeated her question.
"A little," he said, unable to look at her. "Amanda, you should go lie down."
"And let you self destruct out here by yourself? I don't think so Scarecrow," she explained, placing her hand on his arm.
Looking down, Lee tried to control his emotions. He set his glass down on the coffee table, leaned back, covered her hand with his, and turned to meet her eyes.
Amanda was unprepared for the level of emotion she saw in the man she considered unshakable.
Lee moved his hand from hers and cupped her cheek. "Amanda, I am so sorry," he choked out before being consumed with tears.
"Oh Lee, it's ok, I'm ok," she told him, hoping her words would get through to him.
He reached out for her, and pulled her into a gentle embrace. "No Amanda, it's not ok. You have a bullet hole because I pulled the trigger," he said stroking her shoulder.
Amanda placed her hand on his chest, and could feel his heart beating wildly. "And what do you think would have happened had you not pulled the trigger?" she didn't expect an answer; she merely needed to insert the logical thought. "I accepted the risk Lee, I—"
"—because you trusted me. You trusted my aim," he interrupted.
"I did trust you. I do trust you," she clarified. "You got help to me in time. You saved my life."
A frustrated groan escaped him. "Don't try to turn this around Amanda. Just let me wallow in self pity for a while, huh?" he asked her.
"Ok, but just for tonight," she agreed recognizing the turn in his mood. Unable to stifle a yawn, she quickly apologized. "Sorry, it's the drugs."
Squeezing her toward him slightly, he released her and stood. "Let's get you to bed," he told her, and offered his hand to help her stand.
In the bedroom, he pulled back the covers, and helped her ease into bed.
Sensing his hesitation to leave her alone, she smiled up at him sheepishly. "Can you stay here tonight?" she asked him, nodding toward the other side of the bed.
"You sure?" he asked, knowing how particular she was about sharing a bed.
Nodding, she squeezed his hand, "Yeah. I think we both need to know we're ok tonight."
"Yeah," he acknowledged, kicked off his shoes, and laid down on top of the covers.
She settled in against him, allowing his arm to drape around her.
"Is this ok?" he felt suddenly very unsure of himself.
In reply, she took his hand, and intertwined her fingers with his. "You know, Lee. I was so scared," she spoke quietly knowing talking about it would help them both heal.
Lee remained silent.
"I thought I was going to die," Amanda admitted. "But the worst part was thinking about you. You, knowing what you had done." She paused unsure if either was ready for the truth on her lips. "I tried to come up with a plan… I didn't want… If I threw myself into the water…"
"You didn't want anyone to find your body," he finished for her. The thought brought fresh tears to his eyes. "Amanda King you are the bravest most caring person I know. I don't deserve you."
"Someone thinks you do… I'm pretty tough to get rid of," she told him, her eyes drifting shut.
Feeling her breathing change, he knew she was asleep. "I'm never letting you get away," he promised, and he too drifted off to sleep.
THE END?
You tell me. I thought about going on, but don't want to be accused of beating a dead horse.