Dr. Benedict held up an x-ray sheet, looking it over. The look on his face was not solemn, but he was puzzled. He set the x-ray sheet down and looked over the paperwork on his clipboard. He turned his head left and set his clipboard down and went over to the shelf of medical records and pulled down a folder, opening it and going through the information in it about his patient. He looked at another x-ray that was taken back in March.
Dr. Benedict walked out into the hallway, pinching his thumb and forefinger between his eyes, his head was bowed. He lowered his hand and lifted his head and looked over at his friend and coworker.
Elena stood outside the hospital room with her arms folded, looking in through the small window. Her eyes were bright. She looked as though she had been crying.
Dr. Benedict sighed through his nose and walked over to her, not knowing what to say or how she would react. He held his clipboard to his chest as he approached her.
"What did you find out?" Elena asked, without turning or looking at him.
Lying in a hospital bed, trapped in a comatose state of mind, Sophia looked at though she were in a very deep sleep. Having gone into a seizure, the motionless child fell into an unconsciousness from which nobody knew when she would awaken from.
Anton was sitting in a chair next to her bed. He kept his eyes on her, half-expecting to see her wake up. Marge stood next to him, placing a comforting hand on his shoulder. He didn't look away from the child. Norm was sitting in a chair by the window, watching them. His face was forlorn.
The door opened. The three adults looked over and saw Elena walk into the room. She shut the door behind her.
Marge came around the bed and walked over to her cousin. "What happened?"
"I just got done talking with Dr. Benedict", Elena told her. "He doesn't know what caused her seizure yet."
Norm came over and asked, "Have the doctors found out anything?"
"No", said Elena. "Marty is doing everything he can." With that said, Elena walked between the two and went over to Anton, who stood up and looked at her just as she came over to him. His face was blank, devoid of emotion. There was no need for them to use words or engage in conversation about the situation. Elena sensed it, the same as him. Her lips trembling, she allowed a sob to burst from them, lowering her head. She buried her face into his chest, wrapping her arms around him. Anton held onto her in a tight embrace, placing his hand on the back of her head. He closed his eyes, his fingers curled into her hair.
They stayed at the hospital for two days, waiting to see if anything would change. Dr. Benedict ran every test twice and still found no answer to his patient's dilemma. For two days, Sophia did not awaken. She remained locked in a coma, breathing lightly. Marge and Norm came by on the evening of the second day to see if there was any progress. There were no new changes. Elena remained by the child's side, almost never leaving the room. Anton kept a close eye on Sophia, as well. It hurt for Elena to see her child like this. She had seen her go through with leukemia in the past, but never anything like this. She did not understand why this had to happen to her child, especially now. There had to have been a reason. If not, Elena didn't wish to know the reason. Whatever it was, it made her angry.
Later that night, the Gundersons decided to head on home before it got too dark. Around that same hour, Dr. Benedict knocked on the door and opened it and stepped into the room. "Elena?"
Once again, the turquoise-eyed woman had her back turned to her friend. She refused to speak, not wanting to see anybody.
"Elena, I've done everything I can", said Dr. Benedict. "I'm not saying Sophia is dead, but there is a chance she will pull out of it."
Elena stood there for a minute, her back facing him. Slowly, she turned around and looked at him. Her face was calm, but her eyes were not. "When?" She questioned him, bitterly. "When do you think she'll be able to pull out of it? You said the same thing about her mother and looked what happened."
Dr. Benedict blinked and looked at her with surprise. Elena continued to glare at him, turning away and folding her arms across her chest. Dr. Benedict lowered his eyes, a look of hurt on his face. He sighed and turned around and walked away.
Shocked by her choice of words, Anton stood up and looked at Elena with an equally poisonous glare. There was brimstone burning in his dark brown eyes. "Why did you say that?"
"What?" Elena asked him. "You know it's the truth."
"That's not the point", said Anton. "That man is your friend. You put your trust in him the same way he puts his trust in you. At the moment, you have no faith in him."
"I don't have faith in anything right now, Anton", said Elena. "I thought we were over this nightmare, but apparently, we're not."
"Elena?"
Elena turned around and saw Dr. Hartman standing in the doorway. She gave them a friendly smile.
"What are you doing here?" Anton questioned her.
"I just came to see if you two were all right."
"We're fine", Elena answered quickly. There was a hint of snippiness in her voice.
Mary nodded. "Okay. Well, Martin and I are gonna take night shift, so if you want to go home and-"
"No", said Elena, shaking her head. "I'm not leaving here without Sophia."
Ignoring her defiance, Anton came around the bed and walked over to Dr. Hartman and told her, "Have Dr. Benedict call us as soon as anything changes. Only him. Do you understand?"
"Yah, sure. If anything comes up, I'll have him call you right away."
"Good. Now get out."
Mary nodded again and turned around and went out the door, shutting it behind her.
Anton stood there for a minute, regarding the way he had just spoke to Dr. Hartman. He was polite in his speech, but he was still serious. He turned around and looked at Elena, who stood there with her mouth open and her eyes wide, looking like an idiot.
"What was that about?" Elena asked him.
"I'm taking you home", said Anton. "You're agitated. You haven't slept in two days."
"Neither have you!" Elena argued. "I don't see you getting all agitated."
"I don't get angry like you do", said Anton. "I don't let my emotions take control of me."
"No, you'd just rather hide them and lock them up in a box, wouldn't you?" Elena snarked at him.
"How would you like me to drag you out of here by force?" Anton asked her. He was serious with his question.
"You wouldn't."
His dark and silent gaze gave her the answer. There was no point in arguing with him.
The drive back home was quiet. Anton kept his eyes on the road, momentarily glancing over at Elena, who looked out the window. He returned his gaze back to the road. It was dark, the headlight guided them down the street. He drove slowly. On either side, the woodland area was drenched in snow.
When they got home, Anton turned the engine off and leaned back in his seat. He looked at Elena. She didn't return the favor. Anton looked away from her and opened the door. Elena got out on her side and followed him up to the house. Anton took the key and opened the door and allowed her to step in first. He stepped in after her and shut the door behind him.
Elena turned on the lamp on top of the sidetable drawer. She sat down on the couch and took off her socks and shoes. She then stood up and walked into the kitchen. Elena walked over to the sink and picked up a glass and filled it with water. She drank and stood there for a minute, thinking. She turned around and saw Anton leaning against the fridge. His arms were crossed.
"What? Are you gonna talk down to me like a two year old again?" Elena snarked at him.
"I don't talk down to you like that", said Anton.
"No? Then what do you call those rambling speeches of yours about fate and chance?"
"I don't ramble. You're only saying that because you're angry."
"Yes, I'm angry!" Elena shouted. "You know why I'm angry? Because I'm mad at you, Anton! I could have chosen anyone! Anyone! Instead, I got involved with a gun-totting, coin-flipping, misanthrope! I chose you, Anton Chigurh, but you do not make life easy for me! Ever since I met you, things have been going from bad to worse!"
"Go ahead, then", said Anton. "If you think killing me will solve everything, then do it."
"Uh-uh", said Elena, shaking her head. "I'm not gonna kill you. You know why? Because that's what you want me to do. You've got a fucking death wish and you fucking know it!"
"What makes you assume that I am suicidal?" Anton asked her. "You're the one who has a death wish, you just don't know it. You're scared of the fact that Sophia might not ever wake up. You don't know for certain how this is going to turn out. You act as if that child is already dead. If God wanted to take her, he would have done it a long time ago when he gave her that disease."
"THAT DOES IT!"
Without thinking, Elena threw the glass cup at Anton, who ducked out of the way just in time. The glass shattered against the fridge. Elena ran past him and went down the hall to her bedroom. She opened the door and ran over to the bed and crawled over to the other side and opened the top drawer of her nightstand and went through her things, searching for her gun.
Hearing a click, Elena froze in fear, holding her breath as though she were expecting to be shot. She turned her head and looked to the door. Anton was standing in the doorway, holding the Beretta in his hand. He was pointing the gun in her direction. Elena stood up slowly and placed her back to the wall, looking nervous.
"There are seven bullets in this gun", said Anton, his voice calm and serene. "I counted them. One bullet is all it takes to end a life. I know you've never fired a weapon in your twenty-four years of living. I've had more experience than you. You are not cut out for this line of work."
Elena said nothing, standing there in disbelief.
Anton inclined with his head for her to come forward to him. Slowly, Elena stepped around the bed and walked over and stood in front of him.
"This is not the time for you to be shutting down like you are", said Anton. "Your daughter needs you to be strong. If you can't handle it, then you should just kill yourself now and be done with it all."
Elena felt hurt by his statement. "How can you say something so cruel like that?" She asked him, her voice a weak whisper.
"I didn't", said Anton. "A long time ago, you told me that if anything where to happen to Sophia, you'd rather put a bullet in your brain."
Elena blinked and stood there in silence, looking lost. "But...I didn't mean it."
Anton nodded his head. "Yes, you did", he informed her. "If you never meant it, you never would have said it."
Elena didn't answer him. Her eyes began to cloud with tears, her lips tightening.
"What does the Bible say about killing yourself?"
Elena shook her head, begging him. "Anton, please, don't-"
Anton raised his voice at her and shouted, "Answer the question, damn it!"
Elena shook from his tone of voice, lowering her face to avoid his demonic appearance. She felt like crying, but refused to let tears flow. She shook her head, trying to remember despite her fear. Taking a breath, she recited, "'But whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will never be forgiven, he is guilty of an eternal sin'. Mark 3:29."
Anton remained silent and stood there motionless, not moving. His eyes held no warmth. His hold on the gun was steady.
Elena looked at him again and begged him, "Anton, please...I take it back...I never meant to say it, I didn't mean to say it...Please."
For a moment, Anton stood there, regarding her plea. In the past, he would have been appalled to see anybody try to beg him to spare their life. This was not a killing. It was not even a job or a mission. It was a prayer. A prayer for forgiveness. She was actually praying to him for forgiveness. He was not a god, but he accepted it.
"I know you are angry", Anton said at last. "You denied it at first, but now you've accepted it." He paused for a minute. Anton then looked down at her hand and placed the gun into it and positioned the barrel at his heart. "However, if you still think this will make everything better, do it."
She looked away for a brief minute, stifling a sob. She looked at him again, silent tears flowing down her cheeks. Her throat tightened, as though invisible hands were trying to squeeze her neck and choke her, forcing her to carry out the wicked deed of committing murder, even if he was a criminal. Anton remained still as stone, his face darkened with each passing minute. Elena inhaled sharply, holding the gun up and pressing the barrel against his forehead, right between his eyes. Anton closed his eyes, waiting. His heart raced, but she did not hear it.
Elena quivered at the thought of what she was about to do. Before he came along, she had never killed another person. It made her sick just thinking about it. Her hands shaking, she lowered her head and gasped.
The gun fell to the floor with a thud.
Lowering her head into her hands, Elena sank down to her knees. A sob was heard from her lips.
Anton opened his eyes and looked down at her. He didn't feel any remorse for forcing her to make a tough decision. It was all a test of strength and weakness. She failed, but he would not berate her for it. She had already suffered enough. He knelt down on one knee and took her hands into his own. Her hands were cold. Elena threw her arms around him, her tear-stained face pressed against his chest. She started crying, softly.
"I'm sorry", Elena whispered, sobbing.
"Quiet", said Anton. He hugged her and placed his hand on the back of her head, stroking her hair. "You just need to calm down."
Elena took a deep breath, trying to pull herself together. Her body trembled. She felt his hand rub the back of her neck, easing out the tension she was feeling. She continued crying, but it soon became less and less. Soon, a severe case of exhaustion came over her, fading her away into a world of darkness.
When Elena woke up, she was lying in bed. She turned over and sat up slowly and looked at the time. 1:16 in the morning. She placed her feet on the floor and stood up and walked out of her bedroom. She walked across the hall and opened the door to the bathroom and turned on the light and looked inside. Nothing. She turned to her left and looked in the mirror. Her eyes were bloodshot. Her face looked drained. She turned the light off and shut the door. She went down the hall and out into the living room. The lamp had been turned off. She walked over to the door and opened it.
Elena went out and stood on the front porch. The station wagon was parked in front of the house. A blanket of snow covered the land. There was no wind, but the air was cold. She turned around and went back in and shut the door. Elena walked across the living room and went down the hall. She stopped just outside of Sophia's bedroom and looked at the door and opened it.
Elena stood in the doorway and looked at the room, scanning everything in the darkness. She walked in and stood in the middle of the room and glanced down. There was a shirt on the floor. She picked it up. She turned around and went to the closet and placed the shirt on a hanger and closed the door. Elena turned around and looked toward the bed. She walked over to it. The storybook she had read to Sophia the night before was sitting on top of the nightstand. Elena picked up the book and looked at the front cover. It was a collection of fairy tales. She opened the book and found a page of the story she had read to Sophia. There was an illustrated drawing of Snow White lying in a glass coffin being kissed by the prince. Elena closed the book and placed it back on the nightstand. She sat down on the bed and looked to her right. Quincy, the stuffed shark Sophia loved so much, was sitting all alone at the foot of the bed. He, too, looked sad. He almost looked alive to Elena, almost as if he were a real person, but she quickly brushed it off due to tiredness. Still wanting to keep him company, Elena reached over and grabbed the inanimate sea animal and held him to her chest. She lied down on the bed and turned onto her left side and went to sleep.