Ch. 31
Laurie woke up and thought she heard her father's voice. Then Walter's, but further away. Disoriented, she tried to move her head, but it was throbbing too hard for her to do much. She struggled to see through her blurred vision as she felt someone approach her. She slipped into unconsciousness for a moment, and when she awoke again, she could see more clearly. At first, all she saw was a nightstand with fake flowers and next to it a pitcher with water and a glass; some tubes running from her arm to a drip, the foot of the bed, then on the other side, Walter. Laurie thought she was imagining this or dreaming at first, because she thought she saw her father behind him in the doorway. But that didn't make sense.
Laurie tried to speak, but found that she couldn't. She turned to the bedside table next to her and tried to reach for the glass. Walter said something to her, then leaned over her to take the pitcher and glass to pour her some water. Laurie watched him, realizing that he was in a suit. Why was he dressed in a suit? It really must be a dream. She drank the water and felt a little better.
If it was a dream, though, she wouldn't have this awful, throbbing headache. She heard her father say something. She looked up to see Walter talking to him. Walter nodded, then watched her as her father left. She was worried that Walter would leave too, but he didn't. He came to her side again.
"You all right?" he asked her. Even in the dim light, his eyes were full of concern.
"I think so," said Laurie, feeling a little confused. "What happened?"
"You were attacked," said Walter, leaning closer to her. "Don't you remember?"
Laurie paused, thinking. She saw images without shape or form come back to her and started to nod.
"What happened?" Walter was sitting at her side now, studying her intently.
Laurie struggled to remember. For some reason, all she could picture for a moment was Dan. Oh, of course. Dan -- Nite Owl II -- hadn't shown up that night. She recalled the factories and the darkness, and Rorschach leaving. She saw a figure in her mind's eye and recoiled. She felt a calming hand on her own; looked down and realized it was Walter.
"Am I in the hospital?" she asked him.
Walter smiled a little.
"Yes," he said, nodding slowly. "You were attacked -- do you know how this happened?"
Laurie's mind kept wandering back to the figure. Oh, and Dan. Dan was a very polite, bright boy. Good looking too. Laurie frowned. No, that was her mother's voice.
"You're better looking," Laurie said.
"What?" Walter looked confused.
"You're better than Dan," she said. "At everything."
Walter laughed softly. Laurie pushed Dan out of her mind and tried to remember. Oh, yes, the figure. It was coming to her now.
"You had just gone off," Laurie said, looking away to focus on the memory. "Almost immediately after that, I thought I saw someone walk by. I thought it was a man, but then I smelled something queer, and afterwards I couldn't focus much on anything, really. The man left, though, towards the factory building. Not long after that, I was attacked. The man who attacked me -- I think he was drunk, smelled like alcohol -- I think he was just as surprised as I was. It was so dark, neither of us could really see. I tried to react, but that smell, after that smell it was as if I had lost my senses."
"Then what happened?" asked Walter, leaning closer.
"Then he hit me on the head," she said, wincing a little. "Then he punched me in the side. Then I don't remember much. I think I was dragged, or carried, maybe both. Then I remember you. You were saying these things to him."
"I was?" Walter looked surprised.
"Yes." Laurie focused as hard as she could on the last whispers of her memories before everything faded away up to the moment when she awoke in the hospital bed.
Garbage.
Garbage? What else was there? What else had Rorschach said?
She couldn't remember.
Laurie frowned and shook her head at Walter.
"I don't remember," she told him tearfully.
"It's all right," he told her. He ran his fingers across her forehead to move her hair away from her face.
Laurie wished she could get her mother's voice out of her head. It was making her temples throb as if her veins would burst. Her head had just been filled to the brim and she couldn't take it. She wished her mother would just go away and leave her alone.
"I think you're perfectly acceptable," sighed Laurie.
"I am?" Walter's eyebrows were raised.
Laurie tried to speak, but instead put up her hand and held it against his face. Walter looked at her with apprehension.
"Why does she have to be like that, Walter?" Laurie asked.
"Who? Your mother?"
"I wish she wouldn't drink anymore," Laurie said, exhausted all of a sudden. "She just says these awful things and won't stop. She doesn't care how she sounds, just says things to make herself feel better but I feel bad."
"Your mother loves you," Walter told her.
"Sometimes I wish she wouldn't love me at all -- if she hated me it would be so much better."
"No," Walter said, looking distraught. "No, no, no. It isn't."
"If she hated me, then I could hate her, too."
"No."
Laurie dug her palms into her eyes, driving the tears away. When she looked up, her father was there again.
"Dad," said Laurie, sniffing.
"Laurie," said Blake, smiling at her. "How are you feeling?"
"Miserable."
"Are you in pain?" Blake asked.
"No, I'm talking about Mom."
Blake gave a half-hearted laugh.
"Speaking of your mother, I called her," he told Laurie then turned to Walter. "Thought you might like to know. She's freaked and she's going to be here soon."
Walter nodded.
"I should go," said Walter.
"No, why?" Laurie felt upset. The headache wasn't going away, either.
"She's not going to like him here whether he's in costume or not," Blake said, patting Laurie's arm.
"Then why doesn't she leave instead? I don't want you to go, Walter."
Walter looked heartbroken at that.
"I'm sorry," he told her.
Laurie put her hands to her face again. She didn't understand why her eyes were streaming, or why she was so distressed. She felt hands on her wrists and they moved her own away from her eyes. It was Walter.
"I'll be here tomorrow," he told her. "I'll stop by before I go to work."
"What if Mother insists on staying here all night?"
"Then I'll trick her into leaving the room."
"You shouldn't have to."
Walter gave her a pained smile and said nothing. He stooped over her to give her a kiss on the forehead, then stood up and looked at her before he turned to leave. Blake put his hand on his shoulder and muttered something to him. They had a short muted conversation before Blake gave him a key. Walter nodded at Blake, then turned to look at Laurie one more time before leaving.
"What was that key?" asked Laurie, after running the back of her hand across her eyes.
"For Hollis' car," said Blake, shrugging. He walked over and sat on the chair Walter had been in moments before. The chair must have been warm. It made Laurie sad again.
"Oh," she said, not bothering to ask for an explanation as she tried to turn away on her side so she could cry in peace.
"Hey," said Blake, sounding alarmed. "Don't do that, you'll pull the stitches."
Laurie turned and looked at her father, tears forgotten for now.
"Stitches? For what?"
"For your side -- don't you remember?"
"I was punched there," Laurie said, blinking in confusion.
"No, honey, you were stabbed there."
Laurie lifted the covers from her, then her hospital gown. A long line of sutures ran down her side under her ribs. Feeling weak, she lay her head back down and let Blake put the covers back on her. He seemed to want to say something, but gave up and sat next to her in silence. Comforted by her father's presence, Laurie had started to drift off into sleep when she heard her mother's voice -- this time, it wasn't in her head, either.
"Laurie!" said Sally, making Laurie jump. She opened her eyes and saw her mother, then her father who seemed startled. Sally rushed to her side. "Oh, my poor baby."
Laurie stared up at her mother, who was dressed nicely and looking quite pretty. Nothing but love and concern was in her mother's eyes at that moment, and Laurie wished it would be like this forever. She knew that look was fleeting, however, and it made her depressed.
"Are you all right?" Sally asked, as she tried to come closer. Blake was in the way, so Sally shoved into him. Blake made a disgusted sound and stood up. Sally sat down instead.
"I'm... I'm okay," said Laurie. She saw Dan in the doorway and became upset. "W-Why is he here?"
"I needed a ride here," said Sally.
"She was visiting Hollis," Blake explained.
"Hollis would have driven me, but someone stole his car," Sally explained. "Dan was kind enough to drive me."
"Yeah, huh," said Blake. "Actually, that was me. Rorschach should have returned the car by now."
"Rorschach? What was he doing here?" Sally looked suspicious.
"He was out patrolling with Laurie," said Blake. "They--"
"I knew it," said Sally. "I knew he was the one behind this."
"Now Sally," Blake said, holding up his hand. "I don't think he--"
"This is why you shouldn't go out with a crime fighter, Laurie, see what happens? All they do is steal cars, put you in danger, and break your heart."
"Hey," Blake said, tossing his head in Dan's direction. "What is he, then?"
"You keep him out of this," said Sally. "As for stealing Hollis' car, how could you, Eddie? And if you knew I was visiting, why couldn't you knock on the door like any normal person and let me know that my daughter was in the hospital?"
"There was no time," Blake said, looking agitated. "I got a call, okay? She was in trouble, that was all I knew. I needed a car, took it. By the time I explained it all to you lot and waited for your senile minds to wrap around the fact that she was in danger, she could have been dead."
"Yes, dead," Sally nodded. "My Laurie almost died tonight, and all you care about is stealing cars."
"What the hell," said Blake, laughing in disbelief. "Are you still drunk? Or so full of yourself you don't know what you're talking about?"
"You're just like him, that no good boyfriend of hers," said Sally. "Just as useless, and just as bad for her."
"Dad," said Laurie, finally. She gave her father a pleading look. This conversation was making her sick.
"I'm sorry," Blake said, eyes going soft.
"Why is it you call for your father?" asked Sally. "It's so insulting, Laurie, who was it that raised you and gave you a home the first seventeen years of your life?"
"Jesus Christ, Sally, she's in the hospital," said Blake. "Don't give her a hard time."
"This is why she gets in trouble, Eddie," Sally said, turning and pointing her finger at Blake. "You need to discipline her."
"For what? Getting stabbed?"
"No -- for going out with that boy!"
"They're just doing what we did when we were kids. We--"
"Exactly. Crime fighting is dangerous and unfitting for a young girl."
"You're the one who wanted me to go out there," said Laurie. She had an idea that she was angry about what her mother was saying, but all her emotions seemed to be translating into a deep sorrow instead.
"But not with him, where he'd put you in danger," Sally said, anger in her eyes.
"You know, Rorschach doesn't seem like the type who would do something like that," said Dan.
Everyone turned to look at him, surprised.
"It just seems a little unfair," Dan continued, "I mean--"
"Mind your own business," Sally snapped. Dan looked taken aback.
"Why don't we call in the doctors and nurses and all the other patients?" asked Blake. "You can yell at them too."
Sally looked indignant and started to talk back, but Laurie couldn't take it any longer.
"Dad," Laurie tried again.
"All right, Laurie, I'm sorry," Blake sighed. "Here, Sally, why don't we discuss this outside? Our daughter needs to rest."
"Well, I..." Sally turned and looked at Laurie, and for once she seemed remorseful for the scene she had caused. "All right."
Sally turned and kissed Laurie on the forehead, almost in the same spot Walter had. That made Laurie depressed again. She watched her mother leave with her father, and Dan, who was watching them with that cautious look of his. Blake closed the door behind him, and in the darkness, Laurie suddenly felt painfully lonely. She almost called them back, even Dan -- she didn't want to be here by herself. When she opened her mouth, no sound emerged from her lips. Instead, she slipped into a deep, dreamless slumber.
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To be continued...