DEAN:
The atmosphere in the crowded gym is wild. More so than usual, probably because it's the Saturday before classes are back in session. Half of my frat showed up, most of them drunk off their asses. After dodging high fives and slurred shouts, I settle into the corner of the room on top of one of the risers so that I can see all angles of the room as I wait to see the familiar caramel-colored hair and black hoodie breaking through the sea of chaos.
I hate that Jessie and I can't come to terms with this fighting ring. She believes that I don't understand her need to support herself and not take handouts from anyone else. I think that hurts more than anything else. I've worked hard to make my own way, too. The money is there, but that doesn't mean I don't bust my ass for everything I have. The fact that she doesn't recognize that and take it into account is one of the reasons I just had to walk out. It's not that I would begrudge her the opportunity to support herself, but this isn't safe. Not just the fighting. I came across a few old articles about a fire at her dad's college that he was questioned over. Apparently there was speculation of an underground fight taking place when a fire broke out and killed a lot of kids at that college years ago. They weren't able to pin anything on her dad, at least not from what I could find, but the fact that underground fights for money are illegal still remains true today. I just wish I could convince Jessie to see that, and see how risky this is.
A roar of cheers and shouts interrupts my thoughts and I scan the crowd just in time to see Jessie approach the side of the ring in the center of the small gym with Kelsey in tow. Even though the last words we said to each other weren't pleasant, I can't stop the way my heart reacts to seeing her. Our connection has always boggled my mind. I've never met someone who made my body physically react just from their presence across a room full of people. Until Jessica Maddox. My mind travels to my room at the frat, to the velvet box buried beneath socks and underwear. It's burning a hole in my dresser, and my brain, just knowing that it's there waiting for the right time. I don't want to scare her, or freak her out. I know that we're on the same page, that we love each other, but this is Jessie's first real relationship and I know she's nervous about how intense our feelings are and how fast they've developed. I just need a sign. Something that tells me the time is right.
I shake my head to clear my thoughts again as Jessie throws the first punch at a girl nearly a head taller than her, with probably thirty more pounds of muscle. Her opponent looks like a beast and, as it always does, my heart jumps into my throat as the nerves take over. I know my girl is a crazy-good fighter. I know how unbelievable she is in the ring. But fuck if I don't still cringe and swear over every blow.
I watch as they trade punches, dodge each other's fists, and I listen to the assholes around me whistling and yelling completely inappropriate shit because seeing women fight is apparently a fantasy of theirs. For me, it's a damn nerve-racking nightmare. I'll admit, initially there was something sort of hot about seeing Jessie kicking ass in that ring. But more and more I'm just spending the fights thinking about all of the bad things that could happen. She could get hurt. She could get caught. She could get arrested, kicked out of school. All over something as stupid as money. I could help her put an end to this so easily and she could pave her way doing something she loves. Not this. Not something that only exists for her because some piece of shit put his hands on her and she never stopped fighting since that night. Just the thought of that prick, Will Jackson, sets my teeth on edge and makes me see red.
"Oh shit, did you see that?!" the guy in front of me yells, nudging his buddy next to him.
I look up in time to see the towering giant of a girl laying on the floor of the ring while Jessie's arm is being raised in victory. With a shake of my head, I finally breathe a sigh of relief. Another fight over, and she's still safe. I guess that's all I can ask for.
While everyone cheers and money exchanges hands, I begin pushing my way through the crowd towards the ring. As I reach the floor at the bottom of the risers, the shouts turn from excited and victorious to shocked and incensed. People are screaming and crowding the ring. I'm knocked sideways and shoved aside a few times before it clicks that the commotion has been spurred by something other than the result of the fight. I can't make out what is being shouted or see over the horde, but the fact that people are rushing the area surrounding the ring is enough to make me panic. I elbow my way past people, shoving some aside and plowing through others without regard. At a break in the crowd I get a clear view of the ring from the side just in time to see the girl Jessie just beat plowing her now bare fist into my girlfriend's face and her body topple over the top rope into the crowd.
"Jessie!" I don't even recognize the rage-filled growl as it claws its way out of my throat. My main focus is getting through the bodies to Jessie. I don't register the two men and one woman pinning her opponent to the corner of the ring. I don't register the drop in volume. I see and hear nothing until I reach her. Then I see too much. The floor tilts beneath my feet and at first I think it's due to the image in front of me. Jessie is sprawled on her back, arm curled beneath her at an unnatural angle, motionless. When I drop to my knees at her side, the floor tilts again and I wonder if this is what it feels like when the world ends. Then the screaming begins. Rubber soles are slapping the laminate floor as people charge through the doors. The light fixtures above our heads sway like mad and the risers rattle around the room as the ground continues to shake.
"It's a fucking earthquake! Man come on, help me get her, we've gotta get her out of here!"
David is at my side ready to lift Jessie's legs and I shove him aside. "Don't fucking touch her! We don't know how bad the damage is. Her back…we can't move her!"
"Shit. Shit, man, we can't stay in here! This building is old, we gotta get the hell out of here." David is raking his hands through his hair and talking a mile a minute but I don't take my eyes off of Jessie's face. She's bleeding from her lip and a gash in her forehead, but that steady trickle is the only movement I can see. I lift my shaking fingers to her throat and I feel a faint pulse. The building groans around us and I look around for some kind of cover. I spot a long table next to the ring several feet away.
"David, drag that table over here," I demand, my voice oddly calm.
"Table, right, right, okay!" He grips the edge of the table, positioning it over Jessie's body. It's wide enough to cover her completely and twice as long. "Get under," I tell him, scrambling to cover Jessie's body with mine for extra protection. He scurries under the table, gripping both arms around one of the metal legs just as a piece of ceiling tile slams into the tabletop, crumbling into pieces and scattering dust on the floor.
The ground stops rumbling but the sound of cracking and falling plaster continues. I lean over Jessie and place my arms on either side of her head as a shield, my face close to hers. It's then that her eyelids begin to flutter and I hear her soft moan.
"Dean…oh holy mother fuck, my arm!" She shifts her body to the side, attempting to dislodge her left arm from beneath her body.
"Baby no, don't move. You fell. Your back could be hurt," I try to hold her steady but the tears stream from her eyes and I'm paralyzed with fear. I don't know what to do first.
"My arm, please, please Dean," she wails in pain.
"Fuck…" I look at David and he's still clutching the table leg for dear life. Obviously he's not going to be any help. I look over her body and consider. "Jessie, I need you to tell me if you can feel this, okay?" I grip her foot gently and she nods, still cringing in pain. I repeat with her other foot, then her free arm. Everything seems to be fine, nothing is numb at least.
"Ahh!" Jessie's cry ends in a whimper when she tries to move her bad arm. I move quickly, sliding one arm beneath her back to lift her and using my other to slowly slide her arm out from under her. She begins to sob and let's out a bloodcurdling wail when I manage to free her arm completely.
"It's okay, baby. You're gonna be okay. I promise." I rest her injured arm across her stomach but keep using my arm to support her back as she leans her head limply on my shoulder. "David, I need you to move the table. I'm gonna carry her to my car and get her to a hospital."
"Alright man, just hurry. I'll clear out as many people as I can before anyone notices the random group of college kids outside of the gym at midnight after a six-pointer. Just get her out. Keep her safe." He drags the table clear of the two of us and I'm able to get my feet under me. Gripping Jessie tight, I slip my arm under her knees and lift her, careful not to jostle her too much. I quickly start for the doors when I hear yelling coming from the hall.
"Get the fuck off of me! I need to get to her!"
Kelsey barrels through the door and freezes. "Jessie, oh my god! Dean, is she okay? She has to be okay!"
"Just hold the door Kelsey. I need to get her to a hospital. I can't tell what's from the fight and what's from the fall, but I think she has a broken arm, and her head is bleeding pretty bad. Can you drive?" She just gapes at Jessie, tears forming in her eyes.
"I got you, D. Just get her to my Jeep. I'll have you at the Reagan ER in less than five minutes," Paul says as he grabs the other door for us.
We all pile into Paul's Jeep and I hold Jessie in my lap as she fades in and out of consciousness. Most of the people have scattered since the quake ended. There are a few groups of stragglers gawking as we peel out of the lot. After running three red lights and taking six sharp turns, Paul jerks the car to a stop in front of the hospital. He and Kelsey don't speak, but I couldn't care less about whatever their issues are right now. My priority is the bleeding girl in my arms.
The nurses have me lay her down on a gurney and shove a clipboard at me. I hand it over to Kelsey who has Jessie's phone and wallet then follow them to a curtained off trauma area.
"Sir, I'm sorry but you need to wait outside while we tend to her. I assure you, she is in good hands. Please just let us do our jobs." A nurse tells me as she jerks the curtain closed between me and my entire reason for existing. I know better than to fight. They need to focus on her. They need to make her better. She has to get better. She has to be okay, I think to myself, echoing Kelsey's earlier words.
I stumble blindly into the hall and don't make it to the waiting room chairs before my legs collapse and I slide down the wall. I rest my elbows on my bent knees and tug at my dust-filled hair in frustration. I feel someone sit beside me but I don't care enough to see who. I just close my eyes tight and play our last conversation over and over in my mind. Did I tell her that I love her? I can't remember. I just remember saying that I'd see her at the gym and storming out of her apartment. What if… No. I can't think like that. She will be okay. She will.
"The earthquake felt earlier this evening from Santa Barbara to as far south as Newport Beach registered a 6.2 on the Richter scale. Los Angeles county residents report moderate property damage and LAPD has confirmed several building collapses, mainly older structures, in the downtown area. No fatalities have been reported. Local area hospital emergency rooms have been flooded with injuries. Cedars Sinai has reportedly begun redirecting patients to Olympia and UCLA medical centers due to lack of staff availability and space. Stay tuned to ABC7 for the latest on the Los Angeles County Earthquake."
The TV hanging on the wall above the waiting room couches reports the same information for what has to be the tenth time in the last hour. I straighten my neck and feel a kink that worked its way between my shoulder blades. I must have nodded off for a minute. Glancing at my watch I see that it is just past two in the morning. The ER doctor came out just after one to give us a quick status update on Jessie. It was easier to get information out of them once Jamie arrived since he's family. She has a concussion from a blow to the head, three stitches just above her eyebrow, a minor laceration to her lip, but the major injury is her arm. Her elbow was completely dislocated. It seems like she reached her hand out to break her fall and the impact of her hand hitting the ground caused her to dislocate her humerus. The doctor is waiting on x-rays to confirm no breaks before they'll attempt to reset it, so she's being sedated until the films are ready. No one but Jamie can see her until she's moved to a room. That didn't go over very well with me, or Kelsey. After a lot of screaming and threats of calling security, we settled down in the waiting room.
Now an hour later, here we are. Jamie comes through the automatic doors from the ER into the waiting area and I leap to my feet. "Is she okay?"
He scrubs a hand over his tired features. "She's as fine as she's going to be tonight. They reset the elbow and she'll be in a sling for a few weeks, then she'll need physical therapy, but she should regain full range of motion. I told the doctor that she fell down the stairs trying to get outside during the earthquake. That's how they're writing it up." He looks at me with a weary expression on his face. I know the lying is probably weighing on him.
"When can I see her?" I ask, anxiety seeping into my words. I haven't laid eyes on her since they wheeled her into the ER just after midnight and if I can't see for myself that she's alright soon, I may lose it.
"They're getting her settled into a room now. Room 3317." He doesn't even finish getting the room number out before I'm jogging to the elevators and punching the up arrow over and over again. When it doesn't move fast enough, I leave Jamie, Kelsey and Paul waiting for the elevator car and yank open the door to the stairwell. Taking the steps two at a time, I reach the third floor landing and try to catch my breath as I round the corner looking at room numbers.
"Sir," a nurse calls. "Sir, who are you looking for?"
I turn to her hoping that she can point me in the right direction. "Jessica Maddox. They were taking her to room 3317. She's my girlfriend. I need to see her."
The short, heavyset nurse presses her lips together and she must see the desperation etched all over my face because she points me down the hall to a room on the left. I quickly head in that direction, trying to calm my racing heart on the way. The door is slightly ajar and I push it open the rest of the way revealing a small room with a window to the far left. In the center is a bed and lying in the middle of it, motionless with tubes running every which way, is Jessie. I step closer, swallowing loudly, or at least it sounds loud in my ears. The only other noises are the distant muffled voices over the PA system and the incessant beeping from Jessie's monitors.
Coming to a stop next to her bed I finally take a good look at her. Her tawny hair seems shades darker against her pallid skin. There's already bruising marring her left cheek and temple, the dark purple standing out harshly. Her bottom lip is swollen, most of the blood wiped away from the shallow cut at the corner. The gash on her forehead seems much less severe now that it has been cleaned and stitched, no longer gushing blood like a fountain. Her recently repaired arm rests against her abdomen, a navy blue sling holding it in an angled position. I place the lightest touch on her uninjured cheek and her eyes flutter open.
I sink to my knees next to the bed, unable to support my own weight any longer. "Oh, thank God," I say, a tear escaping down my cheek as I grasp her hand and press it to my lips. She releases my fingers and runs her hand through my hair even though I barely feel it since she isn't able to put much strength behind the gesture.
"You're not getting rid of me that easily," she says, her voice barely a weak croak, the faintest smile pulling up one side of her mouth.
"I thought I was going to lose you," I whisper, not willing to raise my voice for fear that it will propel me back to that gym, watching her lying lifeless on the floor.
"Come here," she says, her hand lifting my face then tugging feebly at my arm. I stand and move closer. She shifts over on the bed and I open my mouth to protest but she cuts me off. "I've been through hell tonight. Don't argue with me." She pulls the blanket back and pats the space next to her, motioning for me to lay with her on the hospital bed.
I climb into the bed and gently pull her up to rest against my chest. "Better?" I ask pulling the blanket up to her shoulders, careful not to touch her injured arm.
"Mmm," she responds, nestling her head into the crook of my neck, tucking her good arm between us. The medicine must be pretty strong because within a minute her breathing turns slow and steady. I kiss the top of her head and watch as her chest rises and falls. I silently thank all the powers that be for the small act, her breathing. I never thought I'd be so captivated by something so seemingly insignificant. But I also never imagined that I might not see that tiny movement again.
Brushing her hair off of her face, I kiss her forehead and close my eyes. Sleep threatens to overtake me just as I hear gentle footsteps enter the room. I ignore them and focus on matching my breaths to Jessie's. Before I know it, exhaustion engulfs me and I fall into a deep sleep filled with screams, thundering rumbles of the earth, and the image of Jessie being pulled farther and farther away from me until I have no hope of reaching her.