AN: I am not a doctor so please excuse the terminology.
Chapter Thirteen
Night Six
Malcolm is forcibly removed from the room as Edrisa gets checked over. She was hazy and clung to him as they administered meds and he was more than happy to comply with being there for her. But then she fell asleep and the nurses asked him to leave so they could continue with exams and administering medications for Edrisa's apparently extensive injuries. He holds his ground until Edrisa's vitals drop and they rush her to surgery. Apparently she had abdominal bleeding.
Malcolm is escorted out of the room and forced to wait in the lobby. They even send out a CNA to sit with him until someone from his team arrives. He was fine aside from a mild concussion and some bruising. He felt much more guilty for his role in Edrisa's abused throat now that he had the experience of dealing with it himself, not that he felt all that great about it before. He had no idea how she was able to function with the constant irritation.
Finally Dani and JT arrive and take seats across from him.
"Sorry, the interrogation went longer than anticipated. Tanner confessed to it all, thinking Edrisa was his final victim. It was quite the show when we told him she was alive and he failed," JT says smugly. Malcolm doesn't acknowledge them.
"How is she?" Dani asks, moving beside him and taking one of his trembling hands.
"N-not good," he rasps. JT falls silent with a look of confusion.
"What happened?" JT asks concerned.
"Internal bleeding," Malcolm answers shortly. They're all silent.
"Malcolm Bright?" a nurse calls at the front of the lobby.
Malcolm rushes towards her, Dani and JT close enough to hear but far enough to not be scolded.
"Mr. Bright?" she questions. He nods.
"As Dr. Edrisa Tanaka's emergency contact you have full access to any updates and concerns and the authority to make decisions on Dr. Tanaka's behalf if she is unable. That being said, we had to remove her appendix to repair some tearing in her intestines. The surgery was successful, but she will be unable to move freely for a few weeks. I will get you the paperwork from the doctor with more detailed information. But she also had extensive trauma to her throat affecting her larynx, meaning she needs to eat soft foods only and stay on a near-liquid diet. She also cannot use her voice for at least three days while healing. We recommend longer, which will be in that information packet as well-but overall she is going to be okay with rest and healing. Does she have someone who can help her at home?" she finishes.
"Me, she has me," Malcolm responds. The nurse nods before motioning him to follow her.
They reach Edrisa's room where she is hooked up to a heart monitor and wearing a hospital issued gown. Malcolms immediate concern is her skin being the color of the white sheets and blanket covering her.
"She'll wake up from the anesthesia in a few minutes but she's also on a lot of pain medication. We'll keep her tonight and based on how tomorrow goes she should be okay to go home. But we make no promises of course," the nurse admits. Malcolm nods along but stays focused on Edrisa. Alive.
"I'll give you a moment," the nurse says leaving.
Malcolm makes his way to her bedside and gently runs his fingers through her hair. He stands there, just running his fingers through her hair before remembering a melody. He heard it one night when he was being taken into a night terror, but he wasn't. And he can hear the humming. It must've been Edrisa.
He smiles at the revelation and begins to hum the tune.
"Nothing's gonna harm you, not while I;m around.."
He stands like that, running his fingers through her hair and humming lightly.
And he was going to stay that way until she woke up.
AN: Here is my "I'm sorry all future updates will be slow and spuratic" update/chapter. I wanted to offer some closure before going semi off-grid. I am NOT abandoning this story but U can no longer rapid-fire-obsess over writing this fic.