Two on a Train- chapter 10
After spending some time with Mona, Tony and Jonathan left to head back down to Angela and Samantha. They ran into Cornelius and Archie heading up to see Mona. They had just come from visiting Angela. They said a quick hello and gave them a brief update on Mona before heading back down to Angela's room. They entered the room to find Samantha and Angela playing a card game.
"Hi guys! Did you see Uncle Cornelius and Uncle Archie? They came in a little while ago and were headed up to visit Mother" said Angela.
"We did run into them right as we were leaving Mona's room. We gave them a quick update on Mona and then came back down here. Mona is about the same. Her blood pressure was up a bit… they're not sure what's causing it but they are trying to get it back down with some more medication. The good news is that if she continues to stabilize, they are going to try and reverse the coma by the end of the week" said Tony.
"Do they think she has more internal bleeding that's causing the rise in blood pressure?" asked Angela, with renewed concern in her voice.
"They didn't seem to think so. It could just be from the trauma of the accident. They said they'd come and update us with any changes. I'll head back there in a few hours if not sooner for another update. How are you feeling? Any fever or pain?" asked Tony as he moved back into the spot on the bed next to Angela.
"No fever thankfully. The pain doesn't seem to be any worse. How about we all play cards? Can I interest anyone in a friendly, family game of poker?" asked Angela as she dealt out the cards. They enjoyed a family game of poker, mostly friendly, even when each took their turns at bluffing the others into winning the game.
"So once this whole ordeal is behind us or at least sorta of calm down and you guys are out of here, where will your first date be? Should Jonathan set you guys up again?" laughed Samantha.
"Maybe I'll take Tony's credit card this time and wrap a twenty around it!" laughed Jonathan.
"No need to trick us anymore! I can't wait to plan a romantic official first date with you Angela. Somewhere romantic, just the two of us, where burst appendixes, bad comedy clubs and anything else that has gotten in our way over the past six years won't get in our way…" he said as he leaned over and gave her a kiss. She took her hand and caressed the side of his face as she kissed him back.
"Eewww gross you two! Get a room!" said Jonathan as he made gagging noises. He couldn't keep a straight face and was soon laughing along with Samantha.
"Eh oh, oh eh! There can never be too much love! Get used to it you two! There's going to be plenty more of our expressions of love around here!" said Tony.
"I think I'm going to lose my breakfast!" joked Samantha.
"You know Grandma is going to have a field day when she sees you two together! I can't wait to hear all the jokes she's going to make at your expenses!" he laughed, until the realization that they might not ever get to hear Mona's quips and jokes registered for all of them. It was like the air was sucked out of the room and the sadness returned. They each looked at one another, not wanting to voice the very real fears ruminating in their minds.
"Well we can take it! I've spent the past six years deflecting Mona's inappropriate comments about us… it's nothing we can't take right Angela?" said Tony as he squeezed her hand.
"Of course… you've spent six years… I've spent a life time being the butt of her jokes. At least now when she makes fun of me it will hopefully a joint affair!" she said with a forced laugh.
"Alright, I think we should let Angela get some rest. How about we head up to see Mona for a bit?" asked Tony.
"Tony why don't you head home and get some real rest? Then you can come back tonight for dinner and stay over. The kids can go visit Mother while I rest. You need the fresh air Tony" said Angela, hoping she could convince him to leave.
"I'm fine Angela. I've slept pretty well here! Maybe I'll step outside and check on the jeep, make sure it's still in one piece! I'll do that and come right back here while the kids visit with Mona" he said.
"Okay fair enough. Hopefully everything is okay with the jeep! Maybe see if you can get us some more magazines or things to read. I'm hoping to call Jack and see if he can bring me some work to do, especially once I am discharged" said Angela.
"Okay I'll see what I can do. I'll be back soon. Try and rest up…" he said as he kissed her goodbye. Tony, Samantha and Jonathan left her room and headed to the elevators.
"Angela is right Dad. You should go home and get some real rest. Jonathan and I are here. We can split our time between the two of them. If there are any changes, we will call you right away" said Samantha.
"Yeah Tony. You look exhausted. We have everything here, we promise" said Jonathan.
"Thank you both for the offer but my place is here. Once Angela is discharged, I'll go home and rest. Until then, I need to be here. I don't want to explain it to you, but I can't leave. I just need you both to understand that…" said Tony.
"Okay Dad we understand. We will go see Mona now. When you get back to Angela's room, please try and rest too. You need your rest too if you are going keep going like this…" said Samantha as she hugged him before they got on the elevator. He waited a few minutes until another elevator came to take him to the first floor.
There were still some reporters camped out outside, but most had cleared out. He could only imagine the scene at Grand Central. Aside from the first day, he had been avoiding any television coverage of train crash. He had enough daily reminders of it to last a lifetime. He headed back to the jeep and was happy to see it was still in one piece. This part of the city was pretty safe, but bad things happen everywhere, something he was more than well aware of.
He decided to move the jeep to give the engine and battery a run. He drove around the block for a few minutes. He decided to turn on the radio and blasted the music to help clear his mind. As he was pulling into a new spot, the music ended and the local news came on. The main story was of course the train crash.
"The city is still reeling from Wednesday's Grand Central train crash. There is still an ongoing investigation into the crash and many tracks remain closed. The death toll has risen to five as another patient succumbed to his injuries early this morning. Twelve patients are still in critical condition and eighteen are in stable condition at local hospitals. The conductor is still in critical condition, which has impeded the investigation. It is still speculated that the conductor either fell asleep or suffered from some sort of medical emergency prior to the accident…" said the newscaster. Tony couldn't listen to the radio any longer and shut off the car. He was suddenly consumed with a multitude of emotions- fear, sadness, anxiety and anger. Anger was winning in his brain at the moment and he punched the steering wheel again and again and again until the tears he was trying so desperately to hold in came streaming down his face.
After a few moments, he was able to regain his composure. He got out of the car and locked it up, heading in the direction of the hospital. He opted to stop at a convenience store across from the hospital. He bought a few more toiletries for himself and Angela. He raided the snack aisle as well as the magazine and newspaper sections before heading to the cashier.
On his way back, he saw a small jewelry store next to the convenience store. Something told him to stop in. He walked in and was immediately drawn to the engagement ring section. Thoughts of marrying Angela started coming into his mind more frequently, especially the past few hours. He could hardly believe all that had gone on in just two days. Never in his wildest dreams would he have ever thought two days ago he'd be in a jewelry store looking at engagement rings for Angela! The idea of marriage hadn't ever occurred to Tony when he was with Kathleen… which thinking back on it now should have been a red flag.
"Excuse me sir? Can I see that ring in the back? The one with the emeralds and sapphires" said Tony.
"Of course sir! What beautiful taste you have! The lovely lady in your life will be over the moon with this ring!" said the salesman.
"I hope so! This is a very spur of the moment decision and I don't have the money for it but is it possible to put a down payment on it and come back another day? The… the woman this is for is currently in the hospital across the street. She and her mother were in the train crash on Wednesday and I've realized since this has all happened just how much she means to me… I guess it takes almost losing the love of your life to realize what's truly important…" said Tony.
"Oh sir I'm so sorry. I've been following along on the news… it was just horrible! I hope your loved ones make a full and speedy recovery! I will hold this ring as long as you need" he said as he wrapped up the ring. Tony thanked him and gave him a deposit. He walked out of the jewelry store, stunned he had just started the process of buying an engagement ring for Angela. For the first time since this had all started, Tony felt a renewed sense of hope as he headed back into the hospital. He stopped at the gift shop and purchased a small boutique of fresh flowers for Angela, hoping she wouldn't mind they weren't pink roses.
When he got back to her room, the doctors were in there examining Angela. He tried as best as he could to stop the racing, intrusive thoughts entering his mind of all the bad things that they could be telling her right now as he entered the room.
"Hi Tony! Great news! It looks like I will be discharged ahead of schedule! Tomorrow morning if everything keeps progressing!" she said as she motioned for him to come closer to her on the bed.
"Yes it looks as though your wife's infection is subsiding and the leg looks to be healing quite well. I am very happy with her progress. I will arrange for proper aftercare and start the discharge paperwork. You should be ready to be discharged sometime late tomorrow morning. I will send you home with prescriptions for the antibiotic and pain medication as well as directions to keep the wound clean. We will go over any questions you both have tomorrow before you leave. Keep resting and by later on today, I'll sign an order so you can visit your mother again" said the doctor as he left the room.
"That's great news Angela! I wasn't sure what I was walking into again… to be honest, all I could think about was something else bad happening when I saw the doctor in here again…" he said as he tried his best to push back the tears in his eyes.
"I know Tony. You wear your emotions all over your face…" she said as she pulled him closer to her, gently caressing the side of his face before leaning over and kissing him.
"Tomorrow I'm going cook a big meal to celebrate! Anything you want Angela!" he said once they finally pulled back from their kiss.
"Any meal you make sounds good to me! We are going to have to figure out a schedule to keep making sure someone is here for Mother, but that can wait until tomorrow. I'm just looking forward to being home, in my own clothes, in my own bed…" said Angela.
"Add a shower to that list and I couldn't agree more!" he chuckled.
"You know Tony… once I do get home, I'm going to need help in the beginning… especially at night if I need to get up… I was thinking, maybe you… you could stay in my bedroom… only if you felt comfortable doing so… if not, I am sure l can manage and…" she started to ramble as Tony cut her off
"Angela… even if we weren't together, I'd have slept on the floor. There's no way I'd let you be alone in your room Angela. So yes, I'd be happy to stay in your bedroom. There's no other place I'd rather be…" he said as he leaned back over for a kiss.
Just then, Samantha and Jonathan came into Angela's room. They shared the good news with them about Angela being discharged tomorrow. Samantha and Jonathan were visibly relieved at the news and hugged Angela. Angela and Tony both convinced them to head home for the day to get the house ready for Angela's homecoming. He quickly made a list for the grocery store as well as some basic chores. They audibly groaned as Tony's list grew but happily agreed to everything as they were too excited to have Angela home.
"Angela, why don't you rest and I will walk these two out. I'll head up to see Mona and see about an update" he said as he gave her a quick kiss before they headed out of her room. In the hallway, Tony stopped them and made sure they were out of earshot of Angela's room.
"I want you to do me a favor. On your way out, I want you to stop at the jewelry store across the street. Ask to speak to the salesman and say you want to see the ring the man who was in here an hour ago set aside. I'd like your opinions…" said Tony.
"Wait… a jewelry store? Do you mean what I think you mean?" said Samantha, the excitement barely being contained in her voice.
"Are you going to ask my mom to marry you?" asked Jonathan, with just as much excitement as Samantha.
"If that's okay with both of you, then yes! Not today of course… I still need to finish paying it off and I want things to be a little more settled… well as much as they can be with Angela's injuries and Mona's status… but yes the sooner the better. I don't want to wait anymore to be with her for the rest of our lives. She means every thing to me and I've loved her for longer than I can remember… so I need both of your approvals… both for asking for her hand in marriage but also for the ring. I think she will like it…" said Tony.
"Of course she's going to love it Dad! Oh I'm so excited for you! I thought for sure we'd have to concoct some elaborate plan to get you to realize asking Angela to marry you was the next logical step to take!" said Samantha as she gave Tony a big hug.
"Yeah and don't think I'm cute enough anymore to have anyone at a fancy restaurant take a credit card wrapped in a twenty to pay for it!" laughed Jonathan as he too gave Tony a hug.
"In all seriousness, I'm really happy you and my mom are together. There's no one else in the world I'd rather see her with than you Tony" said Jonathan.
"Yeah Dad… the same goes for Angela. Mom would be so happy to know we have a family again and that you are finally allowing yourself to love again" she said as she wiped away the tears in her eyes.
"Thank you guys… your love and support means the world to me… to both of us. Once I figure out the best way to ask her, you two will be the first to know!" said Tony as he reached over and hugged them both again. Samantha and Jonathan headed into the elevator to head home, while Tony opted to take the stairs to Mona's floor. He ran into Cornelius and Archie on their way out for the day. He informed them about Angela's pending discharge. He promised he would keep them posted.
Tony sat down next to Mona's bed. Nothing seemed to have changed thankfully and in his eyes, no news was good news.
"Hey Mona! Boy do I wish you were awake to talk to me now! I could use one of our talks right about now! I… I put down a deposit for an engagement ring for Angela! Can you believe it? I can just hear you… 'you've dragged your feet for six years and now all of a sudden you're in a sprint now? What gives?'" laughed Tony. He really expected her to open her eyes and say those exact words, but the only sounds that were heard were the beeping of the machines.
"Anyway… the kids are headed over to the jewelry store now to take a look at it… give it their approval. I think I did a good job, all things considering! Things have never seemed so clearer to me… to think we've wasted all this time when we could have been together all these years… well, I intend to change all of that Mona! But… I'm scared too, if I'm being honest. What if I mess it up? I need you to tell me 'you won't mess it up Tony and if you do, I'll kill you!' or something like that and you'd be right!" laughed Tony.
"I need to get your blessing Mona… it would be really nice if you could wake up soon! We miss you Mona!" he said as he reached out and held onto her hand. He spent the next couple of hours thinking about how and when he would ask Angela to marry him, all the while slowly allowing himself to have some hope that things would be alright.