24- Starting over… chapter twenty-four A
Walter left the Elias complex for the garage. He opened up the garage and pulled the Malibu in as far forward as possible leaving plenty of room for a MGB to fit in. Closing up he took the laptop to the den to put it open on the corner of the desk, powered up the desktop and went back downstairs to go in the kitchen, get a cup and pour coffee to take into the office. Gina looked up as he sat down.
"No auburn or green haired person has been by, with or without food," Gina said. "Matter of fact, not one person has darkened the door until you got here. Was not sure you were going to make it back before closing time. Did get two inquiries for software, correspondence is on-going. Will let you know what if anything develops- both in the LA area. Did you enjoy the tour? Have some interesting math talk with the gurus and visitors?"
Walter chuckled, "I managed to anger the Russian mathematician. Richard was getting tired of the Russian belittling his employees- threatened to throttle the Russian so I stepped in to keep Richard out of jail."
Gina laughed, "I see another award for saving the company come next gala night."
There was a knock at the door. Walter turned and Gina looked up from her computer screen. The door was opened by a very pregnant blonde woman.
"Excuse me, is there a Walter here?"
Walter stood, "I am Walter, how can I help you?"
"I am Mary Clements, Seth's wife. He called and said to come here to see Walter. Sarah was in an accident, happened almost in front of the shop. Cops called Seth so he got to the hospital almost as soon as she did. He was there for medical questions and as her closest relative. Before she went in for surgery she made Seth promise to tell Walter, tell Walter what she didn't say as she was being rushed into surgery. Seth assumed you are the Walter- Seth said you are the only Walter they have ever met but you just hacked their system. Are you the right Walter?"
"Yes, how badly was she hurt? What hospital she in?"
"She was in the MG- got hit by a speeding pick-up not far from the shop- she is in pretty bad shape, but in surgery so I really don't know at this point, I was home when Seth called. He figured if she was in that bad of shape and yelling about Walter you must be pretty important so he told me to come here. This is all news to us."
"I will pull my car out, you want to ride with me rather than drive?" Walter said. "Gina lock up." He went to the garage. Opened up and got the Malibu out, closed up, held the door for Mary and left for the hospital.
"Thanks for offering to drive. Have a hard time getting behind the wheel even in the Tundra. Impossible with my Prius that is why Seth is using it," Mary said. "We can pick it up later."
Getting to the hospital Walter asked for her room and escorted Mary to the elevator to walk through the halls to the floor waiting area to see Seth.
"How is she?"
Seth looked up. "So you ARE the Walter she was yelling about? Have no idea, she is still in surgery. The MG is totaled so you can imagine. Not going to call our parents until I know one way or another." He put his hands to his face, "There was so much blood, gods, didn't know people had so much blood in them."
Walter sat down and Seth looked over at him. "Had no idea she was seeing you. She never talks much about what she is doing these days- I have been so involved with the business- have a baby on the way so she has just been orbiting around on her own."
"We both take late night drives, hit the same restaurant and got to talking."
"The way she was going on about Walter, Walter- figured it was more than drives and restaurant conversation- but Sarah hides things from people. Gods, this will kill our parents if anything happens to her. What time is it….. Mary, you OK? Still nothing from the doctors. Is that a good or bad sign? Gods, it has been over two hours, when will they let me know something." Mary sat next to Seth and took his hand.
Two and a half hours passed, then three, then three and a half, then four. Four hours forty-seven minutes the doctor came out and called for Clements. Seth, Mary and Walter stood up.
"We will have to be monitoring her blood for a number of hours to ensure everything closed up. She has extensive injuries, left leg broken in two places, left arm broken, left shoulder dislocated. Believe it or not, it is a good thing she was not in a car with a console between the seats or her hips would have been crushed. But, barring any complications she should pull through."
"How badly she hurt inside?" Seth asked looking at his pregnant wife. "She always wanted kids, will she be able to have kids in future?"
"Spine is OK fortunately, nothing needed removal, just a lot of jolt and displacement, but yes, should be OK on that score. She will have some extensive scarring on her leg with the compound breaks, but nothing that will interfere with any future pregnancy. She is going into recovery, will have more machinery hooked up to monitor everything. She is still under from the surgery, the next twenty-four hours will give us a good idea of how things go. Best thing is for you to go home and come back tomorrow when she will be out of recovery and in a room. I know it is hard, but there is nothing you can do but watch her sleep hooked up to countless machines."
Mary took Seth's hand to head to the elevator while Walter sat down again. Once the elevator doors closed Walter got up to go to the nurse's station to ask if he could look into Sarah's room. The nurse took him to her room and he looked through the window to see arm and leg in casts and elevated, a lot of bandages. "The bandages around her head and shoulders is mostly for cuts- some glass pieces had to be removed, fortunately she got lucky if you can believe it- knocked out but no major head trauma." the nurse explained. "You the Walter she was yelling about? Never saw anyone so agitated over getting a message out to someone especially with the condition she was in. Talk about a one track mind." The nurse said shaking her head. "People will never cease to amaze me, even after seventeen years as a nurse. I have checks to do, don't go in the room, OK?"
Walter nodded looking through the window. He stood there over an hour when the nurse came back. "You still here? I have to go in and check her vitals and readings you can come in with me, but be careful." The nurse said opening the door, getting the chart from the rack on the wall and jotting down information from the machinery. Walter stood by the bed and placed his hand on hers- could feel her warmth. The nurse watched his action as he leaned over to kiss her, then turn to go out the door, down the hall to the elevator.
Pulling into the garage he closed up and went up the stairs to the den. Glancing at the picture of Megan, he sat at his desk thinking. Now he knew how Paige felt when she kissed him when in the hospital unconscious. Swiveling his chair to look at the picture of Megan.
"Should I go down that same road? To have feelings and not recognize them? Keep wondering to look elsewhere in search of what is right there in front of me? The lack of communication-have no team or business to preserve, just me and my life on the line this time."
He got up, went into the bedroom to strip, shower then in boxers roam restlessly around the loft. He sat at his desk opening the laptop to see a message from Gina.
Walter- Is your friend OK? Is there anything I can do to help? Gina
He hit reply.
Gina- In recovery after surgery. Walter
Walter sat back in his chair- in recovery. That is what I was in- recovery from the blow-up. Recovery from Loss of everything- and I did recover. The blackest days after losing everything- love, family, friends, team, business- loss of self practically, yet not only survived but thrived. Sarah was there during my recovery- late night talk, late night drives, late night warmth, late night understanding what I needed…. late night telling me what my problem was- that lack of connection, yet she came back….. again and again- explained to me what I needed, what I want, not even knowing it myself. How is it the oxygen leaves the room when she is gone- so much activity when she is here. Looking forward to her presence, missing her when she is gone.
Looking at the laptop screen, he notices the time to realize he has been sitting contemplating through the night. He got up to head to the bedroom to get dressed and go to the hospital. First twenty-four hours were critical- the reason for all the monitoring machinery. He got dressed in jeans and t-shirt, stuck his phone in his pocket, pulled the Malibu out and went to the hospital as the sun rose behind him. Taking the elevator to the floor he walked the hall to the nurse's station to ask about Sarah Clements.
The nurse looked up, "visiting hours don't start until seven." She looked to her computer. "Clements is in room 205. Per the last check she was asleep, vitals remain stable."
"Thank you," Walter said, turned and went to sit in the waiting room until seven. Alone in the waiting room, by the time seven rolled around Walter was sitting back in the uncomfortable seat with legs stretched out and arms along the backs of the seats on each side, head back against the wall staring at the ceiling. The nurses making rounds passing back and forth talked between themselves about the man in the waiting room- the night nurse told them about him being there for the Clements accident victim in room 205.
A few minutes before seven Seth and Mary exited the elevator to see Walter sitting alone in the waiting room.
"Good morning, Walter," Seth said walking past to go to the nurse to see about Sarah's condition while Mary sat by Walter who sat up straighter, putting elbows on his knees.
"Sorry, not the most comfortable furniture," Walter said quietly. "Think they pick it like this on purpose?"
Mary chuckled, "seems like it, same with doctor's waiting rooms. Don't know about those in the medical field- uncomfortable furniture, ice cold instruments…..makes you wonder." She glanced at him, "It is more than late night drives and restaurant conversation, isn't it? Have any idea what she wanted said to you?"
Walter looked at his hands. "When we have taken drives and stop at a restaurant, I always paid, even when she wanted to," Walter smirked, "I make the effort to be a gentleman. I told her I don't cook- pizza delivery and Chinese take-out was enough." He turned his head to look at Mary, "she was bringing dinner to the garage. A dinner was her big message. Makes no sense as it was not that important."
Mary chuckled, "I am married three years to her brother- takes a while to understand the workings of the Clements mind. Brought up in the western cowboy ranching tradition- family, horses, education, belief in God, country, all that old fashioned stuff little known in the big city. Then look at them- computer programming, high tech college graduates and now modern life and business…. and brought horses to LA, go figure. I can see all that is foreign to you as it was to me, but boy, can you ever have a fast paced, breath-taking life around them. The three years Seth and I have been married can be summed up in a few words- fun, fast, and wonderful. They do make things interesting."
"How did you meet Seth?"
"UCLA, classes together." She laughed. "Late afternoon class. He was late coming in from messing with Obie… his horse, and came running into class in riding attire- high boots over very tight riding pants, white shirt and vest…. and smelled like horse though at the time I didn't know that was what it was… with the long auburn hair he was quite a vision."
Walter chuckled, "Yeah, she dropped the bit about a horse on me just recently. Said her horse would be a second opinion on whether I was as good a person as she thought I was. You been around these animals?"
"Oh yes, Seth is teaching me to ride though I will never be as good at it as them- they were around horses since childhood…. as will our son."
Seth came and joined them. "I got the whole run down, everything is looking good- blood work shows no problems- we can go see her if you want. She should be coming round- the surgery yesterday and pain meds today they said she may be loopy- not a medical term they used- but will know we are there." Seth and Mary rose while Walter stayed seated.
Seth looked at him, "You not coming?"
"Thought family should spend time alone, I will visit later."
"Get your butt up and come on- she probably wants to see you more than us, anyway," Seth said.
Walter rose to go to room 205 with them. Sarah was hardly visible with arm and leg elevated, swathed in bandages. Not much to see but fingers and toes at the end of casts, partial face the rest covered in bandages, one arm laying on the bed with IV. The three entered to look at the droopy eyes of a busted up patient on pain killers.
"Hey sis, I am amazed the lengths you go to just to get out of working. I am going to have to slave over a hot computer for weeks before you can get back."
"Veeeery funnnny, brother. Not thinnnnking too goooood for coding right now. Too bad probably still betttter than your besssst day. Ooohhh, good drugs, bro."
"The cops got the guy- stolen truck to boot, so he is in jail for a while." Seth added. "The MGB is a goner, I'm afraid. Maybe next car should be newer with airbags all around."
"Seth, Seth, did yooooooooou tell Wallllllter?"
Seth looked at Walter standing back, "Tell who what, sis? What Walter?"
"Ohhhhh Seth, Walllter. He won't be a riiipe old age without dinnnnnnner."
"What Walter, sis?"
"The haaaacker, Seth, haaackkker with curls, the froggggy king. He'll starve wiiihhhout meeee."
"Sarah, sis, sis, don't worry, you need to sleep and get better. Nobody starves in LA, especially a king- frog or otherwise," Seth said laughing. "Good drugs, indeed, sis. Relax and enjoy the ride while it lasts."
Seth got up, "Mary has a prenatal check in two hours so we have to get going. Get some rest so we can get you outta' here."
"Byyyyyyyyy Maaaary, be goooood to babbbay."
Seth and Mary turned to leave. "You going to hang around for a while?" Walter nodded. "We will stop in again later this evening- she should be drug free by then and making more sense." And they left.
Walter sat on the chair next to the bed taking her hand, "Sarah, don't worry about dinner."
"Wallllllter….. I'm sooo sorrrry."
"I'm here with you, nothing to be sorry for, rest easy."