Chapter 30

The hour that Axel was in recovery passed excruciatingly slow. A nurse, dressed in scrubs with her hair in a blue net and blue shoe covers on, finally came in and called out Axel’s name. The three of them, exhausted, and puffy-eyed and tear-stained cheeks, leapt to their feet.

“If you will all follow me, I will take you to the ICU.”

“Is he okay?” Mia asked her. The nurse smiled gently and said, “He is still stable.”

As they followed her, in an effort to think about anything else but the images that were driving him crazy, Asher looked around at the décor of the hospital. The hallway she was leading them through had as much personality as the rest of it that he had seen so far. The floor was white with brown tiles and the walls were all white. The ceiling above them was made from polystyrene squares laid out in a grid. He had spent part of the night counting them. That hadn’t worked either. The lights were blindingly bright as they bounced off the white walls. It was intrusive, Asher thought. No one here felt well enough for the bright lights, not even the visitors. There were cheap commercial prints hanging here and there that did little to add to the appeal of the place, but overall he had to admit that at least it looked and smelled clean and the people seemed to be caring and professional.

The nurse led them through a set of heavy double doors that opened with a big metal button on the wall. Inside, they could hear the beeps and swooshes of the machines. Mia tightened her grip on him as the nurse led them deeper inside. She stopped at the third glass cubicle. A curtain hung on the inside of all four walls of the glass room. She pulled open the sliding door and that’s when they finally saw him. Asher’s chest hurt immediately and Mia collapsed into her father’s arms and began to sob again. Frank was shaking so hard Asher could see his arms and legs moving. Axel looked so young and vulnerable lying against the stark white sheets. His dark hair was partially obscured by a white bandage but strands of it poked out here and there and provided a sharp contrast to all the white around him. His skin was pale, almost translucent and he had a tinge of dark stubble on his upper lip and chin that made his skin look even whiter. He had a tube coming out his mouth that attached to another that went to a big machine beside the bed. An IV ran into one arm and three bags of liquids and medications hung from the pole. He had a sling on the other arm and his ribs were wrapped with tape or bandages. Another thick tube came out the side of his chest and was attached to a machine that sat on the floor next to his bed. Other machines beeped and dinged around him and the sight of it all was almost too much for Asher. He felt like his heart was breaking.

Mia let go of Frank and stood next to the bed looking down at her son. She leaned over the railing and placed a soft kiss on the side of his face. “I love you baby. Mom’s here. You keep fighting. We need you baby. Dad’s here and Grandpa. We all need you. You keep fighting to wake up. Please wake up.” One of her tears splashed off her face and onto Axel’s. Asher watched as it rolled down his cheek. He reached over without thinking about it and wiped the tear off his son’s face. He leaned down where his mouth was close to Axel’s ear and said, “Dad’s here. I won’t leave until you go with me. I’m so sorry, son. I’m so damned sorry! I love you so much!” Asher felt the burn of hot tears in the corners of his eyes. He stepped back and let Frank step up to beside the bed.

“Hey buddy! It’s Grandpa. Open your eyes and tell your Mama that you’re okay so she’ll quit worrying, okay?” Frank was fighting through the tears too as he leaned down and gave his grandson a kiss on his cheek. “I love you, Axel, so damned much.” His voice cracked and he had to turn away too. Eventually Frank had a seat in one of the chairs. Mia stayed in her spot next to the bed, holding his hand and Asher paced back and forth, wearing a hole in the tile. Asher couldn’t turn off the thoughts in his head. This was his fault. He had taunted Proctor and he left that office feeling pretty damned cocky about it. Now his son and the rest of his family were once again suffering because of something he did. If Axel died he would never, ever forgive himself.

Asher finally couldn’t stand the deafening silence in the room. “Does anyone want coffee?” Mia almost imperceptibly shook her head.

“Sure,” Frank said. “Maybe a bottle of water for Mia.” Asher nodded. He went over to where Mia stood and rested his hand on her back. She melded into his side and relieved, he held her there. He was so afraid that she blamed him too. He kissed the top of her head and said,

“Are you sure you don’t want anything, baby?”

She nodded and he felt her squeeze her arms around him for a second before letting him go. That made him feel a little better, but feeling good again was a distant hope. Axel would have to wake up and be okay, and the man who had done this to him would have to pay.

He left Axel’s room and started down the hallway full of glass rooms. He was almost to the exit door when he saw something out of the corner of his eye that caught his attention. A man laying in a bed like the one Axel was in. His face was swollen and his eyes were closed and puffy. He had a tube that went into his throat attached to a machine that was breathing for him. It was James Proctor and next to the bed stood Randall. The sight of them both, even with James in the condition he was, tore through Asher like a storm.

Randall saw him too and stood up. He narrowed his eyes and said, “If my son dies, I will kill you, and I will make it hurt.”

Asher, once again, saw red. This time he used his forearm to push the older man up against the wall. He held him there, putting enough pressure to make Randall feel like he was choking to death. “My son is in a coma because this mother fucker tried to hit me with a car and missed. If Axel dies, I will cut him into pieces while you watch and then I will kill you, slowly. So whoever it is you pray to, you better start praying that my son wakes the fuck up.”

Asher caught sight of a blue uniform from the corner of his eye. He let go of Randall just as a man in a suit and two uniformed officers walked into the room. Randall was glaring at Asher still. He tore his eyes from him and asked, “What do you want?” to the officers.

The man in the suit said, “I’m Detective Riley from the Colfax County Sheriff’s department. Are you Asher Fury?” Asher nodded. “And you are Randall Proctor?”

“Yes! What is this about?”

“We need to talk to your son when he wakes up. He is very likely going to be arrested for reckless driving at the least, attempted murder at the worst.”

Randall snorted out a laugh. “My son is going to be arrested? What about him?” He pointed at Asher.

“From what the witnesses told me, Mr. Fury was the intended victim.”

“Victim? Do you see my son? Look at him. He can’t breathe on his own because of what this animal did to him.”

“Were you there, sir?”

“No, I wasn’t there.”

“Can you present a witness that will say Mr. Fury laid hands on your son?”

“A witness? Are you kidding? There was a fucking street full of witnesses.”

“Yes sir, there were. What we were told was that the car came towards Mr. Fury and the young man stepped in the way. Then the car continued to barrel across lawns until it smashed into the side of a brick house. The air bag in the car didn’t deploy. Your son’s injuries were likely sustained in the crash.”

Randall sounded like he was choking. “You must be crazy! Do you know who I am? My son is the mayor of Haddenfield!”

“Good for him,” the detective said turning to Asher, “Mr. Fury, on behalf of the Colfax County Sheriff’s Department, I hope your son has a speedy recovery.”

“Thank you,” Asher whispered in disbelief. The neighbours had stood up for him. They hadn’t cowered down to the Proctor’s. This was huge, yet he still couldn’t feel any joy. Any joy he ever felt again would only come after Axel was awake and okay.

“Excuse me,” he said. He left and went out the doors towards the cafeteria. On the way he passed a small chapel. Asher wasn’t a particularly religious man. He hadn’t been to church since his mother died. He stepped inside and looked around. It was like a dollhouse in comparison to his size. He closed his eyes for a second and tried to breathe in a feeling of reverence. Then, opening his eyes, he sat on one of the tiny pews and looked up at the statue of Jesus on the cross in front of him. He didn’t utter a sound out loud, but in his head, he spoke to God.

‘I know it’s been a really long time since I’ve been here. It has been way too long since I’ve spoken to you. What I’m asking isn’t for me, it’s for my son and Mia. I missed so much of his life. He had to grow up without a father and although he had the best mother he could ever ask for, it just wasn’t fair. He’s such a good kid, God. He’s smart and funny and he has everything going for him. Please don’t let him die like this. Please don’t let that scum, be the one to take him away from this earth. He’s too good for that. Please help him God. Please don’t take him away from his mother. She loves him so much.’