Chapter 11

 

Kristen showed no improvement for the next two days, during which Ethan never once left the hospital. On the third day, the police returned to check on the patient and to update Ethan on the progress of the investigation. He was about to go to the cafeteria to get coffee when Detective Marshall and another officer met him in the hallway.

“Mr. Broderick,” the detective greeted.

“It’s Ethan,” he said as the detective stretched his hand out Ethan took it, giving it a vigorous shake.

“This is Detective Cross,” the officer introduced the other man.

Ethan shook hands with him and waited for the detective to update him.

“Miss Broderick’s tox screen came back clean. We had the car inspected and we found a broken brake hose. Do you know when last she had the car checked?”

“To be honest, Detective. I just returned a few days ago. Kristen and I are just getting reacquainted. There are a lot of things I have no knowledge of.”

Detective smiled. “I understand. We also found a spot of grease on the back right tire. We will release the report so you can deal with the insurance.”

“That quickly?” Ethan asked.

“Yes. We found the cause of the accident. I see no reason to delay. Our findings indicate that it was a simple accident.” The detective promised to send the report to Kristen’s insurance company where they will also do their own investigation. Given that no one else was involved in the accident, that shouldn’t take long.

After his talk with the police, Ethan proceeded to the cafeteria to get the coffee and returned to the room. The nurse was checking the machines and taking Kristen’s temperature when he returned. Nurse Emily had been attentive, not only to Kristen but to him as well. On a couple of occasions, she brought him sandwiches and encouraged him to have a meal.

“Mr. Broderick, you have not slept in two days,” she said, checking the saline bag. “You need to get some rest.”

“I’m fine. I’ve gone longer without sleep.”

She smiled. “I know navy seals can go for days without sleep, but at least go home, shower and change. I’ll keep an eye on the patient. I’m sure she won’t mind.”

“Are you sure?”

“Of course,” she replied. “She’s my patient. I won’t let anything happen to her. Now go.”

Hesitant, but feeling a bit grimy with three days stubble and clothes that were beginning to ripen, Ethan left the hospital with a promise to return soon.

 

*

 

A Harley motorcycle was pulling away from the entrance of the hospital as her black Lincoln pulled up. The Harley passed by so close that it almost brushed the car.

Helen grounded her teeth together. “Moron. How could they allow a motorcycle on the premises?” she snarled. Leaning slightly forward, she asked her driver, “Did he hit the car?”

“No ma’am, the car is fine.”

“Very well, I won’t be long. Keep the engine warm.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

The driver stopped and Helen exited the vehicle. As she went through the glass doors into the hospital lobby, the car pulled away as no vehicles were allowed to block the entrance. She took the elevator to the ICU, passed the nurses station and was on her way to Kristen’s room when a nurse stopped her.

“Ma’am, can I help you?”

“I’m visiting my daughter in law if you don’t mind,” Helen replied.

“Who is your daughter-in-law?”

“Never mind, I already know which room she is in.”

The nurse blocked her path. “Ma’am, you need to tell me your name and who your daughter in law is. I must have a record of all patient visits.”

Helen lifted her chin. Her back stiffened as the woman in white uniform eyed her carefully. “My name is Helen Broderick and my daughter-in-law is Kristen Broderick. Now if you’ll excuse me...”

She stepped around the nurse and headed down the hall to three doors away from the station. The nurse was watching her. She stiffened her back as she pushed the door and entered the room. “This isn’t Kristen,” she observed as she stared at an old forlorn figure. Hastily retreating, Helen returned to the nurse’s station to find the nurse standing exactly where she left her.

“I’m curious ma’am, who told you where your daughter–in-law was?”

“Not that it’s any of your business, but I do donate quite a sum to this hospital,” Helen told her. “I know everything that goes on here when it relates to family. Now, which room is she in?”

Helen noted that the nurse had a displeased look on her face. The girl was taking her sweet time replying and she needed to be out of there quickly.

“Let me check it for you, Mrs. Broderick”, the nurse said in a cocky tone of voice. “This might take a few minutes.

The few minutes became about twenty until she returned. “Second door on the right.”

Helen’s eyes dropped to the nurse’s name tag, and made a mental note. As she moved off, she heard the girl snicker. On any other occasion, she would have dealt with the young woman accordingly, however, she was on a mission, which was more important.

Thirty seconds later, she was pushing open the door and entering Kristen’s room. She took in the saline drip, the machines hooked up to her and her bandaged head. The machine beeped at even intervals.

“Poor thing,” she said, leaning down close to Kristen’s ear. “Look at you now. What can you do lying in a hospital bed fighting for your life? Why don’t you just give in and die and stop wasting everyone’s time?”

The beeps from the machine started coming more rapidly and gradually sped up until they became urgent and loud.

“Yes, that’s it. I know you can hear me, Kristen. I want you to listen carefully, you have lost. Hailey is now mine.”

Before she could say anything further, several people rushed in. The machine was sounding off its loud incessant beeping.

“Blood pressure dropping fast,” one person declared.

Helen was pushed away from the bed as someone pulled the sheet down. The sound changed to long ringing sound as the machine showed a flat line. With a smile, she exited the room and walked briskly down the hall.

*

“Defibrillator, stat!”

The doctor applied the necessary shock to the patient’s chest.

“One, two, clear!”

The treatment was repeated. On the third try, a low beep came through the machine. It slowly picked up until it was as steady as it had been half hour before. The lines on the heart monitor returned squiggly and everyone breathed a sigh of relief.

*

About half an hour after he had left, Ethan walked through the ICU room doors to find three nurses and two doctors. One of the doctors was using a defibrillator on Kristen. There was a flat line on the machine’s monitor and a droning sound came from it.

His stomach wrenched as though someone lodged a spear in it. Blood drained from his face as he watched them apply the shock treatment to her. His chest tightened and his knees became weak causing him to lean against the wall, closing his eyes.

Soon, the beeping sound returned at regular intervals. Ethan opened his eyes, witnessing the relief on the faces of those present. He too, let out a long breath when the heart line spiked and started going up and down.

One by one the medical staff filed out of the room leaving Emily to tuck the sheets back around her patient and check her saline bag.

Ethan eased himself from the wall and moved over to stand by the nurse. “What happened,” he asked in a low tone.

“I checked her an hour ago and she was fine. It was while that woman was here that this happened. I knew something was not right.”

“What woman?”

Emily was clearly upset from the way she was curling her lips. “She said she was Kristen’s mother-in-law.”

“Mother was here?”

She nodded. “Yes.”

“Listen, Emily, no one visits my fiancé without me knowing. Ok?”

“OK.”

“Not even my own mother.”

“She must have said something upsetting to her,” Emily said. “Often, people in a coma can still hear us when we speak.”

Ethan looked down at Kristen. “Can they, really?”

“I believe so. No offense, but your mother gives me the creeps,” Emily said.

“None taken,” Ethan said with a small smile. “She gives everyone the creeps.”

“You should talk to her,” Emily jutted her chin towards the patient. “Let her hear your voice too. After what happened, she needs to know that someone who loves her is here.”

What’s with everyone talking about love?

Nurse Emily exited the room, leaving him thinking about her words. Love? Was that what this was? All he ever wanted to do was protect her. He wanted to protect her since the moment he set eyes on her a decade ago. Now here he was, years later, still wanting to protect her. He would be damned if he let his mother or anyone else harm her.

Nurse Emily returned to the room about ten minutes later while he was still mulling over her words. “Ethan, a woman is here. She claims to be Kristen’s best friend. Should I send her in?”

“Did you get her name?”

“Camile?” she said uncertainly.

“Camila?”

Emily grinned. “Yes, that’s it.”

“She’s cool.”

Not two minutes after Emily left the room, the door opened and in came Kristen’s long-lost friend. Her eyes widened in surprise.

“Ethan? My God!” she exclaimed. “When she said Kristen’s fiancé, I had no idea.”

“How have you been, Camila?”

“I’m good. How is she?”

Camila took her friend’s hand. Ethan offered her the chair and she sat, her eyes brimming with unshed tears. Ethan was grateful for Camila’s presence. He wondered how Camila came to know Kristen was in the hospital. The last he heard, she was living in New York.

“Did you fly all the way from New York to come see her?” he asked.

She shook her head. “I came back a few days ago. I wanted to surprise her, and boy did I get a surprise when I saw the news. It was weird, I passed the accident on the day it happened.” She choked back tears.

Ethan rested a hand on her shoulder. “I’m glad you’re here. She needs a friend.”

“Oh God, Ethan, what happened?”

“I want to know that too.”

Camila twisted around to look into his eyes. “How did you two… is it because of the hearing?”

“You know about that?”

“Yes, we exchange emails twice per week. But Ethan, you marrying her, it’s been a long time coming. You wouldn’t do it if you didn’t still love her.”

“When did I ever love her?”

“It’s me you’re talking to, remember? I know how you felt. I know you were devastated when she married your brother.”

Raking his hand through his hair, Ethan turned away, walking to the little window overlooking the hospital grounds. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

Camila joined him. “Cut the crap, Ethan. Everyone knew you were in love with her, even Andrew knew it.”

Moving away from the window and Camila, he walked the short distance to the other end of the room. “That’s ridiculous.”

“You can deny it all you want, but look at you. You can’t even stand still. When last have you slept? Have you eaten in the last few days?”

Ethan hadn’t considered to those questions. He had not eaten anything but half the sandwich Emily brought him the day before. He’d downed several cups of the coffee from the cafeteria and that was about it. Sleep was the furthest thing from his mind. Of course, he was worried. Who wouldn’t be in this situation? But to call that love was ludicrous.

“You’re making too much of this, Camila,” he eventually said.

“Am I?”

“Let’s drop the subject, shall we? We have to figure out a way to stop my mother. She was here earlier and Kristen…” he shook his head. “She flat-lined.”

Camila’s voice raised a notch, “What?” She grabbed Ethan’s arm and pulled him from the room.

“What are you doing?” he asked as he reluctantly followed her.

“Don’t you know that coma patients can still hear things?” she replied. “Anyway, tell me what happened.”

“I badly needed a shower, that’s why I left.” He ran his hand across his face. “I got back as they were resuscitating her.”

“Oh, God,” Camila breathed, placing her hand on her chest.

“She was just lying there and the machine was giving off that awful sound.”

Camila’s forehead wrinkled as she bit her bottom lip. She closed her eyes and grimaced as though in pain. Ethan knew what she must have been feeling. The terror that she could have lost her friend must be unbearable. He felt the same.

“What can we do?” Her voice cracked.

“I don’t know, I feel so helpless.”