“You’re not alone, Red. We’ll get through this together, baby, if you’ll let me.”
He hung his head. None of it mattered if she didn’t survive the night.
If you harm one hair on her head... “Oh, my God.” Did I say that one time too many and somehow aided in it coming true? An overwhelming sense of powerlessness consumed him and he fell back in a chair. For the first time since he was a child, he closed his eyes and prayed.
Becca’s nurse convinced him to go home to shower and get some sleep, with the promise she’d call him if her condition changed no matter how little. At five in the morning, he rode into his garage. After a long, hot shower, he stretched out on his bed, but sleep eluded him. Every time his eyes closed, he’d see Becca lying in the hospital fighting for her life.
The clock on his bedside table read seven a.m. when he finally gave in to the call of the open road. He could think of no better remedy for his state of mind. On more than a few occasions, the magic of the wind had been his saving grace.
Half an hour later, he rode through the sleepy streets. All the tension in his body ebbed as it dissipated in the breeze that rushed around him. The phone in his shirt pocket vibrated, and he pulled over to the curb to answer it.
“Hey, Randy, I thought you’d be up. How about meeting me for a coffee at the hospital?”
He heard the exhaustion in the chief’s voice. “I’ll be there in ten minutes. Everything’s alright isn’t it?”
“No worries. Becca is holding her own.”
Randy pulled out into the street and realized the chief didn’t really answer his question. If it wasn’t Becca, what could possibly be wrong? He reached the hospital and parked around back in the reserved parking for police and other government officials.
The sounds of the waking hospital greeted him. Nurses with carts delivering morning medication rolled down the otherwise barren hallways. Only a handful of people were scattered throughout the cafeteria. Staring off into space, seemingly deep in thought, Chief sat up against the wall at the far end of the room.
The heavenly scent of coffee lured Randy to the counter where he filled an extra large cup, black, desperate for the full caffeine effect. It wasn’t until his chair scraped against the tile that the chief looked his way with a start, slopping his drink down the front of his t-shirt.
“You know, it’s not nice to sneak up on people like that.”
Randy chuckled. “Who said I was nice?”
Chief scowled and made a futile attempt to rub the stain out with a napkin. “Becca’s nurse sounded hopeful she’s out of danger. Our Becca’s a tough one. I just hope she’s strong enough for the long road ahead of her.”
“With a little help from her friends, she just might be okay.”
Chief pressed his lips firmly together. He looked like he was going to say something but thought better of it. His expression grew serious.
“I have something to tell you....”
Chapter Thirty
After three weeks in isolation and a skin graft to her arm and thigh, Becca was finally moving to a room of her own, which meant he’d be allowed to visit. The doctor was very adamant only one visitor at a time for no longer than fifteen minutes. He couldn’t stress enough how important her psychological well-being played in her recovery.
In just a few minutes Randy would actually see her face to face for the first time in weeks. He was prepared to keep positive and not bring up any topic that might upset her. He prayed she didn’t ask any questions he wasn’t prepared to answer, at least not right now.
Becca’s door opened, and her nurse stepped out. “You have fifteen minutes. She’s a little groggy from the pain medication. Remember, don’t upset her.” She waggled her finger at him like a protective mother.
Randy flashed a smile and inched his way past her into the room. Becca lay with her eyes closed, an angel swathed in white. The bandages hid the extent of her burns. He slowly made his way up to her bedside and gazed down on her.
Her eyelids fluttered open and she looked at him with such tenderness it brought tears to his eyes. He lightly pressed his lips to her cool forehead before stepping back to pull up a chair.
“It’s good to see you,” she rasped. Her gaze travelled to a bowl of ice on the table by her bed.
“Do you want some?”
She nodded slightly and parted her lips. The medication was obviously doing its job. In fact, she looked a little spaced out like she’d just smoked a joint. He tipped an ice chip off the end of a spoon and into her mouth.
“You don’t know what a relief it is to see your beautiful eyes.” Randy squelched the rush of emotion rising up in him. “Are you in much pain?”
She smiled. “Not at the moment.” Becca frowned as she eyed him up and down. “You look like shit.”
He laughed. “Now there’s my Becca. Flattery will get you everywhere.”
“When is the last time you slept?”
“I have a feeling I’ll be able to sleep like a baby tonight. You had us all worried.”
Her eyes closed. “I’m sorry.”
“You have nothing to be sorry for.” He cupped the side of her face and watched her slip back into slumber. He pressed his lips to her forehead once again. “I love you, Becca.”
Randy cleared his throat and walked quietly to the door, taking one last glance back before leaving the room. There was lightness in his step, the weight of the world lifting from his shoulders. He’d been so worried about how she’d react to him. Even with the amount of drugs they pumped into her, he caught a glimpse of the Becca he’d come to love.
But now was not the time to tell her.
With her fingertips, Becca’s feathered the bandages covering her head. Her beautiful purple wisteria tattoo peeked above the gauze wrapped around her arm. What will my tattoos look like once my burns heal?
Her leg rested in a suspended sling, the extent of her burns still a mystery behind the dressing. She couldn’t even venture a guess as her pain was controlled by drugs. A line from an old Pink Floyd song played over and over in her mind. ‘I have become comfortably numb.’
“Good morning, Becca.” Dr.Swanson breezed into the room. “How’s my favourite patient doing today?”
“How would I know? You’ve got enough juice pumping into me to keep a whole football team high for a week.”
He chuckled and jotted something down on her chart. “I can definitely decrease the dosage, but I warn you, you’re going to feel like you’ve been hit by a truck and barbequed.”
“Well, aren’t you a ray of sunshine today.”
“Why don’t we take a look under those bandages before making any changes, okay?”
Becca nodded rendered speechless at the mere thought of seeing her burns. Her eyes filled with tears.
Dr. Swanson called for a nurse to assist and then sat at the edge of Becca’s bed. “Before we do this, I want you to remember it won’t look this way forever.” He squeezed her hand. “I give you my word.”
She smiled weakly, afraid to speak for fear of losing the last thread of her composure. Tiny scissors snipped away at the gauze. The sensation of air against her burns brought bumps to her skin.
“There we go.” The doctor stepped back and stroked his jaw. “It’s going to heal quite nicely, Becca.”
“Can I see?” Nurse Debbie stood on the other side of her bed and passed a long-handled mirror to her. The doctor covered her hand with his.
“Remember, it needs time to heal and won’t look like this forever.”