The two men give her a minute to ride through the pain and come back down. She is on her knees, sitting back on her heels, taking deep breaths.
After a moment she warns, “I’m going to kick both of your asses just as soon as my arm is better. Now help me up and let’s get this over with,” lifting her good hand up and raising her unrecognizable face to look at them, a tight but quirky smile plays on her swollen purple lips.
John and Brian laugh at her statement, their Elsie giving it right back to them.
“Come here, Angel, have I told you how much I adore you?” John says, not able to stop the endearing phrase before it pours from him.
The statement makes Elsie sway on her feet even more than the pain did.
Chapter 17 “I’ve heard that you’ve been self-medicating in the quiet of your room, your sweet suburban tomb. And if you need a friend, I’ll help you stitch up your wounds. I heard that you’ve been having some trouble finding your place in the world, I know how much that hurts. But if you need a friend then please just say the word. You’ve come this far, you’re all cleaned up, you’ve made a mess again. There’s no more trying, time to sort yourself out. Hold on tight, this ride is a wild one. Make no mistake the day will come when you can’t cover up what you’ve done. Now don’t lose your fight, kid. It only takes a little push to pull on through. With so much left to do, you’ll be missing out and we’ll be missing you…”Lyrics, “Missing You” by All Time Low
Elsie’s arm was dislocated, she was in shock, and she had a concussion from the blows to her head. Because of the nature of the crime, the hospital had to do a rape exam to gather evidence against her attacker. The police took a statement and shot some photographs of Elsie’s battered face and body. Unfortunately, the whole process made Elsie feel like a victim all over again, violated, pushed, pulled and humiliated.
My God, if I anyone else has to get between my legs tonight I don’t know if I will survive it! Elsie agonizes in her mind as she bares herself yet again for another examiner. She feels raw, dirty, and battered emotionally, physically and psychologically. It’s all she can do to keep it together, to get through this night of hell that doesn’t seem will ever end.
They gave her some pain medicine and set her arm after x-rays were taken and she went through an MRI. John was able to stay with her through these initial services, while they were getting her stable, and assessing the extent of her injuries, but once the criminal investigators began their examinations and questioning, John was kicked out. He tried to call in all the favors that the local police owed him, and even tried to pull rank on the local officers, but nothing worked. Instead, he’s been pacing the hallways for five of the longest hours of his life.
Rico, John and Brian are waiting outside the door of Elsie’s room. John hasn’t stopped pacing the ten foot expanse of the hallway, since she was moved here. Brian has claimed his spot, to the side of her door, while Rico has placed himself across from the door. Every so often John stops his march and glares at Rico.
“You want to tell me again, Dude, what the fuck went down that made this happen?” the simmering rage that is boiling in John churns hotter and hotter with each passing, agonizing, minute that he can’t get into that room and be by Elsie’s side.
Rico takes a deep breath to keep his nerves calm. He’s here for two reasons: #1 He’s the lead investigator on the drug bust that went down on the set, after shooting wrapped today. #2 He’s keeping John and Brian from going into Elsie’s room and interrupting the investigation, interrupting is probably putting it mildly. They’ve been out here for five hours and if these two have asked him this question once, they’ve asked him a thousand times.
“As I’ve already explained, I’ve been working on a heroin racket for a couple of months, and tonight we busted the dealer and the runners. There was a connection with someone on the crew, and I was able to use them as an informant. This scumbag got away when the shit started to go down.” Rico looks sincerely at John, “Man, I had no idea Elsie was still on set. There is no way I would have let her work late, knowing what was going to go down tonight, I was told the set was clear,” he shifts his gaze to Brian, hoping for some kind of understanding.
John exhales a long deep breath as he runs his hands worriedly through his hair again. Brian shifts his bodyweight from one leg to the other, his way of dealing with stress is a bit more withdrawn and subtle than the way his big friend lets it out.
“I know, Dude. Yeah, you’ve told us. And I know you wouldn’t have let Elsie be around, knowing there was danger. But I wish you would’ve told us about the fucking investigation and those fucking pieces of shit around there!” John curses, almost on the verge of yelling at Rico, in the middle of the hospital hallway, in the very early hours of the morning.
“John,” Rico begins, trying to calm him down, “You know I couldn’t.” Rico is holding his ground.
John and Brian both glare at Rico, hating the fact that Rico is right and they just have to accept it.
John begins his pacing again as the door to Elsie’s room opens and the nurse exits.
“You can go in now, but be easy on her, it’s been a lot longer night for her
