To see this good man with his head wrapped in gauze, the visible parts of his face marred by scratches and bruises, wearing a bandage for an eye patch, and knowing he might not live through the night…It made me want to do something stupid to blow off steam, like maybe go up onto the roof and scream into the night.
Worst of all, there was nothing we could do. Charlie, Jasmine, and Vanessa each tried talking to him in the hopes that a familiar voice would wake him up. Victor Campbell slept on. Our only comfort was that the machines kept beeping.
Both my mom and Aunt Dinah called before midnight to ask if I needed a ride home. It took some convincing, but I managed to persuade them to let me stay at the hospital overnight. We each took turns keeping an eye on Victor, too afraid he’d slip away when we weren’t looking. I was the constant in the room, watching as Charlie, Jasmine, and Vanessa traded shifts. It was crazy how differently they each dealt with their helplessness.
Charlie paced. He sat with me for a little bit, fingers linked with mine, leg bouncing. His eyes darted from his uncle’s face to the monitors’ screens as he chewed on his lips. He asked me to talk about something, anything to break up the silence, so I told him what I’d been about to tell him the other night. Before he cut me off and I got upset and kicked him out of the room.
I didn’t go into details about Marty’s twisted needs or the things he’d made me do. But I did tell him how afraid I was, how much I hated myself for being afraid, how I wished I’d had the strength to stand up to Marty or ask someone for help. What I had to do to cover up the bruises and scars. How terrified I was at the possibility that sex was ruined for me forever.
Charlie’s jaw was clenched real tight by the end. He pulled me into his side and held me close while I cried quietly into his shirt.
“You can tell me ‘no’ whenever you want.” He pressed a quick, awkward kiss to the top of my head. “No questions, no judgment. I promise we’ll only go as far and as fast as you’re comfortable with.”
He sounded angry, but I knew it wasn’t because of me. Marty would destroy Charlie in a fight and yet I knew right then and there that Charlie would jump at the opportunity to punch Marty’s teeth in. If Charlie sounded uncomfortable now it was because he wasn’t used to talking to someone about this stuff; I understood. He was being completely genuine with his promise. I knew I could trust his word. I gulped down grateful tears and burrowed farther into his side.
To lighten the mood, I told him about my shopping adventure with my mom next. It seemed to help a bit.
Jasmine was all about the silence. We sat together, holding hands and staring at the sleeping detective during her shift. Every once in a while, she’d smile sadly at me, as if thanking me for being there. I would squeeze her hand in reply.
Vanessa made calls. She contacted the policemen and EMTs who had beaten her to the scene of the crime, and interrogated them ad nauseam. She wanted to know every little detail about the hit; who was there, what they’d seen, how they’d reacted, what the scene had looked like before and afterward. Vanessa, unlike Victor, took notes on a tablet, her fingers flying.
Then she spoke to the head of city-wide security, asking about the traffic cameras that had managed to record the horrible act, and how fast the footage could be released to the precinct. She phoned a judge to get the necessary warrant for the footage and made a passionate speech to persuade the man to expedite her request. All the while, she sipped the horrible hospital coffee and glanced at Victor with so much guilt and anguish in her dark eyes it was heartbreaking.
I finally nodded off at three in the morning. I just couldn’t fight the exhaustion anymore. I woke up with a terrible backache and a new-found respect for Charlie, who’d spent weeks sitting at my bedside when I was in the hospital. Probably in the same type of chair. It was proof he’d loved me even then. I teased him about it as we watched the sun rise through the window. He rolled his eyes and shoved a chocolate donut in my face to get me to shut up.
Vanessa went back to her place at seven. She would shower and change and then head to the precinct to continue working. She promised she’d get an address for the couple responsible for the hit and set up a surveillance team. She would find something to convict them, to force them to call off the Salamander. Jasmine hugged her. Charlie shook her hand. Before she left, Vanessa kissed Victor’s cheek and whispered something in his ear. Then she walked out with a look that could kill. She’d get justice for her man one way or another. I wished I could be there to see it happen.
Almost immediately after Vanessa left, Jasmine’s doctor burst onto the scene. He was younger than I thought he’d be, smart-looking, and handsome with his curly brown hair and angular face. I’d only caught his name spoken once or twice. It was either Andy or Anthony. I couldn’t remember. Honestly? I didn’t think he was that close to the Campbells. But when I stepped out of the room so he could see Victor, I saw Jasmine throw her arms around the doctor. His glasses slid down the bridge of his nose. He looked a little frazzled but he didn’t hesitate to return her embrace with just as much force. It occurred to me then; this guy was Dad
