Nick listened at the door of Libby’s room for a few minutes before walking away. She must still be asleep. He had just figured he’d check on her before he went to bed. He knew he should hate her for treating him the way she had but damn, she had a good excuse. And the sight of her in that apartment today had chilled him. He had thought for one minute that she was dead. Only a minute but he felt like he aged twenty years in that minute. He still felt something for her, he wasn’t afraid to admit that. He put his key in his door and glanced back up the corridor as he opened the door. There was a spill of light coming from Libby’s room now. Like she had left the door open. He was sure it wasn’t open when he had knocked. He shut his door again and walked back down to Libby’s room. She was lying against the doorframe with her eyes closed. She looked awfully pale and Nick fell to his knees in front of her.
“Libby?” he asked urgently and felt for a pulse. It was very weak but it was there. “Libby honey, wake up!” he shook her gently and she moaned. “Open your eyes baby.” She opened her eyes and seemed to stare right through him. Something was wrong here. He stood up and reached down to fold her in his arms. He carried her to the bed and laid her down gently before calling 911.
“911, what’s your emergency?”
“My friend is kinda actin’ weird,” he stammered. “She got knocked out earlier by this guy and she seemed ok, but I've just found her almost passed out.”
“Ok, does she have a pulse?”
“Yeah but it feels pretty weak.”
“How does she feel?”
Nick felt Libby’s face gently. “Pretty cold I guess.”
“Ok, give me the address sir.”
“It’s a hotel. The Sheraton in downtown LA.”
“And what’s the room number?”
“Uh, 609.”
“Ok sir, I’ll dispatch a crew immediately.”
“What should I do?” Nick panicked slightly.
“Wrap her up in a blanket and just keep talking to her. Try to keep her awake.”
“Keep her awake?”
“Yes sir. If she has a head injury it could be very dangerous to let her fall asleep.”
“Oh God, ok,” Nick hung up the phone and gently tapped Libby’s face to make her open her eyes. “C’mon Libs, you gotta stay awake here. You’re pretty bad company as it is,” he joked and she smiled slightly. “Yeah, you know I love your smile. Always makes me feel better about things. I’m gonna call Kevin and Brian. You’d like them to come join us right? We could have a party,” he picked up the phone as she moaned slightly and closed her eyes. “No Libby, stay awake for me honey. C’mon…” he tapped her face again and she opened her eyes. “That’s it. Let me see those big baby blues…” He dialled Kevin’s number and it rang a while before Kevin grabbed it.
“What?! It’s 2am and I was asleep so this BETTER be…”
“It’s Libby,” Nick interrupted. “Get Brian and come to her room right now.” Kevin hung up and Nick put the phone down. He pulled off the blanket from the bed and wrapped her in it gently. He sat by her again and started to twist Libby’s hair softly. “I’m gonna give ya the hairdo from hell,” he threatened and she giggled weakly. “Yeah, big bad ass hairdo. You’ll look cute though. You always do.”
“What happened?!” Kevin flew into the room, followed closely by Brian. They both stopped when they saw how pale Libby was.
“Holy shit,” breathed Brian slowly and touched Libby’s hair. “Libby honey, what’s wrong?”
“Head…hurts,” she whispered and started to shiver slightly.
“Oh c’mon baby,” Nick wrapped her tighter in the blanket and lay beside her to give her some of his warmth. “We’re gonna get you better so you can kick my ass at Madden.”
“Is anyone coming?” asked Kevin, his eyes wide with fear.
“I called 911. They’ll be here soon.”
“What’s wrong with her?” asked Brian stroking her hair gently.
“I dunno,” Nick said. “The operator thought it might be a head injury from earlier.”
“Fuck, she said she was ok,” Kevin muttered. “Why didn’t I make her see a doctor?!”
“Hey Kev, it’s nobody’s fault but the bastard who hit her,” said Nick quietly.
“I’m sorry Libby,” Kevin sat beside her and started to rub her back gently. “You’re gonna be ok. I promise you. Nothin’ bad will ever happen to you again. I’m gonna see to that.”
“This 609?” asked a paramedic looking into the room ten minutes later.
“Yeah, this is Libby Richardson,” Nick stood up as the two paramedics walked over to the bed. Brian and Kevin stood back as they started to check her out.
“Any idea what’s wrong?” asked the second man pulling out a blood pressure pump.
“She was knocked out earlier,” said Brian. “We don’t know how long for. The guy nearly raped her. She was pretty badly knocked about but she refused to go to hospital.”
“I found her about twenty minutes ago,” Nick added. “She was almost unconscious. The 911 operator told me to keep her awake so I did. It was hard.”
“Ok thanks,” he looked at his partner. “Her blood pressure is very low.”
“She feels very clammy,” the guy responded. “Pupils dilated. It looks like a head injury. We better take her in.”
“I’ll get the stretcher,” the guy left the room.
“She’s gonna be ok right?” asked Kevin.
“You are?” the paramedic looked up at him.
“Kevin Richardson. I’m her brother.”
“Ok, well it looks like she might have a head injury. We’ll know more when they scan her at the hospital.”
“Is that serious?” Kevin asked, already knowing the answer.
“It can be.”
“Mr Richardson?” a doctor walked into the hospital waiting room.
“That’s me,” Kevin jumped up and walked over quickly. “Is Libby gonna be ok?”
“She should be fine Mr Richardson,” the doctor smiled. “We did a scan on her head and we can’t find any evidence of bleeding or bruising on the brain. There was a little pressure on her brain from the knock she had earlier and if she had been left any longer it might have started to bleed. But we’ve sedated her and put her on a drip to relieve that pressure so she should be just fine. She’ll be kept in for a couple of nights just for observation and then she should be able to go home with you.”
“Oh thank God,” smiled Brian.
“Ditto,” Nick said. “Can we see her?”
“Like I said, she’s heavily sedated and we are only letting in immediate family.”
“I’m her cousin,” said Brian. “Surely I can go in?”
“You and Mr Richardson can see her but only for ten minutes maximum.”
“Great,” Brian headed to the door and Kevin followed slowly.
Nick sat back down with a frown and Kevin looked back at him. “Nick should come with us,” he told the doctor.
“I’m sorry sir but it’s immediate family only. We can’t overcrowd the room.”
Nick IS immediate family,” Kevin said and both Nick and the doctor looked at him. “Nick is my sister’s…uh, fiancé.”
“He is?” asked the doctor eyeing up Nick.
“I am?” Nick asked. “Uh, I mean, I AM.”
“Ok, you can come too,” the doctor conceded and Nick followed Kevin out of the room.
“Thanks,” Nick whispered.
“You saved her life,” Kevin replied.