NOBODY SAID LOVE WAS GONNA BE EASY
Chapter Eleven
Unfortunately, there was no way to get Jack
to a hospital. Robert quickly moved the still catatonic Rose to a different
seat and went to get a first aid kit. Once he had that, he patched up Jack as best
he could. In a tense silence, Christina and Robert waited for the train to pull
into Chippewa Falls. Once they got back to town, they took Jack and Rose
straight to the hospital. They were sure to keep Jack and Rose in the same
room, where a doctor could examine them both.
After two hours of waiting and pacing in the
waiting room, a doctor came out with somber news.
"I'm afraid your friend has slipped into
a coma, and the girl…she's catatonic. There's no way to reach her in this
state. I'm going to keep them in the same room for now. Are there any other
relatives you need to contact? I'm not too sure that the young man is going to
make it. The bullet was lodged in his spinal cord, and if he does wake up…he
will never be the same again. There's a chance he'll lose the use of his
legs."
"Oh, no! Jack!" Christina gasped,
burying her face in her husband's shoulder.
"H-how about Rose?" Robert asked,
dreading the answer.
"If she's not out of her state in a few
days…you'll have no choice but to commit her. I'm sorry." The doctor bowed
his head, hating to be the bearer of such bad news.
Suddenly, Christina remembered something and
grabbed the doctor's arm. "Rose…she's pregnant…is the baby okay?"
The doctor sighed. "Here's what's so
confusing. She shows signs of a miscarriage…but we checked, and there's a baby
there. Healthy and safe. The only explanation I have was that it was twins and
she lost one of them."
"Oh, dear Lord!" Christina gasped,
both devastated and relieved. She had lost one baby, but thankfully the second
one was still alive.
"Thank you, doctor." Robert nodded
as the elderly man walked away.
"They have to be okay, Robert. They just
have to." Christina sighed, wiping away some stray tears.
"They will be, Christina. I promise.
Jack is strong, and Rose…she's a fighter, as well. They'll pull out of this.
I'm sure of it."
*****
Rose woke up to a dimly lit room. The air was
heavy around her. She was in a comfortable bed, warm and tightly tucked in. She
couldn't help but think of what Cal was up to now. He had killed her baby. What
did he want from her now? Her soul? Was that why she was in a warm, comfortable
bed instead of the hard, cold cot in the basement?
She turned her head, and her heart skipped a
bit as she saw Jack. His eyes were closed. His hair seemed damp and limp against
the white pillow. He seemed to be pale, and his closed lids appeared bruised.
What was going on here? Why had Cal done this? What? Was he going to use Jack
to make her obey him now? If that was his plan…well, it worked. She'd do
anything he wanted…just as long as he didn't hurt Jack anymore than he already
had.
She opened her mouth to say Jack's name when
she noticed the dark figure hovering over Jack's still form, a pillow clenched
in its hand. Obviously, the figure didn't know that she was awake. She watched
as the pillow was pressed against her Jack's face, cutting him off from oxygen.
What was she going to do? She couldn't let this man kill Jack! Not her Jack!
The man she'd do anything for, even obey Cal! She took another look at the
attacker and was surprised by who it was. Ronald O'Connor! Matt's father! She
had no choice. She had to save Jack. Opening her mouth, she forced out the
loudest scream she could, hoping to rouse anyone who could help.
Ronald released the pillow at the
earsplitting shriek that emitted from the redhead on the bed and made a run for
it, unsure if he had been seen or if the girl was just now awakening from her
psychosis. He just knew that he had to get out of there before anyone caught
him. Not thinking twice, he darted out of the room, just as Robert and Christina
raced in, paying him no attention.
"Rose! You're awake!" Christina
went to embrace her friend as Robert went to take the pillow away from Jack's
face, who was now breathing normally again.
"What the hell?" Robert looked at
the pillow, wondering what it was doing there. He didn't have to wait long for
an explanation.
"I-it was Ronald O'Connor. Matt's
father! H-he was trying to kill Jack! I woke up, and he was pressing that
pillow down onto Jack's face! Trying to smother him!" Rose burst into
tears, exhausted from her ordeal and the fear of losing everything she held
dear. "He tried to kill Jack."
"Ronald O'Connor? Are you sure,
Rose?" Christina asked, her eyes wide with fear. The O’Connors were a very
powerful family in Chippewa Falls. If they had tried to kill Jack…well, then it
wasn't safe for him to be in the hospital. They would have to move to where the
O’Connors had no reach.
"I'm positive. I'd remember that face
anywhere. Why would he kill Jack? What did Jack ever do to him?" Rose
asked.
"I don't know. But it's obvious that we
can't keep either one of you here at the hospital. The O’Connors own this
hospital. They can do anything to Jack that they want and no one will say a
word. We'll have to move first thing tomorrow." Robert sighed. "You
can stay with us. We have plenty of room. Don't worry, Rose. Everything will be
fine. You'll see. Everything will be just fine."
Watching Christina comfort the distraught
redhead, Robert hoped that what he said was true. He looked out the window at
the night sky and promised Jack's parents that he'd take care of Jack and his
family and would get to the bottom of why the O’Connors had it in for Jack. He
wouldn't rest until he knew the truth and had set things right again.