The woman glanced at the ring on his hand then saw the one on Tyler’s. Her eyes narrowed. Before she could say anything there was a knock at the door, and a nurse opened it. Behind her stood a deputy. “I’m sorry, but he needs to take Mr. Kinsey’s statement.”
Tyler stood. “I’ll get the paperwork and bring you some fresh clothes. You stay here.”
Tyler returned home, found the paperwork, and packed a small bag of clean clothes for Thomas. He grabbed the paperback Thomas was reading off the bedside table and tucked that into the bag. Scanning the bedroom, he knew he’d have to find time to straighten it up, but not now.
Back in the kitchen, he nearly threw up at the sight of Nevvie’s dried blood on the floor and cabinets. He sobbed as he ran warm water in the sink and used a dishrag to clean up the worst of it.
It was nearly an hour before he returned to the hospital. He found Thomas in the waiting room and handed him the bag and his cell phone.
“I’ll go talk to the caseworker,” Tyler said.
Thomas nodded, but said nothing.
Tyler found his way to the administration office, and the receptionist directed him to Ms. Park’s desk. The woman took the folder and made copies of everything, frowning before handing it back.
“What’s wrong?” Tyler asked.
“If Mr. Kinsey is her fiancé, why are you on all of this paperwork, too? Are you related?”
Tyler was in no mood for bullshit. “Isn’t that an improper question, Ms. Park? I assure you, our attorney drew everything up. It’s all proper, and her health insurance is current. Mr. Kinsey and I jointly hold her power of attorney. Is there anything else?”
She showed her true colors. “Mr. Paulson, all I know is there’s something weird going on here.”
Tyler’s voice grew hard and cold. “Are we done, Ms. Park?”
She pressed her lips together, but nodded. He noted she looked at his wedding band.
Before he left administration he made sure they set Nevvie’s admission status to private, requiring a security code to get information about her condition over the phone. That would, hopefully, slow a few people down. He had a feeling that beyond the shitstorm of emotion he was going through, a firestorm would erupt when the news got out.
Thomas had changed clothes by the time Tyler returned to the waiting room. When Tyler glimpsed the silver chain under his collar and slight bulge under his shirt, he realized Thomas had threaded the rings onto the necklace. He must have, because Thomas’ hands were much larger than Nevvie’s.
“We can’t see her again until eight tonight,” Thomas said. “They have three times we can visit during the day until they move her. Only fifteen minutes at a time.
Tyler looked at his watch. “That’s in three hours. Do you wish to get something to eat?”
Thomas shook his head and looked at the floor. “She told me to tell you she loves you,” he whispered. “At the house, before she passed out.”
Tyler closed his eyes and struggled against his tears. “Thank you.”
“What did you say to her in there?”
Tyler didn’t open his eyes. “I begged her to forgive me for what happened, and for not being there to protect her. I promised I would protect her, never let anyone hurt her, and I broke that promise.”
The hours crawled and Thomas made no effort to speak to Tyler. At eight they silently returned to the SICU. After scrubbing up they walked to Nevvie’s bedside and gently stroked her hands.
The nurse worked on Nevvie’s chart just outside the alcove and Tyler motioned to her. “Yes, sir?”
“How is she?”
“She’s critical, but stable.”
“How long will they keep her on the ventilator?”
“Probably until tomorrow morning, depending on her condition. We’ll keep her sedated until then to keep her comfortable.”
Tyler wished he could be the one in the bed, not her.
Thomas finally spoke. “Is she going to make it?”
“Would you like me to get the doctor to answer your questions?”
He shook his head and looked at Nevvie. “She hates to be alone. She’s terrified of hospitals. She made me promise not to leave her alone before the ambulance took her.”
The nurse patted him on the arm. “I’m sorry, but you can’t stay with her. Once she’s out of here you can talk with the nurses wherever she ends up.”
Tyler’s voice was choked and ragged. “She’ll be scared to death. We promised we’d always take care of her. She has horrible nightmares if she’s alone.”
The nurse handed Tyler a card. “Here’s the number for the SICU desk, with her bed number. I’m Carol, I’ll be on duty until seven a.m. You can call during the night and check on her. The orders we have say she’ll stay sedated until morning, when they’ll re-evaluate her condition. She won’t wake up before then. The two of you obviously love her, but you need to go home and get some sleep. I’ve got your phone numbers in the chart and I’ll call if anything changes. Be back here by six tomorrow morning and let the SICU desk know you’re here so you can talk to the doctors during rounds.”
Both men nodded, and Thomas placed a tender kiss on Nevvie’s forehead, brushing the hair away from her face. “Good night, sugar. I’ll be back first thing in the morning. I love you.”
Tyler leaned over and kissed her. “I love you, sweetheart. Please come back to us.”
Tyler drove them home. Thomas hesitated at the kitchen, staring at the remainder of the mess. There was still blood in the grout and tracked around the kitchen.
Tyler threw his keys on the counter. “I didn’t have time to properly clean. I wiped up the worst of it.” He ran warm water to finish the job and Thomas continued to their bedroom.
With leaden feet he walked to the bed and started folding her clothes, putting them away, returning hangers to the closet, dragging the empty boxes back to the garage. When Tyler finished in the kitchen he joined Thomas in the bedroom and together they tidied the room.
When Thomas undressed to take a shower, Tyler saw the necklace. As suspected, he’d threaded Nevvie’s rings onto it. Thomas removed it and carefully put it on the dresser with his watch. He glared at Tyler, his message unmistakable: Don’t touch it. I’ll take care of it.
Tyler didn’t dare join him in the bathroom. He took his shower after Thomas finished. Thomas lay on the far side of the bed, his back to Tyler. Another clear message: Leave me the fuck alone. Tyler knew to leave the angry silence unbroken.
Retrieving his cell phone charger from the office, Tyler plugged it in on his side of the bed and set the alarm to wake him at two so he could check on Nevvie. He eventually slept before it sounded.
When Tyler called, Thomas didn’t move on his distant side of the bed. Thomas didn’t say anything, but Tyler sensed him listening. After he hung up, he spoke without turning to face Thomas.
“Her vital signs are stable. She’s still under sedation.” He reset the alarm for five.
Neither slept.
Before they left the next morning, Tyler looked at the answering machine and found twenty messages. He didn’t have the energy or time to listen. They could wait. He imagined it would hit the news today, and it could make life crazy for a while. He wasn’t Stephen King but it wouldn’t surprise him if it hit the wires in the UK, too.
The doctor talked with them. “We’ll slowly back off the sedation. Her blood pressure was stable last night, and she’s not running a fever, no sign of infection yet.”
“Can we stay with her?” Tyler asked.
“I’m afraid not, Mr. Paulson. If she continues to improve, we’ll upgrade her condition and then look at moving her to a regular room in a day or so.