RED SOX: You gotta believe, again!
FAIR TO MIDDLING
by Phair
Ash woke with a gasp of pain. Her back was killing her and she really needed to puke or pee or something. She pressed the nursing call light and she waited. Ash tried to imagine her body not racked with pain from her wounds and aches from its basic needs. And still, she waited.
“Why do I always fucking believe that somebody else will help me out until it is just too late to help myself?” She thought as the urine began to trickle between her thighs.
Beth made her way down the hospital corridor undisturbed. With her glasses on, few people in the community approached her as the local celebrity she was. However, should she show up wearing her contacts, she would be mobbed in an instant. So much for her Q factor.
Beth frowned when the pain in her left thigh made itself known. It had been four days since Dylan reminded her about his Spousal Privilege. She shuddered at the memory of the force he used. It hadn’t been the first time he had physically overpowered her. However, it had been years since the last time he had done so. Of course, it also had been years since he drank himself into a full blown drunk. Now, it was happening nightly again.
Beth was risking another reminder from Dylan when she agreed to visit Lindsey. Mrs. Ng asked Beth to deliver a package to Lindsey. Beth could not refuse the old woman’s pleas. Mrs. Ng wanted Lindsey to have new pajamas so she would not be embarrassed during her therapy sessions by having just a hospital gown to wear.
“I’ll drop off the package. Give a couple words of encouragement to Lindsey. Then hurry back home. With a bit of luck, Dylan will never find out I was here,” Beth thought to herself.
She stopped cold at the door to Lindsey’s room. The bed was empty. The IV pole was overturned and the tubing was draining fluid all over the floor. Droplets of blood trailed into the bathroom. Beth could hear gagging coming from the room.
“WE NEED A NURSE DOWN HERE!” Beth screamed and raced toward the sound.
Lindsey was kneeling in front of the toilet, retching into the bowl. Her face was flushed. Her hair hung limply around her sweaty face. Blood was running in a steady rivulet from the back of her hand where the IV needled pulled free.
Beth hurried over to her. She quickly pulled the girl’s hair out of the way and placed the palm of her hand on Lindsey’s forehead. The girl immediately sagged against her legs.
“It’s going to be okay, Lindsey. I got you. You’re going to be okay,” Beth hushed.
“Why is she out of bed?” The nurse at the bathroom door demanded. “She’s not supposed to get up alone. And, she pulled out her IV. Look at this mess!”
Lindsey’s body shook through another round of heaving. The nurse stepped forward and grabbed Lindsey’s bleed hand. She wrapped a face cloth around it to stem the bleeding. She applied a bit more pressure than needed and Lindsey whimpered.
“Don’t be a baby,” The nurse scolded. “It’s not like you’re the only patient here. Not with everybody having Medicaid like you. We’re busting at the seams with hang nails and nose bleeds and then you do something like this. I got a lot better things to do with my time than to clean up your mess, little lady.”
Beth spoke in a quiet but threatening tone. “That is quite enough. Go get your supervisor.”
The nurse hesitated as if she was going to speak.
“I said, get your supervisor and I mean now!” Beth commanded.
“Fine,” the nurse grumbled, “let her deal with you.”
Lindsey was still shaking but had stopped vomiting. When she started to push herself to her feet, Beth was there to help support her. With infinitely small steps, the pair made their way back to the bed.
Beth helped the girl sit first then get her legs up on the bed. She could tell by the color of her cheeks and her panting breaths that Lindsey was in a lot of pain. Deciding to do something other than wait, Beth went to the bathroom and filled the wash basin with warm soapy water and a face cloth. She tossed a towel over her shoulder and headed back to Lindsey’s bedside. Lindsey, who had pulled her blankets up to her chin, eyed Beth suspiciously.
“Ah, what’re you doin’ there, Mrs. Pretty?” Lindsey asked with more than a bit of worry.
Beth flashed a big smile. “You need to get washed up. I’m going to help you and then I’ll help you get dressed in the new pajama’s Mrs. Ng sent. By the way, she sends her love and wants you to phone her after therapy today. And, please, call me Beth.”
Lindsey’s head was spinning from the combination of exertion and information. She was certain about two things. She really did want to get cleaned up and needed help to do so but…
“Mrs. Pretty, I mean, Beth…you shouldn’t be helping, I mean, you’re too busy and then nurse is suppose…,”
Beth placed the wash basin on the table and plunked herself down next to Lindsey on the bed. Lindsey bit her lip. She was worried about Mrs. Pretty’s nice clothes getting messed up.
“Lindsey, I think it’ll be a while before the nurse comes back. If you really want to wait, that’s okay. But, if I were you then I’d like to get washed and dressed regardless of who I needed to lean on. If you’re worried about my qualifications, I’m a mom and soon to be grandmom and I help take care of my father-in-law.”
“Eww,” Lindsey made a face but relaxed her hold on the blankets in order to sit up more, “that’s got to be embarrassing.”
“Not really.” Beth handed the warm face cloth to Lindsey, “I love him so it’s easy. Wash your face.”
Lindsey obeyed.
“So let me get you up to speed with the world,” Beth spoke in a soft voice as she brought the basin closer and retrieved the face cloth for re-dipping. “Sit forward and I’ll wash your back. Mrs. Ng is working really hard on a fund raiser for you.”
Being careful to avoid the heavy bandage on Lindsey’s left shoulder, Beth gently dabbed the massively bruised back, first to wash then to dry. She wondered how the assailant hadn’t broken Lindsey’s back. She frowned when she noticed thin white lines scattered along the expanse. It took a few heartbeats to realize they were old scars.
“Um, did you hear me?”
Lindsey’s voice interrupted Beth’s disturbing discovery. “I’m sorry. What did you say?” Beth re-dipped the cloth and handed it to Lindsey. “Wash your front and I’ll get a top for you to wear.”
Lindsey nodded and tugged off her hospital gown. Beth saw the cuts and bruises from the assault and then more old scars. She turned away quickly. Lindsey didn’t notice the paling of Beth’s cheeks.
“I asked, how is Mr. Deming? Is he managing the shop okay without me? He won’t talk about work when he visits,” Lindsey’s voice picked up as her spirits started to rise. “Mrs. Pretty was right about getting cleaned up,” she thought to herself. “I’m starting to feel better.”
Beth returned with the top and helped Lindsey put it on. “Mr. Deming hasn’t re-opened the store, Lindsey.”
“What? Why not?” Lindsey asked. “The shop is his whole life.”
“He’s too worried about you to think of much else.” Beth took the cloth and re-dipped. “Let me wash up your legs so you don’t have to bend.”
Beth pulled the blankets back and felt her stomach drop.
“They’re kind of banged up,” Lindsey cautioned.
Beth thought she was going to get sick. She blinked several times trying to rationalize what she was looking at. Beyond the fresh damage from the assault, Beth was able to see the ugly reminders of a terrible childhood.
“Hey, Mrs. Pretty, it’s okay. It was a long time ago. Besides, lots of people have scars. Mrs. Paul told me they weren’t even that bad compared to some she’s seen,” Lindsey tried to reassure.
“Lindsey,” Beth looked directly at the young girl’s face and was unable to reconcile the image of innocence with the history of abuse scattered over the fragile body, “if no one told you this before then I will. I’m so sorry you were beaten. I should have done something to rescue you.”
Lindsey smiled. “What could you do? You didn’t even know me. It’s not like we’re relatives or anything.” Lindsey was so amused by the statement that she missed Beth’s reflexive flinch. “But, it’s real nice of you to say it. I mean, it’s a good thought.”
The nursing supervisor knocked at the door, “You wanted to see me?”
“Yes, I do. We need to make some changes so pull up a chair and get ready to make notes,” Beth answered.
Her anger now had somebody to focus on. “I might not be able to change the past but, by God, I’m going to change the future.” Beth thought to herself.
Dylan walked into his dimly lit living room to find Beth sitting on the couch wrapped in a blanket with a brandy glass in her hand, “Hey, that’s the way. I’ll grab a beer and we’ll watch a movie or maybe make a movie.”
Beth said, “No, we are not going to be doing anything anymore.”
“What’re you talking about?” Dylan growled but he noticed two stacks of legal looking documents on the coffee table between them. “If this is about the other night then I’m sorry I got rough but you pissed me off. How did you think I’d react?”
“It’s about the other night, the other women, the other lies; it’s about all of it. And, it’s about it being over,” Beth said.
“Oh, here we go with the drama. Aren’t you done being on the rag yet,” Dylan sputtered.
Beth ignored the interruption, “You have two ways to finish this. The easy way is for you to take the suitcase I packed for you and go to the downtown condo. You’ll get the condo, your truck, half the bank account, half the stocks, the ski place in Stowe…”
“Sure, give me Stowe. You hate to ski. Big sacrifice, Beth.”
“We both keep our own paychecks, pensions, and health insurance, and the lawyer files a no fault divorce.”
“Yeah, sounds easy so what’s the catch?”
“Tomorrow, we both go to the hospital and you tell Lindsey the truth.”
“That’s the easy way?” He snorted. “What’s the hard way?”
Beth replied, “I’ll have you removed from the premises tonight by the body guard waiting in the kitchen with Mr. Elmwood…”
“You mean our son-in-law, Harvey? That’s just great, Beth. Make a family feud over a couple of bruises.” Dylan was fuming.
Beth continued unfazed, “Tomorrow, I will petition for a restraining order and file a complaint about the assault you committed on me. I will sue you for divorce because of infidelity, physical abuse, and so on. I’ll be looking for half your salary, pension, health insurance, pretty much anything that will cost you money. And, I will tell Lindsey myself you’re her father.”
There was silence between them.
“Great, that’s just great. If this is the way you want it then you got it, babe,” he shouted. “I’ll meet you at the hospital tomorrow at noon.”
“Meet me in the lobby. Don’t be late,” she called to his retreating back.
“Fuck you, Beth. Fuck you.”
