7.
The doctor stood beside me and informed of my broken shoulder blade, fractured collarbone, a few cracked ribs and just for good measure, some internal bruising. But more than the injuries everyone was concerned about shock. I had been through a horrific ordeal and would need help getting over it. I tried to listen but I was drowsy, and my head was pounding so instead I started to cry, which was not what I wanted to do, I wanted to sleep. He left me alone with strict instructions to the nursing staff to carefully screen any visitors. The last thing I needed was a headline-seeking journalist at my bedside.
Apparently I had slept for two days. Naturally it must have been a drugged induced sleep but who cared, I had managed to sleep without much pain. The first person to visit me according to a nurse was a gentleman named Dax. She went on to tell me that he had followed the ambulance and had remained at the hospital until I was back from the operating theatre and he knew I was going to be okay. Dax was also the one who had phoned Brice to inform my parents of what had happened. I knew my mother would have become hysterical and probably collapsed, which later on I found out was what had occurred. Dax had visited twice every day since the incident. The next person to visit other than my parents and Brice had been Mr Bartlett. Those were the only people who were allowed to see me. Britley and my other friends had been to the hospital but had not permitted into my room. The nurse explained very sweetly to me that they could not take the risk that one of them would run to the media. I appreciated their efforts.
I tried to move but gave up almost straight away sensing the pain. I thought of Dax and how diligently he had been at my side, and a warm fuzzy feeling floated over me. I wondered if it had perhaps been Lex that was here, and since they were so identical, the nurse had only presumed it was Dax.
I smiled at the funny memory of the bookstore moment, just before I had entered the war zone. I shuddered at the realisation of what could have happened, and Once I could talk without crying, I enquired as to whether any other people in the store got injured. There had been several casualties and sadly one had been fatal. My face was instantly wet with tears, and I prayed to God for comfort for the victim's family. While praying, I tried to keep the visuals of the attack out of my head, but it was difficult. How was I going to keep them at bay and not allow them to turn me into a nervous wreck?
I slept on and off for most of the day until Mr Bartlett arrived at 3 o'clock for visiting hours. I detected that his eyes were watery, and he had to swallow hard before he was able to say anything to me. He had me holding the sheet over my face to try and combat the overflow of emotion and hysteria that had been building up inside of me.
He cleared his throat once more then said, 'Salma, I am so sorry, I would never be able to live with myself if anything fatal had happened to you.'
'It's not your fault and how were you to know this would happen?' I croaked.
'After the last incident, I should have pulled the plug.'
'Pulled what plug?' I was confused.
'This position of investigator. I have retracted the position, and I have something safer and more stable for you if you're still willing to stay with the company.'
'Why did you do that?'
'Why?' he exclaimed. 'Who is to say this is the last time this kind of thing is going to happen? I am not taking the risk, not for any of my staff. A life is not worth it.'
As much as I tried to convince myself he was speaking the truth I wanted so badly not to be so weak as I lay there sobbing helplessly. Mr Bartlett sat in the chair next to my bed and held my hand allowing me to release the waterworks freely.
When I had calmed down he told me, 'I have a new position for you, working with me in an advisory capacity.'
Okay, so this was strange. How could I advise him, he was a director?
'I have created the position very much like we did with your investigator position and it will be the same except you will be working from the office, and it will not be such a secret.'
I found myself breathing a sigh of relief as now I did not have to lie to Dax about my job. I also found it strange that I was only concerned about lying to Dax. When my parents arrived Mr Bartlett left and promised to discuss things further with me once I was discharged from the hospital. I knew immediately I would take the job with him, there was no one I would rather work with than him especially now after he had made such a concerted effort to create the new position for me.
The doctor popped by when my parents were there, and we were all told that should I not have any complications I would be able to go home on Friday. My mother insisted I move back home where she could faff over me until I was ready to go home and fend for myself once more. With the doctor egging her on I had no hope of getting myself out of it, and actually, I was quite looking forward to her pampering. The doctor also started talking about the importance of therapy after such an episode. I knew I would have my parents backing him up on this so I promptly cut him off by thanking him for his suggestions of several therapists and said I would rather seek therapy from my God and my fellow Christians. As soon as Brice arrived that evening I asked him to speak to Zeke for me – to have therapy sessions with someone that loved the Lord as much as he did was the perfect solution.
Later when my family had left, and I was almost asleep, a light tapping on the door made my eyelids lift. Dax – or Lex? – was standing in the doorway.
'Hey Salma, how you?'
It was Lex. My heart sank.
'Hi,' I replied softly, 'come in, please. Sit down.'
The nurse walked past my room and doubled back sticking her head into the doorway.
'Only a few minutes, sir. Salma needs her rest okay.'
Lex nodded and returned his attention to me. He shook his head unsure of what to say next.
'You doing okay? You need anything?'
'I'm okay thanks. How're you?'
He shook his head again. Something was bothering him I was sure of it. Perhaps he was not a hospital kind of person.
'Better than you that's for sure,' he half smiled at me.
'Well, thanks!'
I tried to laugh, but it hurt too much.
'How was the mountain bike ride?'
He nodded. 'It was great. When can you get out of here?'
'Hopefully on Friday.'
'You okay?' I asked as he seemed out of sorts. 'If you don't like hospitals I understand, you don't have to be here.'
He looked at me oddly, 'Why would you say that?'
'Most men don't like hospitals and situations like this. I just thought maybe you were uncomfortable here.'
As I spoke I closed my eyes; I was getting really tired.
'Well, that is true. But I wanted to see for myself that you were doing okay and not only take Dax's word for it.'
My eyes found a surge of energy to open. 'Dax's word?'
'Well, you know he has been here since you arrived and well, you know, he has a thing for you.'
I didn't reply and only stared at him.
'Yeah, I can see it from a mile away and let's face it, the two of you are far more suited to each other and from what Jayce has told me you have a thing for him too.'
'What?' I asked shocked.
Lex laughed.
'That Jayce might be young and beautiful, but she is very sharp and observant.'
By now I must have been beetroot from embarrassment.
'Listen Salma, we're good right, we're friends and as much as I do like you, I know we would date a few times, and that will be it. So I'm asking you to give my poor brother a chance. He has never dated much, but I must say I have never seen his face light up like it does when he talks about you.'
I had no idea what to say between a headache that was forming, and the tiredness that was taking over, and absorbing this load of information was too much even if it was what I precisely wanted to hear. All I did, instead of replying to Lex, was burst into tears. The nurse was in the room in a flash and shooed Lex out sternly. She gave me a few tablets and comforted me until I dozed off but not before I set the record straight that I wasn't getting dumped, but that Lex was the bearer of good news.