Chapter
Fourteen
AT THE HOSPITAL
AJ was pacing the waiting room. Nick was sitting dazed
in the corner. Brian was trying to calm AJ and Howie was checking on Nick.
Kevin was trying to get information from the nurses. They just kept telling
him that Tessa was being looked at by the doctor and he would be out soon
to tell them about her condition. They waited. And they waited.
The ER doctor came through the door and asked who was
with Tessa Masters. Five men converged upon him and said they were. He held
up his hands. "Just one, please. A family member."
"We are her brothers." Four of them said. The one with
the weird hair said, "I'm her fiance." And introduced himself.
"Well, Mr. McLean, Miss Masters has been raped. And,
I'm sorry, but she lost her baby."
"Oh no." Said Howie.
The doctor continued. "She is starting to wake up,
but she has been beaten badly. She has a broken nose and several broken ribs.
We are checking her for internal injuries."
AJ got dizzy momentarily and Kevin caught him setting
him upright again. "Hold on AJ, she needs you to be okay."
"Your right young man." The doctor said and he looked
at AJ. "Are you all right?"
AJ nodded. "When can I see her?"
"Now, she has been asking for you."
"Where?"
The doctor pointed and AJ took off at a run.
Tessa was laying so still. She had a black eye and
a fat lip. She had a bandage over her nose. Her face was bruised. She tried
to raise her arms when she saw AJ, but she could not manage it. That made
her cry and that hurt even more. "Hey sweetie." He was trying to cheer her
up, but the tears just kept falling down her face.
"I'm sorry." She mumbled through her swollen lips.
"For what?" AJ said as he took her hands in his.
"I should have shut the door."
"I don't understand."
"I have to see Nick. Please."
"Okay, in a little bit. You need to rest first."
"No, now. Alone. Please."
"Okay, okay, I'll go get him." AJ leaned down and kissed
her on the forehead. "I love you."
Soon, Nick looked around the curtain at Tessa. "Oh,
God Tessa, I'm so sorry. Look what I did to you." Nick buried his face in
his hands.
Tessa reached out and bit her lip from the pain, but
she took his hand away from his face. "Listen to me. I somehow knew you would
think you did this. You were so drunk."
"I know, can you ever forgive me? It was bad enough
that I kissed you, but to do this........"
"It wasn't you."
"What?"
"When I opened the door to your room, you were already
out cold on the floor. I think he hit you from behind."
"Who?"
"The bartender."
Nick looked at her and began to grind his teeth. "The
bartender did this to you, not me?"
"Yes. You did not hurt me."
Nick got up and stormed out of the room.
"Nick? Nick?" He was gone.
Nick made his way back to the waiting room. He was
so livid, he wanted to kill the bastard that had done this to Tessa and he
thanked God that it had not been him.
He went to the policeman who had come to the hospital
with them and told him what Tessa had said.
Immediately, the officer got on his radio and called
it in. He was soon out the door and gone.
AJ had gone back into see Tessa when he saw Nick emerge.
He had not seen Nick walk up to the officer, but Kevin did. He nudged Howie
in the arm and inclined his head in Nick's direction. Howie got Brian's attention
and motioned him to look also. When the officer left, they got up and approached
Nick.
"What man? Tell us." Kevin asked.
Nick told them everything. How he had been feeling
about Tessa - what he had done -- and what he had thought he had done. He
had tears in his eyes when he was finished.
"All this time, you have been tormenting yourself over
this? You actually thought you were capable of doing something like this?"
Asked Brian. "There is no way Frack." And he hugged Nick to him. "No way,
could you EVER do anything like this."
"So what is going to happen now?" Asked Howie.
"The cops are going after the bartender now. We just
have to keep AJ from killing him first."
"Oh God, who is going to tell him?"
"Tessa will. We will just have to stay her and keep
him from getting out that door."
Just as Nick had finished saying that, AJ came flying
out the door and headed for the exit. Kevin caught up to him first. He grabbed
him by the waist to stop him. "Whoa now. You cannot go after that bastard.
Calm down. The police are getting him now."
AJ fought to get loose, "Let me go, damn it, that bastard
raped Tessa." Then he stopped fighting.
Kevin let him loose and looked at his friend. "We know.
Nick told us."
Tears spilled from AJ's eyes. "He hurt her bad,
Kev."
Kevin wrapped his arms around AJ and held on
tight.
