Chapter 5 - The Hospital Room
The emergency room staff rushed Clara into a trauma bay the moment we arrived. The next two hours were the most agonizing of my life.
I sat in a plastic chair, holding Maya, waiting for a verdict. The surgeon finally emerged, looking grave.
"Mr. Vance, your wife got incredibly lucky. Two of her internal stitches tore from the sudden exertion. If she had tried to stand up after falling, she would have suffered a massive internal hemorrhage. We've repaired the damage, but her recovery clock has just restarted. Absolute bed rest. No stress."
I nodded, feeling a lethal mix of relief and rage. When I was finally allowed to see Clara, she was heavily medicated but awake. She reached for my hand.
"Is she gone?" Clara whispered, her voice hoarse.
May you like
"She's gone," I promised, kissing her forehead. "The locks are changed. The security system is upgraded. Nobody gets to you without going through me."
For the first time in weeks, Clara closed her eyes and actually looked peaceful. But my phone was already buzzing in my pocket. The war had just begun.
