Soul Awakening
By Doug Simpson
By Doug Simpson
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If you missed out yesterday's post, catch Chapter Four here.
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Chapter 5
The Hospital
Dani stopped her car in the no-parking zone in front of the Mackie Building, the building where Max Winston worked. She opted to not leave the car running with the keys in it, but instead, opened up the front passenger door to indicate, to any of the Anywhere Parking Authority officers who might chance by, that someone would shortly be entering the open door.
Dacque was happy to see Dani zip through the double doors.
"Are you okay, Dacque?" she inquired, with obvious concern.
"Pretty much, I think. My right knee is rather sore, but the rest of me is just fine."
"My car is waiting right outside the double doors," Dani advised him. "Let me help you walk out there." She heard a door open behind her, and spotted a woman entering the building. "Excuse me, Miss, but could I impose on you for a moment or two, to hold that door open, while I assist my injured friend here to walk to my waiting car, out front?"
"No, problem," the woman responded, and retreated to the door.
Dani thanked the woman as they exited the building and she quickly had Dacque stashed away in the front seat of her vehicle. She turned the car right, onto 2nd Street, and right again on Orange Avenue.
"This isn't the way to my place," Dacque advised her.
"I know. Max Winston told me you refused his advice to go to the hospital, but in case it has not yet occurred to you, you are my hostage, and y..o..u are going to the hospital to have that knee checked."
Dacque frowned, noticeably, but held his tongue.
Dani turned right again on Main Street, and drove a number of blocks before reaching the entrance to Anywhere District Hospital. She stopped at the Emergency Room door. The security guard was on his feet immediately, but before he could get one word out of his mouth, Dani hollered over the roof of her car, "Could you please fetch a wheelchair? He may have a broken kneecap."
The security guard hurried back inside and Dani went to assist Dacque out of the front seat. The guard helped get him settled into the wheelchair. "If you could wheel him inside for me, I will move my car to the parking lot."
"Good idea," he replied, and wheeled Dacque away.
It took over an hour before the emergency-room staff was able to get to Dacque, and after he was processed through the system, a nurse wheeled him off to one of the individual waiting rooms. "I will come and get you when you can join him," she said to Dani.
Dani spent at least another hour in the waiting room; flipping through magazines she really had no interest in reading, until she finally heard a woman call "Is there a Dani out here?" As Dani stood up, she was advised that she could join Dacque in waiting room number two.
Dacque looked up as Dani entered the room, and his somber facial expression morphed into a slight grin.
"How's it going?" Dani asked.
"A Doctor looked at my knee for a minute, and said that they had better take some pictures to be sure, but he does not think anything is broken. I'm just waiting for them to wheel me off to the x-ray room."
"Well, that's pretty good news for starters," Dani responded, not really knowing what else she could say to cheer him up.
"It's almost two o'clock. Did you get anything to eat?" Dacque inquired.
"No, I'm not really hungry. Did you?"
"No, neither am I"
Dani heard her cell-phone chime, inside her purse. "I have no idea who that is, but I better get it in case somebody is replying to one of my employment applications."
"By all means," Dacque replied.
"Hello."
"Hello, is this Dani?"
"Yes."
"This is Max Winston, again. I had a few free minutes, and I wanted to check up on how you made out with Dacque, today?"
"Hello, Max. We are in a waiting room at Anywhere District Hospital, next to the main waiting room. A Doctor looked at the knee cap and does not think it is broken, but they are going to x-ray it shortly, to make sure."
"The news could be much worse, I guess. If you don't mind, I'll check back later for an update?"
"Anytime, Max. Thank you for all of your help, today, and your concerns. Bye for now."
An orderly wheeled Dacque out of the room for his x-ray, and returned him to a waiting Dani, some twenty minutes later. "Well?" she asked.
"They didn't tell me anything," he advised her.
A Doctor or intern eventually joined them. "We are going to move you to a semi-private room, shortly, and you will probably spend the night with us. Someone will give you a shot to try and get the swelling down a bit, and a knee specialist will drop in this evening to have a look at your knee after the swelling is down."
The Hospital
Dani stopped her car in the no-parking zone in front of the Mackie Building, the building where Max Winston worked. She opted to not leave the car running with the keys in it, but instead, opened up the front passenger door to indicate, to any of the Anywhere Parking Authority officers who might chance by, that someone would shortly be entering the open door.
Dacque was happy to see Dani zip through the double doors.
"Are you okay, Dacque?" she inquired, with obvious concern.
"Pretty much, I think. My right knee is rather sore, but the rest of me is just fine."
"My car is waiting right outside the double doors," Dani advised him. "Let me help you walk out there." She heard a door open behind her, and spotted a woman entering the building. "Excuse me, Miss, but could I impose on you for a moment or two, to hold that door open, while I assist my injured friend here to walk to my waiting car, out front?"
"No, problem," the woman responded, and retreated to the door.
Dani thanked the woman as they exited the building and she quickly had Dacque stashed away in the front seat of her vehicle. She turned the car right, onto 2nd Street, and right again on Orange Avenue.
"This isn't the way to my place," Dacque advised her.
"I know. Max Winston told me you refused his advice to go to the hospital, but in case it has not yet occurred to you, you are my hostage, and y..o..u are going to the hospital to have that knee checked."
Dacque frowned, noticeably, but held his tongue.
Dani turned right again on Main Street, and drove a number of blocks before reaching the entrance to Anywhere District Hospital. She stopped at the Emergency Room door. The security guard was on his feet immediately, but before he could get one word out of his mouth, Dani hollered over the roof of her car, "Could you please fetch a wheelchair? He may have a broken kneecap."
The security guard hurried back inside and Dani went to assist Dacque out of the front seat. The guard helped get him settled into the wheelchair. "If you could wheel him inside for me, I will move my car to the parking lot."
"Good idea," he replied, and wheeled Dacque away.
It took over an hour before the emergency-room staff was able to get to Dacque, and after he was processed through the system, a nurse wheeled him off to one of the individual waiting rooms. "I will come and get you when you can join him," she said to Dani.
Dani spent at least another hour in the waiting room; flipping through magazines she really had no interest in reading, until she finally heard a woman call "Is there a Dani out here?" As Dani stood up, she was advised that she could join Dacque in waiting room number two.
Dacque looked up as Dani entered the room, and his somber facial expression morphed into a slight grin.
"How's it going?" Dani asked.
"A Doctor looked at my knee for a minute, and said that they had better take some pictures to be sure, but he does not think anything is broken. I'm just waiting for them to wheel me off to the x-ray room."
"Well, that's pretty good news for starters," Dani responded, not really knowing what else she could say to cheer him up.
"It's almost two o'clock. Did you get anything to eat?" Dacque inquired.
"No, I'm not really hungry. Did you?"
"No, neither am I"
Dani heard her cell-phone chime, inside her purse. "I have no idea who that is, but I better get it in case somebody is replying to one of my employment applications."
"By all means," Dacque replied.
"Hello."
"Hello, is this Dani?"
"Yes."
"This is Max Winston, again. I had a few free minutes, and I wanted to check up on how you made out with Dacque, today?"
"Hello, Max. We are in a waiting room at Anywhere District Hospital, next to the main waiting room. A Doctor looked at the knee cap and does not think it is broken, but they are going to x-ray it shortly, to make sure."
"The news could be much worse, I guess. If you don't mind, I'll check back later for an update?"
"Anytime, Max. Thank you for all of your help, today, and your concerns. Bye for now."
An orderly wheeled Dacque out of the room for his x-ray, and returned him to a waiting Dani, some twenty minutes later. "Well?" she asked.
"They didn't tell me anything," he advised her.
A Doctor or intern eventually joined them. "We are going to move you to a semi-private room, shortly, and you will probably spend the night with us. Someone will give you a shot to try and get the swelling down a bit, and a knee specialist will drop in this evening to have a look at your knee after the swelling is down."
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Soul Awakening is part of the 12 days of Christmas feature here at Downright Fiction. Every day will see a new chapter excerpt on the website. Come back for Chapter 6 tomorrow!
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Doug Simpson is a retired high school teacher who has turned his talents to writing. His magazine and website articles have been published in the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, France and India. Soul Awakening is his first novel. Read more about Doug at dousimp.mnsi.net!
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