As Time Flies.....Chapter 8
Last time: Nora was on her way to Llanview Hospital after Bo and Ben saved her from a second untimely death. Lindsay and Colin were headed for the slammer.
Llanview Hospital
Bo paced the lobby. Up and down and back again. What was taking so long? It had been over two hours since he had arrived with Nora. Larry Wolek had met them at the ambulance bay and rushed Nora into the Emergency Room. Since then, he had not seen, heard, or been told anything. He was beyond impatient. Nora didn't awaken during the entire trip back from Cherryvale, and he was extremely worried. He wasn't going anywhere until he knew how she was. He didn't care if he wore a hole through the floor. He was on his way to get his fourth cup of coffee when the doors opened and Larry came out.
"Larry! How's Nora? What's going on? Is she going to be all right?" Bo was a barrage of questions.
"We finally got her stabilized, but she's still unconscious. The blood tests show Nora was apparently given quite a dose of cyanide, an amount that could have killed a 200-pound man. How she even survived that was a miracle, let alone compounded by her previous injuries. If it weren't for Ben, I'd say Nora wouldn't even be here right now."
"It also looks like she took quite a beating in the train wreck, Bo. She has a damaged larynx, which has mostly healed, and she has quite a few burns and lacerations, but those are also healing up nicely. On the serious side, she has a broken pelvis, but physical therapy will help greatly once the bones begin to fuse together again."
"I'm mostly worried about the fact that she's still unconscious, but considering she has the remnants of a concussion, as well as what she went through today might explain it. The body has a way of shutting down completely when it needs to, and I'm just hoping that's all it is. We're going to closely monitor her in Intensive Care for the next couple of days and make sure everything is okay. Hopefully, she'll be awake before then." Larry put his hand on Bo's shoulder.
"Larry, are you telling me that Nora is in a coma?" Bo didn't like what he was hearing.
"I'm not telling you she is, Bo, but I'm not telling you she isn't, either. At this point, we just don't know." Larry was nothing if not honest. That was part of what made him such a good doctor.
"Can I see her, Larry?"
"For a few minutes. Nora needs to rest. Then you go home and rest. You look like you need it, and I don't want any arguments, okay?" Larry gave Bo a stern look.
"Yes, sir!" Bo smiled at Larry, knowing full well that he was probably hours away from being able to go home. "Thanks for everything, Larry. I know you'll take good care of her."
"Check back tomorrow, Bo. I'll let you know if anything changes."
Bo pushed open the door to Nora's room. Tubes and wires were everywhere. She was still unconscious. He wanted reassurance that she was going to be okay. He desperately wished she would wake up right then and there so he could see her beautiful brown eyes. He stood by the side of the bed and took her hand in his.
"You've been through a lot today, Red. I don't know how you did it, but you did. You're one tough lady, and I know you won't let Lindsay win. You've come this far, and you're gonna go the distance, I just know it. Besides, Matthew and I need you. You don't know it yet, but we have quite a lot to talk about. There'll be plenty of time for that later, but right now you have to get some rest and start healing. I'm going to help you, Red, every step of the way. I promise." Bo leaned down and kissed Nora's forehead. "I'll be back, first thing in the morning. Sleep well."
Bo left his phone numbers with the nurse's station and told them to call if anything developed with Nora's condition, no matter what the time of day. He was utterly exhausted. He would love nothing more than to curl up on a cot in Nora's room, but he had things to do. Things he wasn't looking forward to. He pushed the button for the elevator and waited for it to arrive.
Sam's House
Sam unlocked the front door and pushed it open with his shoulder. He was laden down with groceries, his dry-cleaning, and Matthew. Mary Ann had to take her mother to the doctor and Melanie was working a double shift, so he was on his own for childcare today. He put Matthew in his playpen and put the grocery bags on the kitchen counter. On his way to put the dry cleaning in the hall closet, he noticed the answering machine was blinking. He pushed the button and was not at all happy to hear Lindsay's terrified voice, telling him he had to come to the police station right away.
Sam immediately thought there must be news about Will. Just like Lindsay not to elaborate. From the tone of Lindsay's voice, he didn't think it sounded good. He hoped his son was all right. Every time he thought about his whole mess, he became consumed with rage. Asa Buchanan was going to pay if it was the last thing he did! Sam quickly put away the perishable groceries and got Matthew ready to go out again.
Llanview Police Station
Sam arrived at the station as fast as one possibly could with a baby in tow. He didn't see Lindsay, and Bo wasn't in his office, either. He finally found Hank in his office. The door was halfway open. He knocked.
"Hank? Sorry to disturb you, but I got a call from Lindsay. She said to get down here right away. What's going on with Will? Is there any news?" Hank motioned for him to come in. Sam placed Matthew in one of the chairs facing Hank's desk and he sat down in the other. "So what's up?"
Hank looked uncomfortable. From the look on his face, Sam wasn't sure he wanted to hear what Hank had to say, but he was Will's lawyer. He would take it like a lawyer, not like a father.
"Sam, I've got good news and bad news. Which do you want first?"
"Let me guess, Hank. The good news is Will is okay, but the bad news is he's in custody, right?"
"Not even close, Sam. I'm glad you're sitting down. Let me give you the good news first. Nora is alive!"
Sam looked at Hank like he was playing a joke on him. He wasn't sure whether he should laugh or punch him. "Hank, that's not funny, and I don't have time for games. What does this have to do with Will?"
"This has nothing to do with Will, Sam. Will, Jessica, and Cristian are still on the run. They were almost apprehended yesterday, but they managed to elude the authorities once again. Let's try this one more time, just in case you didn't hear me, okay, Sam? Once again, Nora is alive! That's supposed to be good news! The bad news is Lindsay tried to kidnap her, then kill her, with a little help from her brother-in-law, Colin MacIver." Hank was the one who looked impatient now.
Sam went white for a moment, then he turned beet red. He started sputtering. "Nora is alive? Are you kidding me, Hank? How do you know?"
"Sam, I know this is a shock, but think for a moment, buddy. Didn't you just say that Lindsay called you? She may not have told you why, and you just assumed it was about Will. The truth is we've booked her on attempted murder and kidnapping charges. She's downstairs in a holding cell, so you can ask her yourself. It's a long story, but apparently Nora wasn't killed in the train wreck. Colin MacIver rescued her, and somehow Lindsay found out about it. I don't know all of the details yet, because Lindsay refused to be interrogated without a lawyer. Same for Colin, so I only know what I know from Bo..."
"From Bo? How did Bo get involved in this? I should have known!" Sam's dentures were clacking a mile a minute. He was so confused he felt like his head was about to blow off. "Where is Nora now? Is she all right? I want to see her!"
"Calm down, Sam. Nora is at Llanview Hospital, and I'm sure they're taking very good care of her. From what I understand, if it weren't for Bo and Ben, Nora might not even be here right now."
"Ben? What does Ben have to do with all of this? How does it happen that Bo and my brother know Nora is alive before I do?" Sam was incredulous. He couldn't believe what he was hearing. As much as he was grateful to be told the wonderful, unbelievable news that Nora was alive, he was angry that he was the last to know. He should have been the first! It figures Bo, the resident White Knight of Llanview, would be the first to know, then ride in to the rescue on his white steed. He was stumped about Ben, though. He didn't think Nora being alive was something that Ben would hide from his own brother! The more Sam thought about it, the angrier he got.
"Like I said, Sam, that's pretty much all I know." Hank went on. "I'm waiting for Bo to get here, so I can get the rest of the story. You're free to see Lindsay if you like." Hank wasn't crazy about Sam, but he actually felt sorry for him right now. He knew what it felt like to love Nora, and this was a lot of shocking information to have to digest at once. Hank didn't envy Sam one bit.
Sam didn't know what to do first. He felt strange. Anger, disbelief, and relief were all vying for control of his brain. He needed to think straight. He had Matthew with him, who was amazingly quiet and well behaved during his visit with Hank. Should he take Matthew and run to the hospital to see Nora? Or should he go down to the holding cell and see Lindsay? If what Hank was saying was remotely true, he didn't know if he could even look at Lindsay, let alone represent her. He wanted answers.
"Hank, when are you expecting to see Bo? I'd like to get some more information about all of this." Sam was seething.
"Well, I've been expecting him any minute now. He called from the hospital and said he would let me know as soon as he knew something. That was a couple of hours ago."
"Are you saying that you still don't know what Nora's condition is? Bo never let you know?" Now Sam was starting to panic.
"No, not yet. I'm just as nervous as you are, Sam. I loved her too, you know." Hank said the last part very quietly.
Sam had just assumed that Nora was okay. He'd better stop assuming, since twice today it had gotten him in trouble. Oh God, if she wasn't, it would be like losing her twice. Okay, three times if he counted the time she didn't show up for the trip to Tahiti. That decided it. He grabbed Matthew and told Hank he was going to the hospital.
"What about Lindsay, Sam?" Hank called after him. Sam was practically running.
"What about her? Get her a public defender!"
Matthew bobbed up and down faster and faster with each step Sam took. Sam rounded the corner at full speed, just as Bo was coming from the opposite direction.
To Be Continued…
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