42 Texts

Dean was pacing the small waiting room. He was on his 5th cup of coffee. Bruss had left a couple of hours ago. The sun was starting to peek through the blinds. He didn't even know what time it was. He lay on the couch. Somehow, even after 5 cups of coffee, he fell asleep. A nurse in white scrubs woke him.

"Are you Mr. Kingston?" she asked.

"Stapleton. She kept her family name," he said.

"Oh. Well then, Mr. Stapleton, your wife is stable and resting comfortably. You can come up and be with her now."

Dean hoisted himself off the couch and stood up. He was over a foot taller than the little nurse in front of him. She looked up at him.

"Oh my. Aren't you a big one?"

"Yes, ma'am."

"Oh, and those eyes. Your wife is one lucky woman," she said.

"I'm the lucky one," he said.

He followed through hallways, up three floors, and made a couple more turns. She swiped her badge, and the doors swung open. ICU was above the door in large letters. Authorized personnel were only on the wall above the card reader.

"Now, if you leave and need to come back in, just hit the button on the left side and give them your name. I will make sure that they know your last name is Stapleton."

"Thank you, Ma'am. I appreciate you."

"Your Mama raised you right."

They walked past the nurse's station with the usual stares, and under their breath, comments were made. All the nurses leaned over to watch him walk down the hallway to stare at his ass.

"HE could make me come out of a coma real quick," a blonde nurse said.

As they walked down the hall, the nurse, Peggy, stopped him in the hallway before they went into the room.

"I must warn you; your wife is intubated. She does multiple IVs, so that's multiple pumps. If an alarm goes off, do not panic. It only means that her infusion is done. She is on a heart, pulse, blood oxygen, and fetal monitor. We can see that at our station in case of sudden changes. Someone will be every 15 minutes to check on her. That is the intensive part of intensive care. You are welcome to stay as long as you want. We do have sleeping chairs if you would like one. You will not fit in it, but it's there if you want to try. Only one other person can be in the room with you at a time. Please eat. She needs you to be healthy. Try to sleep. We have a shower on the floor that you can use if you cannot bring yourself to leave to go home. You definitely need someone to bring you fresh clothes and any toiletries you might need. We will need a list of possible visiting family members. I will bring in the form for you to fill out. That's about it," she said. "Are you ready?"

"More than you can possibly know," he said.

Peggy was right. It was a shock when she pulled the curtain back. Allie was there motionless, silent. The sound of the respirator, the beeping of her heart rate on the monitor. She looked like she had just returned home from war. Her face was swollen, and the stitches on her face were covered with a long bandage. Her hand was in a splint. Her head was wrapped, and there was dried blood in her golden hair. Both eyes were black.

"I know it's a lot sweetie," she said.

She patted his arm.

"I'll leave you alone. I will be back soon."

"Thank you."

He pulled a chair over and sat on her left side to hold her hand.

"Oh, Buttercup, why would someone do this to you? I should have been there. You should have been with me. I will say, though, from what I was told, you kicked that guy's ass. You broke and pulled his arm apart. Remind me never to piss you off again," he said.

He picked up her hand and kissed it softly. He held it; he never wanted to let it go. He started to cry. He put his head down, held her hand to his face, and continually kissed it. Peggy came back into the room.

"How long will she have the breathing tube?" he asked.

"They will remove it when they know she can independently maintain a high oxygen level. Right now, her brain needs to heal. This takes the stress off the autonomic system."

She pressed a few buttons, put a syringe full of medication in her IV line, and left him alone with her again. He just sat there, holding her hand, sitting in silence. He fell asleep in the chair to the rhythm of the ventilator.

"Mr. Stapleton."

Peggy was gently patting him on the shoulder. He jerked and woke up.

"Hey there. I am going home. I want to introduce you to Jenny. She will be your wife's nurse for 12 hours until I return tonight. If you need anything, she will help you out. She will be in every 15 minutes, just like I was."

He really liked Peggy. Her voice was soft and soothing, and she had a slight southern accent, Tennessee, he thought. She handed him a piece of paper.

"This is the form I told you about. You need to list the approved family that can come in. You can list two officers who can come in, too. They will need to talk to her when she wakes up."

She put her hand on his shoulder.

"And she will wake up, dear. I have the utmost faith."

"Thank you, Peggy," he said.

"I meant to ask you where you are from. I detect a little south in your mouth. I notice you do your best to try to hide it," she said.

"I'm from Kentucky, Louisville. Born and raised. I noticed that people don't seem to take me seriously when I have my natural accent," he said. "I worked with a dialect coach, but I still have a little twang," he said. "How about you? Do I detect a little Roll Tide in yours?"

"Very good. Tuscaloosa. I have lived here longer than I lived there, so I have lost mine a little bit, too," she said. "Get that filled out."

"Yes, Ma'am."

"Call me Peggy."

"You know I can't do that, Ma'am," he said. He smiled at her.

"Your Mama did raise you right," she said.

He looked at the form. He thought about it momentarily and then started to fill it out.

ICU MetroHealth Hospital System Visitor Authorization Form.

Patient Name: Alassandra Kingston (Stapleton)

1. Natalie Stapleton – Sister

2. Makala Curtis – Spouse of Natalie Stapleton

3. Patrick Bruss – Uncle

4. Carol Stapleton – Mother–in–Law

5. Jack Stapleton- Father–in–Law

6. Martin Curtis – Father-in-law (Natalie Stapleton)

7. Det. Sgt. Charles Nagy - CPD

8. Det. James Duffy – CPD

He thought about it really hard; should he put Alex down? Maybe he should. He was there for her.

"Nope," he said. "I can't do it. Sorry, Lola, I'm big, but I am not that big of a person."

He took the form back to the nurse's station. He handed it to a brown-haired nurse.

"Mr. Stapleton, this is---" Jenny cut Peggy off.

"Hi, I'm Jenny. I am going to be your wife's nurse today. If you need anything, let me know," she said.

Jenny looked to be about 24. She was little like Natalie. Another person he towered over.

"Thank you, Jenny. Can I call you Jenny?"

"Oh. Yes. Of course."

He knew that younger girls would prefer a name over a Ms. And never call a young woman Ma'am. His mother said it made a woman feel old. He made his way back to the room.

He powered up his phone. He had it turned off when he got to her room. He didn't want any distractions. The texts started to load. 3, 5, 12, 20, 37, if finally stopped at 42. 42 text messages. Seventeen were from Natalie, two from Alex, eight from Makayla, three were from Bruss, four from his parents, five from various guys at the bureau, and 3 from Nagy.

"Holy shit," he said. "Well, Buttercup, you have a lot of people who care about you."

He texted Natalie first. She asked how Allie was doing and if she could call him. He told her he didn't want to talk on the phone. He knew if he talked about it, he would break down. She said that she understood. He told Bruss the same thing, the guys at the bureau and Nagy. He asked Bruss to pass the information on to the bureau guys. He wasn't worried about the rest of the department. It will spread like wildfire from the bureau guys. He told the people who were on the list that they would be able to see her but wait till she was conscious. No one, including her, would like to see her like this. He asked Natalie to drop him some fresh clothes and shower stuff so he could freshen up. He asked her to drop it at the information desk and text him. He would go downstairs to pick it up. After he returned the messages, he stared at his phone. He took a deep breath and scrolled through his contacts. He selected the one that said, Mom. He swallowed to clear the lump from his throat. He needed his mom. He needed to talk to her and hear her voice. He needed her to comfort him the way a mother does. It rang once, twice, and then he heard her voice.

"Hello?"

"Hi, Mom."

"Oh, Bean, how are you doing? How is Allie?" she asked. "Natty Bug called us and told us what happened."

"She's bad mom. Really bad. They have her in a medically induced coma. They said that her brain needs time to heal. She has a tube down her throat to help her breathe. She died on the way here. She died, mom. I am terrified it's going to happen again," he said.

"Honey, you know that she is a tough girl. She has been through worse," she said.

"I know. But not by much," he said.

"You feel like you let her down because you weren't there to protect her; is that it?" she asked.

"I should have been there, or she should have been with me. I could have broken that man in half easily."

"Well, from what I heard, she did break him in half."

"Yeah, she did, from what I was told, too. I haven't seen any photos or anything, but the medics said he looks like he was hit with an IED," he said.

"That sounds like the girl you fell in love with. You knew she can kick ass and take no prisoners. I have faith that God and the doctors will see her through."

"Where was God when she was fighting for her life?" he asked. "Now she's fighting for survival."

"Bean, this is not a suitable time to start questioning your faith. You need it now more than ever, "she said. "Remember when Natalie had her accident; you prayed for her every day. You believed that God saw her through, and he did."

"It's different mom."

"How is it different?" she asked.

"Not just her mom. It's not just her."

"Did someone else get hurt?"

"Mom, Allie is pregnant. I'm going to be a father. You and Dad are going to have a granddaughter."

The damn broke, and the tears came fast. He had to sit down. The sick feeling that finally subsided was back in full force.

"Allie's Pregnant? I thought she couldn't... I can't believe it!"

"Yeah, neither can I."

"Jack, come here!"

In the background, you could hear his father's voice.

"What?" he shouted. "I'm watching the golf game."

"Jackson Robert Michael Stapleton, get in this kitchen!" she called back.

Jack rose to his feet like his butt had just caught fire. She used his full name. This was serious.

"What is it, dear? Is it Allie? Did she get worse?" he asked. "Please tell me she is still stable."

Dean had started crying. His mother spoke into the phone, trying to get Dean to calm down.

"Bean! It's going to be okay. God would not have given you a gift like this just to have it pulled away from you."

Jack was very confused, more than he had been before.

"Would you please talk to your father?" she asked. "I think he should hear this from his son."

"Hear what? Can someone please tell me what the hell is going on; what's this about a gift?"

"Bean, take deep breaths. Remember to smell the roses and blow out the candles. Smell the roses, blow out the candles."

He did what his mother told him—in and out. He started to calm down. He took a tissue off the side table and wiped his face. His breathing slowed. Moms always know what to do.

"Thanks, mom," he said. "You can put dad on the phone."

She handed the phone to him. She looked like a balloon about to pop.

"Hi, son, how are you holding up?" he asked.

"The best I can under these circumstances," he said. "I know this isn't the best time considering the situation at hand..."

"Just lay it on me, son. Whatever it is, we can handle it as a family."

"Allie's pregnant dad. I'm going to be a father. You and mom are going to be grandparents to my daughter."

"Grandparents? Granddaughter? Allie? You're going to be a dad?" he asked. He was too excited to fully process the information.

"Carol, I'm going to be a pop. This is amazing news. Our son is going to be a dad to a little girl!"

"Yes, Jack, I know. Calm down. You are going to give yourself a heart attack," she said. "Now would not be the ideal time for that."

"Dad!" Dean said.

He was trying to grab his father's attention.

"Dad!"

"Yes. Yes, son. I am just so happy. I never thought this day would come. No offense," he said.

"None taken," he said. Dad, I still don't know what is going to happen with Ally. If anything happens, she will be put on... put on..." he said, trying not to start crying.

"Do not go there, son. She is going to be fine. She has Stapleton blood in her now. That and the fact she is a badass, I don't think you should worry too much," he said.

"Give me the phone back, Jack."

"Hang in there, son. We are here if you need us. We can be there in an hour if you want. We can be down there in an hour."

"I know, Dad. I love you."

"Love you too, son," he said.

He handed the phone back.

"Do you need us there, Bean?" she asked. "Dad is right we can be there in an hour."

"No. I just want to be alone with her. But thanks, Mom."

"I love you. And so does she, no matter what may have happened between you two. Just love her and my granddaughter. Bye, Bean."

"Bye, Mom. I love you."

He put his head down like he was about to prepare for an emergency landing. His phone went off. It was Natalie. She was there with the clothes. He told Jenny that he was going to go downstairs to get his things from his sister so he could clean up.

"Sure. Remember, just push the silver button to come back in," she said.

Dean took turn after turn. Thank God he remembered everything. He finally made it to the elevators. He took it to the first floor, where the main lobby was. He got off the elevator and turned the corner. Natalie saw him right away.

"Bean!" she screamed.

She dropped the bag and charged him. She jumped and hugged him around the neck.

"Oh, good God," he said.

Catching her full weight.

She almost dragged him down to the ground. He wasn't expecting it. He should have known better. There was no way she was going to drop and go. By now, everyone in the lobby had turned to see the commotion.

"I couldn't just drop off your stuff and go. I'm sure that doesn't surprise you," she said.

He bent down, put her feet on the floor, and released her grasp from his neck. She then hugged him around the waist.

"Natalie. Natalie, release your brother, please."

"Sorry. I knew you needed a Natty Bug hug. I could feel it in the air," she said. "How is Allie any change?"

"Unfortunately, no. She is still in a medically induced coma. She is still intubated. Natalie, you would not believe how she looks. I wouldn't have known it was her if I didn't know it was her."

He was starting to well up with tears again.

"Let's go sit down," she said.

He went and picked his bag up off the floor. She joined him at the row of benches against the wall.

"You know, you really shouldn't be going through this all on your own. You might be physically strong, but emotionally, you are a cupcake, extremely sweet but can fall apart easily."

"I know. It's just I feel guilty that I couldn't protect her."

"I think she did an excellent job all by herself. She literally ripped the man's arm off."

"Yeah, but at what cost?"

A tear ran down his cheek. He wiped it away with his sleeve. He sat back up against the wall and let out an exasperated sigh.

"She will get through this. She is too stubborn to die. We both know that."

"She is a badass," he said and smiled.

"Fuck yes, she is badass. Who can kick ass. And death can kiss her ass," she said.

"You always know just the right things to say."

"I know I should write for fucking Hallmark. Cards by Bug. I would make a fortune."

"Why don't I walk you out," he said, standing up.

"Wow, here's your hat, what's your hurry."

They walked outside. There was a light breeze, and the sun was warm on his face. He wished he could take a walk with Allie so they could talk about their daughter. He needed to set things straight. He couldn't imagine who would do something so evil to her.

"Alright, Bean, I will text you later and see what's going on. Please don't turn your phone off. Makala and I were scared to death," she said.

"How are you and Makayla?"

"We're good. Really good. I'm thankful I moved out here and took the job. And that I moved out of the house. It may have been under adverse conditions, but it was greatly beneficial for Makayla and me."

"I'm happy that you are happy. Makala is a good girl. And I am a little tiny bit happy you moved here too." he said. "I need someone to put me in my place. I realize it's become a full-time fucking job."

"Bruh, she's like one year younger than you. And it's weird hearing you do all the swearing. You could have left that in California. And I knew you loved having me here!"

"Okay, she's a good grown-ass woman."

"Yeah, that sounds weird, too," she said.

"Super weird. Maybe you should go so I stop saying dumb things."

"Bruh, you have no---"

He looked at his sister, smirked, and raised an eyebrow.

"Quit while I'm ahead? I'll talk to you later. I love you."

She squeezed him in a hug as hard as she good.

"What am I, a tube of toothpaste? Easy. You're crushing my insides. I might have to give you a kidney one day."

"I don't think it would fit," she said.

She went to walk away. She was halfway out of the door when called out to her.

"Hey Bug! Do you want to see her? I can use some company as much as I am saying I don't."

"Of course I do," she said.

They walked slowly back to the ICU.

"Have you heard anything about the creep who did this?"

"Nothing that would make a difference," he said.

"Any idea where they took him?"

"I was thinking University Hospital. They have level-one care. It's a little further than here, but..."

He pressed the button on the silver speaker.

"ICU. Can I help you?" the nurse asked.

"Yes, it's Dean Stapleton. I have Natalie Stapleton with me," he said.

"OK, pull the door," she said. The door buzzed.

"That's the gorgeous guy I was telling you about."

She didn't know that she hadn't released the button in time. He had heard her loud and clear. He walked by the nurse's station. He flashed that gorgeous smile.

"Ladies," he said.

Once again, they all leaned out and watched him walk down the hall.

"That is the best thing I've seen all week." A blonde nurse said.

Jenny said, "Girl, you are preaching to the choir." I get to see him every 15 minutes on a 12-hour shift.

"Well, Amen," the blonde nurse sang.

Natalie followed him. "Lord, I still don't see what women see in you. Are you telling me there is no one else in this area who is as good-looking as you? It must be pheromones."

"Yeah, because it couldn't possibly be me."

"You never know. They could have been talking about me."

"Yeah, we'll just go with that, Bug."

They stood outside her room for a moment.

"I need to warn you; it's a bit jarring."

"OK."

"No, Natalie. It's a big shock. She's hooked up to tubes and a ventilator. Her face is so swollen and bruised."

Natalie followed him into the room. As she saw Allie, she gasped. Her hand came up over her mouth, and her eyes got wide.

"Oh, Allie."

Her voice was trembling. She went and stroked her hair gently.

"I wish I could wash her hair. She has the most beautiful hair."

"Wait till she hears they had to shave some off to access the skull."

"She would look cut in a shortcut," she commented, looking at her face. "Oh my God. Is this dried blood? Dean, she had bleed out of her ear at some point."

"What?"

He came over to where she was standing.

"I've been sitting on her left so I can hold her good hand," he said.

"How have you been able to just sit here all by yourself? This is a lot to take on your own," she said.

"Well, you need to remember I'm not alone. Want to see something beautiful, Bug?"

Dean reached out and uncovered the little bump. Natalie's eyes got Dewey. She put her hand out but stopped herself.

"Can I?" she asked with wide eyes.

"I don't think she would mind."

She touched her gently.

"Hey there, little one. I'm your crazy Aunt Bug. This is amazeballs! I feel bad for you. You missed so much. At least she had Alex to be there for her.

Natalie slapped her hand over her mouth.

"Oh my God, I am so sorry. It just kind of flew out. Please don't be angry with me. Don't get angry."

Dean stood there for a few seconds with his eyes closed and a devastated look on his face.

"Please say something. Maybe I should just go. I'm going to go," she said.

"I know you didn't mean to say it out loud. But what did Gram always say?"

"It's not mean if it's true, it's all in the delivery," they said together.

"I need to be honest with others in order to be honest with myself. But don't ask questions you really don't want to hear the answers to."

"Then, for now on, we stay honest. Even if it hurts, we shouldn't be doing things that would hurt each other anyway. Deal?"

"Deal."

They hooked their pinkies.

"Allie once told me where the pinkie promise came from. Back in the day, if you made a pinkie promise and then broke it, they would cut your pinkie off."

"In today's world, there would be a huge market for four-finger gloves."

Natalie felt a little bump against her hand.

"Oh my God! She kicked! I felt her kick! Oh, this is amazing!" she exclaimed. "Do it again, Peanut! Do it again."

"She's not a dog who does tricks."

"I'm about to give you a finger, not the pinkie," she teased. "How were you keeping Mom and Dad away from this? Mom must be chomping at the bit."

"I know. I was going to tell them to come up. They haven't seen the house yet, and I really, Mom," his voice broke.

"Well, what's stopping you from having them here?"

"I don't know where they gonna sleep. An air mattress on my floor in the basement?"

"Touché. But that is the weakest excuse I've ever heard. Give me your credit card. I'll go get some furniture and stuff." she said. "Problem is solved. Ask them to come here. For your own mental well-being. Natty Bug Hugs can only go so far."

He reached into his back pocket and pulled out his wallet. He handed her a visa. She went to grab it, and he pulled it back.

"Try to keep it under control. Don't go overboard. Go see my buddy Jason at The Cleveland Furniture Company."

"Like you can't afford it. Jason. Cleveland Furniture. Spend at least as much as that bottle of scotch you have costs, the one you hide from me. I'm short, not blind."

She snatched the card from between his fingers.

"So can you, but I'll let you live with me rent-free. Maybe you should kick in for it."

"No," she said bluntly.

She gave him a hug. She was so small, and he was so large. When they hugged, he entombed her.

"Thank you, Bug."

He started to tear up again.

"It's going to be OK. Stop crying so much, keep it up and someone is going to have to build an ark. She can feel your energy. And you're not so much of a prick anymore. So you got that going for you."

"Which is nice," they said together.

She turned and quickly left the room.

He covered his face with his hand. "Well, you're not wrong. Come on, Bug, I will walk you dow