The visit
Nora
So, what I wanted to know was how long would the doctor keep me here. Then, I asked the nurse, “Can you tell me how long you plan to keep me here?” The nurse grabbed the data sheet that was beside my bed and answered.
“Of course, Nora, your doctor wants you to stay here for one more week. Due to the damage you suffered, he considered that possibility. The best course of action is to keep a close eye on you.”
Okay, I'll consider it my holiday for one week. I thanked her and said I was hungry and wanted to eat something. She said that the menu would be brought to me shortly. So, I preyed on that time to try to stand up. Although I'm not sure what condition my body is in, I'm eager to stretch.
Tentatively, I sat up, luckily it didn't hurt that much. I could see with satisfaction that I was already improving.
I put my feet down and tried to stand up. Then, I held on to the bed rail and managed to put my feet on the floor. But apparently, I have been here long enough for me to walk without problems. I still feel pain here, and there, but it is minimal.
When I see the nurse again, I will ask her how long I have spent in the hospital. That way, I will know how many days my dear husband kept me in the basement after the beating.
I went to the window and opened the curtains. It was a beautiful day. My room was facing the patio and the garden area. I wonder if it's a good idea to go for a walk. I'm sick of being locked up. My life seems to revolve around the walls, I'm always surrounded by them.
I went to bed and took the service button to call the nurse, waiting, standing by the window, for her to arrive.
When the door opened, and the nurse came in, she saw me standing, and she ran towards me, puzzled by this reaction.
“Nora, please go back to bed, you can't stand up yet. We need to do another brain scan, to see that the swelling is completely gone. It's dangerous.”
“I don't feel bad, in fact, it's the opposite. I want to go out to the garden, I think that walking will do me very well.”
The nurse shocked her head, stressed. I don't understand what the problem is, or why she is overreacting to something so simple.
“Please, Nora, don't make me call your husband.” Hearing this, my good mood faded, but the nurse continues, “He warned us that if something were to happen to you, the consequences would be catastrophic for all of us.”
I felt my face begin to contort. The fury that her words had provoked in me, I could not contain it any more, and yelling I told her, “WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE? GET OUT OF HERE.”
But then, my head started to ache, it seemed like I had a drum inside me, beating fast. I started to see a little blurry and felt somewhat disoriented.
The nurse saw this and ran to my side while yelling for a doctor to come.
The dizziness intensified, and I felt myself collapse towards the floor. The nurse managed to hold my arm in time before I fell completely to the ground. But in the distance, I could hear how more staff arrived in my room. And among several people, they lifted me up and placed me on the bed.
The nurses and the doctor started working on me immediately, not knowing what was happening. I had already felt good, but clearly, they had been lying to me about the extent of my injury. The thought in my mind is that he hurt me so much that my recovery would take longer. And they were keeping things from me. That was my last thought before I knew no more of myself.
∞∞∞
The next time I opened my eyes, everything was slow, the sounds seemed hollow as if I were dreaming. In the distance I only saw people coming and going, some would approach the bed and do things to me that I did not know.
Then they left, but they came back in a short time. Afterwards, exhaustion dragged me into unconsciousness. I don't know how much time passed, but my senses were returning. When I opened my eyes, I saw everything as it was, and it no longer seemed far away. I was awake finally, and I was watching the nurse who was sitting in a chair not far from me, reading something. She may have sensed my gaze since she turned to see me. She smiled and got up, approached me slowly, giving me the impression that she didn't want to upset me, as you would with a cornered animal.
“Hi, Nora, how are you feeling?” She asked me, still smiling. Even though I indicated with my head that I was fine, I still didn't feel like speaking. It's as if talking would waste my energy. She went to the table and poured a glass of water, a straw in it, and offered it to me.
I took a few sips and that was all I needed. My throat was dry, I could even feel my tongue stick to the pallet of my mouth. How unpleasant. But after the fresh water, my situation improved.
“I'm going to call the doctor, Nora. We need to check your vitals, and make sure everything is working fine, OKAY?”
I nodded, and the nurse left the room. Five minutes later, she came with an entirely different doctor. He smiled at me and introduced himself.
“Nora, my name is Dr Matt Sullivan. I have been following your case for a few days. And I want to tell you, that I am going to do everything possible to get you out of this place soon, do you understand?”
I nodded, and the Dr smiled again. He and the nurse took my vital signs and reviewed his notes. Then he addressed me again, “I have to ask you some things, and I need you to answer me as truthfully as possible, are you with me?” I nodded again.
He turned to look at the nurse, and he said to her to leave us alone. The nurse hesitated but left the room without saying anything.
The Dr returned his eyes to me, then said, “You have been here almost seven days. I read your report and the injuries do not coincide with a fall, as was established in the beginning. This is rather a case of domestic abuse, I can tell.”
My face said it all because he stopped to pat my hand, and then he continued, “I know my colleagues filled out the report, thanks to your husband's insistence. But we know that is not so. I want to ask you something.” Staring into my eyes, he said, “Do you want me to report this incident as domestic violence? You can trust me, I won't do anything you don't want.” Oh! My eyes started to fill with tears, it was so long ago that I had received someone's support.
And with a choppy voice, I replied, “Thank you, but I would rather not put your life at risk. And even if you fill out the report and take it to the police, no one will do anything. Trust me, my husband is not a good man, and the police are with him. I know it's useless, but knowing that someone knows the truth of what happened is enough for me.” The Dr squeezed my hand lightly again as a sign of solidarity, he told me that if I changed my mind, he would be available to help me.
Then he asked me a series of questions about how I felt, and the symptoms I had until today. He took note and said goodbye, leaving me with a good taste in my mouth. It has been so long since I felt like this. Even if nothing came of this, it was nice to know that someone cared enough about me to do something.
He also, informed me that my condition had not been easy to cure. The damage was severe and the medication they used was strong. They were actually contemplating putting me in a coma so that the brain would regain its shape and the inflammation would go down.
I was so shocked to hear all of this. One thing he warned me about, is that told I had to remain absolutely calm, that any excitement, good or bad, could affect the progress made. As a result, he has decided to postpone all visits for several more days.
I thanked him with all my heart, and that's how three days went by. In a completely calm, and nothing bothered me, the only people who were with me were the hospital staff and some patients who came to talk to me to ease their boredom.
On the fifth day, the nurse warned me that today I would have a visitor. She knew the situation I was in, and thanks to her kindness, she told me in advance what would happen. My husband would come to visit me.
Almost 15 days have passed since I last saw him, and I wish for more time to pass. I didn't feel ready to see him.
I was sitting in an armchair looking through the window when the door opened, hoping it was someone from the staff, but it wasn't. My husband walked through the door and closed it behind him. I was not caught off guard, but having him near me was upsetting. I watched him for a few seconds and then returned my gaze to the window.
Likewise, I stayed in the same position, not even bothering him. I was scared, yes, I admitted that because seeing him again, reminded me of the pain, and how much I hate him.
“Nora,” I still didn't acknowledge him. I heard his footsteps approach, and that's when my heart began to beat faster. Experience told me that when he was close to me, the pain would come later. But I kept my posture.
After a few seconds of having him in front of me, he gently grabbed my face and turned it to face him. My nerves were killing me, making me shake, and then I had no other choice but to look him in the eye. When I saw his black eyes, realized I was afraid of him, afraid.
Our gazes collided, and we stayed that way for a few seconds until he broke the silence, “The doctor told me that you are well and that in a couple of days, you will be discharged. But I insisted and convinced him that it was time for you to go home. But let me tell you something, this doctor was somewhat insistent that you should stay here the remaining time for your recovery.”
My husband squeezed my face, and drops of sweat started to form on my forehead, and, without lowering the intensity of his gaze, he continued, “That makes me wonder something. What have you told him, and why has he fought so passionately for you? I hope for his sake, and yours, that nothing has happened between you and him.”
My insides were ripped apart by panic after his threats, but shake my head, not knowing what else to do. As if any doubts were dispelled, he released and nodded.
He went to the bed and sat down. Without taking his eyes off me, he took out his mobile phone and dialled someone. After a few seconds, I heard the call being answered.
“My wife is ready. The doctor will give you all the instructions and care that she should have at home. Send a nurse with the wheelchair, and do not forget to fill out the paperwork to discharge her. Yes, that too, thank You.”
My hands were sweaty with his ominous words sounding, more, like a sentence.
I turned my head towards the window and tried to control my breathing, remembering the words the doctor told me to keep calm. But for my health, I contained all the emotions that could cause me to fall ill again.
I decided to go with whatever Erik said, and not go against him. Then, he tossed his blazer in my direction. Luckily, I managed to catch it in time before it fell on my face.
“Put this on, I don't want my wife walking around in a hospital gown.”
After assimilating what he told me, I put it on with disgust. His coat smelled like him, not wanting his scent on my skin. But I remembered the doctor's words and convinced myself that later I would have time and health to fight him.
Erik's nervous eyes continued watching me from where he was, I could even feel his gaze roaming my body. But fortunately, the nurse entered with the wheelchair, cutting off the tension. She pulled it closer to me and was about to help me up when Erik told her that he would do it. Why? I didn't want his hands near me. Those same hands caused me so much damage and pain.
When he came over to help me up, I stepped forward and immediately sat in the wheelchair. I went to the nurse and told her. “I'm ready.” She saw us nervous, not knowing what to do, but Erik, without taking her into account, took the handles of the wheelchair and pushed me towards the door.
We left the hospital in complete silence until we reached the car park. His henchman, Thomas, was waiting for us near the car. I'm sure it was him he spoke to on the phone.
“Mrs Costa, it is a pleasure to see you again.” Nodding, I, let him know I heard him. He approached to help me get into the vehicle, but my husband refused, shaking his head. Thomas stepped back, giving way.
Seeing this, I got up without waiting for his help, but he grabbed my shoulder, stopping me. He then raised his hand to my neck and left it there, pressing a bit hard, and sending me a message. I bowed my head and looked at the floor.
After that, I let him do what he wanted. He opened the car door and helped me in. He sat with me while Thomas took the driver's seat. Then, he started the car, and we headed towards the place of my nightmares.
The road was silent, I had my eyes facing the front, or looking out the window. The presence of this man only dragged me down. Erik has the ability to ruin my day in a matter of seconds.
Along the way, I felt him grab my hand. I stayed without moving, not knowing what else to do. Was he playing games with me? If he is, I don't like it.
A few minutes before we arrived, he grabbed my face and forced me to face him. His eyes were always cold and calculating, but now, there was something else, and that scared me. Anything terrible could happen to me and, as always, I would end up losing.
He brought his face close to mine, and I instinctively closed my eyes. He put his forehead on mine and took a deep breath. I was so bewildered, trying to figure him out.
He sniffed my neck. It was the weirdest thing he had ever done. He kissed it a couple of times, and between kisses, he said, “I missed you, Nora.”
That was all he said while dirtying my face with his saliva until he reached my mouth. That is when I turned my face away. I wouldn't allow him to infect me in the world. The same mouth that has been polluted by countless women.
