This is the 11th part of a 12 part tale a Lady and her stable of slaves
11. Private Dancer
Deanna initially refused to be seen as a patient at the emergency room. But she was getting nowhere at the front desk trying to get information about Jared inside. She was in a contest of wills with a battleaxe of a receptionist which was beginning to turn ugly when Edward arrived with Michael and Thomas. He quickly convinced her that she had a much better chance of finding out what was going on inside as a patient. He promised her that while she was having her own wound attended to, Michael had some ideas on how to break through the privacy regulations that to this point were stymying them.
Belle accompanied her as they were led into an examination room. As they waited for a doctor, Deanna took a closer look at Belle. Her miniskirt was badly torn in front and was only being held up by a strip of elastic at the belt line. The front of her blouse was also ripped to the shoulder with several upper buttons missing so that it hung partially open. Her makeup was badly mussed and there was blood, probably Deanna's, streaked on her face and arms.
"Belle ... I'm so sorry." she broke the stillness, quietly anguished.
"You never need to apologize to me, My Lady." Belle looked down and then back up. "I'm just so worried about Jared."
"Yes. I know." Deanna agreed.
They sat in silence together. After about twenty minutes a doctor, a 3rd year ER resident physician, entered the room. He introduced himself with an air of importance.
"There was a man who was brought in by ambulance who was pretty badly hurt." Deanna impatiently broke in. "Can you tell us how he is?"
The resident looked from one to the other, noticing their disheveled state and attire, and smirked. "What, was he a john who got a little too frisky?" He then visibly shrank backwards from the glare that Deanna bore down on him.
"Ah ..." he finally recovered his voice. "I don't know much about him, he isn't my case, but I think he's down having a CAT scan. " he stammered weakly. Then trying to reestablish his professional standing he took a small step forward. "That's a real nasty looking cut you've got there. Can I take a look?" he offered, trying to sound contrite.
Deanna decided that she would likely get much more out of him if she responded in kind. Her gaze softened.
"Come along then. Have a look at it and tell me what you think."
The doctor move forward to examine the two inch laceration that was above the outer corner of her left eyebrow. He first cleaned and disinfected it, and then carefully probed around and within it.
"It's fairly deep but clean." he finally pronounced. "I can suture it for you, but if you'd like I can get a plastic surgeon in to do it. He'd probably leave a less obvious scar."
The last thing that Deanna was concerned about was a scar. She actually considered that that would be the least that she deserved for being such an absolute cretin in bringing about this entire disaster.
"No, you go ahead and do it." she replied.
The doctor nodded and set about his task. Despite his earlier flippancy, and more probably due to Deanna's silent and icy following rebuke, he was far more meticulous and disciplined than he might otherwise have been. It took nine carefully placed stitches to close the cut to his nervous satisfaction. After ordering the requisite Tetanus shot, he left. Edward, who had been standing outside waiting, immediately entered.
"Have you found out anything about Jared? She questioned him urgently. "How is he?"
"Michael has been able to get some information, My Lady.".
Indeed, Michael had had the great foresight to check Jared's stored belongings at the manor just before they all made their mad dash to the hospital. To be legal Jared had been given his driver's license, although nothing else, to bring with him. Quickly rummaging through the rest of his wallet left behind Michael had found and brought with him Jared's health insurance card. Facing the formidable firewall that was the receptionist at the ER front desk he presented the card to her. As obsequious as he could be, which was second nature to him with women of any stripe, he meekly explained to her that he was Jared's 'companion' and that after a 'spat' between them in their car he had dropped Jared off at the bar at his request so they both could 'cool off '. When he had calmed down he went back to get him and found the ambulance just leaving. He was oh so terrified about his 'friend' and could she possibly find it in her heart to tell him about Jared's condition, and to let Jared know that he was there for him.
While the implied relationship which Michael had woven for her did not meet the strict legal privacy guidelines of family members or health care proxy, Michael did have the insurance card, which did match the identity on the driver's license that they had found on Jared. The receptionist was only too happy to now be able to process the insurance information, and with a superior and knowing acknowledgment of Michael and Jared's 'relationship' she passed word through to the medical team taking care of Jared. The senior doctor in charge was also very happy to finally have someone to talk to about the case, and he came out to discuss it with Michael.
"He had a collapsed lung that they had to put a tube into his chest to re expand." Edward began to explain to Deanna and Belle what Michael had been told. "He also has a badly broken leg and may have some internal injuries." He paused to gather himself. "But his worst problem" he continued, "is that he has a large blood clot pressing on his brain, a subdural hematoma they call it, and they have to operate right away to drain it."
"Is he going to be okay?" Deanna struggled to hoarsely stammer out.
"They won't know how much damage there is until they evacuate the clot and see. He's unconscious now and on a ventilator."
Deanna sat stunned and unmoving, paralyzed by the news. After several very long moments of utter silence Edward spoke up again.
"My Lady, it's been a very long and hard night. Why don't you let Thomas drive you and Belle home. Michael and I will stay here until we know more, and I'll call you right away when we do."
This snapped Deanna out of her numbed daze. "NO. Absolutely not." she exclaimed. "We're not leaving until he's out of the operating room and we know he's alright."
"Yes, My Lady." he acquiesced, and he then led the three of them up to the surgical waiting room to join Michael and Thomas.
********
In actuality, as bad as Jared's injuries were they could have been far worse. As the sole proprietor of the bar, Harry, a 'retired' biker himself, had a vested interest in seeing that things like this didn't get too out of hand. While he was fine with his regular patrons exacting their retribution for the clear insult they had incurred, he couldn't allow it to possibly proceed onto homicide. At least not in his place. He suspected that had all this occurred on the road it might well have done so, with the slug disappearing and never to be found. So after he deemed a reasonable amount of punishment had been suitably administered he barked out a cease and desist. Though not by nature ones to follow commands, Hades Road Crew knew better than to cross Harry. And it was their haven as well after all. So after a few more kicks they let Jared slump, barely conscious, to the ground.
The police arrived shortly after and Harry was surprised that they did, finally deducing that it must have been those two whores, no they were pervs, who had called them. It made him wonder even more if they had all been together, him dressed like a fuckin fairy and the two pervs like whores on the make. So they probably did get what they deserved, although the pervs not enough by a long shot. But now Harry had to clean up the mess. For a standard weekly consideration he had a good working relationship with the local authorities, and as long as things never got too out of control they let a lot slide at the 'Haven'. As they tended to the badly beaten man on the floor it was an open question to the cops who were there whether this one had crossed that line.
But Harry, and everyone else in the bar, insisted that it had been the man who had started it all, attacking Nick unprovoked, apparently over two women none of them had ever seen before and who were now nowhere to be found, having run off when the fight started. That some of Nick's friends had come to his defense had been understandable, and fortunately cooler heads had prevailed before it had gotten too ugly. Assessing the now unconscious man while they called for an ambulance, the cops wondered just how much uglier it could have been. But they would interview the man later, and unless he decided to press charges ... or died ... for the sake of the ongoing 'congenial' working relationship they had with Harry, they were willing to at least then accept the unanimous version of events presented to them by everyone in the bar.
********
After more than three excruciating hours the surgeon finally came into the waiting room to give the five of them an update on Jared's condition . The blood clot on his brain had been successfully drained but there was still a significant amount of brain swelling that would take some time to subside, and it was unclear at this point whether there would be any residual neurologic damage. Otherwise, the prognosis for a good recovery, though it might be slow, was excellent.
Jared was transferred to the Intensive Care Unit and remained sedated on a ventilator for the next three days. He was finally able to be weaned from the ventilator but remained in a semi conscious and stuporous state for several days after that. Deanna had insisted that one of the four always be at the hospital to be available if Jared was in need of anything, and to relay any information about any change in his condition back to her. They all alternated in shifts and were happy to do so as they were all very concerned for him as well. After a week he was stable enough to be transferred out of the ICU and Deanna made sure to pay the extra cost, beyond his insurance coverage, so that he would have a private room.
Deanna herself never went to the hospital. Indeed she had essentially isolated herself within the manor almost completely. While the slaves carried on in their normal daily duties except for the time each of them spent at the hospital, there was very little interaction now between them and their Lady other than to report on their visits to Jared. She otherwise remained apart.
How could she have been so blind and stupid, she continually asked herself alone in her room. She had become so used to being in total charge that she had thought that she could control any situation. Yes, there had been that element of danger that had added a daring sense of excitement that night, but she had been so sure that the force of her personality, her aura of power, would always hold sway. She had been so wrong. That was obviously only true with those who willingly submitted to it, and her false conceit had almost cost the three of them their lives.
Despite the slaves' apparent ongoing allegiance, she didn't see how it could all go on. The totally unconventional, out of the box relationship they had all built and developed was based on mutual self interest and desire. But as with any relationship of any stripe, for it to grow and flourish it had to be sustained by caring and trust. And she had betrayed that trust, had jeopardized to the ultimate degree those who had willingly and completely placed themselves in her care. She just could no longer understand how she could deserve their devotion. As each day went on she withdrew more and more.
