Author's note -- Sorry about the delay. My family's computer went down for a while causing them to use my own computer. Thus I could not use it while I was at work, which is when I do most of my writing. Having said that, enjoy. The Case of the Pesky Cherry is solved in this installment. Vote high and vote often. Thank you for your consideration.
This is chapter 5 of a multi-chapter story. I recommend starting from the beginning if you have not already.
*****
Dec. '08
Awareness crept slowly over Simon. It started as a muffled beeping sound that steadily grew louder and clearer. Feeling returned to his body, starting at his head and radiating downwards. A dull throbbing drew his attention to his left shoulder. 'I wonder what that's about?' he thought.
His sensations expanded, prickling as if awakening from numbness. There was something in his hand. Both hands, he realized. He squeezed them lightly, trying to discover what they were. They were spongy and soft yet firm. His brain finally figured out they were hands. Someone, most likely two different someones, was holding his hands. 'Why would anyone be holding my hands while I'm in bed?' he thought. His brain had no answer, so filed it away for later consideration.
Simon partially opened his eyes. Darkness enveloped the room but for a dim, fluorescent light above his head. He fully opened his eyes only to find himself in a hospital room. Movement on his right side caught his attention. A head of reddish brown hair stirred next to him. It turned and Simon looked into the rapidly widening eyes of his sister, Cindy.
"Hey Cin," he whispered hoarsely, "What's going on?" Cindy stared at him, her mouth opening and closing like a fish. He was unprepared for what happened next.
"SIMON!!" Cindy practically jumped onto the bed to hug her brother. His left shoulder burned in protest. The body on his left side jerked awake when Cindy shrieked. Suddenly he was being crushed by his mother as well. They were both babbling, too rapid for Simon to understand it all.
"Whoa, whoa!" he grunted. "Mellow out already. I still need to breathe," he gasped. They both climbed off of him, embarrassed by their exuberance. Neither released the hand they held. They both started speaking at the same time then stopped, tears straining their smiling faces.
"Sorry, honey," Mary said, "We're both just glad to see you awake."
"What happened? Why am I in a hospital?" Mary and Cindy glanced at each other before Mary spoke again.
"We were afraid of that. The doctor said there might be some memory loss due to the high fever."
"Will you just tell me?"
"What's the last thing you remember?" Cindy asked.
"I was at Sasha's talking about . . ." His brow furrowed in concentration, remembering the conversation. He decided they didn't need to know the contents of or reason for the conversation, ". . . school stuff. Then Jodi was missing. I was driving . . ." Simon thought harder but could not recall anything more. "That's it. Why? Was I in some kind of accident? Is Sasha okay?"
"Sasha's fine but this is what we were told by the police." Mary sat on the bed, cradling his left hand in her lap. "You threw yourself into a fight with four guys. Apparently, they tried to assault Jodi. One of them had a knife and stabbed you in the shoulder." Mary pointed at his left shoulder.
"That explains the bandage," Simon grimaced as his shoulder shifted, "and the pain, but why can't I remember any of it?"
"Mom, I'm gonna go get the nurse since he's awake." Cindy interrupted. She leaned in and kissed her brother on the cheek, giving his hand a final squeeze.
"Okay, Cindy." Mary hugged her daughter before she left. She turned back to Simon, "Your sister was terrified when she heard about what happened. Almost as much as I was."
"Quit stalling." Mary sighed, knowing he was right.
"After the fight, the paramedics said you passed out, probably from the exertion combined with blood loss. They brought you here to check your shoulder. Everything seemed fine at first, but you got a secondary infection in the wound." Mary's eyes started to tear up again. "Your temperature spiked up to 105 degrees. It stayed that high for a few hours before slowly falling. It rose and fell several times before it broke last night."
Simon would have fallen over if he hadn't already been lying down. Bits and pieces of that night came back to him, but not enough to fill it all in.
"How's Jodi doing?"
"Jodi had some bruised ribs, a bloody nose, a black eye and a concussion. The police believe you saved her from gaining anything worse." Simon sighed in relief, visibly relaxing.
Cindy reappeared with a nurse. She checked a few of his vitals and approved. "You're looking much better now, Mr. Pendleton." Turning to Mary, she said, "I'll make sure the doctor stops by first thing when he arrives. In my opinion, he'll probably discharge him within a few days."
"Thank you for everything." Mary hugged the nurse before she left.
"Hey, ma?" Mary sat on the bed next to her son. Cindy sat on his right side. "How long have I been in here?"
Mary hesitated for a moment before replying. "Nine days. You were heavily sedated for the first 24 hours while you healed after surgery. Then the infection set in."
"Damn." He hadn't realized the full extent of the situation. A thought struck him suddenly that chilled his spine. "Who else knows about all this?"
Again Mary paused. She didn't want to tell him but he needed to know before he was overcome by the media. "It was a very public situation, honey. Every local news outlet in the area has run at least some of the story. We've had to change phone numbers twice just to get it to stop ringing." Mary sighed, "You're being praised as a hero."
"Seriously? Son of a bitch!" Simon brought his hands up to cover his face. This was the last thing he wanted to happen. He felt like crying but controlled himself. Several deep breaths later, he felt better.
"So what now?" he asked.
"Now that we know you are ok, I think it's about time Cindy and I went home." Mary said.
"But Mom!" Cindy whined, her hand tightening around Simon's, crushing it to her chest. Simon became uncomfortably aware of its location.
