Tuesday, October 1, 2013

29(S3E7)-The Wife


 

29

(Season 3 Episode 7)

The Wife

The night Tobias was shot…

Linda did not feel the pain in her hand.  Her nerves were working hard to send her brain the information that it was broken but it would not listen.  She had been married less than twelve hours and had just watched her husband be air lifted into the night sky in a helicopter with three bullet wounds in his chest. Her brother was cut and hurt from the fight with an international hit man after he had put the bullets there.  She was in her wedding dress and covered in her dying husband’s blood.

She had broken the hand on Sidney Thompson’s jaw.

She could feel the hot rush of emotions as she screamed at her husband’s best friend and recent partner in crime.  She could feel the blood flow to her cheeks and forehead.  She felt like she was being pulled under by a rip tide of rage and anger.

She knew very few things for certain, beyond the fact that it was all this woman’s fault.

The conniving, double-talking bitch who, even now, denied having anything to do with it, was responsible.  She was always responsible.

She brought out the worst in Tobias.  She was a poison.  A disease that seemed to touch everything that Linda held dear.

This was the first time in Linda’s life that she actually wanted to kill someone.

The cops broke it up, grabbing her. The detective seemed nice enough, but Linda did not care.  She just wanted someone to pay.

****

The Ride to the Hospital…

Eugene had put the siren on and they were making good time but he was still using it to try and get information from her.  He was trying to be sensitive and roundabout in the questioning but he knew that Linda was not stupid.  Panicked and in shock, maybe, but not stupid.

“So how does your husband-” He began into his seventh question and Linda had enough.

“Know Sidney?  Illegally.” Linda cut him off and he looked surprised.  “She is a two dollar con artist and my husband used to be a thief.  They have done jobs together and this, I’m sure, has something to do with that.”

“Used to be,” Eugene pressed.  “Are you sure he’s not a thief anymore?”

Linda closed her eyes feeling the pain well up again into her gut.  “No.  No, I’m not.”

“Then I have to ask-” Eugene began and again Linda cut him off.

“No, you don’t have to ask.  My husband has done a lot of stupid things.  First and foremost on that list is caring about an immature and irresponsible woman.  I know he is dying on a helicopter and all I want to do is see him because, as stupid as he can be, I love him.”

Tears hit Linda’s eyes and ran down her face and she hated herself for it.  She hated crying and looking weak, especially in front of people she didn’t know and didn’t care for.  “Now, if you don’t mind, could you shut the fuck up and get me to the hospital?!”

She screamed the last part and she could tell it had an effect on the officer.  He took a breath to say something else, then thought better of it and just nodded in response.

****

The Hospital - 15 Minutes Later…

Linda was out of the car before it had stopped, tripping over the torn and ripped dress and hitting the concrete hard.  The pain of her hand was suddenly her whole world as some of the shock was wearing off.

She pushed the pain away and pulled herself to her feet and ran through the sliding doors of the E.R.  It was late and there were only a couple of people in the waiting room but they all saw her as she walked in like a vision out of some horror movie.  A bride in a blood soaked wedding gown.

She tried not to think of how ridiculous she looked and moved directly to the desk.  The security guard, a buff, middle aged, black man was already moving to intercept her as well as the front desk woman.

“Ma’am can I help you?”  The woman said in a friendly but stern voice.

“Where is my husband?” Linda asked, trying to keep the hysterics out of her voice.  “Tobias Snyder… where is he?”

Eugene had caught up, his badge out.  The receptionist turned to him, as if Linda was some crazy person.  Linda felt the rage boil up inside of her but Eugene spoke before she could.  “The gunshot victim brought in by life flight.  This is his wife.  We need an update.”

The nurse’s eyes filled with pity now and Linda tried to figure out what she hated more; the pity or being ignored.  She decided pity would get her more information so she accepted it.

“Oh my God,” The nurse moaned and shook her head.  “I’m so sorry.  I will find someone to get an update.”

The nurse motioned to another nurse and the other one ran off the get the update.  “Just sit down right here for a second.”

Linda couldn’t hold it anymore.  “I don’t want to fucking sit down!”  She screamed at the top of her lungs.  “I want to know if my husband is alive or dead!  I want to know why someone shot him!  I want to know why I’m not on my God damned honeymoon right now?!”

The plump, strawberry blonde nurse just stared for a second, waiting for Linda to run out of steam. When she was sure she had, she said, “Well, yelling about it is not going to help, honey.  I’ll tell you what I can do.  I can get you some clean clothes and take a look at that hand of yours, and then Meg will be back with some information as soon as she can, okay?”

Linda stared at her, then felt the sobs roll over her as the adrenaline drained out of her.  She could no longer fight it.  She sobbed uncontrollably and nodded.

The motherly, strawberry blonde said her name was Pam and she walked Linda into the back.

****

Two Hours After Arriving at the Hospital…

Linda sat in the uncomfortable waiting room chair, sipping her coffee with her good hand.  Her right had a compound fracture and had been bandaged and splinted.  She was wearing hospital scrubs, it was all the attendants could find for her before Pam had cut her out of her wedding dress.

Something so beautiful and she never wanted to see it again.

They had told her it did not look good, they already had him in surgery by the time she had made it to the hospital and they did not want her to be optimistic but, they were doing everything they could.

She was done crying.  She was now filled with a white, hot rage.

“How you doin’ Sis?”  Linda had been so out of it, she had completely failed to notice Hank coming down the hall with his arm in a sling and bandages where he had been stabbed.

She stared at him for a long minute.  “Is that a joke?”

Hank took a step back, pain in his eyes and shame.  “Look, this was supposed to be-”

“Let me guess,” Linda cut in.  “The last job?  It’s always the last, fucking job with you people, isn’t it?  Like a drunk who just can’t seem to put his bottle down and go home to his wife and kids.”

Linda could not remember the last time she had used the F-word so much, but she couldn’t help it.  It felt right.

“Linda, it’s not like that.  We just had to do this one, for Sidney.” Hank said.

Linda’s face contorted into a look that would frighten the devil himself.  “For Sidney?  For fucking Sidney?”

She couldn’t help herself, she hurled the lukewarm cup of coffee onto Hank.  The cup hit his chest and covered him with brown liquid.  “God damn it!” he cursed and stumbled.

“I’m done with you, Hank.  And I’m sure-as-shit done with Sidney.  You two can pound salt together but you stay away from Tobias and me.”

“Excuse me.”  The doctor broke in meekly and the two turned, snapping out of it.  “Your husband is out of surgery.”

Linda’s rage escaped her.  All she could do in that seemingly endless moment was pray.

“He’s survived the operation, but only barley.  We got the bullets out but he lost a lot of blood and this deprived his brain of oxygen causing him to slip into a coma.”  The doctor was reserved as he spoke.  “We moved him to the I.C.U and will continue to monitor him closely.  The next twelve hours are critical.”

****

Two Hours After the Surgery…

Linda sat in the room alone.  The sky through the window was now becoming the dark purple that heralded the sun rise hues of fall.

The monitor beeped continuously with Tobias’s heartbeat.  Each space between move nerve wracking for Linda than the last.

Each one could be the last. 

“I’m mad at you.”  Linda could not help herself.  Maybe it was the stress or the shock but she needed to say something even if Tobias couldn’t hear her.

“I think it’s the worst part about all this.”  She continued.  “You did what you said you wouldn’t do and picked her over me.  As mad as I am at Sidney and Hank, I can’t really blame them for this.”

She took a deep breath as more tears came.  “You made the decision to do this.  You put yourself in this position.  I can’t help but think this is what you really want.”

Linda stood up and moved to the edge of the bed, placing her hand over his.  “That’s fine.  You got what you wanted.  You got to die for her.  Now it’s time to live for me.”

She kissed his forehead softly and a tear rolled from her cheek onto his brow.  She whispered softly one more time.  “Live for me.  You owe me at least that much.”

Linda could feel her hope loosen.

Then she felt his finger move.  His eyes fluttered and came open.

The night gave way into the day.

End Episode 29

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