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Tina stopped and spun around. “I cannot! I must go to the hospital! Ben is badly hurt!”
“Ben’s not dead!?!” Trish seized on this news and looked hopefully at Tina who turned to her and shook her head. “Hannah says they are operating on him now. He is in critical condition. I must be with him!”
“I’ll drive!” Trish gasped and leapt to her feet.
“No one is going anywhere until we get statements!” the officer yelled pointing to the body on the floor.
Trish gave him a frustrated look. “The fucker was pounding on the door with the hammer. It got stuck in the ceiling. He pulled a knife on me and I disarmed him and kicked him back against the door. He fell. I didn’t see what happened to him after that.” Trish growled.
“The hammer fell on his head.” Madison squeaked and all eyes turned to her. She looked up at the police officer. “I saw it on the TV screen in there.” she said pointing back to the work shop.
“I must GO!” Tina stomped her foot.
“Officer Jackson, escort these two ladies to…” the first officer began.
“Western Mercy.” Trish said.
“Western Mercy and stay with them. Take their statements there.” he finished.
Officer Jackson led the two women outside to his patrol car. He helped them into the back then headed off to the hospital.
“And you are?” the first cop, Officer Grant, asked the woman looking down at Eli.
“I’m Ashley Beaumont. That’s my husband Elija Ray Sturn. These are his daughters, Madison and Savannah Sturn. I was watching the TV screen as well. What Trish said is what happened. I mean, I saw Eli pounding on the door with the hammer and then it got stuck in the ceiling. He turned, pull a knife out and jump forward. Then all I could see was his back until he flew back into the picture when Trish kicked him. He hit the hammer’s handle and then the door. He fell then the hammer dropped and struck him.” Savannah and Madison were both nodding with big eyes. They were trying not to see the body of their father on the floor.
Officer Grant led them back upstairs into the living room. The woman moved very slowly and he was told that this was because the deceased had badly assaulted her the day before. The teens gathered pillows and made her comfortable on the sofa then sat on either side of her resting their heads on her shoulders. The officer then slowly had them go over what happened again as he took notes. The forensic team came in and began their work. Ashley worried about all these strangers walking around in Ben’s house.
Of course they were all police and her husband was dead so she was feeling safer than she had in a long time.
Officer Jackson led Tina and Trish through the hospital directly to the gallery of the operating room where Dr. Padme continued to work on Ben.
Tina rushed up to the window and looked down at Ben’s unconscious form.
She spun to Hannah. “How did this happen in your hospital? I thought he was safe here!” she cried.
Hannah looked guilty. “It shouldn’t have been possible. We don’t know how he got in or how he found Ben. When they catch him we will ask him.”
“He’s dead.” Trish said.
“WHAT?” Hannah gasped.
“He went to Ben’s to find his wife and kids, probably to finish the job he’d started. Stupid fucker tried to attack me with a knife.” She glanced at the cop who was paying close attention. “I disarmed him and kicked him against the door. He fell. The sledge hammer he was using fell from where it was stuck in the ceiling and landed on his head.”
“How on earth did you know how to disarm a man with a knife?” Hannah asked.
“John and I sparred. A lot! Remember, if it was physical and dangerous John wanted to do it. I was better at it than him though.” she smiled but it dimmed immediately. “How is Ben doing?”
“Most of the wounds are superficial or in non-critical places. His aim with the knife was thankfully poor. But a few were very bad.” She didn’t mention his heart had stopped, twice.
“Why is Ben’s face bandaged?” Tina asked.
“The man slashed his face. Dr. Ramsey was in earlier and took care of that. I don’t know how bad it was or how bad the scar will be. Dr. Ramsey is a specialist for those kinds of wounds.” Tina’s eyes welled up with tears.
Hannah’s phone chirped. She looked at it in annoyance then guilt. She immediately sent a response. Moments later an orderly guided Gabriella, Catherine, and Rochelle into the gallery.
Gabriella and Catherine immediately went to Tina and hugged the woman. They pulled Trish into the group hug. Rochelle was wavering on the edge but Trish pulled her in then Hannah.
Dr. Granger arrived and took in the group hugging by the window. She caught Hannah’s eye. “Any change?” she asked.
Hannah shook her head.
Trish suddenly got a puzzled look on her face. “Wait! How did he manage to stab Ben so many times? Ben kicked his ass the first time they met. Was he asleep? Drugged?” She saw Hannah was looking at Dr. Granger so she turned to face her too. Soon the entire group was looking at the psychologist.
The doctor felt incredibly uncomfortable under their scrutiny. She drew herself up and girded herself for their reaction. “For his safety”, she paused when she saw the irony there, “Ben was in restraints.”
The explosion from the group was frightening and violent. Catherine had to hold Trish back as she lunged for the doctor. Hannah gestured for her to leave, quickly. She did.
“MOTHERFUCKER!” Trish yelled. “He had to lie there helpless while that asshole stabbed him again and again!” She suddenly looked green then she rushed out of the gallery and across the hall to the washroom before her stomach heaved. Officer Jackson stayed close.
Gabriella, Catherine, and Tina were all crying while looking down at Ben. Trish came back into the gallery after freshening up and rinsing out her mouth.
Suddenly the machines connected to Ben started wailing. His heart had stopped for a third time. There was a frenzy of activity but the machine continued to drone. The women all held each other and their breath. Dr. Padme looked up at Hannah. His weary look was grim.
The family trip to Paris went ahead as scheduled. It was paid for after all. There had been some argument whether they should be going at all but this was a trip of a lifetime and wiser heads prevailed so off they went. Some last minute adjustments had been made to compensate for changes in list of travellers. Some destinations were switched out as well.
It was an overnight flight and the lights had been dimmed as people prepared to sleep on the flight over.
Gabriella leaned back in the plush first class seat and sipped at the champagne she hoped would help her sleep. A shiver went down her spine as her mind flashed back to that horrible night a little more than two months earlier. Catherine looked at her curiously to know what had caused her friend’s face to suddenly look so sad. Gabriella forced a smile back on her face and shook her head to dispel the memory. She looked at Miriam and Daniel who were so occupied with their tablets they were missing the entire first class experience. She whispered to them that they should try to get some sleep as well.
Catherine turned back to her daughters who were busy arguing over whether or not they were going to visit Jim Morrison’s grave at the Père Lachaise Cemetery in Paris or not. None of them were really familiar with the singer but they’d been told it was the ‘thing to do’. They’d have extra time in Paris due to the itinerary changes so they were trying to work out how to best fill the time. She smiled at the beautiful young ladies. This trip was such a gift. To spend time in France with her daughters was something she’d never have been able to do without… She had to stop as she was getting too choked up. She didn’t want to cry and arrive in Paris with her make-up running down her face.
Tina was the last minute addition to the trip. She had made some adjustments to her University summer courses to be able to go on the trip. She’d be taking night courses to compensate when she returned. Daphne was watching Christopher and with Joshua to play with he’d be fine while she was away. Tina was dwarfed by the first class seat but she just tucked her legs up and tried to relax. She was glad she was here. She couldn’t remain home alone. It was too soon. She wasn’t ready. She shivered and her bottom lip trembled.
Gabriella noticed Tina’s upset first and reached across to her. Tina took the offered hand and they squeezed each other’s hands. Catherine leaned forward and asked if she was ok. Tina nodded shakily and Catherine raised an eyebrow. Tina smiled guiltily, caught in the lie. Cat checked her watch and nodded at Gabriella. Gabriella leaned over to Tina. “It’s time.”
Tina undid her seatbelt and quickly stepped over to the window seat. She lifted the corner of the blanket and snuggled in next to the sleeping man. She gently nudged him until he woke up.
“It is time for your medicine, Ben.” she whispered.
He sighed. He’d been having a lovely dream. To be woken just to take a stupid pill that he probably no longer even needed… he sighed again. He knew he couldn’t argue with the ladies. His health was their number one priority. Gabriella came over with a cup of water and the pill. Just something to prevent infection in a wound that had healed weeks ago.
Right! Don’t argue. He took the pill with a smile.
He felt Tina trembling so he put his arm around her. He looked up at Gabriella in worry. Tina had taken his ‘death’ the hardest. She was still having nightmares and couldn’t be out of contact with him for longer than a day. Ben was going to have her see a councillor when they got back.
The third time Ben’s heart stopped Dr. Padme made a dangerous decision. The final wound he was working on was right next to Ben’s heart. The pressure of its beating was making it impossible to safely suture the large, dangerous wound so he decided to leave the heart still while he quickly finished. The women became frantic as the heart monitor drone went on and on. When he finished he used the paddles to restart Ben’s heart but he wasn’t responding. He tried three times but Ben’s heart remained still. His gamble was for nothing. When the doctor leaned back the women screamed for him to try again. Tina had been the loudest. She wailed for Ben to come back. He didn’t know if it was due to the residual charge from the shock paddles or if it had been the sound of their cries but Ben’s heart began to beat on its own and he rallied once more.