ROWAN THANE | @rothane
when + where olympus medical center, february 14
Getting to the hospital had been a blur, but no one could miss the way he comes bursting through the front doors of the ER, causing a scene in the name of getting to his wife. One hour, thirty nine minutes. After a screaming match with three nurses and two security guards, a doctor is at his side, ushering him down the hall while she gives him the details. Two broken fingers, broken ribs. Split lip, black eye, mild concussion. Enough bruises to last a lifetime. Resisting the urge to let his knees buckle, Andy keeps a stiff upper lip as the doctor explains to him what’s happened. She’d been attacked, her car pulled off to the side of the road. Someone found her, called 911. He’d barely noticed his hands were shaking, that the doctor’s hand was on his shoulder. She continued to explain what had happened, though all he could hear was ringing in his ears, dizziness settling over him at the thought of his wife, bloodied and unconscious on the side of the road. Andy knows the mental image will haunt him for the rest of his life.
You can see her now, if you’d like. The doctor’s words feel like a bucket of cold water poured on him, bringing him back from the haze he’d fallen into. He has to keep his head up and his arms open for Rowan, Andy knows this. He doesn’t get to fall apart over this, he won’t -- Even if he can feel his heart begin to fracture as he steps into her hospital room, the sight of his wife hooked up to a heart monitor and IV knocking the wind out of him. He’s seen Rowan in a hospital bed before -- But never like this. Naively, Andy had thought the days of seeing his wife in a hospital bed and the fear for her life had left after they decided to stop trying for a third child. The doctor says something Andy doesn’t hear, closing the door to give him and Rowan a bit of privacy until a nurse would come back to check on her. He doesn’t notice -- Instead, his eyes are glued to his wife and the dark splotches splayed across her body.
Andy’s by her side within seconds, down on one knee so that he’s at eye level with her. “Rowan...” He speaks in a whisper, tone gentle as his hand moves to brush hers. Andy moves like she’s made of glass, knowing better than to pull her into his arms immediately -- Even if it’s the one thing he wants to do. “It’s me, baby.” Three words follow, his free hand stroking her hair slowly. “You’re safe now.” The words stab him like a knife, reminding him that he had promised nothing would happen to her, that he’d keep her and their family safe. “I’m right here. I’ve got you.”
