Chapter X
Mattie set her coffee cup down on the table and tucked her leg under her. She flipped through the sheets on her clipboard in the light of the table lamp to her left. Five more essays, and she'd be done with her grading for the night. She tapped her red pen on the side of the clipboard, and sighed as she glanced at her watch. A little after nine. Clay should be back from his Saturday trip to Lebanon any time now, and she thought about her decision to stay home, and not accompany him to the protest planned in the small town west of Brooksford. There'd been a light snow earlier on that frigid February day, but no major accumulation, and she was glad of that.
They also had the double-date with Fran and Jerry planned for the next day, and she smiled, glad that the four of them got along so well. She remembered the first time they'd all gone out together, to dinner at a small restaurant in town and she and Fran discussed later how they both had never laughed so much in their entire lives. Somehow, Clay and Jerry had a knack for playing off each others' humorous, often dry comments, and their double entendres, all said with feigned seriousness and straight faces, had the two women in stitches.
She glanced at the stack of slide tests in the folder waiting to be graded, and she knew she'd made the right decision. She didn't want to get behind, and have to play catch-up the next week. She smoothed her pants over her prosthetic, ecstatic that this new one had been working out so much better than her old one. She jumped slightly at the shrill ringing of the phone beside her, and reached over to pick up the receiver.
"Hello?"
"Mattie...it's me."
"Clay?" She didn't like the tone of his voice. "Are you all right?"
"Well, yes, and no," he laughed a little, but his tone was somber.
"What's wrong?" Now she was worried and she set aside her clipboard and pen, and sat upright. She heard him take a deep breath and exhale.
"I got in the middle of an altercation at the protest...right as everything was breaking up...and..."
"Oh, my God, are you in the hospital?" Mattie's heart began to race, and she leaned forward, her hand on her brow.
"No, but I need to head there. I think I need stitches, and they're not being helpful here."
"They?" she felt confused for a minute. "Clay, are you in jail?"
"Yes..."
"Oh, my God...in Lebanon?"
"Yes. Listen...Mattie," he sounded exhausted to her. "Umm...can you come get me? I know it's late..."
"Of course I will." Mattie assured him. "How far away are you? An hour?"
"Yes...the precinct is in the middle of town. You can't miss it." His voice was low, and he sounded annoyed at himself. "I paid my fine, but I don't think I can make it to the hospital on my own."
"I'm getting ready to leave now, but why couldn't they call an ambulance for you?" Mattie got her shoulder bag ready as she perched on the edge of the cushion.
"They looked at me like I was crazy when I suggested it. They're pretty packed here." He cleared his throat. "The bleeding's stopped, but it's pretty deep, and I'm a little woozy." His laugh was a little high-pitched, and now she knew she had to hurry.
"I'm leaving right now, Clay. I'm hanging up now."
"Thanks. I love you. I'll meet you out front."
"All right. I love you. See you soon." She hung up the phone, grabbed her cane and shoulder bag, and pulled her coat out of the closet and slung it on quickly. She couldn't stop to think or wonder about the details. She hurried to her car and within five minutes from his call, was headed west toward Lebanon.
*****
Mattie peered along the dimly-lit main street of the town, looking for the police station when she spied him standing on the sidewalk about fifty feet away. She pulled alongside the curb, and her breath caught as she saw him lean down and open the passenger side door. He looked awful, and she leaned toward him as he slid into the seat.
"Clay, it's all right." She felt her heart race, as she tried to reassure him. "I'm heading to the ER now." She'd seen the hospital signs on the way. Now she just had to backtrack a mile or so.
"Thanks, Mattie." He leaned back on the seat and slanted his eyes over at her. "I'm sorry. I know this was an imposition."
"Don't even say that, Clay." She leaned forward at a stop sign to look for the sign. There it was. She turned right and sighed as she peered ahead for the next sign. "Don't talk. Just rest. You can tell me about it later."
"All right."
Mattie glanced at him, shocked at his disheveled appearance, and his apparent weakness. How could the police have refused to send him for treatment? It was unheard of. She was livid and her heart continued to race as she spied the Emergency Room sign and she turned left into the parking area.
"I"m letting you out at the door before I park."
She pulled in front of the entrance and put the car in park. She got out and entered the lobby, and returned with a wheel chair, and as Clay got out of the car, she knew then for sure that he needed a doctor when he sat down without a word of protest. After releasing the brake, she pushed the chair through the doors and into the lobby, and over to the admitting desk. She looked around, relieved that there were only five people in the waiting room. While he waited, she hurried back out to park the car. When she returned, she saw Clay run his hand over his hair, and answer the clerk's questions in a low voice. She wondered when he'd eaten last, and if he needed something now. She thought there was enough change in her shoulder bag to get him some crackers and a soda or juice. As he finished with the nurse, she leaned forward.
"Would it be all right if he ate a couple of crackers while we wait?"
"Hold off on that, miss. He's going back now."
Mattie saw a nurse emerge from the swinging doors to their right.
"Clay Adamore."
"We're coming." Mattie pushed the chair through the doors and the nurse led them to a wide room, and closed the curtain behind them. She pulled out a blue floral print hospital gown and laid it on the sheet-covered examining table, and left them alone. Clay laughed softly, and Mattie felt a little better about him as she picked it up for him. She eyed him as he looked up at her and rubbed his beard.
"Take it off...take it all off," she told him sternly, holding the gown out to him, and that made him smile, and her heart calmed down a bit. He could still laugh at her weak attempt at humor...that was encouraging.
She sat on the chair against the wall, as he pulled off his boots and peeled off his filthy clothes, and that was when she saw the tear in his jeans, and then her eyes widened in horror as she saw the long gash down the calf of his left leg. He stripped down to his briefs, and slung on the gown and she tied the back for him. She folded his dirty, blood-encrusted clothes and set them next to her chair. She swallowed hard, and tried to stay calm as he sat on the examining table, and he smiled softly as he gazed over at her.
"Thanks, Mattie." He eyed her then tilted his head to look at the wound. "Hmm...I hope stitches are all I need."
"I know...that looks pretty deep." She made herself look at his leg again, and shivered in spite of herself. "And...you're welcome." She was still furious that he hadn't been attended to at the precinct. "Oh, by the way, where's the Jeep parked?" She wasn't going to ask what caused his injury since he'd have to explain it to the doctor in a few minutes.
"It's a few blocks from the police station, as a matter of fact." He ran his hand through his loose hair as he answered her, then he reached back and pulled out the band from his pony tail, and slicked his hair back with both hands, and rewound the band. He scooted himself back on the table so his legs were straight out in front of him, and leaned back on the pillow. "I'm not sure if I'll be able to drive it back now. It'll probably be towed, at any rate."
The curtains were pulled aside, and a nurse entered, and narrowed her eyes as she caught sight of his leg.
"My goodness, you have quite an injury there..." she looked down at her clipboard. "...Mr. Adamore."
"Yes, I do." Clay's voic
e was flat, and Mattie knew by his tone that he wasn't going to be a good patient. Now that she knew he was in good hands, she relaxed a little in the chair as she watched the slightly amusing banter between the slim, gray-haired nurse, and the patient, seemingly bent on being a little contentious. His blood pressure was slightly high, but that was understandable, the nurse informed him...temperature normal, pulse a little high. The nurse smiled.
"Dr. Roth will be in soon." She patted his good leg, then left, pulling the curtain behind her.
"She's on your side, you know," Mattie's voice was soft, and he gazed over at her and nodded.
"I'm aware of that."
Mattie stood up and walked over to him, and she ran her hand across his brow, as he looked up at her.
"You're going to be all right." She kissed his cheek. "I know you're irritable because of your injury. You have every right to be."
"Mattie, I'm irritated at myself because..."
"Good evening, Mr. Adamore."
They both looked up as the curtain was pulled aside again and Dr. Roth entered the room. He eyed the gash as he set the clipboard on the counter, and began to wash his hands.
"Do you want me to wait outside?" Mattie whispered down at Clay.
"You can stay if you like." Dr. Roth smiled at them as he pulled on a pair of white gloves. "It's been my experience that a man is calmer when his wife is present."
Mattie and Clay looked at each other, and she smiled softly as he winked at her. She returned to sit in the chair, as Clay raised up on his elbows and Dr. Roth began to check out the wound.
"How did this happen?"
Mattie hunched her shoulders as she saw Clay wince from the doctor's probing around the wound.
"I was at the protest today," he paused and took a breath. "As I was leaving, a man came out of nowhere and attacked one of the people next to me," he sucked in his breath, obviously in great discomfort as Mattie saw the doctor check out the muscles around the gash. "I turned to pull the attacker off the man, and was pushed down onto a metal railing that, unfortunately, had metal spikes. That's what went through my jeans into my leg."
Mattie put her hand to her eyes, the images coming to her mind of what he'd gone through. And, for trying to help someone, he'd been arrested and had to pay a fine? She felt sick to her stomach, for the pain he was enduring and for the injustice of it all.
"Well, Mr. Adamore, you will need many stitches, no doubt about that." Dr. Roth peeled off his gloves and tossed them into the metal trash can. "You need a tetenus shot first, to be on the safe side, and then, we'll give you some site injections - pain-killers, and once it's cleaned out, I'll be back to stitch that leg up for you."
"Dr. Roth, Clay hasn't eaten for a while. May I get him some crackers and soda before you begin?"
"Sure, he's not being sedated," he turned to leave. "Cool cane you have there, by the way."
"Thank you," she smiled, and he left them, pulling the curtain closed.
Clay looked at her soberly, and laid back on the pillow, motioning for her to come over.
"I don't want you in here when they clean it out." Clay whispered to her as she leaned over him, and she tucked her hair back behind her ear. "I don't think it's going to be pleasant to watch."
"I'll get you something to eat, then, and wait outside after that."
He raised his head and kissed her as she leaned her head down.
"Thank you, wife," he grinned at her, and she laughed at him.
"I'm glad you're feeling better."
He nodded at her, then laid back and took a deep breath and closed his eyes, and she grabbed her purse and cane and headed out to look for a vending machine.