[HumanePain]

Chapter 31

Thin white curtains billowed gently and silently in the late morning breeze. As they puffed up and deflated in cyclic rhythm, Crimson looked beyond them to the cloudy sky. The weather had threatened rain all morning and now the clouds appeared to be breaking up: there was a breech to the blue sky above, and sunbeams playing along the green country side outside the hospital.

She kept playing the scene back in her mind: Renatus falling, and then gunshots and muzzle flash begging her attention, but she could not break from Renatus; they continued to look at each other as he fell but he was convulsing in an acrobatic attempt to right himself, to prevent a head first impact, and as his body whipped around he kept his gaze on her until his view refocused on Emerald above her. Crimson saw him stiffen just before impact, then his feet hit first.

Both legs cracked sharply, the shock wave jarring his head forward, while his torso fell backward, then followed by a soft thud as he landed on the seat of his pants with another shock wave, this time jarring his head backward, and then his arms, and lastly his head striking a flat stone behind him, which split in pieces leaving him spread out, legs contorted in their fractured position.

Then the feel of air rushing as the remains of Emerald Woulf flew past her and Brandon, her ruin splattering the rocks in blood from what was left of her head. Only then did she turn to look to where the shots came from and saw the police, who were holstering their guns and were led by Edward, his left arm in a sling as he clambered over the rocks to Renatus.

She returned to the present to look at Renatus now, lying in the bed, casts on both legs and one on his left arm, and bandages about his head. But she could see his closed eyes. His boyish eyelashes and eyebrows made it appear he was peacefully dreaming, not sedated. Her father had been here earlier this morning but had left to visit Edward in another hospital room down the corridor. Edward also received a cast on the left arm. Crimson was considering this coincidence, when she heard voices down the corridor, and then the loud clanking of metal upon metal.

"You can't discharge me yet! I am almost choked to death and need hospitalization, and yet you are discharging me? This is incompetence! Where am I to go? Who will take care of me? You can't do this!"

"Don't worry Miss McKenzie, we'll take care of you. We have a nice cell for you at the jail."

The voices became louder and now, across the doorway, Crimson could see Molly handcuffed to a wheelchair, being pushed by a policeman and followed by two more with Von Paine following behind.

"I am not the one to go to jail! I want to press charges for attempted murder! Do you hear me? MURDER!"

The policeman pushing her spoke again.
"We already told you Miss, that Mrs. Raven was with us when we searched your house for her son, and she was left behind. When you showed up and attacked her, she had to protect herself from becoming another victim of your plot. It was purely self defense."

"AAAAAAHHHHH! SHE attacked ME! How many times do I have to tell you?"

And so the complaining went. Crimson's father had obviously had enough as he abandoned the parade and came into the room to rejoin his daughter.

"Is he awake yet my dear?" He went up to Crimson, black camouflage now gone, and he put his arm on her shoulder, now bare as she was wearing a strapless burgundy dress, with black lace trim. She wanted to look nice for Renatus when he awoke.

Crimson put a hand on her father's, and looked up at him.
"Not yet. Does Molly have any chance of pressing charges against Dawn?"

Her father laughed.
"Not at all, even it went that far Mrs. Raven would easily be defended by an insanity plea by any lawyer, as any psychiatrist who spoke to Mayor L'Oiseau and others would recognize the signs of clinical depression and dementia that preceeded the fight, symptoms that were caused by the kidnapping of her child. But it won't come to that."

Crimson stood up and went to Renatus side. She touched his black and curly sideburns left uncovered by the head bandages.

His eyes flicked open! Then he looked at Crimson.

"You are the most..." he was whispering "amazing woman I have ever known."

She smiled and bent down to kiss him on the lips, and then staying close to him whispered back.

"And you are daring, and handsome, and strong, and brilliant...and you are all mine!"

And she kissed him again.