Chapter 4

“Gina!”

Sitting upright in the bed, Martin looked around the darkened hospital room. A soft beeping from several monitors and the tug of an I.V. line to the top of his wrist clued him in as to where he was.

“Relax, tiger, she’s okay. Her parents brought her home a couple of hours ago.” Ivan Baker looked at his son with a mix of pride and concern. “You did good, son. Damn good.”

“What happened?” By now, Martin was starting to feel the pains from the physical confrontation that had occurred earlier. Three young men had run towards the couple, yelling at Gina about how it was ‘pay back time’ for their friend who was incarcerated. Martin had shoved Gina back through the door of the restaurant. Turning around, managed to kick one of his attackers in the knee. It bent sideways and gave a loud ‘crunch’ as it shattered inward. But even with one person down, the other two soon overpowered Martin and were pummeling him with kicks and blows.

“It seems those fellows knew your girlfriend because they were with that piece of shit who tried to drug her at a dance last year. That guy went to prison and they were given a suspended sentence. Not sure if anyone told them that they had to stay away from her or they would all find themselves sharing a cell. Two of them are in custody and the third is handcuffed to his bed in a security wing here at the hospital. You really did a number on him.”

“Oh God, I’m sorry.”

“Sorry? For what?” Ivan dragged a chair closer to the side of the bed. “You protected your lady from attack. Pushing her back inside the door to safety was the best thing to do. Then, you defended yourself. There is video footage from both security cameras and other people who had their phones out. It was obvious what was going on. Thankfully, a few other men jumped in to pull all of you apart until the police got there.” Taking a deep breath, he grasped his sons hand. “I don’t know how to properly tell you just how proud I am of you right now.” Tears shimmered. “Your mother is with your sister at home. They’re really worried. The doctor will probably be here soon and then we can see how long you will be staying here and if you can call them.”

“What about the police? Are they going to talk with me? Dad, I’m sort of foggy on what happened after I got Gina back inside the door. Am I in trouble?”

“No son, you’re not in trouble. If they do talk with you, it’s to get your side of the story. They spoke with Gina earlier and she told them that you two had gone to a movie and then a late lunch. She was in the process of calling her mom to pick you up when things started.”

Letting his head rest in the pillow, Martin closed his eyes. “It was like a perfect date. Until...”

Several silent minutes passed and then the door opened to admit a doctor and a nurse. “Good evening, Martin. I’m Doctor Levy and this is LPN Natalia. We saw you earlier when you were brought in. Silly question, but how are you feeling?”

“Like two goons used me for a punching bag.”

“Understandable. But now that you’re awake, we can see about something for the pain. I want to run a few tests and see how much, if any, physical damage you received in that fight. And for what it’s worth,” the doctor looked up from his tablet, “you gave those fellows a few good shots before they got to you. And the one with the knee? He’s looking at reconstructive surgery. Unless you’re a flamingo, knees are not supposed to go in that direction.”

The doctor and nurse ran a few tests that included checking Martin’s eyes. “I see no signs of a concussion. That’s good. We can prescribe a mild pain killer with a sedative. Any questions?”

“Two. What time is it, and when will I be going home?”

“It’s just before midnight, and you will probably be released mid-day tomorrow, as long as nothing unexpected happens.” The doctor paused. “Martin, as this is part of a police situation where criminal charges are pending against the men who attacked you, I’m requesting that we be allowed to take pictures of your torso, front and back, to document physical evidence of the attack. I can tell you right now that you’re starting to form bruises and they’re going to be some interesting colors.”

“Do I have to be naked?”

LPN Natalia laughed. “No, your modesty will be safe. You can keep your underpants on.”

“Whew!” He gave an exaggerated sigh. “I’m not sure my girlfriend would understand.”

“The cute little brunette?” As Martin nodded, she continued. “She’s adorable!”

As Martin stood to be photographed, Ivan stepped into the hallway to call Susan. He informed his wife that their son was awake and not in any serious medical danger. They could expect his release the following day. “I’ll tell Jacquelyn. She has been sitting in her room sobbing all evening about this. The poor girl is rethinking every bratty interaction she has had with her brother and feeling guilty about it!” A deep sense of relief allowed the parents to share a quiet laugh.

Martin was back in the bed when Ivan returned into the room.

“Dad? They told me that this stuff is probably going to put me to sleep fast. You should go home and rest. Tell mom I’m okay and that Jacquelyn can’t move into my room yet.”

The two medical professionals nodded and Ivan stepped to the side of the bed. “Okay. We’ll see you in the morning.” Bending over, he kissed Martin on the forehead. “I love you, son.”

Martin sat in the recliner in the living room, poking on his phone. He had been released shortly after noon and his mother and sister gave him a hero’s welcome. After a shower and changing into a pair of sweats, he was nibbling on a sandwich when his phone chirped.