10: Reconciliations

The bond that links your true family is not one of blood,
but of respect and joy in each other’s life.

Richard Bach

“Okay,” Emma coached. “Take it slow, but slide around and slip into the chair.”

“I don’t understand why I can’t just walk out,” Phil complained. “I’m not crippled.”

“The fact you passed out twice on the way here might have someth—”

“What the hell happened to you?”

Everyone turned to see Toni holding her hands to her mouth, her eyes open wide.

Phil shifted closer to the chair. “It’s ... nothing.”

“The heck it is,” she said, stalking into the examination room.

“The eye isn’t too bad,” he claimed, touching the patch as if it was still sensitive. “The cornea’s scratched, so they put liquid adhesive to keep it closed. I’m only supposed to wear the patch for a week.”

“What about the huge gash in your face?” she demanded.

“Oh, yeah, I ... kinda stabbed myself.”

“You stabbed yourself in the face with a knife?”

“Uh ... actually with my cane.”

“How the hell does that happen?” she asked, leaning forward to examine the stitches in his cheek. “Obviously, there’s more going on than a couple silly dances. What weird shit are you involved in?”

“Shhh,” he cautioned, wincing slightly as he held his finger to his lips. “They’re already giving me a hard time about not reporting an assault. I’d rather not provide the media with additional ammunition.”

“Then how about including me in the planning, so I know how to respond? I’m fielding questions about what you’re up to, without a clue concerning how to explain your behavior. You’re acting like a crazy man.”

“You should tell her,” Ethan said. “You can’t keep her in the dark indefinitely. Not telling her is ... cruel.”

“I agree,” Emma said. “She’s your daughter. She’s going to worry. On the other hand, who’ll do more to protect you from outsiders than her?”

“You’ve got good points,” he said, lifting himself into the wheelchair without assistance. “Yet somehow, the time I planned to determine how to tell her got wasted, fighting for my life!”

“You’re spending a lot of time defending yourself,” Emma countered. “It’s no longer a valid argument. Just tell her and get it over with. The longer you procrastinate, the more difficult it gets.”

“At least give me until we get out of here, so there aren’t as many witnesses,” Phil protested.

“If you survive that long.” Toni stood beside his chair, waving her arms. “You can’t stop performing for a day and you’re getting injured more often. What makes you think it’ll get any easier?”

“That’s something else you need to discuss,” Emma said, before facing Toni. “We think they’re catching on to us, telling each other what’s happening, so now they anticipate us.”

“Who is this ‘us’?” Toni glanced from Ethan to Emma, figuring her father was a lost cause.

“Excuse me,” the ER physician said, entering the room. “Are you Mr. Walker’s relative?”

“I’m his daughter, yes,” she said, turning to address him.

“I need to advise you about his treatment plans. I couldn’t describe it to his friends, since they don’t live with him and may not be around to monitor him.”

“Frankly, he’s not around me much anymore, either.”

“It doesn’t matter. He needs to be observed, and his friends are unable to accomplish that.”

“What about his wife?”

“What about her?” Phil asked. “She’s not aware of this, is she?”

“She insisted on coming, but didn’t want to make you uncomfortable. She’s waiting outside for me to report on your status.”

“She should hear this too,” the doctor said.

“He’s right,” Phil agreed, addressing Toni. “No matter what you tell her, she’ll imagine the worst. At least if she’s here, she’ll know the extent of the damage, though I can’t reveal anything with her here.”

“You and your conditions,” she replied. “You always have an excuse for not explaining what’s going on, but have no problem detailing your problems to these strangers.”

“I’m not so strange,” Ethan said.

“You were only a few days ago,” Emma corrected him.

“Who are you again?” Toni asked.

“Sorry,” Phil said, backing the wheelchair away from the bed. “This is Ethan, Emma’s brother. Until recently, he was a schizophrenic.”

“Wait, you’re the one who wrote the piece in the Inquirer?”

“It’s why he’s accompanying me, he understands what’s involved. Just as Emma is, because she realizes what’s at stake.”

“It sounds like this is going to take some time?” The physician, Dr. Samuel White, asked. “Shall I return later?”

“No, if you do, it’ll take another two hours to get out of here. Toni, get your mother so you can both hear the ugly details. Once we get out of here, and Jane heads home, we’ll meet somewhere we can discuss what’s happening.”

“Damn, I was hoping to catch that conversation,” Samuel said. He was an older English gentleman, with curly dark hair and a graying mustache. His eyes had a continually appraising look about them. “I’m dying to discover how you received these injuries. He wouldn’t admit anything and we need to understand his risk of infection.”

“I’m sure the odds are low. It’s not like we share the same chromosomes.”

“Now this is getting interesting,” Samuel added. “What kind of animal attacked you? There are numerous complications from animal bites.”

Phil turned to Emma and Ethan. “See, this is why I don’t talk about this in a mixed setting.” Turning back, he addressed the doctor. “Don’t worry, there wasn’t any attack. I ... walked into a door. End of story. Toni, you won’t learn any more here. Get your mother and we’ll hash this out.”

Toni nodded, hurrying out.

“How odd are these creatures?” Samuel asked. “I take it we’re not discussing common domestic pets.”

“No, we’re not,” Phil admitted.

“He’s got a point,” Ethan said. “If they dress in human clothing, how alien can they be? We must share a lot of similarities.”

Phil tapped his cane on the metal arm of his chair, capturing everyone’s attention. “Can we hold off on the debate until we’re in a more private location?”

“The only problem is if you encounter someone requiring help before we exit the building,” Emma argued.

“Keep talking,” Samuel suggested. “Eventually you’re going to say something which makes sense.”

“Here we are,” Toni said, dragging her mother behind her.

“Too bad, they were about to get into it,” Samuel said, chuckling. “We learn the best things during fights. It’s when people admit what they’ve been trying to hide. Try provoking him, it may help.”

“Just explain what you must, so we can get out of here,” Phil said, leaning back and resting his eye. “This is my wife, Jane Walker. The nosy snoop is the emergency physician, Samuel White.”

“Oh, God,” Jane exclaimed. “You look awful!”

“His injuries are primarily restricted to his face. He’s correct, they look worse than they are. He can’t use his eye for several days, so expect him to be a wee bit unsteady until he can utilize both eyes again. He’s likely to bump into things, so watch as he moves around in the middle of the night.”

“He no longer lives with us,” Jane said, before turning to Phil. “Perhaps you should come home with us again, until you recover?”

“That’s not a great idea. As you pointed out, we’ve been having trouble for a while. Those differences won’t go away, and my current notoriety will only complicate our issues.”

“Yet you clearly need someone to watch over you,” Toni said. “You can’t be trusted not to injure yourself on your own.”

“I’m safe once I get away from other people. Back in my hotel room, I’ll be okay.”

“Karen described what you did,” Toni explained, speaking for her mother, who was trying to remain in the background. “She said David’s fine. After they got home, he assured her he was okay and took the car, heading out on his own. Something he hasn’t done for over two years. He stayed out afterwards for dinner. She wanted me to thank you for what you accomplished. She realizes it was dangerous, but said what you did was a miracle.”

“This gets better all the time,” Samuel said, sitting on the bed and indicating for everyone to continue. “The nursing staff will eat this up.”

“What else do they need to know?” Phil prompted.

“Oh, yes!” He glanced at his notes again, as if not intimately aware of the details of his strangest case of the evening. “His most serious injury is the knife wound, sorry, ‘cane’ wound to his cheek. Seriously, who sharpens a cane and carries it around? Anyway, he chipped his bone. We flushed out the metal fragments—which is why people usually stab themselves with knives, by the way. It should be okay, but you should monitor it in case something shifts. I wouldn’t suggest any more fights in the immediate future.”

“We can’t guarantee that,” Emma warned. “We can’t even assure you he’ll make it out of the hospital without getting into another one.”

“You’re safe,” Phil said. “I can’t treat anyone without the ability to swing my cane. I can make it from here to my car without incident.”

Samuel chuckled again as he continued. “Each of his cuts needs regular cleaning, as we’re unsure of the risk of infection. It might be minimal, but from what he suggests, it may also be incredibly high.”

“I’ll take the antibiotics and call if it gets worse,” Phil said, motioning for him to finish.

“Aside from that, his injuries will remain sensitive for several days, especially as the numbing agent wears off over the next few hours. Don’t let him do anything stupid until then, like shaving or snogging.”

“What?” Jane asked.

“It’s Brit for kissing,” Toni explained.

“Don’t worry, there’s little chance of that occurring,” Phil said. “Is that it?”

“Sadly, it is. I was hoping to extend the discussion. The longer this goes on, the more juicy details I get. However, I have enough for now.”

“Remember, this is all confidential, so you can’t say anything to the press,” Phil reminded him.

“No, but we often share the details among the staff. You wouldn’t believe some of the stories I could tell. We get some of the most embarrassing injuries here in the middle of the night.”

“I think that’s enough,” Phil concluded. “Thanks for your excellent care, doctor.” He tapped his chair with his cane again. “Ethan, get me out of here before I reveal anything else.”

“Offer me a drink the next time we come in,” Emma confided to Samuel. “I can supply a few more tidbits for you to share.”

“Please, let’s keep it to ourselves, at least until we get outside!”

“Bye, Mom. Don’t fret about Dad. He’s limping too badly to dance.” After they waved farewell to her mother, Toni turned on her father.