/Samantha/
My stomach was churning from the anger that was raging within me, and I could practically taste the venom that was building up in my mouth. I really wanted to grab the knife that was in the centre of the kitchen and hack him into little pieces, but I needed to stay with Henry, and I couldn't leave him since the police would put Blake in jail and throw away the key for this reason.
The moment I stepped foot in his home, every ounce of compassion and pity I had worked up for him evaporated, and all that was left in its place was unfiltered animosity.
I turned around to face the officer who had been holding me; he was yelling into his walkie talkie as he made his way over to where Henry and I were lying on the ground. As I exerted pressure on Henry's hand, I pleaded with him to be of assistance to my friend.
As the officer grabbed Henry's shirt and hoisted it above his head, he gave a small nod and added, "We will, the ambulance is on its way." I grimaced, afraid of whether or not I would be able to look at him and see the wound that was on his body, but I just couldn't stop my eyes from wandering.
They went there of their own accord, and what I saw when I got there made the pain in my heart even more intense. I took a deep breath in and forced myself to keep a neutral expression on my face. I could not show weakness; I had to be courageous. A deep, ragged gash could be seen on the middle of his lower back, directly above where the waistband of his jeans would have been. Blood was gushing freely from it and pooled in the arch of his back where he had been injured.
The officer gave the command while pointing his head in the direction of the kitchen cabinets, saying, "Get me a cloth or something."
I forced my eyes away from the most horrible and heartbreaking thing I had ever seen in my life, pushed myself up off the floor, and ran over to the drawers to start yanking them out one by one until I discovered the ones that contained the towels. I managed to grab a few of them and make a break for it in the direction of Henry as quickly as I could.
The officer was now glancing over at Henry's side; he took the towels and pushed one against the wound on Henry's back while clenching his jaw and seemed slightly anxious about the situation. I beseeched him with an imploring expression on my face, asking with him not to allow Henry to pass away.
I turned around to look at Henry as his already feeble breathing became even more rapid and irregular. The only indication that he had been fighting with Blake was a very faint tint of red on his jaw, but other than that, his face was relaxed, almost as if he was sleeping, tranquil, and flawless.
I gave him a quick kiss on the nose and whispered, "I love you baby, and I promise you'll be okay. I hushed to him, smiling sadly as I grabbed his hand once more, "Tomorrow for breakfast I'm going to make you chocolate chip pancakes, and I'll even burn them just a little bit so they're just the way you want them." I promised.
I was able to overhear the officer having a conversation with one of the other officers. He mentioned something about the patient needing a chest tube quickly in order to avoid going into cardiac arrest. The officer sounded a little anxious as he asked how long it was going to be before the ambulance arrived. Henry was being helped by the other guy, but I couldn't take my eyes off of the calm expression on his face the whole time they were working on him. I began by following the bridge of his nose with my finger, then moved on to the curvature of his lip, and finally his cheekbone.
Someone grabbed me from behind and yanked me away from Henry after what seemed like only a few seconds had passed. As I thrashed around in an attempt to get back to him, I held his hand even more tightly because I didn't want to leave his side, not even for a single second, in case he woke up.
"Madam, the medical personnel have arrived; you need to move out of the way so that they can do their work!" Someone spoke to me in a commanding tone in my ear.
As I took in my surroundings, I became aware that there were, in fact, two new men dressed in blue uniforms. They started fussing over Henry as soon as they saw him, and I did my best to tune out what they were saying. I didn't want to hear what they were saying because it would force me to lose what little self-control I still had left.
I just concentrated on Henry's face as they took his shirt off of him and prodded at his body. I whimpered when I saw one of them grab a scalpel and a small piece of tubing and head towards Henry's already bloodied chest with it. I was just focused on Henry's face the whole time.
They finally agreed that he could be transported, which was the most difficult and trying time of my life up until that point. It would appear that the tube that they had implanted into him had been successful and was assisting him in breathing, as his heart rate was healthy. The word "stable" was uttered by one of them, and it struck me as the single finest and most elegant expression of language that I had ever come across in all of my years on this planet.
I gazed up at the ceiling while silently chuckling to myself and silently thanking you over and over in my brain as I felt the tension leave my body and I laughed to myself. However, the medical personnel continued to appear very concerned, with intense concentration visible on their faces as they debated the safest and most effective way to transport him without inflicting any additional harm.
Someone ran away, and when they returned, they brought a spinal board and a neck brace with them. I couldn't help but frown because I wasn't really sure what was going on. They had stated that he was in a stable condition; so, why are they still appearing so tense about it?
The officer who had me in custody spun me around so that I could face him and asked, "Ma'am, is there anyone else that I should call?" His parents? His question was followed by a compassionate look in my direction. "Yours?" As they were rolling Henry onto the yellow board and buckling him in with the small black straps, I turned around and looked back over my shoulder.
Why did they seem to be taking such precautions? “Ma’am?” When I looked at the officer again after sensing pressure being applied to my arm, I saw that he appeared to be waiting for me to respond to anything.
Is it going to be all right with him? They reported that he was stable; since they claimed that, he must be fine, right? I spoke in a whisper.
He gave a melancholy smile and said, "They're doing everything they can, and once he gets to the hospital, they'll know more." But if you could just let me know if there is anyone else that I should get in touch with..." He finished his sentence by pausing and looking eagerly at me.
I guess Henry's parents ought to be informed; I gave him an appreciative grin before reaching into my pocket and bringing out my cell phone. Henry's parents ought to be informed. My sanity was hanging by a thread, and I was afraid that if I had to explain what had occurred to them, I may lose it altogether; thus, I couldn't do that. I handed the phone to him and told him, "Henry's parents cell phones are in there under Linda and Richard."
My mother and father are hiding below James in that room. I mumbled as I turned around to gaze at the medical professionals who were applying the final few straps on Henry's lifeless body.
"Alright, I'll give them a call and let them know what took place. I'll also tell them that they need to come to the hospital to meet you. Do you intend to take the ambulance, or do you require transportation? He inquired as he watched them hoist the stretcher off the ground while he stood there.
I moved forward at a rapid pace, keeping up with them, because I did not want Henry to be out of my sight for even a second. "Would you like for me to come along?" I pleaded with the nurse.
He gave her a friendly grin and nodded, "Sure Ma'am."
As the paramedic inserted needles into the back of Henry's hand and attached some clear fluid to the IV, I followed after him in the ambulance and sat in the small seat that was opposite him. I was doing my best to keep out of the way while the paramedic was working on him.
I had no idea what to do, what to say, or even how to think about the situation, so I just sat there emotionless and did nothing. I had no thoughts at all. I just flat-out refused to acknowledge how dire the situation actually was, refused to acknowledge how the medic's forehead was furrowed and how his movements were a little bit tense. Henry wouldn't have any problems; he wouldn't desert me like that.
When we arrived at the hospital, Henry was already there being rushed in by a group of about five people who were all fussing over him as they hurried him through the hallways and into one of the emergency rooms.
I attempted to enter the room with him by pushing the door open, but a nurse stopped me by putting her arm around my shoulder and smiled sympathetically at me. I wanted to yell at her to stop smiling like that because everyone else was acting so sad and worried, so sympathetic and regretful, and it was frightening.
I wanted to tell her to stop smiling like that. I didn't want to consider the possibilities; all I would allow myself to think about was the fact that Henry would be okay, and that tomorrow I would apologise over and over for this happening, and that he would kiss the bridge of my nose and tell me that it wasn't my fault and that he loved me. I didn't want to consider the possibility that something bad might occur. That was the only thing I would allow myself to think about for the time being because the other thoughts that were floating around in the back of my head were actually too terrifying to acknowledge.