My Father's Gift (20 page)

Cal was kneeling over D’Cerner praying as he ripped off his shirt. He removed the knife as carefully as he could, not wanting to tear any organs or tissues not already damaged.  As soon as the blade was out, he covered the wound with his ripped shirt and applied pressure, attempting to stop the flow of blood.  He looked up to see others looking at him.

“For God’s sake, get an ambulance!” He barked out the order like a drill sergeant.

No one could tell from his demeanor that he was close to losing control of the situation.  The only thing he was thinking was that D’Cerner could die.  He looked at her pale face and prayed even harder.  He decided then and there, if God spared her life, he was never going to let anything or anyone get in their way again.

When the medical attendants came in milliseconds later, Cal was barely aware of their presence.  He only knew he had to keep applying pressure to her wound.  When they tried to take over, they had to pry his hands from her.  They read the fear and the anguish in his eyes, but they had a job to do. They spoke gently, yet firmly, explaining they had to examine her.  After checking her respiration and pulse and finding them weak, they moved Cal aside while they wrapped her upper torso tightly and placed an oxygen mask over her face, before putting her on a stretcher.  The attendants radioed St. Paul’s Hospital to advise of their arrival since the prison hospital was not equipped to handle the situation. As they wheeled the stretcher out of the room, Cal followed them.

“I’m riding to the hospital with her in the ambulance,” he stated emphatically.  

On the way out the door, he told Chaplain Davis to call her children and to have them to get to St. Paul’s hospital.  As he hurried along beside the stretcher, he was oblivious to the fact he wore no shirt.  The chaplain hurried behind him trying to give him his jacket and shoes and unable to get his attention, handed them to one of the attendants. 

Once they had D’Cerner securely situated in the ambulance, they began an IV.  Cal watched them carefully and as soon as they finished, he sat beside her as they raced to the hospital.  Words could not express his feelings as he sat stony-faced, holding her hand, praying.  After what seemed to him to be an interminable amount of time, they arrived at the hospital.  As they lifted the stretcher down to go inside the emergency room, he thought he heard her groan, but realized that the sound had come from him.  “Don’t take her, Father. Please don’t take her, now.” He pleaded aloud.

 Chapter Twenty-five

D’Cerner was taken to a trauma area immediately.  While doctors were working on her, Cal gave the admitting nurse all the information he could. 

Chantelle and Carlos arrived ten minutes later, both looking as though they expected the worse.  Cal assured them she was still alive and convinced Chantelle to calm down long enough to give whatever information he was unable to supply to the nurse. 

There was such a murderous look in Carlos’ eyes that Cal was reluctant to say anything to him.  He knew what he was thinking.  Someone hurt the woman he loved and he wanted to hurt someone back.  He understood that look.  He felt the same way.  Knowing he had probably left Mr. Detson in considerable pain when he kicked him, gave him little satisfaction.

Carlos paced, Chantelle cried.  Cal prayed.  A doctor finally came out of the treatment area and informed them they needed someone to authorize surgery.  The doctor sensed the bombardment of questions that were about to be launched and quickly informed them time was of the essence and the questions would have to wait.  Chantelle snatched the clipboard being held in front of her and signed her name.  The doctor returned to the treatment area and a moment later, they were wheeling D’Cerner to surgery.

A nurse told them they had not been able to stop the bleeding and she had not regained consciousness.  She directed them to a waiting room on the surgical floor and offered to bring them something to eat or drink.  The three of them walked glumly to the elevator, each reluctant to give their fears a voice.  When they reached the waiting room, the television was on and they saw the media at the prison, reporting the incident.

Cal glanced at his watch and realizing the time, shuddered at how quickly events could alter lives forever.  Only fifty-five minutes had lapsed from the time Mr. Detson had stabbed D’Cerner.  He knew because he remembered looking at his watch when he checked her pulse.  He called his children because he knew that by now they would be worried when they discovered he had not returned to Dexter House with the others.  After assuring them he was all right, he instructed Don to pack a bag for him and bring it to the hospital.  When Don asked him how he was going to get it to him, he told him to call his friend, Robert and for them to plan to stay with their aunt for a few days.  He then called his sister and informed her of the events and made arrangements for her to be available for his children.

Cal suggested to Chantelle that she call whoever needed to be informed and to arrange to stay at the hospital.  Looking down at his hands and his pants, he realized he needed to try cleaning himself.  He told Chantelle and Carlos he was going to clean up and to let him know if anything changed with D’Cerner’s condition.

****

Pastor Gibson heard on the news what happened. When the news first broke, he had no idea D’Cerner was the hostage.  It wasn’t until it was over he knew and found out that Cal was there as well.  He didn’t wait for a phone call. He simply called the nearest hospital to the prison and upon learning where she was being taken, called members of the church to advise them.  After the last call, he ran out to go to the hospital.

****

Pastor Thomas received a phone call from a member of her church and was told of the unfolding drama.  When she turned on the news and found out that D’Cerner was in the hospital, she felt a check in her spirit.  She knew intuitively that she and her lies were responsible for this near tragedy.  Stunned by the turn of events, she sat in silence, staring at a picture of Jesus on the wall.  “There are consequences for every action,” she whispered to herself.  She had gone too, far and now she wasn’t sure how to rectify things.  “Oh Lord, forgive me for all that I have done,” she prayed quietly.  As she prayed, she remembered all the things she had truly done, to a number of people, over the years.    Falling to her knees, she cried as she waited for atonement to come from above.  Not knowing what else to do, she rose and left for the hospital.

****

As Cal was leaving, Pastor Gibson hurried into the waiting room and considering Cal’s appearance, knew who he was.  Since the two of them had never met, Cal paid no attention to him, anxious to get back as quickly as he could.  He didn’t know if D’Cerner had told her children what he had done, and now that he was at the hospital, he wasn’t sure if anyone wanted him there.  When Chantelle saw him, she ran to him, sobbing and he concluded from her reaction they didn’t know.  He held Chantelle trying to comfort her and silently acknowledged Carlos sitting in a corner, oblivious to everyone.  “It’s going to be a long evening,” he thought.

After Chantelle’s sobbing subsided, he sat down with her and asked who she had called.  He suggested that between the two of them, they should notify family and friends.

“Angela!” Chantelle exclaimed, jumping up looking at the clock.  “I need to let her know before she goes to work.”

While Chantelle was on the phone with Angela, Cal came back into the room, wet, but a little cleaner.  He had managed to wash some of the blood off his pants and jacket.  Pastor Gibson approached him to introduce himself.  Cal acknowledged him wearily.  Since he was more interested in finding out if there was any news about D’Cerner, socializing was not on his agenda.  Pastor Gibson concluded that D’Cerner had not told Cal anything about their earlier conversation either.  Seeing the naked concern mirrored in his eyes, he confined his conversation to consolation. 

Chantelle got off the phone and informed Pastor Gibson that Angela had said it was too late for her to call in, so she was going to work, but she would come to hospital after she got off work in the morning.  She would also have her prayer circle at work praying for D’Cerner all night.

Chantelle glanced at Carlos who hadn’t moved and suggested to Pastor Gibson he try to talk to him.  While Pastor Gibson attempted to console and to encourage Carlos, Chantelle pulled herself together and called her grandfather.  She didn’t want to call him until she could say something positive, but considering the fact that surgery could take hours, she didn’t want him to hear about D’Cerner’s being stabbed from someone else, so she called him.

Cal called his secretary at home and told her he would not be in the office and he was making arrangements for someone to come in and help her with the limousine service.  By the time he finished, Kathy and his sister walked into the room, with Don carrying a garment bag and shaving kit.  Don had taken it upon himself to ask his aunt to bring them to the hospital instead of calling his dad’s friend.  Kathy flew across the room to hug her dad, tears streaming.  Cal stood there calmly, assuring her he was not hurt.  Don was immensely relieved and after putting the garment bag across a chair hugged his dad, too.  Cal introduced Don and Kathy to Chantelle, whom they had not met.  Then when he noticed that Carlos was not paying much attention to Pastor Gibson, suggested that Don and Kathy try to get him to the hospital cafeteria.   Don nodded and interrupted the conversation Pastor Gibson was trying to have with Carlos, introduced himself and asked Carlos to go with them to get some air. 

At first Carlos just stared at him, not realizing his face was wet from tears.  After a moment, he wiped his hand across his face. “All right, I need to take a break.”

Almost everyone in the room breathed a collective sigh of relief because it was the first thing he had said for hours.  As Carlos walked forlornly out of the room with Kathy and Don, everyone’s attention turned to Chantelle, who had finished her calls and was sitting, wiping her eyes.  Cal started towards her, but his sister stopped him and went over to talk to her.  She introduced herself and asked if there was anything she could do for her.  Chantelle shook her head.  She attempted to talk, but no words came out, only pain wracking sobs.  Cal’s sister kneeled beside and holding her hands, began to pray.  Cal and Pastor Gibson gathered around Chantelle, joining them in prayer.

Chapter Twenty-six

Don and Kathy could not convince Carlos to eat anything, but Don convinced him to go outside and scream, curse—whatever he had to do to relieve the pressure Don knew was building inside.  They walked out with him to a small park across the street where he hit a tree.  Succeeding in smashing his hand, he stood there and screamed for ten minutes.  Onlookers appeared, seemingly about to approach them out of concern, but Don and Kathy waved them away.  Like a newly opened bottle of fine wine’s air pressure, they knew the pain and frustration bottled inside had to find a means of escape.  Afterwards, he sat down on the ground and sobbed uncontrollably.  They knelt down beside him and began to pray with and for him, D’Cerner and his sister.

Twenty minutes later, they rose and helped him to his feet and hugged him. They led him back into the hospital, after first getting his hand treated, then going back to the waiting room.  When they first entered the room, Carlos assumed the worse had happened since everyone in the waiting room was still praying.  He sat slumped into a chair, and started crying again.  Cal was closest to him and reassured him in hushed tones, they hadn’t heard anything.  Pastor Gibson concluded the prayer and offered to go to the cafeteria to get food or drinks. 

As he was about to leave, a doctor walked in and informed them the surgery itself was successful.  They found the cause of the bleeding—a punctured artery, and stopped it.  He cautioned them she was not out of danger and that the next forty-eight hours would be critical.  She was being transferred to an intensive care recovery unit and would remain there until they were sure she was on her way to a full recovery.  He knew the questions were about to spew forth and raised his hand to silence them. 

“At this point,” he informed them, “infection is our primary concern.”

  Noticing Cal’s bloody clothes, the doctor asked him if he was hurt and needed attention.  Cal told him that the blood was D’Cerner’s.  He then explained what had happened.  The doctor commended him for his quick thinking in removing the knife and applying pressure to the wound, especially since the point of the knife just barely missed one of her lungs.  He said Cal’s actions probably kept her from losing even more blood.  Had she lost more blood, they may have lost her.  He also informed them she would probably need more blood transfusions, so if they wanted to, they could be tested to give blood.  He then asked Cal what his relationship was to her and without hesitation, he responded, “she’s my fiancé.”

Everyone in the room was stunned into silence, but he ignored their pointedly questioning stare.  He walked out of the room with the doctor into the hallway where he talked to him for a few minutes and then returned to the waiting room.  He wanted to arrange for a private room for D’Cerner, but since he was not legally related, he needed Chantelle’s permission.  At first she hesitated and then seeing the pain that crowded his eyes, she realized that although he had not said a word, he cared very deeply for her mother.  She assented to his making arrangements.  He then left the room to be tested and to arrange for a private room.  While he was gone, no one wanted to speculate about what he said.  They felt they knew why since they were all aware of the cruise situation and how it had ignited the current situation.

The others soon followed after Cal to give blood.  Remembering the garment bag and shaving kit, apparently forgotten by Cal, Pastor Gibson went back to retrieve them for him.  On his way out the door, Pastor Thomas walked into the waiting room. 

“I heard what happened,” she said morosely.  “How is Sister Everett doing?  Where is Brother Recinoire?”