DANE
One tiny sound, just one tiny persistent sound which sounded like beeps from an angry machine filled the room with its echoes. The images in the room seemed blurry and everything else had blue tans on them. The curtains had flowery prints all over them which allowed traces of sunlight to peep through the traces of embroidery. Mixed and faint voices also seemed to be everywhere. Everyone seemed to be speaking so fast with their footsteps and noises echoing so loudly into the room. The banging in her head made everything worse as she tried to open her eyes. But it wasn't so much as the noise and banging in her head that made her keep wondering where she was. It was the warmth she felt in her hands. It felt like a man's hands, so strong but yet delicate. It felt like it had so much love trapped inside of it but couldn't let it out. His hands made her feel safe, needed and wanted. She wanted to rest in arms fully and not just his hands but the hands she felt in hers were strange. She smiled as those thoughts crossed her mind, she turned and opened her eyes.
The first person she saw in front of her was a man dressed in scrubs and a white coat. She tried reading the inscription on his white coat but she could only read the first four words D-A-N-E. What did that even mean? She tried to process it but she realized that she couldn't make any sense of the words. She tried but it made her head hurt much worse. Suddenly the memory of the ability to speak struck her like a lightning bolt. She mustered up the courage to speak and thankfully her voice didn't betray her. It was weak but audible. "Where am I" Elena's voice was still echoing pain from her injuries and fatigue from the meds. "Welcome back Mrs Sinead. You're at Lanefield Memorial". Dr Dane's voice was calm, sweet and reassuring. "Why? What happened to me?" Elena noticed that the doctor looked to her side when she asked as if someone was there. Then she remembered the hand she felt in hers but she thought it was a dream. She turned and looked at the face of the man that was beside her. It was him. She heard the monitor begin to beep rapidly and the nurses rushed to her side. One of the nurses tried calming her down and told her that her heart was racing. "Please calm down, Mrs Sinead, your heart rate is through the roof" The nurse said as she injected a vial into her IV line. Tyler stood up from her side and took a step back, staring at her. She looked back at him but couldn't decipher the expression on his face. "Doctor Dane, her heart's rate is getting worse" One of the nurses said as she checked her pulse on the monitor again. Dane looked at Tyler then right back at Elena and realised that her heart was racing because Tyler was in the room. He then did what any doctor that prioritizes patients would do. "Please escort Mr Sinead out of the room please" Doctor Dane ordered one of the nurses to lead Tyler away from the room. She looked at him once again and saw the disappointment in his face. However she knew she needed to prioritise her health over his feelings. So, she looked away and refused to watch him leave. Barely two minutes after Tyler was out of the room, her heart rate went back to normal. The nurses heaved a sigh of relief, adjusted her IV line, set the machines right and then left the room leaving Doctor Dane alone in the room. Dane wrote something on his chart, dropped it in the tray beside her bed and sat close to her. "How are you feeling?" Dane had the warmest smile and the sweetest voice. "A bit sore but I think I'll live. " Elena replied weakly. Dane smiled and looked at her pitifully. "Hey, I need to know something. Is your husband hitting you at home" Dane asked with concern in his eyes. Elena was reluctant to answer him because she wasn't sure she could trust him. Dane could sense that and so he took his hands in hers, it was warm, soft and gentle. " You have such gentle hands," Elena said, smiling at him and squeezing her hands. "Well,the human body is such a delicate and beautiful entity, you need gentle hands to take good care of it" He smiled and squeezed her hands back. His words made Elena relax and even though she wasn't sure about trusting him totally, she was willing to give him the benefit of the doubt. "Listen, I care for all my patients. The kind of injuries you sustained are all results of blunt force. I'm saying this so you won't lie for him cause I've seen too many cases of this sort to believe anything else. Besides, you reacted fearfully the moment you set your eyes on him. Tell me Mrs Sinead what's really going on?" Dane's eyes made Elena believe that she could tell him her story and most importantly she knew he would believe her. "First of all, you can call me Elena. My name is Elena. And you're right Tyler's a beast" Elena said, fondling the call button in her hands. "You ever thought of a divorce? No woman should have to endure this Elena" Dane's voice was calm but his expression showed a bit of disgust. " It's not that simple. My father owes Elevation Inc a lot of money. Apparently, he didn't read the full terms of the contract he signed which stated that Tyler could use any means possible to get his money if my father defaulted on payment. That any means possible stated in the contract turned out to be my marriage to him. Believe me, I knew it wasn't going to be an easy ride but it was that or my father rots in jail or ends up dead or worse. I did what I thought would help." Elena's voice was growing weaker because she was getting teary. Dane took both her hands in his in an effort to try calming her. " I'm really sorry you have to go through all this Elena". Elena stifled and continued to talk. "That's not even the worst part. I need to bear him a child within one year of the marriage. We're seven months in and nothing yet. I took a test and it came out negative a few days ago, that was what led to this" Dane left her hands, stood up and faced the window. "Did you sign a contract" Dane asked "Yes I did" Elena responded staring at the thick white socks on her feet. They were meant to keep warm but she noticed at that moment that her feet looked ridiculous in them. Each one had bunny ears at the top and they were two different colours. It must have been a mistake on the path of one of the maids. She was sure Tyler's scary commands and yells made the poor maid pick two different colours of the same design. He could be scary when he was impatient. Dane adjusted the window pane and returned to her bedside. He took her hand again and squeezed it in reassurance. Then there was a one minute awkward silence between them both. Elena felt comfortable in that moment but it was short-lived.
"You've been in here twenty minutes, doctor" Tyler's harsh voice bolted them both into reality. His face was laced with subtle anger and hatred from seeing another man holding his wife's hand. Dane didn't seem to flinch at Tyler's presence but simply smiled again at Elena and left her hands. He stood up and asked Elena if she would be okay with Tyler in the room. "I think I'm the best person to decide what my wife needs, Doctor Dane." Tyler replied Dane without letting Elena speak. Dane picked up his chart and looked Tyler square in the face. Elena's stomach tightened as she didn't want a fight to ensue between them. But Dane seemed able to take care of himself. " Well, Mr Sinead my duty is to my patient and not to you" Dane looked at the heart monitor one last time to ensure Elena was okay and left the room. Elena saw him tell the nurse at the enquiry section close to her room to watch out for her. He then looked over at with a smile and signalled with his hands to her to use the call button if she needed help. She smiled back but soon that smile faded as she faced Tyler. Surprisingly he had seen none of what ensued between her and Dane because he was busy with his phone. She rested her head into the bed, staring at the ceiling and clutching the call button tightly in her fists.