A Companion's Journey

Chapter 6 - Darkness

Rachel was surprised to walk into a dark apartment. At first she thought maybe Karson had planned a surprise for her and she quietly set her briefcase down and crept to the second bedroom. She was thoroughly confused to find it dark as well, and even more confused when a search proved the apartment was empty. It was not like Karson to go anywhere without telling her, especially now that he was not working at the Bulldog.

When she returned to the living room to put away her work, she noticed the voice mail notification. Since she was not expecting a call, Rachel quickly changed out of her work clothes and put the reports on the computer desk before playing back the message.

"I'm trying to reach Rachel Nolan, this is St. Andrew's Hospital ER chief resident Dr. Kline. I'm afraid I have some bad news, your Companion uh...Karson, was admitted this evening with multiple fractures and a concussion. He's in stable condition but we're keeping him in the ICU over night for observation. Please either call the ER or come down as soon as you can."

Rachel sank to the floor and dropped the phone without even hanging it up. She pressed her face into her hands and wept.

After several minutes, she managed to pull herself together long enough to hang up the phone and get to the computer to look up the location of the ER. Rachel was somewhat relieved to find that the hospital was only about 5 miles away and left immediately. When she arrived she easily found the ER, but had a much more difficult time finding someone to speak to.

She physically had to stop one of the many nurses to get their attention as they hurried past.

"I need to see Dr. Kline, can you tell me where to find him?"

The nurse did not even give her a second glance as he looked down the hall.

"Kline is making his rounds."

Rachel interjected another question before she let go of the nurse's arm.

"I'm looking for a patient named Karson. He was admitted earlier this evening."

The nurse finally looked at Rachel and then glanced over at the wall listing patients.

"ICU room 14, third floor. Excuse me."

Rachel sighed and wandered through the halls to find the elevator. She would not admit that she was scared, and preoccupied her mind with the task of locating the Companion's room. When she arrived on the third floor a quick check in at the front desk confirmed her identity and that Karson was admitted down the hall. The clerk pointed in the direction of his room and Rachel walked down the hall, fear building in her with every step she took.

She blew out a sigh and mentally braced herself for the worst as her hand rested on the handle to room 14. Rachel glanced through the small slit of a window, but could barely make out the figure on the bed in the dimly lit room. She plucked up her courage and entered into the quiet setting, letting the door close before she turned around.

Immediately she noticed all the bandages wrapped around the Companion; his arm draped over his stomach, his leg elevated in a sling, the wrappings around his head. Rachel tentatively walked over to his bed and broke down crying. She longed to gather him up in her arms and hug him but was too afraid to even touch him. The best she could manage was to pull a chair to his bedside and grasp the fingers of his right hand in hers, careful not to disturb the IV stuck into the back of his hand.

Rachel was unaware of how long she sat next to Karson holding his hand and letting her tears fall into his fur. Her head snapped up as someone entered the room with a chart.

"I'm sorry, I just came in to check up on him. Are you Rachel? I'm Dr. Kline."

She wiped her face and stood up, still holding Karson's hand.