The Girl in the Rain

"The others?"

My father shrugged. "Only the guy who hit you with the bat was able to try to escape but he ran into a few of your neighbours who trussed him up to await the Police. Donald was shot, John was unconscious and some lout by the name of Henry could only wobble due to injuries in his groin."

Jacqueline was bending over Steffi and I lay there watching her kiss her daughter.

A picture of a group of people standing next to an open grave flashed through my mind and those damn drugs made me break down again. I sobbed for a few seconds and then suddenly everything seemed funny and I laughed my stupid head off. As if from far away I heard the nurse ushering our parents out of the room and sleep overcame me again.

They say it was two days but I don't know. To me it was simply times of sleep and times of being awake. My personnel made group visits and fussed around us. Somewhere I had long talks with a doctor and a policeman and then came the day the doctor came walking in and declared me fit to go home. By then my bed was almost glued to that of Steffi and I simply stared at him.

"You serious?"

He simply shrugged. "The pain killers and antibiotics we give you here can be taken orally at home. No need to keep you here."

"And Steffi?"

He shrugged. "I told you before. We are keeping her sedated simply to limit sudden bodily movements and of course, psychological strain. As soon as I am happy with her vitals we will wake her up. If she ruptures that artery she will be dead in minutes and I am sure you don't want that."

I nodded. "Ok. So I go home and she wakes up to an empty room. I can remember how awful that was."

He was smart. "As soon as I decide to wake her I will let you know and wait for you to be present when she does. Will that be ok?"

It took hours before I could summon up the courage to leave and even on the way home with Mom and Dad I sat in the car wringing my hands in angst. We swung by my house and I sat there looking at the astonishing amount of work that had taken place while I was in hospital and incapable of doing anything. With a heavy sigh I got out of the car and walked up to the main contractor. He saw me coming and ambled over to me. As we shook hands he grinned at me.

"You ok?"

I nodded and stood there looking at what would soon be my home again.

"Happy with the progress?"

It suddenly dawned on me. So what if a brick is not absolutely perfectly aligned with the one next to it? Would Steffi notice or would the house as a whole be what she would see?

"Steffi would love this," I mused and he grinned again.

"I hear you guys nearly conked out."

I raised my eyebrows. "A little too close."

"She ok?"

I shrugged. "Still heavily sedated but apparently doing well."

I gave him the unconditional go ahead and walked to the car hoping I didn't give him Carte Blanche to carry on building as he liked. Quite honestly, I ached too much and had too much to worry about to let that get to me.

We went to visit Steffi that night and I sat there holding her hand while talking to her. I gave her a rundown of the progress on the house, some messages of love and 'get well' from my personnel as well as from the people at her office. We overstayed our welcome but as we left I gripped her free hand as I kissed her. Once again I was sure I felt her react.

I decided to go back to work the next day and discovered just how much I loved that crowd. As I entered the factory a soft cheer went up and then they roared. I was hugged, albeit very carefully, by everybody and most of the ladies were openly crying. Even Jimmy thought it a requirement to hug me. May was her exuberant self and after checking if I had had my medication, dragged me to our small tea garden to ply me with more coffee than I had had in many days. Jimmy came over and grinned at me.

"Next time I tell someone to steal some asshole's girl, I will be a little more careful. Seems it can get a trifle scary."

Questions flowed as fast as I could answer but at last I was left to my own devices. I made a few phone calls and was astonished at how far the news of the attack on us had travelled. The fact that it made the headlines of the local paper also helped. Somewhere in the back of my mind I formulated a plan to get everybody together for a thank you party when I looked up at the wall. Why not invite them all to our wedding?

I giggled as I phoned Joe. As he answered I laughingly said; "This is not the way to to it Sir, but I need an answer right now."

He was quiet for a few seconds and then I could hear him chuckle. "You want to ask for my daughter's hand in marriage young man?"

I nodded and laughed. "Yes Sir. How did you guess?"

He laughed from deep in his belly. "You have never addressed me as 'Sir' so I assumed this was a serious question coming up."

"I did," I laughed. "The day we met and you told me that only serious situations warranted calling you 'Sir'."

"This is serious?"

"Yes."

He cleared his throat. "Derek, our daughter loves you deeply. So do we. I would be most upset if you did not marry her." He was quiet for a few seconds and when he spoke his voice was slightly rough. "It would be an honour to call you my son."

I was touched deeply. "Thanks Dad."

I could hear him take a deep and shuddering breath and when he spoke it was with a strange timbre in his voice. "You're welcome son. Any idea when?"

I doodled on the year planner. "I'd like her to wake up with a ring on her finger but as far as a date for the wedding is concerned, I guess she will need to have some input."

"Sounds good. For the life of me I cannot think of her having some problem with that. You have a ring?"

I sighed. "No. This mad idea popped up minutes ago. Guess it is time for some ring shopping."

He chuckled. "Take Jacqueline along. She understands that daughter of hers and she will know what Steffi would like and she will also stop you from cracking the bank."

It made sense. In a way. "She available?"

"She will be. Just give her a call."

I did and she made herself available very quickly. With her driving we visited a total of four jewellers before we found a ring that we both thought would fit the hand of the one who made my life complete. Like naughty kids we raced to the hospital with a set of measuring rings, got Steffi's finger measurement, raced back and went for lunch while they adjusted the ring to size.

That night I slipped the ring onto her finger, took a few pictures and put it back into its black box. I was mighty chuffed with how it looked on her finger. Our respective parents were in full attendance and they beamed. My little sister gave me a hug and nearly made me faint as a stab of pain ran around my chest but I was too happy to care.

As we left a couple stood up from chairs in the hallway and I heard Jacqueline gasp. If pain had a picture, the lady would have been the definitive image and I looked around at Jacqueline who had come to a stop with her hand over her mouth in shock. I didn't need a degree to realise that they had to be Donald's parents and my chest tightened. How do you handle this?

Joe saved the day by stepping forward and pulled the lady in for a hug. As his arms went around her, her dams broke and I saw Donald's father turn away as his shoulders shook. Awkward has no way of describing the feeling. To me Donald was a vile piece of snake shit and yet, here were his parents. Two normal people who mourned the passing of their son the same way any other couple would have and I felt a hurt as well as anger stew in me. Did Donald have any idea how much pain his vendetta against me would cause? Was he a phycho in wait for a trigger? I shrugged to myself. Most probably John had a lot to do with it as well. Much like a yapping Jack Russel getting a Pit Bull to go into mad attack mode.

I stood there with my parents and watched Jacqueline take the weeping mother to Steffi's room. Moments later the old man followed, giving me a tearful smile as he passed. For some strange reason I wanted to follow and keep them away from her but then I forced myself to relax. They surely meant her no harm and from memory I knew that Steffi adored them but we found it odd to go visit while Donald was in the picture.

My nerves were jangled by the time they exited the room and to my confused dismay I saw the couple walking straight at me. I had no way of knowing how to react to them and reached out for any support. My little sister got her shoulder wrenched into a ball and yelped in pain and fright. Donald's dad came and stood before me, looking me straight in the eye. His voice was strained but he stood straight.

"I cannot make pardon for my son Mr Smythe," he said softly, "but I can thank God that he didn't kill Steffi." He shook his head. "We love her like the daughter we almost had but she was stillborn."

He took a deep breath and held out his arm for his wife to join him. As she burrowed under his shoulder a fresh torrent of tears rolled down her cheeks and somewhere I found it in me to reach out to her. As my hand closed over her shoulder she sobbed loudly and the next moment she gripped me in a hug that had me wincing in pain. Apart from the pain from my complaining ribs and spine, she was clawing at me as if trying to grab onto something while crying loudly.

It took a while for her to partially regain her composure and she just stood there holding me tight while softly sobbing. Once again anger towards Donald stewed in me and I ground my teeth as I put my arms around her shaking shoulders. Somewhere I wondered if Steffi's car breaking down was not some divine intervention. Could Donald have been some vicious wife beater or killer waiting to happen? I glanced at Joe and almost chuckled. Donald would have disappeared into a deep hole if he so much as slapped her.

Donald's dad put his hand on my arm with a beseeching stare in his eyes as he looked at me for seconds before speaking.

"Please allow us to remain in contact with Steffi," he pleaded and I felt myself choking up. "She is very special to us, not just because she almost became our daughter in law but she crept into our hearts as an individual." He sighed deeply. "It may be all we have left after this."

I looked up and saw Jacqueline watching me. She gave an almost imperceptible nod and I felt a weight lift from me. If she condoned it, I felt safe in granting the permission.

"There has been enough pain. No need to add to it," I mumbled and gave Debbie a little jerk to me. "Steffi missed you once things went sour between Donald and her. Once she is up again we will come visit. That ok?"

They both beamed at me and after saying their goodbyes they left walking straight up again. I popped into Steffi's room, hugged her gently and wished her a good night's sleep before we all left.

It was shortly before eleven when my phone woke me from a troubled sleep and I felt my chest tighten in anticipation of some bad news from Steffi but it was a police officer.

"You guys found something?" I asked incredulously. Why do they need me?

"Sorry to bother you at this time of night Mr Smythe but we have just been informed that Mr Mayson has died."

"Mayson?" I asked unnecessarily as the awful thought registered.

"May I ask you to come to the station tomorrow?"

I needed to take a few deep breaths to calm down. I thanked him and dialled Joe. I needed a wide shoulder.

"Derek?" he answered and I could hear him still waking properly.

"John Mayson just died."

"Shit!" he yelled and I couldn't help chuckling.

"My thoughts exactly," I said loudly. "I have to be at the police station tomorrow."

I heard mumbling and then Jacqueline was on line.

"I will pick you up tomorrow morning Derek. It is just a formality but a little legal help goes a long way."

I sighed long and hard. "Thanks. It is surreal to realise that I have killed someone."

Jacqueline was quiet for a few seconds. "Want us to come over?"

I considered it. Just being able to talk to someone would be worth a million bucks but I shook my head. "No thanks. I'll be ok."

"Sure?"

"Yip. You sleep tight now."

"Will do Derek. Love you."

It swam in my head. Not ever did parents of ANY girl I had dated say they liked me, never mind saying they loved me.

Hours later I was still tossing and turning. At some stage I even thought of Western movies and the ease with which men were supposedly killed. Movie makers were stupid. Worst of all was when I started arguing with myself. What if I hadn't taunted John in the restaurant that night? Would things have been different? If I had gone to him and explained the whole thing to him, would he have followed me home to plan an attack? If I had laid charges. Would it have scared them off? A terrible thought came through my mind. If I had left Steffi next to the road. What would have happened? Tortuous scenes played through my mind and images of her sitting next to her car, dying slowly from cold or being raped had me rolling around in bed until day broke.

Jacqueline actually giggled when she picked me up. "You look like death warmed up Derek. Sleep well?"

I shook my head. "This has been a very long night Ma. One I never want repeated." I rubbed my eyes to ease the smart. "Killing someone may be easy to do but living with the knowledge is not quite so easy."

On the way to the police station I got my nightmares off my chest. She was sympathetic but in a way she also gave it some humour so that by the time we walked into the police station I was able to smile again. It took more than an hour but eventually I walked out of there after having had an intense chat to an inspector and even was invited to attend counselling which I declined.

Jacqueline dropped me at work with a promise to pick me up in time for afternoon visiting hours but just before lunch my phone rang with the doctor informing me that he was going to take Steffi off the sedation and that she should be waking at around three o' clock.

Johnny took me to hospital and soon both sets of parents were present. I put the ring on Steffi's finger and then joined our parents in the waiting room. It was after four when a nurse came hurrying into the room.

"She is waking up Mr Smythe. Will you please come with me?"

Having to hold back and not run like a kid was difficult but I reached her room without making a fool of myself. As I entered I could see that Steffi had moved. Her head was at a different angle and I also noted that only one IV was still dripping away. The oxygen tube to her nose was still there but the Trachea had been removed. The doctor nodded and smiled to me.

"I appreciate your way of doing your proposal to her but I want to ask you not to draw her attention to the ring. I fully understand that she will be unbelievably happy but it may make her heart race. I have full confidence in her recovery but arteries, even though they heal at incredible speed, are troublesome things and the cut in her heart still has to heal properly." He pointed at me with a chuckle. "No heavy breathing for a while. Understand?"

I was happy to forgo heavy breathing for the rest of my life if it meant Steffi would get well. I gingerly reached over and took her hand in mine. It was warmer than usual and I squeezed. This time there was no mistaking it. It was weak but unmistakable. She squeezed back and seconds later her eyes fluttered. My heart leapt and I leaned over to kiss her. Once again her hand squeezed softly but it took ten forevers before she opened her eyes.

At first she simply looked ahead of her and there was no recognition in her eyes. I squeezed her hand again and whispered her name. Slowly she looked at me and I saw the most beautiful smile creep into her eyes. Her lips moved and I could just make out that she had whispered my name before her head dropped to the side and she seemed to be out cold again. I was scared that it meant something but the doctor simply smiled at me while checking the monitor above her head.

"She's sleeping now Mr Smythe. She will wake up soon." He held up his finger as a pointer. "I am going to keep her lightly sedated at first. Just to ease possible pain and also to keep her from getting too excited."

While Steffi slept we went for coffee in the cafeteria and then resumed our vigil in the passage with each of us spending some time inside watching her sleep. Just as it got dark outside my mom came barrelling out of the room with the news that Steffi was awake. We stormed inside and I watched as she tiredly attempted to focus on all of us. She tried to speak but all that came out was a croak and I remembered how dry my throat had been when I woke up. I didn't even have a trachea. There was no water next to her bed so I ran outside to summon up a nurse.

She arrived with a container filled with small ice blocks and I was given one to slip into Steffi's mouth with stern warnings that it should be limited. As Steffi swallowed the first few drops I could see her eyes reflect the pain that went with it but she kept on sucking on the little ball of ice. By the third block she appeared to swallow easier and eventually she let her head relax into the pillows again.

We talked and she listened. She tried to speak but gave it up after it became too painful. Instead she simply mouthed what she wanted to say and we filled in for her. It was clear she needed to know what had happened and Jacqueline took it upon herself to tell her as much as needed. She listened and allowed her eyes to roam over us all as the story unfolded. When she heard of Donald's death she took a deep breath and slowly a few tears rolled down her cheeks. Jacqueline was still talking when Steffi's eyes fluttered shut and with a faint smile on her lips she fell asleep.

I was there again early next morning. She was sleeping peacefully and after just sitting there staring at her I went to my office. On cue two machines broke down and an irate client came to see me. It took a while to prove to him that the reason why his protective clothing was fading badly and also seemed to wear down too fast was because of the material he had specified, against our recommendations. At last he left with samples of our own spec clothing after promising to put it to the test and get back to us. Jimmy needed specialised spares and I jumped into the car to try and find it while he kept on working.

It was rather late before I was able to get away from work. Traffic had me grinding my teeth and I was grumpy by the time I got to the hospital. I rushed into the room only to find the bed empty. Confused I looked around and then spotted Steffi walking down an adjoining passage with the aid of a nurse. I rushed over and was met with glittering eyes as she held up her left hand.

"I do not remember saying yes?" she grinned with a voice that was still a bit croaky.

"You were sleeping so your parents stood in for you," I laughed as I took her hand and looked at the ring as if it was the first time I saw it. "It looks beautiful on you."

"Thanks Derek. I love you."

I nodded and gripped her hand firmly. "And I love you." I made a gesture to take in the invisible horizon. "Too much." The nurse snickered.

Back in her room we carefully got Steffi into bed again and I could see she was tired but she kept on smiling as she moved around to get as comfortable as possible before grabbing at my available hand.

"Any pain?" I queried and she thought for a moment before answering.

"The lame joke of 'only when I laugh' comes to mind," she said softly. She winced as she moved in a way that must have hurt and then lay back looking at me. "To be quite honest, it is more uncomfortable than painful. At least it tells me I am alive and will soon be ready to leave here. The pain killers also help. Your injuries ok?"