2020-10-05 - Aftershocks of the Ferris Wheel

The rocky beach near the Boardwalk and Ferris Wheel. The lights playing across the shore. Kailey has pulled herself onto shore just in the shadow of the pier. There is a hole in her leather jacket's right shoulder. There's a hole in her! She quickly throws out a text and drops the phone in her lap. The screen illuminates her face. Streaked with tears and ruined makeup. From her bag she digs out a spare baby blanket that doubles for burping. This she presses into the bleeding wound with a whimper.

"The fuck?"

The words slipped out of his lips easily while he looked down at his iPhone from 'his' seat at Sweet Retreat, forgetting both place and company he shared if but for a moment. Peeling his eyes from the text, he looked across the table to the day-time manager and cook, whose eyebrows were already lifting upwards.
Then they both looked, together, to the detactched car seat on the table. Oblivious, the baby girl smiled a toothless, drooly smile up at her primary male caregiver. Then curled her little fist and tried to swallow it. The brute's curse word hadn't maladjusted his child. This time.
"What's wrong?"

"It's the text I should have been sending to Kiki. Hey, can you watch--" Everett begins while starting, already pushing the chair back with the back of his calves while pushing his phone back into his dark jeans. "No, nevermind. You've got enough going on. I'll take her too." As he said that, the cook already protesting; offering to take the baby for a time.
But he wasn't being heard.
Everett clutched the baby bag, shouldering it before he reached the front door. Fortunately, he wasn't far from the Ferris Wheel. Its lights had often been the last sight he saw before sleep, back when he lived over the sweet shop. His heavy boot clumped down the wooden boardwalk with his quick stride, then rocks crunching under his feet before he calls out, his deep voice frantic and dreadful.

"KIKI!"

Kailey's phone light illuminates her leaning against a pillar of the pier. The blanket and pressure staunching what is a pretty bad injury. At least by the amount of red on what was a pale yellow blanket with green ducks.

Then a voice in the dark cuts tgrough her focus. "Ev! Here!" She calls out in a pained voice. She shifts her leg to set her alight phone to flash more obviously.

Perking when he hears her reply, Everett's footsteps pause for a second before they pick up again, his weight disturbing the rocky beach, a stumble as he makes his way closer. And when he rounds to put her in his vision, there's a heavy breath released; a sigh of satisfaction on his way to close the gap. Dropping the shoulder baby bag, he's more ginger when he puts the baby down on the beach, then his eyes turn to his.
Well. They're lousy with labels.

His Kailey. Thick brows knotted with worry, while his tone takes on an accusatory tone. "What the fuck did you do?" he asks, before thick fingers lift, to peel the blanket away from the blood. A quick breath is sucked in through his front teeth, his gaze lifting from shoulder to her green eyes more sympathy bleeding through now. "Here," he offers, and allows her hand to put pressure back on the wound. Turning his attention from her, he looks down at the baby bag and attacks the lengthwise zipper before he turns his attention to the baby, who's eyes dark between the two of them while tasting her own hand, "Looks like Mommy's got some explaining to do, doesn't she, gorgeous?"

It's with a little smirk that Everett turns back. A little amused while he snaps his right hand to unfold the diaper in his hand with a flurry. Then offering it to her good hand, with a "Here, hold that to it to stop the bleeding. How'd you even manage this? And, can you walk to the car?"

Kailey says, "NnNnnngnnn..." Kailey groans as Everett peels the blanket back for a look. It is seeping slowly now and has mostly stopped. "I...went on the ferris wheel," She says in a rough voice. She takes the diaper after shoving her phone into a pocket. Pressing it to the wound with a faint smirk. "That's a good idea. The diaper. Yeah, help me up. I didn't want to freak out th-th-the kids," She stutters and there's a small sob from her.

As she carefully gets up with his help there's a cry of pain. She looks a mess. "Sorry. I'm sorry. It...someone yanked the ferris wheel somewhere...and then it...rusted and fell apart with us trapped inside..."All at once it begins to come out. In starts and stops Kailey talks about the experience as they proceed towards the car. "It changed from that one," She jerks her chin at the current one, happily spinning away, "To the kind that rock and tip. Older with the cages. It fell into the water..." She sucks in a shuddering breath and closes her eyes as more tears fall. "There was a whole class of kids on the ferris wheel...""

Pausing once more with her at his hip, Everett reaches down to shoulder the bag first and then pick up their daughter with his free hand, keeping the other around the woman for whom he has grown fond for. He's silent with the explanation, concentrating mostly on her footsteps and making sure to drop neither of his precious cargos. At the mention of children, she's earned a throaty grunt before he offers more, "And they're ok? Did everybody just leave you here or did you just get back now?" His mood changes suddenly, enough that he glowers as his head shakes, stray strands falling over his face. "Fff-udging Darkmen."

There's a few more steps before he offers, "You'll be ok. It's no bullet wound, but it doesn't look like there's anything left in there. I can't imagine you'll be able to use that arm for awhile." Then, he smirks. A faint little smile, his head tilting down before he gives her a sideways glance, hiding behind that fallen hair. "Is this just so you won't have to change diapers?" he asks, teasingly but with a note of concern still there, even as he gives her a little hip bump. Teasing. Or trying to keep her spirits up. Maybe both. "C'mon. We're almost there, and you get to explain what happened to them. I couldn't even begin to explain the story."

Kailey glances around and frowns. "I...don't know. There were others, August and Aidan. We were on the same cart thing," She says as they go. She takes her steps carefully, but is able to walk mostly on her own. "There was so much blood. The screaming of the kids stopped. I dunno what hit me. Something metal. August pulled Aidan and I out. I think...I got separated from the rest. There was a kid I thought was alive...b-b-but-" She just shakes her head and chokes down a sob.

"Aww, babe," Everett murmur. He stops, long enough to turn in her direction and with the cased sound of rocks shifting beneath foot, little baby Morganna chirping muffled with three soggy fingers in her mouth cuts the silence his pause creates. The big paw around Kailey's waist for support rises enough to pull her closer; to give her a firm squeeze against his muscles. A hug he holds for longer than a few seconds. And when he pulls a half-step back, it's to look down at her with overwhelming sympathy on his visage. "I know. It takes awhile of seeing that kind of stuff before you get used to it. And if there's anything I hope for you, it's that you never get used to it. Just," he starts to say, stops and when he resumes, his voice is softer. "Just, try to put it behind you. You're hurt, but you're ok," she's given a squeeze. "We're all ok. That's the important part."

His focus turns to the Boardwalk before he uplifts his chin, "Car is just over there. Go ahead and get in, bunny. I'll let them know what's going on and I won't be a second." He's true to his word, opening the door to the store enough just to let the last of the summer help know where he's going to be and to pass it on; keeping Kailey's blood from entering the premise, then he returns to the Grand Prix.

There is the car and she gives a visible sigh of relief. Briefly releasing her hold on the diaper to pop open the door and climb in. Leaning back the chair with a sigh of relief. With the wound being in her left should Kailey is able to pull the seatbelt on.

When Everett returns she says, "Heat on please. I think I may be cold," And sure enough she is shivering and a second later her teeth are chattering. Blood loss, being soaked and battered, don't make for a good combo. "What are we going to tell the hospital?" She asks worriedly.

Not answering her at first as he sets about the mystical task of attaching the baby carrier back into its base in the back seat, Everett waits until after he's managed to hear the click that signifies the two are attached again, he's tested it, gently closed the door on Morganna who fights a baby yawn before flailing her hands and feet back up. Rather than picked up, Everett holds his hair back when he leans down (you make that mistake three times), to keep little baby hands from grabbing his long hair and plants a kiss on her forehead. Then there's the walk to the driver's side.

Igition. Heat. Then his own safety, seatbelt and a shrug while he shakes his head, "I don't know. If you're the only one there, then with any luck we can just tag on to whatever everybody else said? Otherwise." His deep voice lingers as he falls silent during merging. It wouldn't be inappropriate to remind him not to speed, though he's being fairly careful and at a red light, peels the pamper bandage back to take a peek. "It doesn't look so bad," he murmurs, before covering it up. "They'll have to clean it up some. You fell on something? A piece of the Ferris wheel fell on you? That's kind of true, right?"

"Well, yeah. But the ferris wheel is just fine," Kailey says as she looks down at it and cringes. "Metal rod or something..." With a pained groan she closes her eyes. Speeding is just fine by her right now. "Maybe...fell off the pier and onto something?" She cracks an eye open to peer at Everett. Her injured hands starts to move and take his, impulsive, but she bites down on a cry of pain.

Perfectly fine with driving with one hand, at least for some time, Everett's hand envelops hers while he squeezes back. This new wail, causes his attention to divert, check on her visually, and then return to the road. Their entwined hands are pulled to rest on his thigh, his thumb rhythmically stroking the back of hers. "You're working with something metal. There was a welding accident and a rod was launched? I'm sure you'll think of something when the time comes." His brows wrinkle once more, "I'm just glad you don't look like I've been ... you know. That would be more difficult to explain," he finishes as they pull into the medical facility and he starts a search for parking ear the emergency entrance. "Can you go in first? Or do you want to go in together?" It's not a half second before he adds, "You know what, let's go in together. Just let me get all the baby stuff." Putting the vehicle to park, before he's turned the vehicle off, he turns his torso to Kailey and asks, sternly. Seriously. "You. You're ok, right?"

Kailey hasn't quite been able to stop crying. When Everett asks her that question she is silent a few seconds. Swallowing hard she shakes her head, "I don't think so. No," She says quietly.

Slowly she opens her eyes and stares at the parking lot. The green of her eyes is dull as she stares into the distance. Now that he looks he can see her breathing fast. The way one leg has started bouncing hard and fast against the floorboard. All the hallmarks of an impending panic attack. "I need...I need...my...ummm..." and she rraches with her good hand to pat at pockets. "Meds...they...where...fuck.." She reaches up and rubs her face. With her bloody hand. And then she just starts crying.

"Stay with me, Kailey. Stay with me and Morganna." The tiger's roar of the engine is cut off, throatily before Everett collects the keys and opens his door before going around to the other side to help with both ladies. She's pulled out first, reaching in to unlatch her seatbelt if she failed to, then the door is closed so she has something to lean against. In her hand, he gives her back the bloody diaper, pressing it back against her shoulder with force. Enough so to make her feel it, his hand on hers, and pressing down sharply. If she doesn't know where her pills are, then the next best place is where they're going anyways. "Hold this, we're almost there, pumpkin. You're almost there."

It's the last thing he says to her, for awhile, before the small operation of detaching his daughter from the car and collecting the bag over his shoulder. One last look at Kailey and he grimaces, before placing the carrier on the roof of the Grand Prix. Rather than chance it, he picks her up; scoops her into his arms and then a clumsy grab and pull to slide the baby carrier into Kailey's lap. Car doors are kicked closed. Not locked, but, he doesn't have time for that as he carries his family into the hospital looking for someone in scrubs that looks like they might know what to do with this.

Kailey is able to nod her head. It's something in terms of communication. She doesn't fight Everett either as he helps her out. When he presses the diaper into her shoulder she hisses in pain and makes a hiccup on anotger sob which catches. He goes to pick her up and it jars her shoulder, making her cry out. "I can walk!" Desperate for thar unholy pain to stop. I

Into the lobby of the ER they go and she is gasping big breaths. Pain is remarkable in how it can snap the mind out of things. Of course her appearance and the sight of a baby carrier has her on a gurny headed back after only a few short questions for Everett. Kailey not exactly being able to answer as the pain has veen awakened unintentionally once more. "Fuckfuckfuck," He hears her whimper as they get her laying down. Eyes closed she bites her lower lip.

With the appearance of the gurney, he lays her down on it gingerly before Everett takes Morganna from her perch, where she can stare wide-eyed at all he burry shapes moving fair past her ability to see them, this is new. "I know you can," he murmurs, taking Kailey's hand so she has something to squeeze, again. Just like she could a few months ago. He answers the questions poised to him as best he's able, offering that he doesn't know what happened. He wasn't there, but she, Kailey, texted him and he brought her in right away. It doesn't slip his mind about her anxiety about hospitals, or her DIDs, and he mentions them both, in case it will help. To compound his lie, when they threaten to separate them, he calls her his wife. Not that it helps any. Not with her wound. Even with the help he subconsciously gave her, they still need to wheel her into her own area. Need to sedate. Poke and pry, and find out why. While he's left in admitting, with the triaged people and those waiting for loved ones to stabilize. He, too wired to think about anything but the worst. And Morganna. Who finally stops fighting her yawns and falls asleep looking out a window at white, fluffy clouds. The cause of many looks from Gary Harborians, from baby then to father and the far-away glare his eyes bore into the wall across the waiting room.

Luckily Kailey's wound proves not to be life-threatening. Though there will be physical therapy. And apparently surgery to repair severed nerves and. Close it up. They're not really sure how the majority of the nerves were missed, calling her lucky.

About an hour later a NA comes out to escort him to a room. There is a doped up Kailey with proper and temporary bandage. "Heeeeyyy there's my babies," She drawls, lifting her hand in an attempted wave. It mostly flops like a fish. "They gave me the good stuff. They gotta do surgery though..." And at that she pouts. While the doctor says the gardening rod managed to miss a lot, but they really shouldn't have pulled it out. Still, he is positive about outcome and that she shouldn't lose any use or sensation. Luckily.