“Hey.” He sounded like he swallowed

“Hey.” He sounded like he swallowed a handful of gravel. His eyes were mere slits.
She needed to be strong. “Hey.”
“I’m so sorry about your mother.”
Her vision blurred and she nodded. “I always knew I’d find her that way.”
“I’m still sorry. I wanted to help her. I wanted to save her for you and I couldn’t.”
For some reason it was easier to talk about Pearl than the fact that he was lying in a hospital bed. “No one could. She was her own worst enemy.”
Silent moments passed. He drifted off as she wept. Her fingers were filthy and bloody.
“Why are you all the way over there?”
Startled by his voice, she sniffled. “What?”
“Come over here.”
“You’re hurt,” she protested.
“I’m fine. Come here.”
Slowly Evelyn stood and moved beside the bed. He sighed and grabbed her wrist. “Here. Come here. Lay with me.”
“I can’t. I’ll hurt you—”
“Will you knock it off?” He tugged her and she climbed onto the bed, curling into his side, careful not to put any weight on him. He hugged her close. “It’ll be okay, Evelyn. I’ll be out of here soon and we’ll work everything out.”
She nodded and pressed her face into his shoulder. “I was so scared when you didn’t wake up. If anything bad happened to you I don’t think I’d ever be able to forgive her. All the things she’s ever done to me, put me through . . . watching you fall through that floor trying to get to her—” Her words cut off with a sob. “It’s her fault you got hurt.”
“Shh. I’ll be fine.” He rubbed her arm, soothing swirls of fingers leaving goose bumps in their wake, and after several minutes he asked. “Did Parker get out okay?”
“What? Parker’s fine.”
“I didn’t know if I got there in time. I saw him going down and I just reacted. I couldn’t watch you lose your mother and friend all in one day.”
The entire event rolled through her head, unfolding moments she’d been too upset to see before. “You saved him.”
“I couldn’t let him fall.”
“Oh, God, Lucian.” She was grateful he didn’t let Parker get hurt, but angry he did so at the cost of his own safety. She needed to tell him. “Parker’s the one who’s stealing that company from you.”
“I know. I put it together when I got Dugan’s messages saying you made him drive you there. I heard what you told him. When will you stop trying to protect me and let me do the protecting?”
She swallowed. “I was so angry with him, but then, today, after . . . after they took you . . . he forced me to get up. Made me keep moving. He told me you needed me. I was so scared, but he wouldn’t let me quit on you.”
His lips pressed to her temple. “Well, I’m glad you’re here. Are you hurt?”
There was a knock on the door and Dr. Sheffield came in. Her slight figure showing under a white lab coat, hair and makeup perfect, posture impeccable in those tall heels. She held a clipboard and shook her head. “This looks about right. I get a call saying there’s some problematic patient demanding all sorts of special treatment and my presence yesterday. I should have known it was you. What happened?”
Evelyn tried to sit up, but Lucian tightened his grip.
“Stay there, Evelyn. The scared ones need their security blankets,” the doctor said as she moved to the foot of the bed. “It’s nice to see you again, by the way.”
“Very funny, Vivian. I fell through a floor.”
“Well, that wasn’t smart. Says here you got knocked out for a bit. What hurts?”
“My arm and my head.”
She placed her clipboard down and reached in a drawer. Producing scissors, she made quick work of cutting away the remainder of his sleeve. Dr. Sheffield examined the arm and he winced. “Hmm. It hurts because it’s broken. See this? That’s not supposed to be there. You’re going to need a cast, and if you argue with me about it, I’ll plaster your mouth shut. How’s your breathing? Your chart says your ribs may be broken.”
“It hurts.”
“I’m going to run some x-rays and an MRI. While you’re gone doing that—and behaving like the quintessential good patient—I’m going to chat with Evelyn.” She left for a moment and returned with a nurse and a wheelchair. “Bonny, this is Lucian Patras. He’s very grateful you offered to take him down to radiology.”
Evelyn sat up and helped Lucian out of the bed and into the chair. Reluctance to watch him leave again had her gripping his good hand. Just as Bonny was wheeling him out of the room, Dr. Sheffield called, “Oh, and Lucian, you’re going to need a tetanus shot.”
He cursed and then he was gone. The doctor faced her and smiled. “He’s such a baby. How are you doing?”
“I’m . . . okay.”
The doctor made a sympathetic smile. “You’re limping. I heard about your mother. I’m so sorry, Evelyn. There are fantastic grief counselors here at the hospital if you want to speak to anyone. Lucian’s name carries a lot of weight. They’re at your disposal if you need them.”
“Thanks, but I’d rather work it out on my own. Do you know how long he’ll have to stay here?”
She sighed. “I was hoping you’d be the one to convince him to stay if it was for the best.”
“Sorry. I hate hospitals.”
“A match made in heaven. If his x-rays and MRI check out and it’s just the arm and ribs, we can have him wrapped up in no time and home before dinner. If I spot any signs of internal bleeding or other issues, I’m going to insist he stays. I don’t give a hoot what his name is.”
Evelyn stared at the doctor for a long minute and then finally found the courage to ask what she’d wanted to ask since their first meeting. “How do you know Lucian? I mean, aside from being his personal physician? How did you meet?”
She smiled. “I’m shocked you waited this long to ask. I’m Shamus’s sister.”
Evelyn’s mouth drooped open like a trout. “But your last name’s Sheffield.”
“Yes, and I’m happily divorced, but I was married when I got my MD. I’ve known Lucian since he was a baby and spent most of my adult years torturing him for all the ways he used to torture me when I was a girl.”
“I see it now . . . in the set of your eyes and your smile.”
“Well, I look more like my mother. Shamus gets his curls and freckles from my father.”
“How come you weren’t at his party the other week?”
“I was here. That reminds me, I may break Lucian’s other arm for buying Shamus that death trap. Now, let me look at your ankle.”
Evelyn lifted her leg and winced under the weight of her sneaker. The doctor’s cool hands gently probed. “That’s quite a sprain you have there. How about I wrap it for you?”
Evelyn nodded and the doctor left for a moment. The silence was too much. Her mother’s face, unblinking eyes, haunted her every thought.
“Okay, this should do,” Dr. Sheffield said as she returned to the room. “I’ll show you how to wrap it and if you keep it elevated for—Oh, Evelyn . . .” She tossed the bandage aside and Evelyn was suddenly wrapped up in the doctor’s arms as sobs racked her body.
“I did everything I could and it still wasn’t enough,” she cried. “Everything! I was never enough, never a reason for her to stop killing herself. Why wasn’t I good enough? Why?”
“Shh. Oh, honey, your mother’s death has nothing to do with anything you did or didn’t do. She was an addict. But that long, painful journey she always took alone is over, and now she’s finally found some peace.”
Evelyn cried beyond countable minutes. It hurt to love her mother from the time she was young. There were no selfless whispers of hope breathed to her in sleep. No encouraging expectations or coddling during the moments she was too weak. It was always the wrong way, her doing for her mother who loved her heroin—always—a little bit more than she loved her daughter.
The doctor’s hair smelled of berries. Her embrace was a warm pillow wrapped around Evelyn’s fragile heart. Once she got her sobs under control, Dr. Sheffield produced a damp cloth and washed the grime from her face as if she were a small child. Deft fingers with cherry-painted nails wrapped her ankle.
Just as the doctor clasped the small metal clip to hold the brace in place, Lucian returned.
“What happened to your leg?” he snapped, attempting to get up and slumping back into the wheelchair.
“Easy there,” the nurse, pressing a hand into Lucian’s shoulder, said.
He glared at her and Dr. Sheffield stood. “It’s just a sprain, Lucian. She’ll be fine. How did the x-rays go?”
The nurse and the doctor went over the x-rays. Lucian’s arm needed to be set. Everything was done in an uninterrupted blur of one event after another. Scout held Lucian’s good hand and never took her eyes off their intertwined fingers. It was long past dark when Dugan showed up and they were permitted to leave.
Lucian had three badly bruised ribs, a broken radius, a dislocated shoulder, and several lacerations on the shoulder that took the brunt of the impact when he fell. His temple was bruised, but he was not concussed. His lip was split, but the bleeding had stopped and there was no need for stitches. They wheeled him out because there was some rule about being wheeled out if you were wheeled in. She’d hobbled behind him until Lucian insisted she ride on his lap.
When they got to the limo, he shut her inside for a moment to talk to Dugan. Typically, she would have objected to being left out, but she was simply too tired to complain. By the time they reached the hotel, they were both dead on their feet. They made quite a spectacle, walking through the lobby, her limping along, him holding his ribs, as his casted wrist lay cradled in a sling over the only remaining shred of his dress shirt.
They walked into the bedroom without turning on a single light. Neither of them seemed interested in catching their reflection by chance. Silently, they assisted each other with their clothing until they were both naked.

Hasil (Bahasa Indonesia) 1:

"Hey." Ia terdengar seperti ia menelan beberapa kerikil. Matanya hanya celah.Ia harus menjadi kuat. "Hey.""Saya sangat menyesal tentang ibumu."Visinya kabur dan Dia mengangguk. "Aku selalu tahu aku akan menemukan dia seperti itu.""Aku masih menyesal. Saya ingin membantunya. Aku ingin menyelamatkan dirinya untuk Anda dan aku tidak bisa."Untuk beberapa alasan itu lebih mudah untuk berbicara tentang Pearl daripada fakta bahwa dia sedang berbaring di ranjang rumah sakit. "Tak seorang pun bisa. Dia adalah musuh terburuk sendiri."Saat diam berlalu. Ia tertidur karena dia menangis. Jari-jarinya yang kotor dan berdarah."Mengapa Apakah Anda semua jalan di sana?"Terkejut oleh suara-Nya, dia sniffled. "Apa?""Datang ke sini!""Kau terluka," ia memprotes."Aku baik-baik saja. Datang di sini."Perlahan-lahan Evelyn berdiri dan pindah samping tempat tidur. Dia mendesah dan meraih pergelangan tangannya. "Di sini. Kemari. Berbaring dengan saya.""Aku tidak bisa. Aku akan menyakiti Anda — ""Akan Anda knock it off?" Dia menarik dirinya dan dia naik ke tempat tidur, keriting ke samping, berhati-hati untuk tidak menempatkan berat badan pada dirinya. Dia memeluk dekat. "Ini akan menjadi biasa, Evelyn. Aku akan keluar dari sini segera dan kami akan bekerja segala sesuatu."Dia mengangguk dan ditekan wajahnya ke bahunya. "Saya merasa begitu takut ketika Anda tidak bangun. Jika sesuatu yang buruk terjadi pada Anda, saya tidak berpikir saya akan pernah mampu mengampuni dia. Segala sesuatu yang pernah ia lakukan kepada saya, menempatkan saya melalui... menonton Anda jatuh melalui lantai itu berusaha untuk mendapatkan padanya — "kata-katanya memotong dengan Isak. "Itu adalah dia kesalahannya Anda terluka.""Shh. Aku akan baik-baik saja." Dia menggosok lengannya, menenangkan swirls jari-jari yang meninggalkan merinding di belakang mereka, dan setelah beberapa menit dia bertanya. "Apakah Parker mendapatkan baik-baik saja?""Apa? Parker's baik.""Aku tidak tahu jika aku sampai di sana dalam waktu. Saya melihat dia turun dan aku hanya bereaksi. Aku tidak bisa menonton Anda kehilangan teman dan ibu Anda semua dalam satu hari."Seluruh acara digulung melalui kepalanya, terungkap saat-saat ia telah terlalu sedih untuk melihat sebelum. "Anda disimpan kepadanya.""Aku tidak bisa membiarkan dia jatuh.""Oh, Tuhan, Lucian." Dia adalah bersyukur dia tidak membiarkan Parker terluka, tapi marah ia melakukannya dengan keamanan sendiri. Ia harus katakan padanya. "Parker's yang mencuri perusahaan itu dari Anda.""Aku tahu. Aku memasukkannya bersama-sama ketika saya mendapat pesan Dugan's mengatakan Anda membuatnya mengemudi Anda di sana. Aku mendengar apa yang Anda mengatakan kepadanya. Kapan akan berhenti berusaha untuk melindungi saya dan biarkan aku melakukan melindungi?"Ia menelan. "Aku sangat marah dengan dia, tapi kemudian, hari ini, setelah... setelah mereka mengambil Anda... dia memaksa saya untuk bangun. Membuat saya terus bergerak. Dia bilang Anda membutuhkan aku. Saya merasa sangat takut, tetapi ia tidak akan membiarkan saya berhenti pada Anda."Bibirnya ditekan untuk Candi-nya. "Yah, aku senang kau di sini. Apakah Anda sakit?"Ada ketukan di pintu dan Dr Sheffield datang. Perawakannya sedikit menampilkan di bawah jas lab putih, rambut dan makeup sempurna, postur cemerlang di tumit tinggi tersebut. Dia diadakan clipboard dan menggelengkan kepalanya. "Ini tampak tentang benar. Saya mendapatkan panggilan mengatakan ada beberapa pasien yang bermasalah menuntut segala macam perlakuan khusus dan kehadiran saya kemarin. Aku seharusnya tahu itu adalah Anda. Apa yang terjadi?"Evelyn mencoba untuk duduk, tapi Lucian diperketat pegangannya."Tinggal di sana, Evelyn. Membutuhkan orang-orang takut selimut keamanan mereka,"kata dokter karena ia pindah ke kaki tempat tidur. "It's nice untuk melihat Anda lagi, by the way.""Sangat lucu, Vivian. Aku jatuh melalui lantai.""Yah, itu tidak pintar. Mengatakan di sini Anda mengetuk untuk sedikit. Apa sakit?""Lenganku dan kepala saya."Dia ditempatkan clipboard nya turun dan dicapai dalam laci. Memproduksi gunting, dia membuat pekerjaan cepat memotong sisa lengan bajunya. Dr Sheffield memeriksa lengan dan ia meringis. "Hmm. Sungguh menyakitkan karena itu rusak. Melihat ini? Yang tidak seharusnya berada di sana. Anda akan perlu cast, dan jika Anda berdebat dengan saya tentang hal itu, saya akan plester tutup mulut Anda. Bagaimana Apakah pernapasan Anda? Bagan Anda mengatakan iga Anda mungkin rusak.""Sakit.""Aku akan menjalankan beberapa x-ray dan MRI. Sementara kau pergi melakukan itu — dan berperilaku seperti pasien baik klasik — aku pergi untuk chatting dengan Evelyn. " Dia meninggalkan sejenak dan kembali dengan perawat dan kursi roda. "Bonny, inilah Lucian Patras. Ia sangat berterima kasih Anda ditawarkan untuk membawanya ke Radiologi."Evelyn duduk dan membantu Lucian dari tempat tidur dan kursi. Keengganan untuk menonton dia meninggalkan lagi punya mencengkeram tangan yang baik. Sama seperti Bonny adalah mendorong dia keluar dari Ruangan, Dr Sheffield disebut, "Oh, dan Lucian, Anda akan perlu tetanus ditembak."Dia mengutuk dan kemudian ia pergi. Dokter menghadapi dia dan tersenyum. "Dia adalah seorang bayi. Bagaimana Anda lakukan?""Saya... apa-apa."Dokter membuat senyum simpatik. "Anda sedang pincang. Aku mendengar tentang ibumu. Aku sangat menyesal, Evelyn. Ada fantastis kesedihan konselor di sini di rumah sakit jika Anda ingin berbicara dengan siapa pun. Nama Lucian's membawa banyak berat badan. Mereka berada di pembuangan Anda jika Anda memerlukannya.""Terima kasih, tapi aku akan lebih suka bekerja keluar pada saya sendiri. Apakah Anda tahu berapa lama ia harus tinggal di sini?"Dia menghela napas. "Aku berharap Anda akan menjadi orang untuk meyakinkan dia untuk tinggal jika itu untuk yang terbaik.""Maaf. Aku benci rumah sakit.""Cocok dibuat di surga. Jika sinar-x dan MRI-nya memeriksa dan hanya lengan dan tulang rusuk, kita dapat memiliki dia terbungkus dalam tanpa waktu dan rumah sebelum makan malam. Jika saya melihat tanda-tanda pendarahan internal atau isu lainnya, aku akan bersikeras ia tetap. Aku tdk peduli apakah nama-Nya."Evelyn menatap dokter selama satu menit panjang dan kemudian akhirnya menemukan keberanian untuk meminta apa yang telah dia ingin bertanya sejak pertemuan pertama mereka. "Bagaimana Anda tahu Lucian? Maksudku, selain menjadi dokter pribadinya? Bagaimana kau bertemu?"Dia tersenyum. "Saya terkejut Anda menunggu ini lama meminta. Aku Shamus's adik."Evelyn's mulut terkulai terbuka seperti ikan trout. "Tetapi nama terakhir Sheffield.""Ya, dan aku bahagia bercerai, tapi saya sudah menikah ketika aku MD. saya Saya sudah kenal Lucian sejak dia masih bayi dan menghabiskan sebagian besar masa dewasa yang menyiksanya untuk semua cara yang ia digunakan untuk menyiksa saya ketika saya masih seorang gadis.""Saya melihat itu sekarang... di set mata dan senyum Anda.""Yah, aku melihat lebih seperti ibu saya. Shamus mendapat nya ikal dan bintik-bintik dari ayahku.""Kenapa Anda tidak di partainya minggu yang lain?""Aku adalah di sini. Itu mengingatkan saya, saya dapat merusak Lucian's lengan untuk membeli Shamus jebakan maut itu. Sekarang, biarkan aku melihat pergelangan kaki Anda."Evelyn mengangkat kakinya dan meringis di bawah berat sneaker nya. Tangan dingin lembut diselidiki. "Itu adalah cukup keseleo Anda memiliki di sana. Bagaimana saya bungkus untuk Anda?"Evelyn mengangguk dan dokter meninggalkan sejenak. Keheningan adalah terlalu banyak. Ibunya wajah, unblinking mata, menghantui dia setiap pikiran."Oke, ini harus lakukan," Dr Sheffield kata saat ia kembali ke kamar. "Saya akan menunjukkan Anda bagaimana untuk membungkus itu dan jika Anda tetap tinggi selama-Oh, Evelyn..." Ia melemparkan perban samping dan Evelyn adalah tiba-tiba dibungkus di lengan dokter seperti Isak tangis disiksa tubuhnya.“I did everything I could and it still wasn’t enough,” she cried. “Everything! I was never enough, never a reason for her to stop killing herself. Why wasn’t I good enough? Why?”“Shh. Oh, honey, your mother’s death has nothing to do with anything you did or didn’t do. She was an addict. But that long, painful journey she always took alone is over, and now she’s finally found some peace.”Evelyn cried beyond countable minutes. It hurt to love her mother from the time she was young. There were no selfless whispers of hope breathed to her in sleep. No encouraging expectations or coddling during the moments she was too weak. It was always the wrong way, her doing for her mother who loved her heroin—always—a little bit more than she loved her daughter.The doctor’s hair smelled of berries. Her embrace was a warm pillow wrapped around Evelyn’s fragile heart. Once she got her sobs under control, Dr. Sheffield produced a damp cloth and washed the grime from her face as if she were a small child. Deft fingers with cherry-painted nails wrapped her ankle.Just as the doctor clasped the small metal clip to hold the brace in place, Lucian returned.“What happened to your leg?” he snapped, attempting to get up and slumping back into the wheelchair.“Easy there,” the nurse, pressing a hand into Lucian’s shoulder, said.He glared at her and Dr. Sheffield stood. “It’s just a sprain, Lucian. She’ll be fine. How did the x-rays go?”The nurse and the doctor went over the x-rays. Lucian’s arm needed to be set. Everything was done in an uninterrupted blur of one event after another. Scout held Lucian’s good hand and never took her eyes off their intertwined fingers. It was long past dark when Dugan showed up and they were permitted to leave.Lucian had three badly bruised ribs, a broken radius, a dislocated shoulder, and several lacerations on the shoulder that took the brunt of the impact when he fell. His temple was bruised, but he was not concussed. His lip was split, but the bleeding had stopped and there was no need for stitches. They wheeled him out because there was some rule about being wheeled out if you were wheeled in. She’d hobbled behind him until Lucian insisted she ride on his lap.When they got to the limo, he shut her inside for a moment to talk to Dugan. Typically, she would have objected to being left out, but she was simply too tired to complain. By the time they reached the hotel, they were both dead on their feet. They made quite a spectacle, walking through the lobby, her limping along, him holding his ribs, as his casted wrist lay cradled in a sling over the only remaining shred of his dress shirt.They walked into the bedroom without turning on a single light. Neither of them seemed interested in catching their reflection by chance. Silently, they assisted each other with their clothing until they were both naked.