Flash 03: Loose Ends

I sat down next to her bed and took her hand in mine. She seemed so peaceful lying there. I tried connecting to her mind, but only heard a form of static, almost like a radio slightly off-tune. This is different, I thought. Until now, I had heard nothing from her.

"The doctor said the surgery was a success," I told her. I don't know what I was expecting, but I had hoped there would be some change in her. I talked to her for a while, then found I had to use the rest room. I did my business, then came back into the room and turned on the television. I was flipping through the channels when I heard it.

"C-Cam?"

At first, I thought it was in my mind, but then I realized it wasn't. I turned and was shocked to see her eyes slightly open, looking at me. I probed her mind, and realized she was starting to actually wake up.

"Cam?" she said weakly. "Where... What..." I rushed to the side of her bed and took her hand in mine.

"Yes, Ginger, it's me," I said. "You're in Mercy General Hospital. You've been in a coma for a few months. They just did surgery to remove a brain tumor. Stay with me, okay? I have to let the doctor know you're waking up. Stay with me, please."

I rushed into the ward and spoke to the nurse, telling her that Ginger was waking up.

"I'll get Dr. Samuels," she said. "Stay with her, keep talking to her, okay?" I rushed back in the room, and sat next to Ginger. Her eyes were still open and she was looking at me.

"I'm back, Ginger," I said. "The doctor is coming. You need to stay awake, okay?"

"Wake?"

"Yes, stay awake for me. Can you do that?"

"Okay," she said weakly. Soon, the room filled up as Dr. Samuels and a couple nurses came inside pushing carts full of equipment. I stepped back out of the way and let them do their jobs. Dr. Samuels spoke to her as he examined her. After a while, he stopped and came over to me.

"I'm going to run her through a battery of tests," he said. "This could take a while, so why don't you go home or run some errands and come back at, say, 5:00 pm. I should know something concrete by then."

"Okay," I said. I started for the door and was by the bed when I heard Ginger's thoughts: "I can't believe he stayed. I love that man so much." I turned to her and saw her mouth wasn't moving.

"I love you too, Ginger," I said with a smile. Her eyes grew wide and I gave her a wink. "I'll be back." I headed for the house where I showered and changed clothes. I called my parents and Jack to tell them the news. They were all excited and wanted to know when they could visit. I told them I'd let them know as soon as I could.

I grabbed something to eat and got back to the hospital just before 5:00 pm. I headed for Ginger's room and saw Dr. Samuels. He was smiling as I approached.

"What's the word?" I asked. "Is she really awake?"

"It certainly looks that way," he said.

"I don't understand. What happened?"

"Well, if I had to give an educated guess, I'd say removing that tumor is what did the trick," he said. "I know you're excited, and so are we, but we need to be careful and not rush this. I want to keep an eye on her for a few days. She's lost some weight and she'll need therapy to learn how to walk again. I want to get her on some solid food, and get her strength back up. We've already got the approval from her insurance and we'll be getting her to a rehab facility.

"In the meantime, I suggest you keep talking to her. She knows what's happened to her and she's still in a bit of shock from that. I know the two of you had some issues when she was brought in, but I don't want you hashing that out with her just yet. I don't want to see her go into a relapse. Got it?"

"I got it, doc," I said. I went into her room and saw her sitting up in bed, a tray of food in front of her. I kissed her and sat down next to her. She looked at me, a tear forming in her eye.

"You... stayed with me all this time?" she asked, her voice still weak.

"Of course," I said. "Why wouldn't I?" Tears fell down her face and I held her hand in an attempt to comfort her.

"I'm sorry," she cried.

"Shhh," I said. "It's okay. Everything will be okay. We'll talk about this when you're stronger. Why don't you try to eat something. It's been months since you've had any actual food, you know." She picked up a spoon and ate her cottage cheese, then a small cup of jello. When she finished, she looked at me as if for the first time.

"You've changed," she said. "You look... stronger. More confident."

"Thanks," I said. "I started taking martial arts."

"But it's more than that," she said. "There's something... different about you."

"Well, I'm still a work in progress," I said. "Or so I've been told."

"We have a lot to talk about," she said after a few moments.

"Yes, we do. And we will, but not until you're a bit stronger," I said.

"Okay," she said. "Hold me... please?" I put my arm around her as best I could. It was difficult with the tubes and wires going to her arm from the equipment attached to her bed. "Does Chad know where I am?" she asked. I could sense the fear in her.

"No, Chad and his thugs are gone," I said.

"Gone? Gone where?"

"Hopefully to Hell," I said. She looked at me, her brows furrowed.

"What do you mean? Did you do something?" she asked.

"I'll tell you later," I said.

"I know. When I'm stronger," she said. "What about the board? Do they know?"

"Yes, but they're irrelevant now. They're all in prison, thanks to you."

"Prison?" she asked. "What happened?"

"Well, I worked with Jack and we found the reports and spreadsheets you saved in the cloud," I said. "He was able to make sense of it all and they were arrested. They just got sentenced to life in federal prison for what they did to you and to Jack's company."

"You worked with Jack Peabody? The CEO?" she asked.

"Yes," I said. "He paid me handsomely for my help. Let's just say I've been rather busy these last four months."

"I guess you have been busy," she said. "Have you... You know... Dated anyone?"

"Well, there were a couple nurses who took care of me when I was in the hospital, but they were only dinner dates. Nothing happened," I said.

"Nothing?" she asked.

"No, nothing," I told her.

"You could have, if you wanted to," she responded.

"I won't say I wasn't tempted. I was. It just didn't seem right. And they made it clear they didn't want a relationship with a married man."

"Do you still love me?" she asked.

"Of course I do," I said.

"You may not after you learn everything I was forced to do," she said quietly.

"We'll deal with that when the time comes. Right now, you need to get your strength back," I told her. She snuggled closer to me and held my arm tight. I could feel the tears dripping down her face.

"You deserve someone much better than me," she said.

"Stop talking like that," I said. She looked up at me with sad eyes, tears falling down her face.

"I'm serious, Cam," she said. "That day, I promised myself I was going to tell you everything and beg your forgiveness. When I couldn't stop the car, I thought I was going to die without getting a chance to apologize. Seriously, you'd be better off if I were dead."

"No, that's not true," I said. "Don't ever talk like that again, you hear me?" She nodded her head, not saying anything. I gently probed her mind and found that her memories were coming back to her, along with something else -- regret, shame and self-loathing. I could tell she was bursting with the desire to confess her transgressions, but I also remembered what Dr. Samuels said.

I held her for another hour or so as we watched some television. I looked down and saw she was falling asleep, so I slipped my arm out from behind her and laid her down on her bed before covering her up. A nurse came in and checked her out, then put something in her IV.

"She's had a long day. She's probably very tired," the nurse said.

"Probably right," I said. I saw Ginger open her eyes a bit and I bent down to give her a kiss good night. "I'll be heading home now," I told her. "Get some rest. I'll be back tomorrow."

"I love you," she whispered.

"I love you too," I said in response.

Ginger improved considerably over the next few days, but she was still weak and had a lot of difficulty getting around. The doctor seemed convinced that her tumor was gone and she was transported to a nice rehabilitation facility in a rural area north of the city. I followed the medical transport vehicle to the place and was stunned when I saw it.

The facility occupied several acres in a wooded, hilly location, and it included a nice, well-kept pond that was fed by a creek. I could see myself retiring in a place like this. The room she was given was quite large, well-appointed, and had a nice view of the pond and the woods on the other side of it.

We got her situated in the queen-sized hospital bed and the nurse showed her how to operate the large wall-mounted television and the other controls on the bed. She also made sure we knew how to connect to the facility's wifi, and showed us how to place an order with the kitchen, which she said was available 20 hours out of the day.

"Oh, and here's a 'Do Not Disturb' sign if you ever want to have a bit of privacy," she said, while reminding us that visiting hours were over at 11:00 pm. "Her day starts right at 7:00 am, and we want to make sure she gets a good night's sleep," she added with a smile. We thanked her and I helped put Ginger's things away in the dresser.

When we finished, Ginger changed into some pajamas and plopped down on the bed. I could tell she was exhausted.

"If you don't mind, I think I'll call it an early day," she said. "Thanks for coming out with me. It means a lot to me."

"You're welcome," I said. "This sure is a nice place."

"Yes, it is," she said. "Maybe one day we can retire to someplace like this."

"Who knows?" I asked. "Well, I'd better get going. I'll be by tomorrow," I added, giving her a kiss.

"You'd better be," she said. "You know we're going to have to talk about things sometime soon," she added.

"I know," I said. I'd been putting it off, not wanting to cause any emotional trauma, but I could tell that she was getting strong enough -- at least physically -- to deal with it. But I still had concerns. "Tell you what. Doc says he wants you here for at least a month. Why don't we give it a week and see how you're doing, then we'll talk. Deal?"

"Deal," she said after giving it some thought. I gave her another kiss and covered her up, then started for the door. "Cam," she said before I reached it. I stopped and turned around. "I love you," she added. I could tell she meant it.

"I love you, too," I told her before leaving the room.

The next week went by pretty fast. I went to work, visited Ginger on my way home, worked out, went to my martial arts class, and did my weekly workout with Smith and Jones. The workouts drained me, emotionally and physically, but I always felt better afterward.

By then, the funds from the settlements had posted to my account -- minus Andrea's cut and the taxes, of course. Nathan was busy putting together a portfolio for me that would safeguard the money, maximizing its growth while giving both Ginger and I a nice monthly dividend.

He was also working on a business plan for my venture. I knew it would soon be time for me to make the decision to either fish or cut bait, but I honestly didn't know what the future held for my marriage.

"I stopped by to see Ginger yesterday," Jack said when I finished my appointment with Nathan. "She's looking a lot better."

"Yes, she's getting her strength back. I suspect she'll be back on her feet soon," I said.

"Have you decided what you're going to do about things?" he asked.

"Not yet. At least not conclusively," I told him.

"You know she's madly in love with you," Jack said.

"I know," I said. "And I still love her. Love was never the problem, though. I need to know if I can trust her again."

"I can understand that," he said. "You do know she was never a willing participant in what Bergstrom and Wheeler did to her."

"I know. But I also remember how she treated me all that time. The doctor says her tumor may have played a role in that. Still... I just don't know. I want to hear what she has to say."

"Even with your abilities, you don't know?" Jack asked.

"I've deliberately refrained from probing her mind since she woke up," I said. "I don't want to take the chance that she might be influenced by my presence there."

"I see," Jack said. "You're going to have to face the situation, and you need to do it sooner rather than later."

"I know."

"I understand Nathan's working up your business plan," he said.

"Yeah, he's doing a hell of a job on that," I said.

"If you do decide to launch your own venture, you're going to need some help," Jack said. "Especially with the finances and the books."

"Well, I thought about hiring you guys for that," I said. He smiled at that.

"I'm flattered you have so much confidence in us, Cameron," he said with a smile. "But I was thinking about someone in particular."

"You mean, Ginger?" I asked.

"Why not?" he asked. "She has all the right skills, all the right certifications, the experience, and she's very organized. She's also used to managing large sums of money. If anyone can keep your office running well, it would be her."

"Are you thinking about firing her?" I asked.

"Not at all," he said. "In fact, I'd hate to lose her. I was thinking maybe she could start part-time with you until you were ready for someone full-time. Besides, I think it might make her feel good to know that you trust her enough for that kind of a role. And it might help the two of you get closer to each other."

"You have this all figured out, don't you, Jack?"

"Of course," he said with a smile. "That's why I'm the CEO here." We both chuckled at that.

"You may be right, Jack," I said. "But there's still one very large hurdle we need to get over."

"Then you'd better get to it, son," he said. "Time waits for no man."

"Thanks for the words of wisdom, Obi-wan," I said with a laugh. He laughed with me and slapped my shoulder.

Finally, the day came when Ginger and I would discuss the "800-pound gorilla" in our marriage. Part of me wasn't looking forward to this at all. I had seen everything there was to see in her memories, and I didn't want to be reminded of all that. But I knew it had to be done. I walked into her room, said hello to the therapist and gave Ginger a kiss.

"How is everything today?" I asked.

"Ginger has made a lot of progress today," the therapist said. "She's doing better with each passing day."

"I'm glad to hear that," I said.

"Well, I'll let the two of you visit for a while," the therapist said. "Get some rest tonight, Ginger. Tomorrow's going to be even busier than today."

"I will, thanks," Ginger said as the therapist left the room.

"Have you eaten?" I asked.

"Yes, I just finished," she said. "The therapist recorded my caloric intake, that's why she was here."

"Ah, I see," I told her. She climbed into the large bed and looked at me before speaking. I could tell she was anxious.

"It's been a week, Cam," she said. "I think we need to talk, get this all out in the open."

"You're right," I said. "I'm sorry, I just haven't been looking forward to this."

"I know," she said. "Frankly, neither have I. But I need to get this out before I explode."

"I understand," I said.

"First off, I want you to know that I really do love you with all my heart," she said. "And I'm so very sorry I hurt you. I know that some of what you're going to hear will be... very hard for you to take. But I feel that we need to face this if we're ever going to move forward."

"Well, I already know you were forced into doing what you did," I said. "Bergstrom and the rest of the board already admitted to that in open court."

"But there's some things they may have omitted," she said. "Please, just hear me out first before you say anything, okay?"

"Okay," I said. I steeled myself mentally for what was about to come. I knew it would be hard to hear, especially after what I had seen in her memories. She took a deep breath and began. She told me how Chad had spent some time flirting with her, and how she liked it at first.

Then she told me how he falsified a couple reports she had put together -- important reports that would be submitted to the federal government. I didn't understand all that, but I believed her. After all, I had seen her memories.

She told me everything -- how he drugged her and how he used her. I didn't need -- or want -- a "blow-by-blow" and told her as much. She nodded her head and continued. She spoke of the boardroom gangbangs and talked about how Bergstrom and the others used her over and over again.

"I felt so dirty and ashamed when they finished," she cried. "I just wanted to crawl into a hole and die. I hated myself for letting this happen, and yes, I hated you as well for not coming to my rescue."

"I couldn't rescue you, Ginger," I said. "You never told me any of this was going on. You just shut me out completely."

"I know, I know," she said. "I was so confused. They said if I ever breathed a word of this, they would have you killed in front of me in the worst way imaginable. I treated you like shit and I'm so sorry for that."

"Couldn't you go to Jack?" I asked.

"No," she said. "They warned me off of that as well. They threatened to kill him if I said anything to him."

"So he didn't know?"

"No," she said, shaking her head. "I think he may have suspected something, but he didn't know for sure. He didn't get along with Bergstrom or the other members of the board very well." She continued her story, and told me how Wheeler sometimes used her to entice potential clients to the company. He also used her to "thank" clients for staying with the firm.

Of course I knew all of this already, but she didn't know that. She went on to talk about how she decided to put together a package intended to nail Bergstrom and the others, but she never got a chance to send it all to the SEC lawyer she had contacted. As she spoke, I felt a pressure build up in my head, and I had to use what Smith and Jones taught me to keep from exploding.

"When you came to see me in the hospital, you seemed like two different people," I said. "Tell me, did you have Chad in our condo? Were you seeing him while I was in the hospital?"

"Y... Yes," she stammered through her tears.

"Why?" I asked. "That just doesn't make any sense to me. You said you loved me, said you hated what he did to you, but yet you had him in our house, in our bed. Why?"

"I honestly don't know, Cam," she said. "You're right, I felt like two different people. My mind was going in a hundred different directions at the same time. Yes, I hated him and what he made me do, but my body... Well, my body loved it. I can't explain it." I remembered Smith, Jones, and Dr. Samuels telling me about her tumor and figured that might explain her conflicting emotions.

"There's more," she said through her tears.

"More?" I asked.

"Chad forced me to have an abortion," she said quietly. "Said it was either the baby or you. I absolutely hated him for that."

"But that still didn't stop you," I said. She shook her head as she cried.

"I'm so terribly sorry," she said. "I even thought about killing myself. I almost did it, too."

"I'm glad you didn't," I said.

"I'm not just damaged goods, Cam," she said. "They destroyed me. Completely. I'm no good to anyone now." She broke down, sobbing into her hands. I sat in my chair and did nothing but let her get it out of her system. Finally, she blew her nose and looked at me through tear-streaked eyes.

"You'd be better off without me," she finally said. "If you want to get a divorce, I'll understand. You can have everything. The condo, our accounts, everything. I'll even give you my 401K. All I need are my clothes and my car. I still have my job, so I can get by on that. I'd appreciate it if you just let me have enough to start over in a new place."