Heart & Soul - Ch. 2 -

Chapter 21

Callie awoke, blinking rapidly to clear the fog that had settled over her brain. Finally managing to open her eyes as they adjusted to the bright lights, the surroundings of the hospital room came into focus, and panic set in. She glanced around the room, and realised there was no one there with her. Why was she here...and where were Nate and Hayden? Groping around the sides of the bed, her hands managed to find and grip the remote and hit the call button for the nurse. And she waited...and waited. It felt like hours had passed by the time the nurse finally came into the room to check her IV bag and vitals.
"Finally awake, I see." The nurse stated simply.
"Yes...how long have I been asleep?" Callie asked.
"Since yesterday...or last night, rather."
"Last night? How long have I been here then?"
"Since last night." She repeated.
"Okay...um...I know this might be a stupid question, but...why am I here?"
The nurse, who had been studying the machines to read Callie's vitals, turned her head and gazed at Callie, apparently trying to decide if the question was serious or if it was some sort of joke.
"The doctor will be with you soon." The nurse replied, without answering the question.
"You're not going to tell me why I'm here?" Callie asked, in disblief.
"The doctor will be with you soon." She repeated, and left the room without another word.
Callie sighed, and leaned back against the pillows, and wondered again where her husband and her son could be, if not here with her...and why weren't they here with her? Nate would never leave her alone this way...she supposed Hayden could be with friends, she could understand Nate not wanting him to be at the hospital and seeing her there this way. But certainly Nate would be here...so where in the world was he? She sighed again, and waited for the doctor to show, and tried to think of anything but the horrible reasons that Nate would be somewhere other than with her...she didn't want to think horrible things like that...but the thoughts of him having an affair, or worse just kept trying to sneak their way into her mind.2

"Mrs. Rivers?" After an hour of waiting, the doctor finally strutted into the room...so much for 'shortly'...she thought to herself as she shifted her attention to him.
"Yes?"
"How are you feeling."
"A little weak...and very confused."
"Well, all of your vitals look good...the weakness could be from a lack of food, I'll have the cafeteria send something up for you. What are you confused about?"
"Why I'm here."
"How is that confusing?" He asked, arching an eyebrow in curiosity.
"I don't know why I'm here...what has happened to me...and why isn't my family here, are you keeping them from coming to see me?" Callie rattled off the questions, one after the other, without really giving him the chance to respond. She hadn't meant to, and she hadn't meant to sound so frantic, but once the first question was out the others just seemed to fall right out behind it.
"You don't remember?"
"No, I don't remember...if I remembered, I certainly wouldn't be asking...please, where is my husband?" She asked, and had to close her eyes to keep the tears at bay as she took a steadying breath.
"Mrs. Rivers...there's no evidence of head trauma, or anything of that sort...I don't see why you wouldn't remember what has happened."
"I'm sorry to disapoint you...but I honestly don't remember...so please...why am I here?" She asked, for what felt like the hundreth time already. "I want to go home to my family...if you say there is nothing wrong with me and that my vitals or whatever are fine, then please...can't I go home?" She pleaded, she felt like a child, lost and completely alone...she wanted her husband...wanted to be in his arms again, to feel the warmth of his lips as the caressed her cheek and forehead, to hear his voice as he told her that everything was going to be fine. WHY wasn't he HERE? She wished someone would tell her why!
"I'll take it from here, doctor." A man spoke the words from the doorway of her hospital room, and simply walked in without waiting for an invitation.
"As you wish, detective." He replied, but turned back to Callie. "Everything looks good, but i'd like to keep you over night just to be safe. I will be back in later to check on you and make sure everything is alright." He told her, before walking out.
"Who are you?" Callie demanded of the stranger, she was slowly becoming exhausted and very irritable.
"I'm Detective Taylor."
"And what do you want with me?"
"I need a report from you about the events that took place last night. I realize that other officers spoke to you at the scene but I have to file it formally, you understand..."
"Officers? Scene? What are you talking about?"
"Last night, Ms. Rivers."
"I'm afraid that doesn't tell me much...I'm sorry but I dont remember anything after dinner last night."
"And what time was that?"
"I don't know...it was an early dinner. Something that we do every...Saturday night...so today is Sunday." She replied, though the last was to herself.
"And what is it you do every Saturday night...have dinner?"
"Among other things...now if you'll excuse me, I'd like to call my husband...and I do require some privacy when it comes to my private life." She replied.
"I'm afraid you wont be able to do that, Ms. Rivers."
"Am I in some kind of trouble here?" Callie asked.
"That's what I'm here to find out." Detective Taylor replied, as he lowered himself into the chair next to the bed. "I've got some questions for you."
"How am I supposed to answer your questions if I can't remember anything about last night?"
"We'll start with some general questions, nothing about last night...not just yet." He replied.
"Alright...I don't suppose I've got much choice, anyways." Callie said, reluctantly agreeing to answer whatever questions he might have.
"You don't have to answer any of my questions."
"Right...but if I don't, then I'm automatically guilty in your eyes. Isn't that right, Detective?" She replied, easily, though she glared at him as she spoke.
"Shall we get started then?" He asked, with a lazy grin.
"I guess so." She shrugged.
"How long have you known Nathan Rivers?"
"Practically my entire life, I guess."
"How do you mean, 'practically'?"
"We grew up in the same town, and I guess I technically met him in my freshman year of high school."
"And when did the two of you get married?"
"Is that really a necessary question?"
"Not at the moment, I suppose...I can ask again another time if it is...if you're having trouble remembering the date."
"Look...I don't have to sit here and answer your questions...especially not personal ones that have nothing to do with why you're here, so maybe you could talk to me like I'm not some sort of common criminal or some idiot." Callie hissed, furiously.
"You're right...I'm sorry."
"No you're not..." She scoffed. "Please...just finish with your questions and leave me alone."
"How old is your son?"
"Old enough...again, is that important?"
"Possibly." He shrugged.
"Then ask again once you decide."
"Are you his biological mother?"
"Of course I'm his mother!"
"And Nathan is his father?"
"Yes." She stated angrily.
"Is Nathan the only you've been with?"
"Excuse me?"
"This particular question, is important, so I'm afraid I require an answer now."
"Yes...he is the only person." She replied, though she couldn't quite control the blush that creeped into her face and painted her cheeks red.
"I don't think you're being completely honest, Ms. Rivers."
"I'm sorry? Like you would know this kind of information on me? I am being honest, I think I would be able to remember the men I've been with...and Nate IS the only one."
"There we go, with your memory again." He smirked. "You see, I've done some research on you Callie...and you've forgotten to mention your father..." He began, and noted the way the color drained from her cheeks just as quickly as it had appeared. "Sexual activity is considered 'being' with someone in my book, Ms. Rivers. So do I need to ask the question again?" He finished, and her face turned fiery red with her fury at the suggestion that Detective Taylor's tone carried with it.
"I don't consider rape to be sexual activity, Detective. I consier it abuse. And any cop, officer, private eye, detective or whatever the hell else is out there, that thinks differenly should seriously consider a new career." She spat. Detective Taylor gave an inward chuckle, she was quite the little fire cracker...he knew she would react the way she did, or had an idea. He knew about her father and the many accusations she had made of his raping her, and he had no doubt that it had happened...he had met her father just this morning, and the man was a real character. But he had to be sure, himself, that she was innocent of the crimes that some people already seemed to think she was guilty of. He wasn't quite so sure, which was why he decided to stay on the case, and meet the woman himself, instead of passing it off to some other jerk off cop that would just let the case run cold. He shifted his gaze back to Callie and noted the tears that shimmered in her eyes, though she was too stubborn to let them fall while he was there, he cursed himself for being so harsh...but he had a job to do.
"Would there be any reason for you to contact him then?"
"Absolutely not."
"Would Nathan try to contact him?"
"No. Why should either of us want to?"
"How long would you say it's been since you've spoken to your father?"
"Years...not long enough, if you ask me, but it's been years now. He doesn't even know about Hayden...or if he does he didn't hear about him from us. I don't think we've spoken to him since I graduated high school. Has he done something? Is that why you're here? Because you think I'm connected to whatever it is he's done?" Callie laughed. "I assure you, that whatever it was, he did it all on his own."
"That's not exactly why I'm here."
"Then why?" She asked.
Detective Taylor set his gaze on her once again, and tried to measure her up. He was typically a good judge of character, and could usually tell pretty easily when someone was lieing...and he didn't get that from her. She seemed genuine with her feelings...and to be honest, she didn't appear to be all that great of disguising her feelings anyways, it would be difficult...if not impossible for her to lie, he decided, and took the mini pad of paper he had been using to take notes and replaced it in his pocket.
"I could tell you why you're here...why I'm here. Or, I can try to take you through yesterday, a step at a time and help you remember. The decision is yours, and completely up to you. And..before you decide, let me just tell you...honestly this time...that I am sorry for the way I have been talking and acting. You have to understand it's my job. It's my job to spot a criminal. I may have a hard and callous way of doing my job at times, but it's never failed me in the past, so I appologize if I hurt or offended you in anyway. I believe you're innocent, and I want to help you find who commited the crimes that took place last night." He explained. Callie simply stared at him. At first for the genuine appology he made, and then at the end...when he mentioned the crimes that 'took place last night'. What had happened...and was it really something that she wanted to remember? She wondered, and she thought long and hard on the decision at hand, before she finally gave him her answer.