Escape (Part III)

Note: Firstly, Sorry for the delay in posting the third part of “Escape”. I hope that the readers who were eagerly waiting for it will enjoy it as much as they enjoyed the previous two parts. Those who have no idea about “Escape”, refer to the first and second part of the story before reading the following part. The links to the previous posts are as follows:

Escape – Part I

Escape – Part II

Thank you as always for the over-whelming support. Enjoy the third part!

 

Stanford hospital sounded busy at 8 in the evening. Jon couldn’t believe that he was in the hospital after watching the crowd hustling and bustling around as if it was a BIG SALE festival. Cara was sobbing quietly but the mental shock had left her as soon as she exposed herself to the outburst of nurses, doctors and patients around. Jon held her hand firmly as if she was his 2 year old.

“Jon, what’s this happening?” Cara stuttered. The fear in her voice was evident.

Jon remained silent. He chose to inquire about Mr. Laurengram and stray away from the common hall which was scaring both of them to death. He made his way to the reception which was as busy as he would imagine queuing up for the payment of his school fee on the very last day. After a couple of minutes, he confronted the receptionist.

“Mr. Laurengram. We got a call that he suffered an accident. Can we know the details?” Jon tried to sound composed.

“Oh, Mr. Laurengram! You can find him on the second floor, Room No. 208. Dr. Rossini is dealing with his case”, the receptionist gave away the details within a blink of an eye as if she knew all of it by heart.

Jon thanked the receptionist and made his way to the second floor. Cara chose elevator, hence they both hassled with the buttons of the elevator and after a couple of minutes they were standing right in front of Room # 208. Cara could see her dad lying peacefully on the stretcher with his eyes shut; he looked exactly what he did in the morning but there was one difference – the bandaged forehead. Cara broke out in a cry hugging Jon closely whereas Jon’s eyes were in the search of Dr. Rossini. Jon’s shoulder was patted by a young good-looking Chinese lady. She looked like a student but later Jon came to know that she had been practicing in the hospital since eight years, it was because of her short height and soft features that made her look extraordinarily young than her years. She was barely five feet; her crooked nose, big eyes with flashing eye lashes and the pink cheeks were the kind notes contributing to her young appearance.

“Jon Stanley here”, Jon shook her hand with the little lady wondering how his hand was enormous compared to the lady’s hand.

“Jon, Can I know how you are related to Mr. Laurengram?” the husky nasal voice questioned.

Before Jon could answer the lady back, Cara broke in the conversation very boldly.

“I am Cara Laurengram, his daughter. What happened to him?” Cara resisted back her tears sounding wobbly.

“Well, Cara, he has been a part of the accident that happened on the 121 Commercial Street which is adjacent to the Subway Station. His injury was not serious though but the situation could turn over into a very serious case for him.” Dr. Rossini explained.

“What do you mean? Don’t try to make me resolve mysteries at this moment”, screamed Cara with her tears trickling down the red burning cheeks. Jon patted her back and made her sit closer to him so he could stroke his hand whenever she was too hysterical.

“Cara, I know it might be difficult for you but before proceeding to reveal the reports of Mr. Laurengram, I would want to know about Mrs. Laurengram. Can we reach her to discuss with her primarily about this very accident?” Dr. Rossini politely asked blinking her eyes million times over to deal with the pace of her verbal speech.

“Amazing! You want to reach someone I have never seen in my life. She died after giving birth to me and since then it is ME who live with my dad all alone”, Cara was flushing with frustration due to the delay but Jon worked like a catalyst to calm her repetitively.

“Well, fine Miss. Laurengram. Let me proceed with the case then. We have not received the reports of Mr. Laurengram yet but we doubt that he was driving drunk. To resolve the mystery, we have taken his blood sample and after 12 hours that is tomorrow noon, we can only tell whether your father would be charged with a crime assault or was this a simple mistaken car accident”, Dr. Rossini breathed deeply after explaining plainly.

“What?? He never consumes alcohol before driving. He is a sane being and a very responsible citizen. You guys are out of your mind, are you trying to tell me that my father is a murderer??” Cara’s emotions filled the room with her echoing shaky voice defending her dad even before he was proved guilty.

The accident I always feared;
Sorrow overtakes and happiness disappeared.

“Cara, I respect your emotions but this is very serious. The bus was loaded with around 55 passengers and around 20 are seriously wounded while others had minor injuries. It is supposed that Mr. Laurengram’s car was on the fast track and he didn’t bother to give the indicator to the bus behind his BMW and that is how the bus driver bumped into Mr. Laurengram’s car when he applied breaks swiftly.”

Dr. Rossini took a minute’s pause as to let Cara digest all the rumbling facts.

“The driver applied the breaks as soon as he could to avoid the accident but it was too late. You should thank Almighty that no one lost their life in the accident otherwise it would have been a serious Police case, whereas, driver is doing well now also. Therefore, I would suggest you to wait until the reports lay down the plot of the entire story disclosing who was at fault – your dad or the driver.”, Dr. Rossini stood up and knelt down in front of Cara’s chair to look into Cara’s eyes which were lowered down to face the ground. She was resisting back the tears to avoid the fiery rage to be washed away with the overwhelming emotions. 

“He will be fine, Cara. He needs you to be strong for him”, Dr. Rossini pressed her hand against hers ensuring her the presence of the possible positive vibes.

“When will he regain consciousness”, asked Cara hastily.

“In about six to eight hours – indeed very soon”, replied Dr. Rossini smiling.

It ain’t easy to see you in there;
My heart beats for your survival – the pain I bear.

Cara left the room and Jon followed her after thanking the doctor. Cara stood in the passage way observing her dad peacefully lying on the stretcher bed from outside the room. She did not have the nerve to trace her dad’s hand while the IV line was tangled around his wrist gripping his veins to supply his body with glucose. She was reminded how her dad had the “needle phobia”. He would never chose an injection over tablets or capsules. Cara gave up to the rushing memories within herself. She was taken back to an incident that took place at least five years back, the day they had their Hepatitis C vaccination. He cancelled his appointment and drove back to home as soon as Cara’s vaccination was done. When Cara asked him that why did he cancelled his appointment, he giggled and answered how he was scared of the injection’s breathtaking long needle. They both have had laughed a lot promising each other how it would be a “Jack-Pack Secret” between them. Cara felt the warmth of a hand on her shoulder, she anticipated that it must be the doctor and she decided to ask her to leave her alone for sometime but as she turned around; her stern expressions smoothened reframing the edge of her stumbled face while the fury burning in her passionately faded all at once.

“Jon, look at dad! What has happened to him?” Cara worriedly exclaimed.

“Sweetheart, he will be alright. He has always been a fighter; he will fight this trauma as well – for YOU, baby”, Jon smiled to comfort Cara.

Observing you in pain is a hard job,
My soul is devastated – I continuously sob.

Cara noticed a queue of chairs arranged before her dad’s hospital room. She didn’t dare to open the door of the room and step in to expose herself to an intense unpleasant smell of a typical “hospital-room”; hence she sat on one of the chairs while Jon sat down on the floor in her footsteps wiping away the concurrent cloud of tears forming in her eyes every now and then. She laid herself back within the chair while her head rested against the wall and it was not long enough when she was roaming in her dream valley independently. Jon stood up from the floor and seated himself carefully in the chair beside her and placed her head to rest on his shoulder so as to avoid her suffer a neck cramp. He felt contented to watch his little angel asleep – the only way her precious tears would not be washed away.

“I love you Cara. Forever and always!” Jon whispered in her ear brushing away a loose strand of hair from her face to tuck it behind her ear. The moments swayed away as Jon rested his head against the wall; playing with her slender fingers, he was transported to his dream valley also.

Escape (Part II)

A lovely new morning,
Strengthening life with another warning.

Cara woke up to the sound of the chirping birds and stretched in her bed with a gleaming smile as the unpleasant confrontation of the past night faded in the rooms of her brain. She climbed out of her bed wrapping the warm quilt around her and walked to the window where she removed the curtains to expose herself to the sunlight of the bright new day. Her Sunday morning was usually late but today was different. If one phase of her brain thought about Jon and their young romance leading to an official relationship in future then the other phase of her brain pondered over the survival of her dad after her. She agreed that he was unpredictable but she never blamed him for his behavior. She knew what it would feel to lose someone who is precious to the soul and heart but all this time she failed to analyze that why couldn’t her dad realize that it was not solely him who had lost a beloved wife but she had lost a MOTHER as well – a woman who contained her for nine months yet she knew nothing about her. Mr. Laurengram never felt any better discussing his late wife; he only preferred to drink and drink in grief – grief that Cara believed would never let go of him until the jaws of death would terminate the thread of his breath.

 

Cara’s silent thoughts were vanished in the air when her ringing cell phone scared her to death. She threw back the quilt wrapped around her in a jerk and dashed to her dressing to grab her cell phone and answered the call breathlessly.

“Cara, were you working out at 8 in the morning? I mean, are you okay?” Jon rushed himself with his words like an express on the station.

“Uh.. Well, why are you speaking as if you  are living the last minute of your life?” humorously remarked Cara

“When will you stop being naughty Cara?”

”Never! Do I complain when you are silly to heights?”

”My babe is making me blush eh?” giggled Jon to tease her over and over.

“How is mommy? Was she worried the last night?” Cara asked anxiously. She had met Jon’s mum more than thrice and she saw the reflection of her own mum in that beautiful lady’s embodiment.

“Mum is good, anyway, she was worried but she knew to every beat that I was with YOU”, Jon teases Cara again with his chuckles over the phone.

“Whatever! Are you coming over for the Spring Party at Gayle’s place in the evening?”

“Cara, lets skip it and go for the dinner sweetheart, what do you say?”

“Jon, I have taken enough of you for the morning. See you at the party, let me check dad for now” Cara explained simply for Jon to stop teasing her.

“Okay babe, it is my turn to serve mum so I got to go too but aren’t you forgetting SOMETHING?”

”I love you Jon”, Cara was blushing even though they were not confronting each other.

“I love you too darling”, Jon knew it came from the heart – the core of his heart.

 

They ended the call and busied themselves in their routine. Cara went downstairs and knew that her dad was fast asleep. She brewed coffee and boiled few eggs for the breakfast. She inserted two slices of bread in the toaster at a time and toasted few slices. She collected the news paper from the porch and went through the headlines while laying the table for breakfast. She preferred milky coffee while black coffee was a necessity for his dad to wipe away the recurring headache after the night which had been spent drinking. He avoided drinking on the week days but weekend served him exquisite timings to drink and mourn. Cara knocked her dad’s room few times but no response assured her of his unconsciousness and she opened the door gently and saw her dad lying on the sofa sleeping sound. The last night was invigorated in her brain and her eyes suddenly were filed with tears. She looked precisely like her dad. The same blue eyes her mother has fallen in love with were the secret to her beauty. These blue eyes were deeper in meaning – the legacy of her life. She sat across the sofa brushing her dad’s brunette hair through her slender fingers and sobbing over his body as if he was already dead. After few minutes, her dad moved and then within few seconds he was squinting to the flashing sunlight illuminating the room through the white curtains.

“Cara, umm.. You here? Baby, Is everything okay?” his hesitation was evident that he might not remember accurately what he did last night but the fragments to the incident were still stored in the hippocampus of his brain.

“Oh daddy, I thought you were too tired so just brought the black coffee couple of minutes ago”, Cara tried her best to sound normal.

There was a pin drop silence. Mr. Laurengram was too busy fighting with the annoying headache that he was unable to see the fresh tears drying out on the pink cheeks of his little doll. He had complimented Cara for the black coffee and was headed to the breakfast table by Cara.

“Oh my goodness, you did this all? When did you wake up or should I ask did you sleep?” he uttered with amazement. Cara smiled and chose to stay silent for that moment. Mr. Laurengram was hungry, he had skipped the meal last night but Cara’s appetite had died already, she played with the fork in her plate cutting the egg in to pieces until he realized her little doll’s lost figure and snapped his fingers before her focused eyes.

 

“Are you in the same world in which I am eating like a beggar hungry for days?” he remarked to lighten the atmosphere.

“Daddy, I am not feeling hungry. I had coffee when I woke up so not feeling like eating.”

“Do you have any plans for the evening?” he asked her politely.

“Oh yeah, a college mate has arranged a Spring Party for the evening. Anything up with you?”

“Yeah, I will drop you by and leave for my business deal. I have a meeting this evening.”

 

The silence again shut their conversation and Mr. Laurengram began leafing the newspaper while she moved upstairs to avoid the confrontation with her dad. He was persistently reminding her of the last night when she did not want to think about it. She heard her dad calling her and she ran downstairs to hear what he had to say.

 “I am sorry”, he said uncertainly.

“Umm.. It’s okay.” Cara tried to resist back her tears. Her dad was not looking at her; she knew he was embarrassed to look into her eyes. The physical pain meant nothing to this young girl but her smashed emotions feared her if she would start hating her dad one day.

 “I know I am wrong. I know I say SORRY always and I hurt you all the time but …” he was interrupted by Cara’s gentle voice.

“Daddy, I said Okay. You don’t have to worry” her tears pierced the white flesh surrounding her sea-blue eyes balls and they spilled drop by drop wetting her face.

“Don’t cry please, that makes me feel guilty”, his voice was stern as usual and though he had pinned his eyes in the newspaper and had not looked up for even a single second yet he knew Cara better than anybody else that he could tell that she was crying without even looking at her.

“I am not crying Dad” she tried to be stern and stiff as him but the outburst of her cry made her run upstairs and dump herself facedown in bed trying to suppress her voice by tugging a pillow underneath her mouth. She cried and cried until her eyes surrendered and had insufficient water to let it out, her mouth and eyes both were dried for it had been an hour since she was crying to shrug the burden off his shoulders.

 

Crying endlessly in bed,
Mourning over the blood-shed.

She got up when it was half past noon. She arranged her closet deciding what to wear for the party the following evening. She messaged Jon to which there was no reply which indicated her that he was busy with his mum and hence she laid in her bed falling for the sleep. She woke up after few hours and before going to bathe she planned on sneaking downstairs to check up on her dad. The hall was empty but the kitchen was clean, her father was doubtlessly the most organized man she knew on the planet. She peeked in his room which was already arranged and tidy. She ran all the way to the porch and there was no car in the driveway, she knew where her dad was. She regretted crying in front of him; she was certain that he must be in the golf club playing golf on his own – the only thing he thought he could do anytime. She rang her dad though she knew he would not receive her call; he felt guilty beyond explanation but she knew he would turn into same creature once again when the memories of her mother would haunt him – this made her hate her mother at times.

Cara was dressed in a multicolor short dress and the bright colors complemented her fair-toned body. Her simplicity was her utmost beauty; she applied mascara to define her long thick eye lashes and softened her lips by applying a cucumber lip balm further defining her thin lips with the Etude glittery gloss to give a party touch to her appearance. She awaited her dad but there were no signs of his arrival; she called him over and over again but he wasn’t responding to her calls and this was not a good signal by any means. Therefore, pushing all the pessimistic thoughts aside, she called Jon to pick her when he would be heading for the party. Within a couple of minutes Jon was on her doorstep with a bouquet of flowers and a present.

“Present! Is there anything special?” exclaimed Cara with amazement and excitement blended all together.

“Well, you can keep the bouquet but you are not opening the present until I say so”, Jon smiled softly to her gleaming blue eyes.

Cara placed the flowers in a vase kept on the table beside stair case and locked the door while messaged her dad that she had waited long and when he had not responded to any of her calls, she had proceeded to the party with Jon. Cara looked at the gentleman precisely in the driver seat and locked her eyes on his innocent face. Cara had always found Jon’s hazel eyes soothing and intoxicating concurrently. Jon was wearing a lime-yellow t-shirt along with white pants. He didn’t look funky which is what the party demanded but decent as always. Cara knew every guy would be dressed fancily at the party but she was proud to be Jon’s girl; after all his dressing code had a taste which was beyond comparison.

 

I love you,
Claims the air that blew.

“I know I am looking SEXY but what are you staring eh?” Jon harassed her with a wink while slipping a finger of his right hand which is enclosed around the hand-gear to touch hers and there she smiled – the smile that always cheered him up and brought pleasure to his heart and soul.

“Oh Mr. Smarty Pants, you may be genius and nerdy but SEXY?? You are nothing close to Hugh Jackman” Cara taunted him back with a playful note in her voice to annoy him.

“Cara! I am no Hugh Jackman because I am Jon, Jon Stanley!” exclaimed Jon.

“Look, now who is getting pissed off huh? Possessive!! Possessive!!” Cara continued teasing him while he played with her fingers and cuddled around her at times when the traffic signal blinked red. 

After half an hour drive, they both were at Gayle’s place hand in hand.

“Cara! Jon! Wow! Great to see you guys together here”, an excited voice made them turn their backs to the addresser.

“Gayle! What a party, bro”, cried Jon with excitement as they both hugged each other followed by a hi-five. Cara shook her hand with Gayle who often seemed brainless to her.

Gayle was a rich brat and a very good friend of Jon. Cara knew him through Jon; though three of them studied together in the first year of Stanford University yet Cara hardly knew anybody whereas Jon was as social as his witty brain allowed him to help every individual in the college. Gayle wore a printed hot-pink t-shirt and multicolor long shorts which made him look no less than a joker. After a brief conversation of Jon and Gayle; Cara was lead to a corner by Jon where they got seated and conversed for an eternity. Suddenly their conversation was interrupted by Cara’s ringing cell phone and she was not certain to attend the call or not as there was an unknown number flashing on the screen. She ignored the call thrice and ultimately when Jon convinced her to receive the call, she agreed reluctantly for the fourth time.

 

“This is Polly from Stanford Hospital. Can I have a word with Miss Cara Laurengram?” an adenoidal flat voice from the other end cracked through the earphone.

“Yeah, Cara speaking”, she hesitantly answered.

“Your father had a severe car accident. We want you in the hospital in an immediate hour to carry out the formalities”, the flat voice was penetrating at once or it might be Cara’s ears.

 

A misery over a heart-felt loss,
Praying with my hand tracing the cross.

The phone tripped from Cara’s sweaty hands with her bulging eyes forming tears that trickled down her cheeks within no time and she hadn’t even the faintest idea how Jon dumped her in the passenger seat and drove all the way to the heart of the city where Stanford hospital was situated.

Escape (Part I)

Your every embrace;
Chasing the morning’s grace.

“Move FAST!!!” cried Jon with the racing heart and his voice competing the stereo speakers set up in the right corner of the club as soon as he saw Cara’s father investigating the security officers on the porch of the small hut. Cara is dressed in beautiful black strapless attire and dancing with her girl friends on the edge of the dance floor near the DJ setup off the floor. Jon thrashes everybody on his way to reach Cara and drapes her face with a piece of black cloth and rushes her through the crowd to the way to the backyard of the hut. Cara releases her hand from his firm grip to unveil his face and embrace him in her comforting warm arms sobbing quietly. Her tears rolling down her cheeks caresses the earlobe of Jon where a sensation is created – he wraps his arms around her as well and they sway with the wind on the edge of the sea shore while water waves play with their entwined feet.

The full moon shining above in the sky creates a miraculous reflection on the water waves crashing on their feet as they sit close to each other hunched on their knees carving each other’s name on the wet mud off the shore. Jon suddenly realizes that Cara is crying when a teardrop from her eye falls on his hand and he confronts her tugging the strands of her loose hair behind her ear and pulls her closer to wrap her in his arms.

“What’s the matter babe?” whispers Jon.

“Baby, I am scared. I want to convince dad to get us married”, explains Cara.

“Hons, you have crossed 18. You are legally an adult now and I love you”, argues Jon.

Cara bursts into a low-pitched cry and buries her face in the well-built chest of Jon. Jon is a dark guy with deep hazel eyes sparkling like the spaceships on the dark land of Pluto. His crooked nose compliments the pouch of his lips. This 6 feet and 2 inches guy stands like a huge pole where little Cara of 5 feet and 2 inches hides herself in him easily. His well-toned body has been an ever-lasting obsession and temptation for many girls but his heart has only accepted Cara as yet for she is his first girl-friend and doubtlessly the last one as he always reassured himself of his devastation if Cara would ever leave him.

Clutching each other – caressed by the wet mud,
Nothing dares to apart us – defeating the lasting flood.

Cara slept with her head tugged in his lap and he watched the beautiful girl lying before him like a beautiful mermaid sleeping peacefully after an exhausted journey. He combed her hair with his fingers while his other hand gripped her waist to support her in the posture she was sleeping. Suddenly, he felt a sensation down his right thigh urging him to move but he resisted to not disturb Cara’s serene sleep and drew his cell phone out of the right pocket of his denim jeans. He tapped the screen gently to see who it was and expectedly it was his mum inquiring about him. He made his way out of the inbox to check the time and his eyes darted the screen without blinking and it wasn’t later when he realized how it was too late to drop Cara home.

“Cara! Wake up sweetheart”, whispered Jon in her ear for he had no intention to knock down the serenity of seashore to pieces.

Cara moved but within the clutch of his arm as he had held her too firmly to let go.
”Babe! Its midnight, I need to drop you by your place sweetheart”, this time Jon’s voice was much louder than a mere whisper.

Cara opened her eyes squinting to the flashing white light of the pole reflected in Jon’s spectacles. “Baby, what’s the time?” Cara asked innocently.

“Quarter past MIDNIGHT,” The words shot as that of a missile and baffled Cara brushed the dust off her dress, yet wondering at the pace of time.
Jon looked at her patiently with a smile on his lips and within ten minutes they were standing on the porch of Cara’s home wishing each other goodnight. This was not the first time Jon has dropped her home at this hour of the dark starry night. The day they first met (the birthday part of Cara’s best friend); from that day onwards Jon knew the way to her home by heart.

Our first kiss under the sun-lit sky,
The fragrance of love – the naughty sigh.

Jon had turned back to return to the car but a hand grasped his wrist firmly and as he turned around, he saw Cara smiling naughtily yet with innocence.

“Baby, you are forgetting SOMETHING,” Cara encircled her arms around his neck and leaned in. Jon could then smell her strawberry shampoo, the soft scent of her enchanting perfume and within seconds he tasted her lip gloss. The feeling was too intense that he couldn’t make out the flavor of the lip gloss but all he could describe was that he wanted to taste the same lips for life time. Within seconds, Jon was driving to her home drunk in love.

Cara double crossed her fingers and gently inserted the key in the door knob and tried her best to not break the silence of the night. She recited a hymn she had learnt as a child in the church for self protection. As soon as she entered the hallway, the house was immersed in dark and without daring to turn on any light she headed upstairs but suddenly she was caught by the glow of a bright yellow light.

“Dad!” cried Cara trying to explain everything through the utter surprise.

“Yes Madam, what is the excuse for tonight?” the slurring words confirmed Cara that he had been drinking since a while or so.

“Dad, we will talk in the morning. You won’t understand anything right now.” Cara explained without hesitation. Instantaneously she saw her dad dashing to her while she stood firm in her place trying to bury her feet underneath the concrete floor. Her dad grabbed her by hair and banged her head against the wall.

“How dare you call me a drunkard?” he screams on the top of his voice scaring Cara to death. She is shivering from head to toe while her words stuttered and before she was able to utter a single word, she had been pushed by her father on the stair case whereas he left to prepare another drink for the night.

Cara’s father, Mr. Laurengram was a rich French business man who had married a Russian woman (Cara’s mother – Fiona Taylor) who died after delivering her first and last baby on the operation table. He was a caring father but what made him worse at times was his excessive consumption of alcohol and incredible possessiveness for his daughter. Mr. Laurengram never married again for he loved his first wife profoundly.  Apparently he loved Cara also but he had blamed her repeatedly at every stage of her life as he believed that the young girl was the murderer of his beloved wife and even after 19 years, he had not been able to get over the grief of his dead wife and continued accusing Cara for the great loss.

The quiet sobs under drifting breath,
Life is a curse – a wish for death.

Cara laid there on the stair case sobbing and wiping off the flowing tears. She could taste blood in her mouth but it was not a new story for her; she was well-aware of the consequences regarding the drunken man she lived with. She gathered all the energy needed to walk to her bedroom but she failed miserably. She knew that her physical strength might deceive her at times but emotionally she was as tough for a competition.