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 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.