Part 1, Chapter 6: A Hospital Visit

Stepford Nurses and Missing Eyes.

I waited. A day passed, and then another. The persistent thought of the old man lying there on the ground, knocked unconscious and helpless tore me up inside. Just the sheer terror I had felt in the first few minutes still frightened me when ever I thought about it. By the time Friday rolled around, I found a note taped to my door. It was written in slightly smashed cursive, yet it was very precise cursive. I almost did not need to read the note to know who it was by. Rose had come by while I was at class and taped a note on my door that explained that Mr. Muller was alright and if I wanted to come by the hospital today. I wasted no time in catching a bus to the place.

When I arrived, I ran inside the place, right to the attendant at the desk and figured out exactly which room they were in. She warned me that they might be performing some sort of test, but that did not stop me from marching right up to the second floor, fifth door on the left from the stairs. I opened the door as quietly as I could so as not to disturb him or his room mate if either of them were sleeping. For the most part, the room was austere, completely white, completely bare walls and nothing more save for a few plugs here and there for the various equipments of the patients to be hooked up to. Two beds were in the room, the heads at opposite corners of the room and beside them sat tiny bed stands, two drawers only. Two small rolling tables that were just high enough to reach across the bed in case the patient could not leave his cot to get breakfast. The door creaked lightly as I poked my head into the room.

I stepped inside and hurriedly shut the door behind me so the sounds of the hallway would not disturb him. There was another patient in the room that would sleep through my entire visit. Rose sat beside him on his right side, his hand in hers. They were talking to each other softly in their native tongue, far too fast for me to follow, but I did pick up the occasional word of admiration between them. I held back against the door, not wanting to disturb their moments together. I was not going to deny it; they were a very sweet couple. Despite Mr. Muller's obvious faults, there was something within him that Mrs. Muller saw and she loved and adored, and that was what made them such an adorable pair.

Rose looked up, "Oh… dear," she motioned, "come here."

I came over, timidly. "Good morning, Rose." I smiled weakly. Mr. Muller went silent when I had entered into his view. "Hello, Mr. Muller." I murmured, he did not answer me at first. He merely stared off past my shoulder for a moment before turning back to look out the window. I looked sadly to the row of stitches across his forehead, pulling his already battered skin back together and it made me a bit uneasy being around him. He rested more on his left side than his right and hid the stump of his arm skillfully in the folds of the hospital blanket. The fake hand that he normally wore was resting on the small nightstand beside him along with a small silver box that I had never seen before. His left eye was closed tightly.

"Hello." He finally said in a monotone voice as he kept his single open eye staring out the window, avoiding my gaze as much as he could.

Shifting uneasily, I wrung my hands together. He must have hit his head awfully hard to have caused his eye to do that. Yet, something baffled me about it. The gash on his forehead was on his right side, yet his left eye was the one that was suffering. The lack of bruising on him also made me wonder. But I was not going to ask, not only would it be rude but it would be exceedingly awkward if this had been some abrasion he'd always had that I had never noticed. He suddenly tore his eye away from the window and fixed them upon me. I turned my gaze in an instant to his wife.

"So…" I said, trying to make idle conversation, "How much longer do you think they'll keep you in here?"

Rose held his hand in hers, gently running her fingers over the knuckles on his hand, she looked to me with a smile, "I'm sure it will not be too long… they are sure to let us out very soon."

There was not really a response from her husband.

"I hope so too, I don't think anyone would like to stay for too long in a place like this." I wrinkled my nose, "besides it smells weird."

Rose giggled at this, and then looks to Mr. Muller: "See, Albert, that's one more reason for you to get out of here." She laughed again as he smiled, something coming into his mind that caused his eyes to glow with a new light I had never seen before.

"If I was younger…" he rasped out, and then smiled at her, actually smiled at her. Yep, that bash to the head must have done more damage than I thought. He turned to his wife, and then motioned with the stump of his arm to the side table. "Meine Auge, bitte, Spatzi." I tilted my head at this last statement, but then it occurred to me that his closed up eye wasn't from any recent injury in a way, but just the fact that he didn't have one. I watched with strange enraptured as he put the glass eye into the empty socket.

I coughed slightly into my elbow, trying to suppress the noise so as not to disturb the other man in the room and throwing my arm across my mouth so to not defile the sterile environment in the room. After I finished coughing I waited a few moments, looking around awkwardly. I raised my hand and subconsciously put a hand over my mouth, "uhm….. Mr. Muller…" I ventured to speak. When he looked at me I went quiet again, for some reason not really knowing how to ask the question I wanted an answer to. "What happened?" I eventually said as I made a weak gesture to the gash on his forehead, after which I quickly pulled back my hand.

"I fell." He said plainly.

I could have smacked myself. "Eh-he…. Yeah…" I smiled sheepishly. "Any details sir?"

He blinked at me. "I was going to walk my dog. I fell down the stairs." He said frankly and that was good enough for me. Besides, I was not going to press on further if he did not want to talk to me at that moment. It was his choice after all. Finally he spoke again, still watching me very carefully: "Thank you."

I never had a chance to reply before a tiny nurse came in to the room, holding a watch. "Alright…. Mrs. Muller, he sh-," she looked up at me, "Oh, hello…" she said with an exceedingly fake smile that made me want to get away from her as fast as I could. "I'm afraid you will have to leave, Mr. Muller needs his rest." She came over, offering her hand to Rose to help her up.

Rose said politely, "Thank you, but I do not need help…" Rose then smiled and nodded as she picked herself up from the chair stiffly but carefully. Mr. Muller reached out his hand to her to try and help her, but the nurse quickly stepped between them as motioned to the door with a smile to Rose and me. I came over to Mrs. Muller and stood by her as she shuffled out of the room.

"Visiting hours are the same time tomorrow," the nurse said in a cheery voice as she closed the door behind Rose and me.

I merely watched the nurse close the door and I made sure she had closed the door before I turned to Rose, "What was that all about?"

Rose shook her head gently, "That nurse woman… she and Albert do not get along." She half smiled as she hooked her arm in mine and leaned against me as she walked towards the hospital door. I bent my elbow to make things easier for her. I was not going to tell her that her husband was not the easiest man to get along with, but that nurse woman was just plain creepy to me. I felt that I might have been in some sick version of Levin's The Stepford Wives the way she seemed so oblivious and was constantly smiling. It was vaguely disturbing.

I helped her walk out of the hospital, "Did you drive here, Mrs. Muller?" I asked as I looked around the parking lot for what might be her car.

She simply smiled and chuckled at me, "Heavens no, dear… I can not drive."

"Oh…" I said sheepishly, "You taking the bus back home?"

She nodded and patted my arm gently, "Would you like to ride back with me, and I'll pay for your pass, dear."

"Mrs. Muller…" I said, "you don't have to do that, I brought my own car…. How about I drive you home?" I pointed to Sofie's car, still sporting some of the remnants of the gate-smashing incident under the front hood.

"You are very sweet, dear… but I do not want to be a burden to you."

"You won't be, Mrs. Muller" I gave her a smile, "C'mon… I'll drive you home; it's right on the way to the college anyway…" I would not take no for an answer, I gently started leading her to the car, carefully not to go too fast for her.

"Oh, oh…well" she said, "If… if you insist, dear…" We then walked across the parking lot in silence for the most part until we got to the car. Suddenly, Rose turned to me, "Thank you." Was all she said. I was caught a bit off guard.

"Thank you for what?"

"For saving him," she gave me a hug. "I do not want to think about what might have happened had you not stopped by that day."

"Oh," I said as I gently returned the hug, "I…. you're welcome… but it wasn't all me... Ana came and found me and…. Well... I wouldn't say 'save'…"

Rose smiled, "No, no… that's exactly what you did, dear. You saved his life… thank you."

I suddenly broke into a broad grin. "You're quite welcome," I chuckled, "And I'd gladly do it again," I said as I opened the car door and helped her get inside.

I was not telling a lie when I said that, I felt like I had just saved the world for someone.