Falling Again

**Trigger warning** This story contains DV and SA.

**Author's Note** This story is a direct sequel to Falling Forward and is part of the Falling series.

As Caleb pushed Jenny down the ER hallway, a few people in scrubs had surrounded them. They quickly brought her into a small room that had a curtain for a door. Never an attention seeker, somehow she had been drawn into the spotlight right at center stage. This caused her to slouch in the chair.

Caleb, still behind, leaned toward her ear. “Jenny, you’re in good hands.”

He introduced her to the crew, a couple of nurses and a couple of med students. They attempted to help her into the bed. Jenny was insistent on doing it independently. Once she had settled, one of the nurses, Sarah, approached her.

“Jenny, I’m going to put some stickers on you.”

“I’m going to put this blood pressure cuff on your arm.” The other nurse said.

“This goes on your finger.” The med student added as he held up the pulse ox clip.

As the three of them moved toward her, Jenny put her arms out in front of her and shouted, “Wait! No.”

They stopped moving.

“What’s wrong?” Sarah asked.

“I…I…can’t…” Jenny couldn’t formulate her words. She bent her knees up in front of her and hugged them, rocking slightly. She closed her eyes. There was some whispering that she couldn’t make out and then silence, until she heard one voice, his.

“Jenny, breathe. It’s just me and Sarah now. You’re safe. Will you talk to me?”

She could feel him close by, but he wasn’t touching her.

She opened her eyes. “It depends.”

“That’s a classic lawyer answer. Alright, if you’re going to lawyer me, will you let me doctor you?”

“Caleb, I can’t…”

“I mean this in the nicest way possible. You look like shit. You need to let us help you.”

“Great, thanks.” She said sarcastically. She paused and then said, “I’ll agree only if you do it.”

“Deal.” He responded.

Caleb took the stickers and attached them to her. He also wrapped the blood pressure cuff around her arm and stuck the pulse ox on her finger. Normally, one of the nurses would have started an IV, but Caleb gave her a sedative himself.

A few minutes later, an x-ray tech came. Caleb and Sarah left the room briefly, but returned with the results. Caleb explained to Jenny that she did in fact have a collapsed lung and a few broken ribs.

“What now?” She asked.

“You need a chest tube.” He responded.

“Damn. Will it hurt?”

“I’ve already given you some medication to help with the pain, and I will numb your skin first; however, it might still hurt. It’s a relatively quick procedure though.”

“Okay.” Jenny didn’t know what else to say.

At that moment, another nurse wheeled in a tray with the supplies. Caleb stepped away from the bed and turned his back toward Jenny to prepare.

The new nurse approached Jenny with Sarah. “Hi, Jenny, I’m Caroline. Are you doing alright?”

“Hi. Sort of.”

“Hang in there. The procedure will help. Dr. Wheeler is going to insert the tube. There are just a few things we need to do first.”

She pulled the blanket off Jenny. Caroline stood on the left side of the bed while Sarah stood on the right.

“Your pants and bra must be removed.” Caroline said.

“No…no…no.” Jenny said.

“We’ll keep your bottom half covered with the gown. Your top half will be covered with a drape. You won’t be exposed long.” Sarah attempted to make Jenny feel better.

“No…no…no.” While the sedative had calmed Jenny somewhat, it wasn’t enough to stop her from thrashing her legs and crying. “Don’t touch me!”

“Okay, easy does it. Calm down.” Caroline said.

Jenny wouldn’t stop moving. The nurses gave each other knowing glances. Neither one of them wanted to torture the poor girl, but time was of the essence. They were stronger than they appeared. Sarah held Jenny down as Caroline removed her pants. Caleb heard the commotion, but his back remained turned. Intervening would only weaken Jenny’s trust in him. He needed the nurses to be the bad guys this time. He steeled himself because the nagging in his gut told him all he needed. With one hand on the tray, he closed his eyes and took a deep breath so as to not pass out. The realization hit him hard. Jenny had been hurt more than the bruises alone.

“Dr. Wheeler?” Sarah spoke.

No response.

“Dr. Wheeler?” She tried again.

Caleb startled. “Sorry, what do you need?”

“May I talk to you outside?”

They exited the room.

“Did Jenny’s reaction seem odd to you?” Sarah asked. “I mean, I know it’s uncomfortable, but…”

“Yes, I agree. Were her legs bruised too?”

Sarah nodded.

“Shit.” Caleb sighed.

“You think she…”

“Yes. Let’s get her breathing normally first, and then we will address the elephant.”

***

The worst part of his job was hurting people, and Jenny was crying.

“I’m sorry. I’m sorry. I know. I’m almost done.” Caleb pushed the tube in between Jenny’s ribs until it popped into place.

“The hard part is over.” He exhaled.

The procedure wasn’t physically demanding on Caleb. He knew; however, that he was feeling only a fraction of the emotional toll that she must be enduring. He stitched the tube in place and put a dressing over it. He maintained eye contact with her as he gently grabbed her arm from above her head and rested it at her side.

“You okay?”

She nodded.

“It’s going to feel funny and uncomfortable, but we will give you more meds to help with the pain.”

She nodded again.

He removed his stethoscope from his neck. “I’m going listen to you to make sure the tube is where it should be. I have to move these drapes slightly. I promise I won’t expose you.”

Surprisingly, Jenny remained calm. As Caleb placed the stethoscope on her chest, she breathed in and out. When he finished, he covered her with the gown and removed the drapes. He listened to her back as well and then finished tying the gown.

“Good. “You’ll need another x-ray, but you sound much better. Your vitals are looking good too.”He said.

Jenny yawned.

“I know it’s been a long day. Once the x-ray is done, I’ll let you sleep.”

***

Caleb was true to his word, and although he checked on her every couple of hours, he let her sleep the rest of the night. The next morning, he longed for the same sedative he had given her. He needed something to take the edge off because he was dreading his next conversation with Jenny. He walked into her room with Sarah in tow. They each pulled up a chair to her bedside. They exchanged pleasantries and talked about menial things for a few minutes to avoid bombarding Jenny right away. Caleb shifted the conversation in a manner that he thought was subtle, but Jenny was too perceptive.

“What’s wrong?” She asked.

“What makes you thing something is wrong?” He countered.

“First of all, the two of you are tag teaming me. Second of all, you both look like someone drowned a puppy.”

“Whoa, don’t bring innocent puppies into the mix.” He smirked. “Nothing gets by you, does it, counselor?”

“Exactly.” She said. “The same goes for you too, doesn’t it, doctor?

“Touché.”

The three of them were silent for a moment, mentally preparing.

“Jenny, I’ll give you a choice. You can talk to both of us or either one of us.” Caleb said.

“Is neither an option?”

“No.”

“I tried.”

“I won’t be offended if you ask me to leave.” Sarah added.

“You’re sweet, Sarah, thank you. I am comfortable with you, but if I could talk to Dr. Wheeler alone…”

“Say no more. I understand.” Sarah exited the room.

“Seriously, what is going on?” Jenny asked.

“I’ll start by reiterating that you’re in a safe place. Okay?” Caleb said.

“Not this again.” She rolled her eyes.

Caleb glanced over at the monitor. Despite Jenny’s attitude, Caleb knew how she felt. Her heart rate betrayed her.

“Yes, this again.”

“Go on.” She said.

“Yesterday, the nurses saw bruises on your legs too.”

“We’ve already established how that happened.” Her façade was cracking, and she was fidgety.

“We did. Is there something else you’re not telling me?”

“What makes you think I’m hiding something?”

“There were bruises on your thighs too.” Caleb said.

“Yes, from falling down the stairs.”

“You can tell me.”

“Tell you what?”Jenny asked.

They were dancing around each other. Jenny was keenly aware of what Caleb meant, and he knew it.

“Let me put it this way. Being in a hospital is uncomfortable. It’s awkward. People get anxious. That’s normal. What concerned us is the way you reacted to the nurses when they wanted to remove your clothes.” Caleb said.

“That’s what this is all about? You’re saying I overreacted? I didn’t react normally? Oh, I’m sorry I didn’t want strangers taking off my clothes!”

“Jenny, you’re forgetting to breathe. Take a deep breath in… and out…” As he said this, he inhaled and exhaled too.

Jenny complied.

“Good. You’re not hearing me. You’re normal. I’m saying I think you were traumatized.”

“You do?”

“Yes.”

“What if I was?” She said.

“Then, I would say, I’m not going anywhere. We’ll fight this together.”