Only Once

Chapter Eighteen: Tears and Hospital Gowns

“Okay,” the nurse murmured and turned to her computer. “So can you tell me why she’s in here?”

“Excuse me, but do you doubt me?” Mrs. Russo demanded and glared at the nurse in a terrifying manner. “I’m here to see my daughter and all I want you to do is your job. And your job is to direct me to my daughter. Are you capable of handling that?”

Erika and Luka exchanged looks then before turning back to the poor nurse whose face had turned beet red. Even Erika had to admit that her mother was a stone cold bitch when she wanted to be.

“I’m sorry, ma’am.” The nurse replied in a calm voice after briefly recovering. “But checking to see if you’re truly related to the patient is part of my job. Now, are these two are also part of the immediate family?"

"Yes, they're her siblings." Mrs. Russo snapped immediately. Erika could tell that she was holding herself back from saying something else.

The nurse kept her expression blank and typed something into her computer. She soon looked up again at them after a moment.

"She's in room 423 which is down the hall, to the right."

"Thanks," Mrs. Russo gave a tight smile before starting to walk towards Diana's room.

"You know what's weird?" Luka said to Erika as they followed their mother.

"What?"

"That it was only less than a week ago that we came to the hospital because of your alcohol poisoning. And yet now we're back again for Diana."

Erika gave him a funny look and they reached Diana's room.

"You didn't even come for me." she finally told him.

"I know," he replied, "But still."

Giving him a quick smile, Erika turned over and took in a plain and small room with a window at the farthest wall, one bed at each end of the room and a television fastened to the wall. One of the beds was vacant while the other one had Diana lying down on it with her fiancé sitting by her side and looking worried. Mr. Russo, it seemed, hadn't arrived yet.

"Oh baby!" Mrs. Russo cried out and made her way towards her daughter, who was looking fragile, broken and hurt as she lay on the hospital bed.

Erika tilted her head to the side, taken back by her mother's reaction. She had never thought that her mother, who was so strict, tough and prevailing, would ever coo "baby" at any of her children.

"Hey Mom," Diana replied in a frail voice and reached up to hug her mother weakly.

"What happened?" Erika gently asked as she walked towards a chair on the other side of the bed and took a seat. Luka quickly followed and sat down beside her. "Like, how badly did she fall that you guys ended up in the hospital?"

Bruce ran his fingers through his sandy blonde hair and hesitantly looked up at Erika.

"She was bleeding."

"Bleeding?" she echoed. Erika felt slightly dazed as she looked over at her brother who was uncomfortably staring at his mother and Diana.

"What on earth do you mean by that?" Mrs. Russo demanded, looking back and forth between Diana and Bruce. "I mean, she obviously hasn't broken or fractured anything,"

"Oh Mom," Diana said weakly, and her voice cracked.

"What is it, sweetie?" Mrs. Russo quietly asked as she started running her fingers through Diana's silky and straight, blonde hair.

"Mom," she repeated, sounding as if she was holding back tears.

"What? Tell me, goddamn it!"

Diana, however, said nothing and instead started bawling.