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“Let go of it, you bitch!” Donny shouted.
“No! You can’t do this,” Kris said.
Their voices were coming from the bathroom, along with the sound of a scuffle. Abe hurried in to see Kris on the floor, huddled over the toilet and reaching for the handle, and Donny curled over her, grasping at her hand.
“You guys! Stop!” he yelled as he ran into the room.
Donny lunged forward and scratched Kris’s arm, causing blood to bubble to the surface.
Kris cried out in pain.
“Donny, let go.” Abe came up behind him and tried to get a grip on his arms or back. “You’re hurting her. Let go.”
“Get off me!” Donny yelled.
“Abe!” Kris shouted, sounding terrified.
“Donny, stop. You don’t want to do this.” Abe’s heart raced with fear, but he managed to grab both of Donny’s shoulders and yank him back, giving Kris a little more room. “Get out from there, Kris,” he said breathlessly, the effort of holding Donny back and the adrenaline pumping through him causing his lungs to ache.
“I can’t!” She wriggled and tried to move, but she was still pinned between the toilet and her brother.
Abe braced one foot against the wall behind him and pulled harder. “Donny, let her go!” He managed to yank Donny back farther, but instead of running away, Kris darted up, grabbed the handle, and flushed the toilet.
“No!” Donny yelled and lunged toward Kris, but Abe held on as hard as he could.
“Kris, get out of here!” he shouted again, and finally she listened, crawling away a few feet and then getting up and running out of the room.
Donny went wild, wiggling and shaking. “You can’t get away from me!” he yelled at his sister. “Get the hell off me!” he shouted at Abe. “You had no right!”
Abe wasn’t sure who the last comment was directed toward, but it didn’t matter. The effort of holding Donny down was wearing on him, and he knew the boy would get loose sooner rather than later. “Donny, calm down and tell me what happened.”
“He’s a stupid druggie!” Kris shouted from the doorway. “I found drugs in his bag!”
Abe’s world stopped spinning with that revelation. He knew Donny had problems, but he had no idea it had gotten to that level. And like a fool, he had taken Donny to get that bag, no questions asked. He felt sick but tried to keep himself together. “Kris, go downstairs and call your father,” he said, each word an effort.
“Fuck you!” Donny shouted. “You had no right to go through my things.”
“Kris, go!” Abe yelled hoarsely.
“Get off me!” Donny said, managing to get one shoulder free.
“I will if you calm down,” Abe said. “We’ll figure this out. Please calm down.”
“Fuck you, faggot! Get off me.” Donny shifted from side to side and then threw his elbow back, landing a direct blow in the center of Abe’s chest and knocking all the air from his lungs.
The punch sent Abe flying backward into the wall. He grabbed his chest, trying and failing to catch his breath. Curling into a ball, he thought back to the tricks he’d learned to deal with a severe asthma attack, something he hadn’t suffered since childhood. He focused on slowing his breathing, inhaling through his nose, and exhaling out of his mouth, but he couldn’t get enough air in his lungs, and his vision started going hazy.
“Kris!” Donny yelled, his voice sounding far away. “Kris, come here! Something’s wrong with Abe.”
By the time footsteps sounded and Kris’s soft hand landed on his forehead, he knew even his inhaler wouldn’t help because he wouldn’t be able to suck hard enough to get the medicine into his lungs. He looked up at her and tried to focus, but everything was getting gray.
“Donny! Call 9-1-1,” she said. “I don’t think he can breathe.”
Chapter 16
ONE OF the most terrifying moments of Jason’s life was pulling up to his townhouse and seeing an ambulance out front. He parked next to the curb and hurried out of his car just as the ambulance drove away.
“Dad!” Kristen yelled and ran over to him. She fell into his arms and sobbed. “Abe’s hurt. He can’t breathe.”
Jason made a living staying calm in traumatic situations, but he suddenly found it impossible to focus. “What happened?” he said. “Never mind. Did they say where they’re taking him?”
“Saint Rose,” Kristen said. “I want to come with you.”
“Okay, let’s go.” He opened his car door and started getting back inside.
“I’ll be right back. I need to get my shoes.” She turned around and darted into the house.
“Dad.”
Jason glanced up and saw Donny shifting from foot to foot, his hands in his pockets and his gaze averted. “Can I come too?” he asked.
“Yes.” He looked at Donny’s feet. “Get your shoes and lock the front door on your way out.”
Once all three of them were in the car, he drove to the hospital, his hands trembling. Wanting to make sure they got there in one piece, he skipped conversation and focused on keeping to a reasonable speed and avoiding an accident.
