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“Kelly?”
“Where the heck are you?” Kelly yelled.
I sat up quickly, her tone taking me by surprise. She was crying, gasping into the phone, and there was the distinct sound of sirens in the background.
“What happened?” I was already rolling out of bed and pulling my pants on. Jenni was wide awake, watching me, concern etched across her face.
“I called you seven times!” Kelly was yelling. “Seven times!”
“Kelly, where are you?” I demanded, already feeling my body shake with worry. I had never heard her this hysterical, and the shrill sound of the siren wasn’t helping ease my worry.
“I’m on the way to the hospital,” Kelly cried. “That guy from yesterday came by again.”
“Heath?”
“Grandpa went out to talk to him, and that bastard kept hitting him,” Kelly explained between tears. “I tried to stop him, but he wouldn’t stop. Grandpa’s not waking up, dad!”
I almost dropped the phone. The world around me quickly began to swim in and out of focus. I could almost see myself there with her, in the ambulance, sitting next to her unconscious grandfather, desperately trying to reach me. I felt a sudden lurch in the pit of my stomach, and I wanted to reach through the phone, tell her everything was going to be alright. I wanted to apologize for not being there when I should have been, for letting her down yet again.
The emotions washed over me like a tidal wave, and my mind blanked completely.
“Dad!”
Kelly’s shrill scream brought me back. “I’m on my way, Kelly, I’ll meet you at the hospital.”
/> “Hurry!” she yelled at me, then hung up.
I pocketed my phone and grabbed my shirt.
“What happened?” Jenni asked, already half-dressed herself.
“They’re taking Samuel to the hospital,” I said, feeling a dark rage build up inside me.
“Oh god, what’s wrong?”
“Apparently, Heath thought it was a good idea to cross the line and attack my father.”
“Kelly?”
“Shell-shocked,” I replied. “Hysterical.”
“That son of a bitch!”
I didn’t answer her, pulling on my shoes as I searched the room for my car keys.
“I’m coming with you,” she said, rushing into the bathroom.
“That’s okay,” I said. “Stay here, I’ll be fine.”
“That’s not a choice you’re going to make for me,” she said, rushing back out and pulling on a t-shirt. She found my keys and tossed them to me. “Now hurry up.”
We were out the door in seconds.
* * *
“He’s going to be okay.”
I hated hospitals. The last time had not been the best of experiences, and every time I even drove past one, my body would stiffen and my head would swim. There were too many memories linked with it. Shitty food, the smell of detergent and disinfectant, and of course, the endless pain. That was the worst of it.
