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“Where the fuck is Jenson?” He just looks at me with fear in his eyes, and I force my knee into his groin and push the gun into his temple.
“I don’t know. He dropped me off, said he would be down the street.” I climb off him, still pointing the gun at him, and rush over to Mel. I gently run my knuckles down her cheek.
“Mel, I’m here, sweetheart. You’re safe now. Open your eyes and look at me.” She doesn’t move at all, just lies there completely still. I push my lips to hers and feel the tears run down my cheeks. “I’m here now.” I lift my head quickly when I hear a noise and see her attacker trying to move. “Freeze, asshole.” He looks at me but moves again. I take aim and pull the trigger, shooting him in the leg.
“Fuck!” He grabs his leg and screams in pain.
“I told you not to move. Do it again, and I’ll fucking kill you.” I hear the sirens at that moment and turn my attention back to Mel. “Help is here. Stay with me.” I don’t want to move her and cause more problems, so I just sit next to her, stroking her hair over and over. I’m damn near sobbing when the EMTs and cops get into the house. It all happens so quickly. Her attacker is cuffed and put on a stretcher, and I’m pushed aside so they can get to Mel and assess her injuries. A cop pulls the gun from my hand and helps me stand.
“I’m going to need you to tell me exactly what happened.” I’m not looking at him. I’m staring at my girl, lifeless and being placed on a stretcher.
“I wish I’d killed him. I had the fucking chance, and I didn’t do it.” They start wheeling her across the living room, and I run over to her. “Mel! I’m right here. Mel! Mel! Melissa!” I scream her name with unstoppable tears running down my face. The cop stands in front of
me and blocks me from following her.
“I need you to stay here. She’s in good hands.” I look at him and see pity in his eyes.
“I can’t, I need to be with her. I wasn’t here tonight to protect her. I need to be with her now.”
“Listen, the faster you give me your statement, the faster you can get to her. I need you to tell me exactly what happened.” Suddenly, I’m thinking of all the calls I’ve been on where the husband, wife, brother, sister, or someone was crying and trying to rush to the hospital, yet I was the one holding them back. I was the one needing the information. The only way this guy and Jenson are going to pay is for me to tell this cop everything. I look up at him and once again become a cop. I tell him everything, every detail, everything that piece of shit told me. He is franticly writing as I continue to speak. When I tell him about Jenson, he looks at me with wide eyes.
“No shit. As cops, we are brothers, that piece of shit has never been. He was parked down the block when I pulled up, and I thought he was in here, so I didn’t bother checking the truck. I’m sure he took off the second I made it to the door. I don’t give a shit how you find him, but I’m letting you know now, you better find him before I do. I’ll kill that son of a bitch and regret nothing.” He nods but doesn’t say anything. He knows how fucking serious I am.
After another twenty minutes of non-stop questions, they finally tell me I can leave. I run to the car and jump in. I throw it into drive and head toward the hospital. I decide I better call Connie. The phone rings twice before she answers it, sounding half-asleep. “Connie, I’m on my way to the hospital. Mel was attacked, and I’m not going to lie, it’s bad. You guys need to get to the hospital, and if you have her parents’ number, could you please contact them.”
“What the fuck are you talking about, Keith?” I’m trying to drive quickly, and I’m passing everyone who is in my way.
“I just told you. Get to the hospital, and I’ll explain everything. I need to drive.” I hear her rushing around.
“We’ll be right there. Keith, I love you, big brother.” I can’t even respond. The tears run down my face, and I nod my head before hanging up. I’m overcome with emotions at this point. I don’t care about my job, my safety, my own life. I just want her to be all right. I don’t even bother parking the car. I pull up outside the emergency room entrance and jump out. I run in and up to the desk.
“Melissa Thompson. She was brought in by ambulance not long ago.” She begins typing and looks up at me.
“She’s in surgery, sir. If you’ll come with me, I’ll show you to the waiting room.” Surgery? What the fuck. I start following.
“What is she in surgery for?” She gives me a smile.
“Sir, I don’t know. I’m just reading what is on the computer.” My girlfriend is in surgery, and she doesn’t know why.
“Listen, I know you deal with shit like this all the time, but that woman in there is the love of my life. I need some fucking answers, now.” She’s taken back by my outburst, but I don’t give a shit at this point. She pushes open a door to the surgery waiting room, and we walk in.
“I’ll do my best to see what I can find out for you. In the meantime, what is your name and relationship to the patient so I can inform the doctor?” I’m looking around the room, and it looks eerily similar to the waiting room we were in for Kenz. Why the fuck does this shit keep happening?
“Keith, Keith Dickson. I’m her boyfriend.” She gives me a tight smile and leaves the room. That’s it, nothing more. I don’t know whether I want to punch a wall or break down and cry. I look around again and see there are several people in here. Some cry quietly and hold each other, some flip through a magazine, and others just softly talk. I fall back into a chair, hold my head in my hands, and let myself just break down.
I feel someone wrap their arms around me, so I look up. It’s my mom. She has tears running down her face, and I wrap my arms around her waist and bury my head in her stomach. “Oh, sweet boy, it’s going to be alright. I promise you that.” I’m always so put together, always the one in charge, but this time I can’t be. It is impossible for me to let that happen. I feel broken, gutted, destroyed.
I finally pull away from my mom and take notice of Connie and Karen. They are both crying as hard as I am. “She was attacked, right in the house. Some asshole who was paid to do it because her sketch added time for someone. He was supposed to kill her. He fucking told me that.” Connie covers her face, and my mom moves to console her. Karen sits beside me and rests her head on my shoulder.
“You saved her. You’ve been saving everyone your entire life, Keith.” I hold in a sob, thinking I didn’t actually save her in time. She was beaten so horribly, and it makes me physically ill when I think about the pain she was in. I should have been there. I should have protected her completely. That son of a bitch waited until she was alone; he knew exactly what he was doing.
“Keith, have you heard anything?” I look at my mom and shake my head. Where the fuck is that receptionist? “No one keeps my baby in the dark. I’ll be right back.” She stalks out of the room, and for the first time in my life, I can see my mom taking charge. It’s actually a beautiful moment among all this pain.
“Big brother?” Connie sits next to me and rests her head on my other shoulder. “I know you. I know you are blaming yourself. Don’t do that shit. You had no idea what was going to happen, and you know damn well if you even had an idea, you would have been there. No one protects the ones he loves like you.” I put my arms around both of them.
“I love you guys. I just want this nightmare to be over.” My mom comes walking back in the room with a nurse trailing closely behind. If I weren’t in such a bad place right now, I’d actually find it funny.
“Keith, Nurse Penny has some information for you.” She turns to look at the nurse, and she pulls a seat up in front of me and sits down. Connie and Karen both sit up, and we all stare at her and wait.
