AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Figuring she wasn’t up to walking and not wanting to wait for an ambulance, I got Kim’s shoes on and carried her down to the car, her slight weight easy in my strong arms. I lay her out gently in the back seat. Careful not to stop too suddenly, I drove as fast as I could to the closest hospital without getting pulled over by one of the over-enthusiastic cops known to patrol the area. The city must have been on some kind of fund-raising drive. Most governments just ran a ridiculously priced steak dinner.
At the doors to the ER, I grabbed a wheelchair from the front which were really supposed to be hospital use only but I really couldn’t give a shit. Getting Kim into a chair, I got her into triage. There was an unusually high number of gunshot victims that day, so we settled in for a long wait. Kim turned onto her side as best she could to get her weight off her kidneys, having a clear and immediate effect on her pain level, causing a slow, long exhale of relief. Overtaken by guilt and sentiment, I reached over and carefully rubbed her back about where I figured her kidneys where.
“That’s nice,” she said, letting out a further sigh of sweet relief. I wasn’t sure what compelled me to do that, probably a combination of deep empathy and crushing guilt. At least it was helpful. “I’m so sorry,” I said. “Now, don’t you start,” Kimberly scolded good-naturedly. “I haven’t exactly made things easy on you,” I said. “Stop stressing. Life is never easy,” she said. “Spoken like a true Ricci,” I said with a chuckle. Despite her back-handed reassurance, I couldn’t stop worrying or blaming myself. A situation that got even worse when I realized there was no one to pick up Carly from school. There was no way I was leaving Kim in that condition, and we didn’t really know anyone else in town.
Still rubbing Kim’s back, I got out my phone with my free hand and found Miss Gloria in my contacts. “Hello?” “Hi, it’s Russ Ricci,” I said. “Oh, hello, Mr. Ricci.” “I am going to be a bit late picking up Carly. There has been a family emergency. Are there any after-school programs she can be put in?” “No, she will have to wait in the principal’s office,” Miss Gloria said, the Ricci family curse asserting itself again. Bad things did tend to come in threes though I couldn’t imagine how it could have gotten much worse without somebody dying. Probably not the best thing to be thinking with a sick family member. “Okay, I’ll be there as soon as I can.” I put the phone away, trying to keep it together, realizing that there were no good options and resigning myself to the slightly better one. “Is Carly okay?” Kim asked. “Everything will be fine,” I said, having no idea whether or not that was true.
Chapter Thirteen
Ann
It was hardly the first time a lover had left me suddenly. Though it was the first time such a quick exit had followed such an intimate encounter. Everyone else had at least stayed long enough to cuddle.
And what had Russ meant by “something like that”? Did he have a girlfriend he was cheating on? Or a wife? It didn’t seem likely given his phrasing, but there was definitely something going on.
Trying to shake such concerns from my mind, I went to pick up Drew from school.
I had a bad feeling as I drove up to the wrought iron gates to wait for admittance. It was the kind of dread only parents really know. Something was wrong. Quick as I could, I sped past the gates, getting through before they had opened completely and went to find a spot. Though my heels could make running difficult, I gave it my best, getting up to a brisk jaunt, clicking down the paved walkway to where Drew waited. He was crying. “What’s wrong, honey?” I asked, bending down to look into his little face. “Carly is crying,” Drew said, wiping away tears of his own. “Why is Carly crying?” “Her daddy didn’t come to get her, and she is really scared.” Taking Drew by the hand, I went into the school. Miss Gloria was still in the preschool classroom, which by then was empty of kids. She looked up at me from the papers she was grading.
“Ms. Howell, what —” “What’s happening with Carly?” I asked, a bit more bluntly than I should. The brown-haired teacher looked shocked. “S-she’s in the principal’s office.” “Is she in trouble?” I asked, confused. She shook her head. “Oh, no, nothing like that. Her dad is at the hospital with his sister, so we are keeping her in the office until Mr. Ricci arrives.” “Ricci? Russ Ricci?” I asked gobsmacked.
