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“Ma’am, I need you to calm down. Can you tell me if the victim is discolored at all?”
“Victim? Why are you calling him a victim? This was an accident! Aden would tell you that himself if he could talk!” I yell in my fear-filled haze, even though I was pretty sure Aden wouldn’t agree at all. If he survives he’s probably going to sue me, or press charges and laugh when they hang me.
Oh God. I just moved here. Do they still hang people in Idaho? I mean, that’s too barbaric right? They’ve had to give that up now. They protest these days if you breathe wrong. Surely hanging is out of the question. Idaho does have the death penalty though… I think. Shit. I don’t know. Can you get the death penalty for things like this if he dies? Probably. I mean I can’t afford a lawyer! I’ll get railroaded! What will happen to Jack?
“Ma’am, did you hear me?”
“What?”
“I asked if the victim—”
“He’s not a victim! His name is Aden!” I insist, really she’s starting to unnerve me with this victim talk.
“Does Aden seem blue, or discolored at all?”
“Not besides the bump on his head. At least not when I was out there. I came inside to get my son and to call you.”
“Take a blanket and cover him in case he goes into shock. I’ve already dispatched an ambulance, it should be out there soon.”
“Okay. I can do that. Please have them hurry!” I cry, suddenly being sued seems like the least of my worries. I can’t let him die. Jail would be bad…epically bad.
I grab a blanket off my bed and then go back to get Jack. He’s still sleeping, but luckily he loves to be awake, so he doesn’t make a fuss at all when I reach down to get him.
“Mommy pway wif Jack?”
“In a bit, little man,” I lie. Mommy wants to crawl in a corner and cry.
We make it outside and I stand Jack carefully on the ground.
“Jack don’t run away. Stay right here. We’re going to take care of Aden.”
“He sleeping,” he says as I cover Aden with the cover. Is it my imagination or does he look blue? I put my hand back on his chest and feel only mildly reassured when I find a heartbeat.
“Yeah, he’s sleeping, sweetheart.” I hold Jack close, crouching down by Aden to wait for the ambulance.
When it comes, they ask a bunch of questions.
“Did you move him?” one asks, and that’s the question that bothers me the most.
“I turned him over. I was afraid not to. Was that the wrong thing to do?” Christ, one more thing to worry about.
“It’s fine. We’re going to take him to Parkview Central emergency,” he says. I nod, watching as they load Aden up in the ambulance.
Jack cries immediately when they slam the doors shut.
“Daddy!” he cries, causing both paramedics to turn around and look at me.
“You can follow behind us to check on your husband.”
I freeze. At first I’m not sure what he is talking about. Then it hits me. They think Aden and I are married.
“Oh I’m not. I mean we’re not…” I’m talking to air though because they’ve already jumped in the cab and are taking off, with the siren ringing in the air.
“Pwitty!” Jack squeals excitedly clapping his hands as he watches the ambulance’s lights. I watch it going away with a sinking feeling of panic.
I walk back to the hotel and dial Daria. I’m doing my best not to start crying again. I don’t want to worry Jack.
“Daria? Can you watch Jack for me?” I ask, feeling horrible because she’s watched him more this week than she ever has.
I don’t know what I’m going to do. I feel completely lost and like I’m barely hanging on. I need to get a grip and think about things logically, but right now I’m having a lot of trouble with that.
nineteen
hope
“They brought a man in earlier. He had fallen at the motel. I need to check on him,” I tell the lady at the front desk. I was in a panic… no, I am just plain terrified. It took me over an hour to get here. I had to get Jack ready and then the inspector came by because today was to be my final inspection. I couldn’t tell him what happened, so instead I showed him the fence and told him the workers weren’t finished and it would be sometime next week. It sucked, because I had to pay his fee, but it got rid of him. Then I took Jack to Daria. She refused to let me leave until she felt I was calm enough to do so without wrecking my car. When she discovered waiting was only making me worse, she drove me.
Now terror is flooding through me and I have all these “what-ifs” in my head. I’m scared and I’d be heartless if I wasn’t more than a little worried about Aden. He might be an asshole, but I don’t want him to be hurt. I was pushing him to leave this morning and I need him gone, but I would prefer he did it in good health. Not that he will believe me when I tell him that, I’m sure.
