My apologies for my tardiness, but I've been pretty busy lately...trying to keep up with Her Last Days since I'll be gone to Montreal for a few days. Hope I get it in on time.
*****
Chapter 7
Keep in mind that Edward's still in flashback mode.
The other guy was down on his back, not moving. He had a gun in his hand so I kicked it away, just in case. I nudged the guy with my foot, but there was no response. "Tyler, call the ambulance. The chief's still breathing," Emmett yelled out.
I ran to his other side and knelt down to look at him. I took my shirt off and put it against the wound, keeping pressure to help stop the bleeding. "Hold this down and don't let go," I told Emmett.
I took my phone out of my pocket and dialed my father's cell phone number. Thankfully, he answered right away. "Dad, the chief's been shot in the chest and I don't know what to do," I spit out as soon as I heard the click on the other side, not even giving him the chance to say hi.
"Edward? Did you call the ambulance?" he asked with concern.
"Of course we did, but until they get here, what should I do?" I asked again.
"Cover his wound to stop the bleeding."
"Did it already, what now?" I continued.
"Check his pulse and his breathing."
I checked and then replied, "Slow pulse and low breathing."
"Can you turn him over slightly to see if the bullet went through?" he asked, with a calm voice.
"Hold on." I put the phone down as I went back to where Emmett was and told him to put him on his side. "No, it didn't. There's no blood on his back."
"Well, there's nothing else you can do until the paramedics get there. Try and wake him up and keep him awake. I'll head over to the emergency room and get ready for his arrival. The ambulance should be there soon," he finished off. I was surprised he didn't ask me what happened, although I knew he'd question us later.
I tried to wake the chief up, but I had no luck doing that. At least my father was right about the ambulance as they arrived a few minutes after he'd hung up. Tyler directed them over to where the chief was and they took over from there. My shirt was drenched in blood as they removed it to clean it quickly before setting him on a gurney.
Barely hearing the police sirens going off, I stared at my shirt that was drenched with blood. My mind filled with questions. Was it my fault the chief was shot? Will he make it?
Emmett broke my train of thought as he shook my shoulder. "Earth to Edward. Yo, bro!" he yelled the last words.
"What?" I mumbled, still in shock.
"Come on, man. We have to get out," he said as another set of paramedics walked by us, excusing themselves.
When we walked out the door I realized the police would be questioning us because they had already started with Tyler. Emmett grabbed my arm and started to pull me away from the door to let people go in and out of the house.
We headed toward Tyler, but there were two other policemen that split us apart for questioning. I told him everything that happened once Emmett and I got in and about his aunt's scream from the basement.
I snapped out of it at that moment after realizing we'd forgotten about checking on Tyler's aunt to see if she was okay. I looked back toward the house to see if the paramedics were coming out with her since it had been awhile that they'd passed by Emmett and I. They had not come out yet.
"Sir, did you see them come out with a woman?" I asked, figuring maybe they had come out but I'd been too out of it to notice.
"No, I don't think so. How do you know about the woman?" I told myself it was a stupid question since I'd told him Tyler and I were best friends, plus I had mentioned we heard her scream.
The policeman finally left and I went to see Tyler who was also done being questioned. "How you doing buddy?" I asked, stupidly.
He never had the chance to answer as he ran toward the paramedics that were finally bringing his aunt out. She looked badly beaten and when I say badly beaten, I meant it. She had blood on her everywhere and I didn't think she was wearing any clothes as there was a blanket covering her. Unless it was the paramedics that had to cut off her clothes, but I doubt that's what happened.
Stupid, fucking asshole! I wasn't fond of Tyler's aunt, but no woman should be treated like that. I found it extremely pathetic and cruel. And how could attacking or raping a woman turn someone on? I never understood that.
"Hey, bro," Emmett said as he jogged up to me. "You want to come with me? I'm going to follow the ambulance to the hospital. The paramedics examined Tyler quickly, saying he's fine, but they wanted him to get in with them to make sure."
I was curious about the chief and I did want to know if Tyler's aunt would make it. "Alright, let's go." We headed back home to get Emmett's jeep and drove to the hospital. We found a back road to park so we wouldn't have to pay for parking. Hey, it's expensive! We also didn't know how long we'd be there for.
We ran into my mother once we reached the emergency room. She'd rushed here after my father called to explain what happened and that he'd be late. "Oh, my babies," she sobbed and hugged us both at the same time. Well, she tried to. She kissed us on our cheeks and tears started to fall down her cheeks. "I was so worried."
"We're fine mom. Neither of us have been injured in any way. We just have to wait to get the results on the chief, Tyler and his aunt," I told her before she'd freak out more.
"Oh, no. What happened to Tyler? Is he going to be alright?" Her face scrunched into a worried look.
"I think so. He might have a minor concussion, but other than that he should be fine. The main damage was done on his aunt. I think she might have to stay here for awhile," I stated, picturing the paramedics bringing her out of the house on the gurney.
"That's too bad. I hope she'll be okay soon, but until then I'll talk to your father about Tyler staying with us," she said with her comforting, motherly eyes.
"Thanks Mom," I said and exhaled deeply. I suddenly felt exhausted, so I leaned onto the wall we weren't far from.
"Are you sure you're alright Sweetie?" she asked while checking my forehead for a fever.
"I'm just tired, that's all," I answered.
"Let's go have a seat bro," Emmett grabbed my arm lightly and directed me toward the chairs in the waiting room. I sat down and placed my elbows on my thighs to hold my head up.
Tyler came out not long after saying that he'd be fine. The doctor had prescribed him pain killers, but otherwise he was good to go.
We sat around for a little bit, waiting for my father to come see us with an update on the chief. My mother had left to get us all something to eat and drink. As I sat back up in my chair, I saw my mother speaking to my father. Was that a box she was holding?
She came back to us handing us the food and drinks that were in the box. "The chief will be fine. No major damage, but for your aunt," she looked over at Tyler and continued, "that's a different story. Carlisle said she's still undergoing surgery, which is usually not a good thing. He's going to check and see what he can find out right now and get back to us. Okay?" She looked up at Tyler with sadness as she spoke.
Finishing off our sandwiches and drinks, dad came out and gave us the news. Tyler's aunt would have to stay at the hospital for them to keep an eye on her, but she should be out in a few days. Mom talked to him about keeping Tyler over at our place until then and he agreed.
I woke up to a sudden shock of pain and someone speaking loudly. "Oh, Edward. I'm so glad you're okay." I recognized the voice as my mother's, but my vision was still blurry from sleep.
"Mom, you're hurting me," I said, roughly, as I tried to catch my breath.
"I'm sorry baby. Where does it hurt?" She backed away with her hands in the air, not sure where to place them. Her eyes were going up and down my body at the same time.
"Everywhere, but I'll be fine once I take more painkillers," I said and looked over at my night table for the pills. I had left them at an easy reach with a glass of water beside them. My mom handed me a pill and the water with a worried look. "I'm fine Mom. Stop worrying about me. How are you?" I asked her, changing the subject. "When did you get home?" How long had I been asleep?
"We just got here. I convinced your father to leave so I could see for myself that you were okay. I couldn't take it anymore, I was just too worried," she said as she brushed the side of my face, not sure if she was hurting me again. It was like she was scared to touch me now.
"But what about you? Never mind me." I tried to sit up, but my body wasn't fully awake yet and obviously the painkillers hadn't kicked in.
"Do we have to talk about this now?" she asked as she exhaled and looked away from me.
"Yes, we do. Why didn't you say anything to me about this?" Emmett had explained to me why already, but I wanted to hear it from her.
"I didn't want you to stress over me for nothing. The tests hadn't come in yet and we wanted to wait to be certain before we did talk to you and Emmett." She placed her hand over mine and looked me in the eyes. "I'm sorry baby. I should have told you, I know, but...I...I didn't have the courage to do it." Tears were forming themselves in her eyes, just waiting for their release when she'd blink.
She blinked and the tears streamed down her cheeks. I forced myself to sit up on the bed and wipe her tears away. I hugged her with the strength I had, which wasn't much, but I tried. She responded to my reaction with a small tug this time as she cried on my shoulder.
Pulling herself away from me she said, "I'm sorry Edward. I shouldn't have woken you up." I could feel the mattress start to rise as her weight slowly went to her legs.
I looked over at the clock and realized it was ten in the morning. At least I hoped it was ten am and not pm. It was pretty bright in my room, so I figured it was morning. "It's okay Mom. I've been sleeping for more than twelve hours now. I think it's about time I got up out of bed." I couldn't even believe it myself. That was a long time to sleep. I rolled out of bed and followed her downstairs. She kept looking over her shoulder to see if I was okay. Finally, I spoke out to her. "I'm alright Mom. I'm not going to pass out or anything," I grinned at her.
"I'm just making sure. You are my son, you know how I am," she replied and we left it at that.
As we walked into the kitchen, everyone was sitting at the kitchen table other than Emmett who was making pancakes. "Hey sleepy head," he said while flipping a pancake over. "We almost thought you were comatose."
"Yeah, well, I'm sure you'd sleep even longer if you were in my condition." I went straight for a chair and sat down beside my father. Carmen and Eleazar were sitting on the other side of the table and said hi.
My father's head turned toward me and he started to ask me questions as to where I was still feeling pain and if I'd been taking my medication. I explained everything to him in detail so he wouldn't come back with more questions later. He was a doctor after all.
Emmett set the pancakes on the table and people started to dig in. I grabbed two right away as I did with the pizza yesterday, still unsure as to how my jaw would react to the chewing. It shouldn't be too bad since the pancakes were soft.
My body did not like the position I was in, but I decided to suck it up to be able to talk to everybody. Mom started to clean the dishes and put the stuff away, so I was going to get up and help her, but she refused. Emmett finally manned up and got up to help her.
Once everything was cleaned up, Carmen and Eleazar said they were going to head off back home, so we said our good-byes and thanked them for the ride back. I looked over at Eleazar and mouthed 'Call me if there's anything else." That way no one could hear and ask about that issue.
With them gone, it was just the family. Dad directed us to the living room, thank god, to speak about my mother. He'd explained about the tests and how far along the cancer was, which wasn't good. She'd have to undergo chemotherapy and some other stuff, so we'd have to help around the house and understand that they'd be gone a lot to the hospital.
The next day, the Hearse arrived with Tyler's body. Took 'em long enough! My emotions started to run wild replaying the event and wondering what the fuck to do. I knew his aunt had already been told about what happened, but I didn't know if she'd already started to arrange a funeral, or if she even was giving him one, let alone afford a decent one.
I had money put aside for college, so if she needed the money for the funeral I would gladly give it. I decided to go and see her, asking Emmett to drive me over. It wasn't far, but the pain didn't help.
Once I reached the door, I rang the doorbell and waited for someone to come to the door. It took a couple of minutes, but I figured she was probably sleeping or half drunk. The door opened to a lady with wild hair sticking out everywhere, a bottle of liquor in her hands and a slumped face. I didn't even have the time to say hello before she started yelling at me. "You son-of-a-bitch! How could you even have the nerve to step on my property after what you've done?" The bottle of liquor was swaying as she kept sticking her finger at me. "It's your fault. Now I have no nephew, no more family! Get the FUCK OFF my property!" With that, she slammed the door in my face.
I walked back to the car where Emmett had waited for me, my face filled with shock and disappointment. Emmett could tell I was starting to blame myself again and stepped in. "Look, it's not your fault. She probably didn't even listen to everything the police were saying when they called. Plus, it wouldn't even surprise me if she was drunk when they did call. Let's go," he said as he started the car and brought us back home.
It was hard for me to stop blaming myself, but I kept trying. My mother was not feeling well, so I had to stop feeling sorry for myself. She'd need me soon.
A few days later, I was able to walk better and my wounds had healed quite a bit. I felt much better and well rested, which was good since it was Tyler's funeral today. I had prepared a speech, even though I didn't know if I'd be able to speak in front of everyone.
The whole family got into dad's car and headed off to the funeral home. He wasn't catholic and with his aunt, well, in her condition, it wasn't recommended they go to church first. We sat and listened to the preacher or whatever you call those guys. He was finally finished talking and asked if anyone had a word to say. I lifted my hand up and he waved his hand or me to come up beside him.
I saw his aunt looking at me from the corner of my eye with anger on her face. She threw herself in front of me and pushed me back with both of her hands. "You have no right being here, murderer. GET OUT!" She kept pushing me back toward the door. "For any of those who have kids, make sure they stay away from him. He was drugged and drunk when he was driving, that's why Tyler's dead," she said and gave me one last push out the door.
She thought I was drugged and drunk while I drove? Stupid bitch must have misunderstood the police when they told her it was the people who hit us that weren't sober. Figures, since she probably wasn't sober herself when they called.
My mother came running out the door to come and see me. She took me in her arms and I wept. Hey, a man can still cry. I do have a heart and Tyler was my best friend.
Emmett and dad came out not long after, so we all left to go home. I figured I'd go see Tyler after he'd be buried. I knew his aunt wouldn't visit him there or even if she did it wouldn't be for twenty-four hours straight.
The next day I went over to his grave and spilled my heart out. I apologized for all the things I'd done to him, like laugh at the stupid things he did or how much of a dork he was with girls. "I'm glad you had the best week with us buddy and you're welcome," I said remembering how he'd told me before the accident that he'd really liked it. "I hope it was worth it for you my friend. I'm sure going to miss you."
Since I was sitting down on the ground, my back leaning on his gravestone, I paced myself for the pain I'd possibly feel as I got up. Once I was back on my two feet, there was a girl standing in front of me and she looked pissed. I mean, scratch my eyes out pissed. "Can I help you?" I asked.
"So, it's your fault he's gone and you're here, why? To make sure he's buried or what?" she hissed.
I backed up a step, scared, even though she was barely five feet tall. "It wasn't my fault. What his aunt said isn't true..." I couldn't finish without her cutting me off.
"Bullshit! Don't lie yourself out of this. He'd still be here if it wasn't for you!" I swear she was throwing darts at me with her eyes.
My anger was starting to take over. How many times would I have to explain myself? "Who the fuck are you anyway? I don't recall you ever being with Tyler," I barked at her.
"He was going to be my boyfriend and it's none of your business anyway." She placed her hands on her hips.
"He never told me he had a girlfriend." Did he? I didn't think so. I'm sure I'd remember if he did, as Emmett and I would have had him spill who she was and I doubt he'd have cheated on her.
"I was going to ask him out when school started. Ugh, why am I even telling you this. Just leave. You don't deserve to be here. Go take some drugs or whatever you do on your free time," she said and headed toward the gravestone.
I sighed, not even bothering to say anything else and left to go home. My mother saw me as soon as I walked in so she knew what I was feeling. She came up to me and asked me what was wrong. I told her about that girl in the graveyard and what she'd said. "Is everyone going to think I was drugged and drunk now? Everyone's going to blame me, although it was my fault," I said, sadly.
I was shocked when my mother slapped me on the cheek. It wasn't too hard, but I felt it. "Edward Masen Cullen, how many times do we have to tell you it's not your fault? This is ridiculous. Just ignore that girl, I'm sure it's only her that feels that way." After she finished talking, she got up on the tips of her feet and kissed my cheek she'd slapped.
She took my hand in hers and I followed her to the kitchen, where she pulled out a chair for me to sit in. "Why the long face bro?" Emmett asked as he looked over his shoulder while he was cutting up some vegetables.
"I ran into some tiny girl at the graveyard and she started saying what Tyler's aunt had told me at the funeral. You know, how I was drunk and drugged, blah, blah, blah," I said while I watched him cut the food up. "For someone so small, she actually scared the crap out of me."
We were starting to eat supper when my dad walked in. "Hey honey, you're home early tonight," my mom said as she walked over to meet him with a kiss.
"Well, it wasn't very busy, so I came back," he replied.
School was about to start soon and my mother was just starting her chemotherapy. I had only one year left, so maybe I could skip it and take it later. That way I could stay by my mother's side and take care of her. Dad would probably be constantly at work and Emmett was taking off for college.
I had talked to my parents about that, but of course they refused. "Well, maybe I could do some homeschooling. There are kids that do that, right?"
"Nice try Edward. You are going to school. I'll be fine and there will be a nurse here during the day. You don't need to worry, so you can go and finish your last year with your friends," she said, bringing Tyler back to my thoughts. That was one thing that would suck about going back to school. Tyler wouldn't be around and neither would Emmett.
The days were going by slowly as I could see my mother getting worse and worse. Emmett had left for college already and dad was always at work or studying to learn more about my mother's illness.
The first day of school was the worst ever. People kept giving me dirty looks and I could hear them whispering about me being a drug addict, a murderer, a drunk and extremely violent? Where did that come from? I never hurt anybody. What the fuck was wrong with everyone?
During lunch, I sat by myself and looked up once in a while, until my eyes fell upon the girl that I'd met in the graveyard. Her eyes started shooting darts at me again, so I got up and left to go outside.
Was this how I'd be spending my days now?
Thanks for reading! Please leave me some of your thoughts...
