Cats,pt 3
A lot of time had passed. I was crying in Jesse's arms. I can't imagine what Jess was thinking. But I know how I felt. My best friend- outside my family- was hurt and how was he going to be a delivery boy or waiter or anything anymore? This could hurt their business. And Marco. His foot. The thought gives me chills. "It's alright," Jesse told me, his hand running down my hair as I had seen him do with Jan before. I'd never cried to Jesse. "We've got to call Jeremy."
"You want me to do it?"
"No," I shook my head. "I think it would be better if I did it."
"Alright," he replied, kissing the top of my head.
"Polly Ester and Jesse Bird Hanson! What did you two think you were doing?" I heard the all too familiar voice of an anrgy mother ring through my ears. Mom came up, glaring at me. Then at Jess. He'd never lied to her before. The piercing gaze of her bright green eyes caught us both and Jesse was on his feet quickly. Those eyes softened slightly when she saw the large, wet circle on Jesse's green sweater and my tear-stained cheeks. It didn't last long.
"Ms. Hanson," Jake interupted. "Please, they were helping us. We couldn't have survived without them."
She looked at Jake, her face showing her shock and confusion. "And why were you near the Crows? I always thought you were trustworthy; you've ruined your good name."
"Mom, relax." Jesse's voice caught my ears, strong, but at the same time soft and attention-drawing. "I'm sorry--"
"Sorry can't cover this, Jess." Mom's voice was so much louder, more authority rang in her words, and anger. Can't forget the anger that you barely saw in her-- ever.
"Mom, I didn't mean to lie to you. Do you know what happened to Guido? Or Marco? The Crows could have killed them all if I hadn't had done that. Then you'd have all of us and people around town moping around because those kids were lost. And think of Jeremy. And the way Polly would act. The way I would act. The way everyone would act. Polly and I weren't hurt. We're not little kids anymore, Mom. I'm nearly thirty years old. Nothing happened."
"This time."
"Fine, this time."
Mom released a heavy sigh. "Jesse, do you know what I'm going through?"
"Yeah, I do," his eyebrows were knitted together, the way he gets when he's extremely serious and trying to make a point that won't be made. "I work, I help with everything, I make decisions. I know one I made today bothers you. I knew it would. I just needed to-- I needed to show you that what I was doing would help people. It did. Don't push this onto me, Mom. Not right now. I'm as human as you are. Just, please, understand, that what I did, I had to do." He stared at her a while, his deep green eyes, torn. He walked away. Jesse hated what he had done. Jesse is so strong.
I layed in the bed, staring up at the ceiling. The doctors didn't put me out, but instead removed the bullet from my foot and I had a front row seat. Not that I could feel it. I don't think I could have felt anything at that point.
"Hello," a nurse said, smiling at me. "We need to know your name and number and the place where we can contact your a gaurdian."
"Marco," I replied, just so numb, I was thinking about the dentist and getting a tooth pulled. Actually, more like a head pulled. I told her everything she needed to know.
"Feeling alright?"
"Can feces feel?"
She laughed.
"Is anyone allowed to come in here?"
"No, you'll have until we move you to a differnt room."
"When is that gonna be?"
"Right now," a male nurse said, lifting me up easily and placing me into a wheelchair. I was so hyped up, I nearly fell out a few times on the way to my room.
I woke up after a looooooong nap. Ok, it wasn't that long.
"Marco," Polly said softly as I opened my eyes. She pushed a piece of hair so I could see her better. I smiled. "Are you ok?" I asked, although I sounded funny. Kinda came out like "Aww ooh oay?"
"I'm fine," she giggled.
"How's Paul?" I tried to sit up, but she pushed me down and and kept me in a horizontal position. "The doctors aren't sure yet." Polly climbed into layed her head on my chest. She seemed kind of bothered or sad or worried; it's hard to tell with her. "Polly, is something bothering you?"
"Yeah, but don't worry, it's probably nothing.""
I hugged her. "You can tell me."
"Later, when you're better. I'll tell you."
"Alright, you win."
Finally, a nurse came out, yelling, "Family of Tobias _____. Anyone here for Tobias _____?"
I walked over to her. "Ummm... I'm probably the closest family he has."
"Your name?"
"Rachel _____."
"He's been repeating you name, come with me."
I followed her down a short hall and through a couple doors, turned right and went through another door. She opened the last door and smiled at me, a smile that makes your stomach turn and tells you something bad happened.
"Rachel?" came the standard question.
"It's me," I took his hand and knelt down so he could see me. Tobias was on a bed of straps, he was laying down, face first, a strap holding up his forehead.
"Oh, man, this hurts."
"Have they told you anything yet?"
"Nothing. It's like I'm so classified, not even I'm allowed to know what's happening to me. All I know is I've lost a ton of blood and I'm still losing."
"What type blood do you have?"
"I'm not sure."
"Wow, you are classified."
"O negative," came a voice from the doorway. A doctor. He made his way over to us. "I'm Samuel Jones," I shook hands with him. I noticed he was quite young, perhaps just out of med school, golden hair, blue eyes, deeply tanned, muscular body.
"Rachel."
"Nice to meet you, ma'am. Are you his sister?"
"No, she's my girlfriend," Tobias interupted, obviously having set eyes on him before.
"Ah. Very good. Where are your parents? I need to discuss somethings with him."
"My parents...?"
"Mm-hmm."
"Can I discuss something with you--alone, Dr. Jones?" I asked, grabbing his arm and all but dragging him outside. "Tobias doesn't have parents."
"Well, alright, who does he live with that I could talk to about this?"
"No one. He lives with my cousin, Jake."
"What about Jake's parents?"
I shook my head, he obviously wasn't getting this. "They're not his gaurdians."
"Alright... then, who is?"
"No one. Tobias is a big boy. He takes care of himself."
He sighed. "Well, this is the first time this has happened to me. They give me a nice break from the tiny things and offer me a patient without a cut finger and here I go with a bigger problem."
"Can't he just make his own decisions?"
"'Fraid not. He's a minor."
"He can make his own decisions."
"It's the law."
"Who's going to make those big, important decisions then?"
"I don't know."
I was finally in a normal hospital room. I turned on the TV. Chanel 2, 3, 47? Wait... that's not right. What happened to 4-46?
José was asleep in one of those big comfy chairs they always have in hospital rooms.
47, 48, 83?
I wanted to throw the remote, but, of course, darn the luck, it was connected to my bed. Yeah, sure, I'm going to throw the bed with one hand while I'm still in it.
84, 85, 13? Well, at least I knew what happened to channel 13.
José woke up with a start, his eyes going shift-mode, his whole body flexed and he stared at me. For a long time, we just looked at each other. Then he relaxed. Somehow, I felt like I had been played for a fool. Like he was really a Crow, but he was just making up a bunch of crap about leaving the Crows. "You alright?" I asked, irritation only slightly in my voice.
He blinked a few times, rather sleepily, then nodded. "Si, nothing ou need to worry about, mi amigo, gracias."
I nodded, half-heartedly. I wonder what goes on inside other peoples' heads.
14, 16, 7...why? I didn't like that TV. But when I went to change the channel further, it turned off. Good for me, good for the TV. A few more screwed up channels, and I would have had to bust it.
That's when my nurse came in. Big lady. Mean looking. I wondered if she could break a horse in two. Scary thing was, she probably could and did on occasion to grab an extra meal.
Ever been to a hospital? And all the nurses are beautiful goddess except the one you get and she looks like a football player? I didn't think so.
Anyway, she was keeping a real close eye on José. Maybe she thought he'd cause trouble. I have to admit, he's a large, shifty-eyed guy with bulging biceps and a creepy smile. Really tough-looking. Not nearly as tough-looking as my nurse, though.
I slept for a while in one of those really little whhaiting room chairs. I don't know how I did it, but I did.
When I woke up, Polly was gone which meant one of three things: she went home, she went to the bathroom, or we could visit Marco.
"Hey, sleepy-head," Cassie said, offering me one of the cafteria's cinnomon buns. I took it graciously.
"How's everyone doing."
"Not too well. Tobias has lost a lot of blood; Marco may never walk again; Guido's alright, but Paul... the doctors aren't even sure if he'll make it through the night."
I shook my head. Why was I the one who was alright? Why did so many people have to be hurt and why couldn't I have taken one of their places? I looked down at my body. Crows fight dirty. I covered in scratches, cuts and bruises -- nothing really serious. "Cass, has anyone called our parents?"
"Polly called Jeremy and Ms. Hanson called everyone else."
"Oh. Good."
"Jake! Oh, that God you weren't hurt," my dad's voice said, along with the sound of his feet moving along the tiles. I didn't even have time to turn around before his hands were on my shoulders. I looked up and him and found him looking down at me. "Hey, Dad."
"Don't 'hey Dad' me. What were you thinking?"
"I don't know. We did something there. Dad, I know we shouldn't have taken a shorter route to the mall, but... it's fate."
He sighed. "Jake, Jake, Jake. What are we going to with you?"
"We could tar and feather him," answered Tom, walking up and looking down at me the same way Dad was.
"Tom, no. Jake...."
And that's when the lecturing began. You don't ever want to hear that long, drawn-out, redundant lecture. I just sat there, listened to the drone in his voice and whenever he expected it, I'd say something like "Right, right..." or "You know, I don't know what I was thinking." That worked a while. And then I missed where I was supposed to come in. He started over just to make sure I was listening.
I walked out of Guido's room when he had fallen asleep and looked for a doctor. When I found one, I asked him where Intensive Care was. He told me and I went. I was just about to walk inside when a nurse stopped me. "Where do you think you're going?"
"To visit mi --" think fast, not friend, relative, "--brother."
"You're his brother?"
"Step-brother," I lied. Actually, I'm not sure whose kid I am, but I'm happy just the way I am.
"Name?"
"José."
He nodded and led me to Paul's room.
"15 minutes."
I decided I'd talk to him. " Hey, amigo," I said, shaky, wondering if he was dead. I touched his arm and, to my relief, I found it warm. "Stay strong," I told him. "You can make it. And if a nurse asked, I'm your brother."
I swear, I saw him smile.
I walked around, looking a little lost. I tunred into Marco's room. Both Polly and Marco were alseep in the bed and I thought they looked really adorable. I stepped out, silently, and walked to Tobias's room. I looked inside and found him there, laying face down. His back was all bloody, kinda looked like someone had poured a glass of fruit juice had been poured on him. Except redder. And bloodier. I enter the room and touched his arm. He woke up really fast. "Cass. Hey."
"Sorry..."
"No problem."
"How are you feeling?"
"Tired, weak.."
"Hmm.."
Someone sighed from the doorway. I spun around and saw a young man. "He needs a donor. What type blood are you?"
"AB, I think. I'm not sure."
He nodded. "Do you know anyone who has O negative?"
"No."
He sighed again. "I don't know what to do. The blood department doesn't have anymore."
"How about if I ask all my friends?"
"That's a good idea. Not too much trouble?"
"It's for Tobias. It's never too much trouble for Tobias," I answered, walking out of the room and into the hall.
"Thanks."
I smiled slightly and entered the waiting room.
"Jake?"
"Yeah?" Jake opened his eyes and looked at me.
"What blood type do you have?"
"A. Why?"
"Tobias needs O negative. If he doesn't get it..."
Jake shook his head as if to tell me he understood and I didn't need to go on.
I walked over to one of Polly's brothers. He was short and stocky, built pretty well and he and Gen looked nearly idetical. Well, besides the fact that the guy in the waiting room had no freckles. Gold-green eyes and brown hair, the same shade as Gen's. "Hello."
"Hi," I replied.
"You're Cassie, right?"
I nodded.
"Logan," he said, offering his hand. I took and we shook hands.
"Umm.. this may sound.. different, but, what blood type do you have?"
"A. Why?"
"My friends really needs O negative. Do you know anyone witht that type?"
He thought a while and nodded. "Yeah, I do. But, Gen's too young to donate."
I collapsed in a chair beside him.
"Sorry to get your hopes up."
I sighed.
"Hey," Jesse said, taking a seat on the other side of Logan. "Something bothering you?"
"Yeah. My friend needs blood -- type O negative."
"I'm type O negative."
"Would you donate for my friend?"
"Sure, I'd be happy to."
I was getting really worried about Tobias. Where were we going to find a person to donate type O negative blood? I walked back into his room. Some guy was asleep in the chair beside the window. I figured it was nurse, out of uniform and maybe off-shift, taking a nap in Tobais' room.
I don't think I've ever seen Tobias look so small and weak. I walked over and kissed his forehead to find it wet with sweat. His eyes opened and the tips of his mouth curved. "Hey."
"Hey. You sound happy."
"Yeah. I do," he paused and blinked at me, just to get me a little bothered by it. "this guy, Jesse, he's Polly's brother. He has type O negative blood."
"But he's just one guy."
"I know. Dr. Jones said that this could buy us some time though."
I smiled too.
I woke up, still in Marco's arms. His breath was warm on the back of my neck. I wiggled out of his arms. "I'll be back."
I found the waiting room more crowded.
I saw Jeremy after he saw me. "Polly!" he said, obviously worried as he rushed towards me. "How's Marco?"
"He's fine," I replied. "The doctors said he did really well."
"Thank God. And you're alright?"
"I got away pretty clean."
"Do you know anything about Paul?"
"They're not sure if he'll even make it through the night."
"Tell Marco I'll be there in a few minutes."
"Got it," I replied, watching him jog to Intensive Care just as José was getting kiced out. The way he was arguing with a nurse, I figured he's get kicked out.
I get sick of staying in one place for a long period of time. I sat up and looked at my now useless hand. I pushed myself out of bed and relized I was wearing one of those really annoying hospital gowns. I located my jeans and struggled to button them with one hand. I scared myself when I put my fingers through the other hand.
When I got my jeans on and shirt on, leaving my shoes behind because they were such a hassle, I snuck back into the waiting room. "Free! Free at last!"
A nurse came along and looked at me funny. I hid my hand. "I got stuck in one of the bathroom stalls. You should get those fixed.
She nodded and walked on.
"Guido, dude! What are you doing?" Speedy asked, interupting my brisk walk to the front door.
"Shhh! You want me to get strapped down to my bed? Shut your mouth."
"Ooooo... Lemme see your hand."
"What?"
"Come on, dude, just lemme see."
"No."
"I heard it was bad, dude. I just wanna see how bad."
"Fine, but I'm warning you, it's nasty."
"That's ok," he grabbed my arm and twisted it so he could see. "Owch."
"No, ya think?"
"What happened to you?" a nurse asked, examining my hand.
"I was hungry and I chewed it off," I replied, smiling broadly as Speedy giggled like a little girl.
"Alright, Seinfeild, back to your room."
"You really think I could be the next Seinfeild? He's my hero."
"Look, I can be quite cruel when it comes to comedy."
"Well, don't take me back to the torture chamber."
She grabbed my good hand, ignoring me, and dragged me down the hall. I started skipping and singing "We're Off To See The Wizard." I sang the wonderful wizard song all the way down the hall and when I got to a part I didn't know, I sang in "la la's" and even louder.
I was sitting in Guido's room and he was on about the 30th verse of "John Jacob Jingle Himer Smhite."
"John--"
"Shut up!"
"Sorry Cass. Oh, there was a man who had a dog and Bingo was his name-o. B-I-N... N...C...D! B-I-N-C-D! B-I-N-C-D! And Bingo was his name-o! There was a dog who had a man... wait..."
I laughed and shook my head. "Hey Guido?"
"Huh?"
"There's something I don't understand about you."
"What's that? How I stay so fit? How my teeth stay so white? How I always look so good?"
"No. Why don't you go out? Like with girls?"
"Don't have the time."
"Guys our age usually make time."
"Keyword : usually."
"Then you admit you're unusual?"
"Duh."
"Why do I bother?"
"I'm not sure."