GOODNIGHT, SWEET PARTRIDGE
CHAPTER 12
Reuben hated the sight of blood. Even as a kid, whenever he cut a finger or something, he would immediately get nauseous. So one could imagine coming up on the scene he had just walked onto. Not only was he nauseous, but he felt a little faint, too.
Shirley was still holding Keith as he choked in her arms, his hands smearing her milky white skin with the sticky substance.
"Reuben, give me your suitcoat!" Shirley looked up.
"What…? Why?" He felt dizzy.
"I need something to press into the wound! He's going to bleed to death, Reuben! Now!" She cried.
He peeled it off and she grabbed it, wadding it up and stuffing it down onto Keith's side. She leaned hard on it, her one hand wearily wiping at her forehead and leaving a red mark on it.
They heard a scream and they looked to see Danny barreling toward them. "Keith!" he wailed.
Reuben read the look in Shirley's eyes and met him halfway before he reached the awful sight.
"Go on outside, Danny!" he gripped the boy's shoulder.
"I want to see Keith!"
"He's all right. Now go on, outside!"
"She killed him, didn't she?!" Danny yelled. "I knew she was no good! I tried to tell him, but he wouldn't listen!" He tried to push past the burley manager, but Reuben held his ground.
"No one's been killed, now go!"
"I hate her!" Danny began to sob, now. "I hate her, I hate her!"
"Danny, come here!" Shirley called to him.
Surprised, Reuben let him run past.
"Hold his hand, Danny, and talk to him. Tell him that you love him."
Reuben swallowed. He could see in Shirley's eyes that she'd given up on Keith. He was going to die, right then and there, before their very eyes!
Danny dropped down beside his brother, ignoring the blood as it seeped into the knees of his jeans. "Keith…don't die, please don't die…I love you…" His young voice crackled as he clutched Keith's hand in his own two.
Keith coughed hard again and Shirley brought his head up, lying it on her shoulder. Where was the stupid ambulance?!
Again, Reuben read her thoughts. "I'll see if the ambulance is here." He dashed off.
Danny looked up, mortified to see his mother so pale and crying as she kissed Keith's temple, stroking his hair. "He's gonna die, isn't he, Mom?"
She shook her head vigorously. "No. No, Danny, he's not going to die. We won't let that happen."
She looked up to see two men hurrying in with a stretcher. She didn't remember much after that.
The once peaceful zoo was now chaotic as the paramedics brought Keith out of the Rain Forest on the stretcher, with Reuben, Shirley and Danny following close behind, bringing with them remnants of the horrible scene inside on their clothing, faces, and hands.
The frightening part was that Carly was nowhere to be seen, and it was a good thing, Danny thought, because he could have easily retaliated in Keith's behalf. He knew his mother and Reuben would have tried to stop him, but just thinking about what he would have done to her eased his mind a little.
Reuben was talking to the ambulance driver. "What hospital are you going to?"
"Belmont Hospital, about 30 miles northwest of here, in San Carlos."
Reuben glanced over at Shirley, who, still a little dazed, was being tended to by Danny. "He's going to be okay, isn't he?"
The paramedic smiled gently. "We'll do everything in our power to assure that, sir."
Reuben frowned, moving closer to the man. "No, I want the truth. Tell me, for their sake."
The driver glanced over his shoulder. "He's lost a lot of blood and his breathing is very shallow. It's very possible that he could die before we get to the hospital."
Closing his eyes, Reuben nodded, pulling back as the men got in the ambulance, one jumping in the back with Keith.
With an eerie whine, the ambulance pulled away, scattering the observers in its path, and Reuben joined Shirley and Danny.
"Come on, let's go get cleaned up so we can go to the hospital. Where's Laurie? We need to find a sitter for Chris and Tracy."
Shirley looked up at him. "Is Keith going to make it, Reuben? What did the paramedic say?"
Reuben took her arm. She was covered from head to toe in dried blood and looked as if she had been in the fracas, too. Her expression told him that she couldn't take the truth; not now. "He said…he said they would do their best." He didn't know how else to put it.
Shirley nodded as Danny and Reuben guided her toward the dressing rooms.
=====
Laurie and Carly were in the women's trailer when Shirley entered. Carly's arms were wrapped in towels that Laurie had provided, and both girls jumped to their feet.
"Mom?" Laurie blurted.
"He's on his way to the hospital…" Still pretty much in shock, Shirley moved to the small bathroom. Seeing herself in the mirror, she stared at her reflection.
"Is he going to be all right?"
Shirley just shook her head. "I don't know…he wasn't doing well when they came for him…"
Carly cried out and Shirley turned to her. "Oh, Carly, you should have had the paramedics look at you…you're still bleeding."
The girl shook her head emphatically. "This is nothing. Not compared to what Keith is going through…oh, Mrs. Partridge, I'm scared! It was an accident…I didn't mean for him to get hurt…"
Shirley nodded, still dazed. "I know." She turned back to the sink and began to clean up.
"I'll get you a change of clothes, Mom," Laurie opened Shirley's bag as there was a knock on the door.
Laurie quickly moved to answer it. There were two policemen there and she swallowed, looking back at Carly, who she knew was panicking in the room behind her.
"Carly Stratton," the taller cop said.
Laurie shook her head. "We…don't want to press charges."
"We're not here to arrest her, we just want to question her."
"It was an accident," Laurie hissed, wanting to shut the door in their faces.
"It's okay, Laurie," Carly stepped forward. "I'll talk to them."
"You have rights, Carly," Laurie whispered. "Don't let them intimidate you."
"I know, thanks, Laurie." She stepped down onto the wooden staircase.
The cop looked at her arms. "Do you need medical attention, miss?"
"No." She looked back at Laurie, who wept there in the doorway. "When you go to the hospital, tell Keith I'm sorry." She almost added, 'If it's not too late,' but couldn't bring herself to say it.
Laurie swallowed, nodding as the policemen led her away.
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CHAPTER 12
Reuben hated the sight of blood. Even as a kid, whenever he cut a finger or something, he would immediately get nauseous. So one could imagine coming up on the scene he had just walked onto. Not only was he nauseous, but he felt a little faint, too.
Shirley was still holding Keith as he choked in her arms, his hands smearing her milky white skin with the sticky substance.
"Reuben, give me your suitcoat!" Shirley looked up.
"What…? Why?" He felt dizzy.
"I need something to press into the wound! He's going to bleed to death, Reuben! Now!" She cried.
He peeled it off and she grabbed it, wadding it up and stuffing it down onto Keith's side. She leaned hard on it, her one hand wearily wiping at her forehead and leaving a red mark on it.
They heard a scream and they looked to see Danny barreling toward them. "Keith!" he wailed.
Reuben read the look in Shirley's eyes and met him halfway before he reached the awful sight.
"Go on outside, Danny!" he gripped the boy's shoulder.
"I want to see Keith!"
"He's all right. Now go on, outside!"
"She killed him, didn't she?!" Danny yelled. "I knew she was no good! I tried to tell him, but he wouldn't listen!" He tried to push past the burley manager, but Reuben held his ground.
"No one's been killed, now go!"
"I hate her!" Danny began to sob, now. "I hate her, I hate her!"
"Danny, come here!" Shirley called to him.
Surprised, Reuben let him run past.
"Hold his hand, Danny, and talk to him. Tell him that you love him."
Reuben swallowed. He could see in Shirley's eyes that she'd given up on Keith. He was going to die, right then and there, before their very eyes!
Danny dropped down beside his brother, ignoring the blood as it seeped into the knees of his jeans. "Keith…don't die, please don't die…I love you…" His young voice crackled as he clutched Keith's hand in his own two.
Keith coughed hard again and Shirley brought his head up, lying it on her shoulder. Where was the stupid ambulance?!
Again, Reuben read her thoughts. "I'll see if the ambulance is here." He dashed off.
Danny looked up, mortified to see his mother so pale and crying as she kissed Keith's temple, stroking his hair. "He's gonna die, isn't he, Mom?"
She shook her head vigorously. "No. No, Danny, he's not going to die. We won't let that happen."
She looked up to see two men hurrying in with a stretcher. She didn't remember much after that.
The once peaceful zoo was now chaotic as the paramedics brought Keith out of the Rain Forest on the stretcher, with Reuben, Shirley and Danny following close behind, bringing with them remnants of the horrible scene inside on their clothing, faces, and hands.
The frightening part was that Carly was nowhere to be seen, and it was a good thing, Danny thought, because he could have easily retaliated in Keith's behalf. He knew his mother and Reuben would have tried to stop him, but just thinking about what he would have done to her eased his mind a little.
Reuben was talking to the ambulance driver. "What hospital are you going to?"
"Belmont Hospital, about 30 miles northwest of here, in San Carlos."
Reuben glanced over at Shirley, who, still a little dazed, was being tended to by Danny. "He's going to be okay, isn't he?"
The paramedic smiled gently. "We'll do everything in our power to assure that, sir."
Reuben frowned, moving closer to the man. "No, I want the truth. Tell me, for their sake."
The driver glanced over his shoulder. "He's lost a lot of blood and his breathing is very shallow. It's very possible that he could die before we get to the hospital."
Closing his eyes, Reuben nodded, pulling back as the men got in the ambulance, one jumping in the back with Keith.
With an eerie whine, the ambulance pulled away, scattering the observers in its path, and Reuben joined Shirley and Danny.
"Come on, let's go get cleaned up so we can go to the hospital. Where's Laurie? We need to find a sitter for Chris and Tracy."
Shirley looked up at him. "Is Keith going to make it, Reuben? What did the paramedic say?"
Reuben took her arm. She was covered from head to toe in dried blood and looked as if she had been in the fracas, too. Her expression told him that she couldn't take the truth; not now. "He said…he said they would do their best." He didn't know how else to put it.
Shirley nodded as Danny and Reuben guided her toward the dressing rooms.
=====
Laurie and Carly were in the women's trailer when Shirley entered. Carly's arms were wrapped in towels that Laurie had provided, and both girls jumped to their feet.
"Mom?" Laurie blurted.
"He's on his way to the hospital…" Still pretty much in shock, Shirley moved to the small bathroom. Seeing herself in the mirror, she stared at her reflection.
"Is he going to be all right?"
Shirley just shook her head. "I don't know…he wasn't doing well when they came for him…"
Carly cried out and Shirley turned to her. "Oh, Carly, you should have had the paramedics look at you…you're still bleeding."
The girl shook her head emphatically. "This is nothing. Not compared to what Keith is going through…oh, Mrs. Partridge, I'm scared! It was an accident…I didn't mean for him to get hurt…"
Shirley nodded, still dazed. "I know." She turned back to the sink and began to clean up.
"I'll get you a change of clothes, Mom," Laurie opened Shirley's bag as there was a knock on the door.
Laurie quickly moved to answer it. There were two policemen there and she swallowed, looking back at Carly, who she knew was panicking in the room behind her.
"Carly Stratton," the taller cop said.
Laurie shook her head. "We…don't want to press charges."
"We're not here to arrest her, we just want to question her."
"It was an accident," Laurie hissed, wanting to shut the door in their faces.
"It's okay, Laurie," Carly stepped forward. "I'll talk to them."
"You have rights, Carly," Laurie whispered. "Don't let them intimidate you."
"I know, thanks, Laurie." She stepped down onto the wooden staircase.
The cop looked at her arms. "Do you need medical attention, miss?"
"No." She looked back at Laurie, who wept there in the doorway. "When you go to the hospital, tell Keith I'm sorry." She almost added, 'If it's not too late,' but couldn't bring herself to say it.
Laurie swallowed, nodding as the policemen led her away.
continued...