Charlie's POV
When I woke the next day, I was in a totally white room with a splitting headache. My mouth tasted like something had died in it and I was wearing one of those hospital nighties with my ass hanging out. What I couldn't figure out for the life of me was how I got there.
"Well, Mr. Conway you're awake." I turned my head the best I could in spite of the neck brace I was wearing and saw a plump dark haired women in a nurse's uniform standing by the door blood pressure cuff in hand.
"Yeah, awake and confused. How'd I get here?" My voice was scratchy and groggy and talking wasn't doing anything for my headache.
"You don't remember?"
"I wouldn't have asked if I did."
"Hmm, that could either be from the slight concussion you suffered or the large amount of alcohol you consumed before the accident." The women took my pulse then my temperature and I had to wait for the thermometer to be removed before I could speak.
"Accident? Oh my god, I wrecked my car." Suddenly all the memories of the day prior came flooding back. Adam left me, I wanted a drink, I didn't have any money so I swung by Jan's and burrowed some cash from the register, I got something to drink and I crashed. None of the above things were very good, I know. "Did they do a blood test?"
"Yes they did, you were at 1.2. That's well over the legal limit, being that you're under age, I'm sure you're gonna be in a whole mess of trouble." Thankfully her sermon was cut short when the head of a pretty blonde girl was stuck in the door. It was Tammy Duncan.
"Hi, can we come in?"
"Certainly. If you need anything guys just ring the buzzer and ask for Ruth." The nurse left and the long train of Ducks walked in. The out of state Ducks hadn't flown in like they had when Banks was in the hospital but then we didn't know if he would make it, I was in okay condition. With the exception of my sprained ankle and broken nose.
"What the hell were you thinking driving drunk Spazway?" Karp was yelling at me before everyone even got in the room.
"That it was a good day to test my airbags and antilock brakes." I shot back defensively. By then everyone had entered, everyone but Adam. "Guys where's Banksie?"
Fulton and Dean looked at each other obviously one of them had spoken to him, from the look Jesse's face I could tell he had too. Hall got to be the one to tell me.
"Cake-Eater isn't coming Charlie, he sent you a balloon but he's not coming." Jesse handed me a 'Get Well Soon' balloon.
I couldn't believe it; Banks leaves me, breaking my heart in the process and then doesn't even have the common courtesy to come see me in the hospital that was unfathomable.
"He's not coming, you're kidding me right?"
"No Spazway he's not coming." Peter always did put things so delicately.
"He's not sure coming here would've been a good idea after all that happened." Tommy tried to break it to me easily.
"He doesn't love me anymore." My voice was barely above a whisper; no one else even heard it above their own chattering.
"Alright, isn't Oprah on?" Averman asked reaching for my remote control, of course being that he's Averman he accidentally hit the wrong button and my bed began to fold up with me in it.
"Stop!" Everyone yelled as Goldberg lunged at him knocking him off the chair. Les hit the floor with a thud, looking around to see who the offender was that pushed him to the ground.
Yup, those were my friends.
"Hey guys could you uh, leave me and Charlie alone for a minute? I've gotta ask him something." Guy spoke for the first time since he got there.
Everyone cleared the room and Guy walked toward me.
"Charlie, did you take money from the register at the shop last night?"
"Did I what? Are you accusing me off stealing Germaine?" I lathered my voice with phony hurt.
"No, it's just that when I left yesterday at the end of my shift there was a certain amount in it and when I went back today there was some missing."
"I didn't take it." I blatantly lied to someone that had been as close as a brother to me since we were six.
"Oh… Maybe I miss counted or something. Jan's not going to be happy."
We were interrupted then by another knock on the door, this time however rather then there being a long line of my companions with smiles behind it there were the stern glares of a two police officers.
"Charles Conway?" The lady cop crossed her arms.
"Yes."
"Get dressed, we're taking you down to precinct." Oh goodie, I was going to jail.
I was so glad I wasn't Banksie while I was sitting alone in that cell; he's so claustrophobic he probably would've died or at the very least had a nervous break down. I on the other hand was bored out of my cotton-picking mind. Nobody to talk to, boring. When one of the station cops came over to the cell after I'd been isolated for a good hour I nearly turned a summersault with excitement.
"Mr. Conway, you attorney's here."
"I haven't called my lawyer yet." I declared walking to the sliding cell door and the policemen unlocked it.
"There's one waiting for you in the interrogation room, says he knows you."
Bombay.
When I was led into the room though the lawyer in front of me was familiar, it wasn't Couch Bombay.
"Charlie, Gordon wanted me to tell you he's sorry he couldn't represent you but he said you'd know why."
Of course I know why. He's been upset because I didn't learn from his mistakes and got arrested for DUI.
"Yeah I understand. So Mr. Banks, why are you defending me." That's right Philip Banks was my attorney
"My son woke me up this morning a basket case begging me to keep you out of prison. For some unknown reason and everything you did to him notwithstanding, he still cares about you."
Make me feel worse why didn't he?
We discussed my defense and Philip gave me the heads up on what to expect at the hearing, which was scheduled for later that afternoon. Then I was escorted back to my roomy holding place.
My mom was at the hearing sitting in the front row, looking like a nervous wreck. I could tell she'd been crying all night and I felt so awful knowing it was my fault. But the thing that really got to me was Adam. I know I didn't want me to notice him there, but in truth I could've picked him out of a million people. He was sitting in the last seat in the last row with astonished eyes. I couldn't help but stare at him as he watched the judge intensely. I wasn't even paying that much attention to the judge and it was my trial. There was still a bruise around his eye and while it wasn't as dark as it had been the last time I saw him it was nonetheless pretty nasty looking. I couldn't believe I did that. It was hard enough to wrap my mind around the fact I hurt someone. But Adam? I loved him. How could I have done that to him? I thought about a lot of things while sitting in that hard wood chair, thought about swiping money from Jan, being jealous of Guy and hitting Banksie. What was I becoming? What kind of person was I turning into?
When the sentence came down of a thirty-day alcohol treatment program, I almost wished for more. I needed more, life in prison, the electric chair. After all I did I shouldn't have gotten off that easily. But I guess driving Adam out of my life forever was as good of a punishment as any. As the cuffs went around my wrist I distinctly heard a whimper at first I thought it was my mom. But in retrospect I think it came from me as I watched a single tear trickle down Banksie's cheek as they pushed me out the door to the awaiting paddy wagon.
~* Anyone that's reading this say thanks to Cake-Eater because if it wasn't for Quimby I would've stopped writing this already. And also kisses to Nicci for proof reading cuz I'm really bad at grammar and spelling. She's a life saver.*~
When I woke the next day, I was in a totally white room with a splitting headache. My mouth tasted like something had died in it and I was wearing one of those hospital nighties with my ass hanging out. What I couldn't figure out for the life of me was how I got there.
"Well, Mr. Conway you're awake." I turned my head the best I could in spite of the neck brace I was wearing and saw a plump dark haired women in a nurse's uniform standing by the door blood pressure cuff in hand.
"Yeah, awake and confused. How'd I get here?" My voice was scratchy and groggy and talking wasn't doing anything for my headache.
"You don't remember?"
"I wouldn't have asked if I did."
"Hmm, that could either be from the slight concussion you suffered or the large amount of alcohol you consumed before the accident." The women took my pulse then my temperature and I had to wait for the thermometer to be removed before I could speak.
"Accident? Oh my god, I wrecked my car." Suddenly all the memories of the day prior came flooding back. Adam left me, I wanted a drink, I didn't have any money so I swung by Jan's and burrowed some cash from the register, I got something to drink and I crashed. None of the above things were very good, I know. "Did they do a blood test?"
"Yes they did, you were at 1.2. That's well over the legal limit, being that you're under age, I'm sure you're gonna be in a whole mess of trouble." Thankfully her sermon was cut short when the head of a pretty blonde girl was stuck in the door. It was Tammy Duncan.
"Hi, can we come in?"
"Certainly. If you need anything guys just ring the buzzer and ask for Ruth." The nurse left and the long train of Ducks walked in. The out of state Ducks hadn't flown in like they had when Banks was in the hospital but then we didn't know if he would make it, I was in okay condition. With the exception of my sprained ankle and broken nose.
"What the hell were you thinking driving drunk Spazway?" Karp was yelling at me before everyone even got in the room.
"That it was a good day to test my airbags and antilock brakes." I shot back defensively. By then everyone had entered, everyone but Adam. "Guys where's Banksie?"
Fulton and Dean looked at each other obviously one of them had spoken to him, from the look Jesse's face I could tell he had too. Hall got to be the one to tell me.
"Cake-Eater isn't coming Charlie, he sent you a balloon but he's not coming." Jesse handed me a 'Get Well Soon' balloon.
I couldn't believe it; Banks leaves me, breaking my heart in the process and then doesn't even have the common courtesy to come see me in the hospital that was unfathomable.
"He's not coming, you're kidding me right?"
"No Spazway he's not coming." Peter always did put things so delicately.
"He's not sure coming here would've been a good idea after all that happened." Tommy tried to break it to me easily.
"He doesn't love me anymore." My voice was barely above a whisper; no one else even heard it above their own chattering.
"Alright, isn't Oprah on?" Averman asked reaching for my remote control, of course being that he's Averman he accidentally hit the wrong button and my bed began to fold up with me in it.
"Stop!" Everyone yelled as Goldberg lunged at him knocking him off the chair. Les hit the floor with a thud, looking around to see who the offender was that pushed him to the ground.
Yup, those were my friends.
"Hey guys could you uh, leave me and Charlie alone for a minute? I've gotta ask him something." Guy spoke for the first time since he got there.
Everyone cleared the room and Guy walked toward me.
"Charlie, did you take money from the register at the shop last night?"
"Did I what? Are you accusing me off stealing Germaine?" I lathered my voice with phony hurt.
"No, it's just that when I left yesterday at the end of my shift there was a certain amount in it and when I went back today there was some missing."
"I didn't take it." I blatantly lied to someone that had been as close as a brother to me since we were six.
"Oh… Maybe I miss counted or something. Jan's not going to be happy."
We were interrupted then by another knock on the door, this time however rather then there being a long line of my companions with smiles behind it there were the stern glares of a two police officers.
"Charles Conway?" The lady cop crossed her arms.
"Yes."
"Get dressed, we're taking you down to precinct." Oh goodie, I was going to jail.
I was so glad I wasn't Banksie while I was sitting alone in that cell; he's so claustrophobic he probably would've died or at the very least had a nervous break down. I on the other hand was bored out of my cotton-picking mind. Nobody to talk to, boring. When one of the station cops came over to the cell after I'd been isolated for a good hour I nearly turned a summersault with excitement.
"Mr. Conway, you attorney's here."
"I haven't called my lawyer yet." I declared walking to the sliding cell door and the policemen unlocked it.
"There's one waiting for you in the interrogation room, says he knows you."
Bombay.
When I was led into the room though the lawyer in front of me was familiar, it wasn't Couch Bombay.
"Charlie, Gordon wanted me to tell you he's sorry he couldn't represent you but he said you'd know why."
Of course I know why. He's been upset because I didn't learn from his mistakes and got arrested for DUI.
"Yeah I understand. So Mr. Banks, why are you defending me." That's right Philip Banks was my attorney
"My son woke me up this morning a basket case begging me to keep you out of prison. For some unknown reason and everything you did to him notwithstanding, he still cares about you."
Make me feel worse why didn't he?
We discussed my defense and Philip gave me the heads up on what to expect at the hearing, which was scheduled for later that afternoon. Then I was escorted back to my roomy holding place.
My mom was at the hearing sitting in the front row, looking like a nervous wreck. I could tell she'd been crying all night and I felt so awful knowing it was my fault. But the thing that really got to me was Adam. I know I didn't want me to notice him there, but in truth I could've picked him out of a million people. He was sitting in the last seat in the last row with astonished eyes. I couldn't help but stare at him as he watched the judge intensely. I wasn't even paying that much attention to the judge and it was my trial. There was still a bruise around his eye and while it wasn't as dark as it had been the last time I saw him it was nonetheless pretty nasty looking. I couldn't believe I did that. It was hard enough to wrap my mind around the fact I hurt someone. But Adam? I loved him. How could I have done that to him? I thought about a lot of things while sitting in that hard wood chair, thought about swiping money from Jan, being jealous of Guy and hitting Banksie. What was I becoming? What kind of person was I turning into?
When the sentence came down of a thirty-day alcohol treatment program, I almost wished for more. I needed more, life in prison, the electric chair. After all I did I shouldn't have gotten off that easily. But I guess driving Adam out of my life forever was as good of a punishment as any. As the cuffs went around my wrist I distinctly heard a whimper at first I thought it was my mom. But in retrospect I think it came from me as I watched a single tear trickle down Banksie's cheek as they pushed me out the door to the awaiting paddy wagon.
~* Anyone that's reading this say thanks to Cake-Eater because if it wasn't for Quimby I would've stopped writing this already. And also kisses to Nicci for proof reading cuz I'm really bad at grammar and spelling. She's a life saver.*~