I crept to Bailey's room and found her fast asleep in her youth bed. Her gray eyes were closed delicately as if there was nothing wrong with the world. I ran my fingers through her soft red curls, fighting the tears the stung my eyes. She was too young to be without a father, I myself was too young for that. How could that have happened? My father, dead on arrival. It seemed almost impossible; my dad was the world's most cautious driver. It didn't make sense and I was nearly certain there had been some sort of mistake.
I stood there watching the moonlight dance on her innocent face and shivered unwillingly at the thought that my father was dead and my stepmother may not make it through the night. It was too surreal. I remember kissing my little sister's forehead before racing down the stairs, in the pouring rain, to the taxi that was waiting in the driveway. Bailey's nanny Sophie had arrived moments prior, after I'd called her in a panic, explaining that I needed to get to the hospital, so she had to watch the baby.
"May I help you sir?" A voice called shattering the blackness that formed in my brain.
I turned to see a tall, plump woman in a nurses' uniform. I didn't even remember walking into the emergency room, it was as if one minute I was in the taxi the next I was standing the hospital soaking wet and freezing cold.
"Yes, I'm looking for my parents, they were brought in after a car accident."
"Okay, if you tell me who they are, I can help you find them." The nurse smiled
"Oh right, uh, Scott and Sky Vanderbilt." I shook my head and tried to focus
"Well, Mrs. Vanderbilt is still unconscious and in critical condition. But she is stable and the doctors are working very hard to save her. She's up in ICU, unfortunately visitors aren't permitted for the first day in intensive care, so I cant allow you to see her right now." The smile retained on her face like she was trying to comfort me.
"What about my father."
Instantly the smile faded from the women's face and her eyes shifted unnervingly.
"Oh dear, didn't the police call you sir? I'm sorry but your father was already clinically dead when he got here, he didn't survive the accident. Right now we believe the impact broke his neck, making it impossible for him to lift his head and causing him to suffocate in his air bag. I thought it was the responsibility of the investigating officer to notify the next of kin of that."
"They told me." I whispered, "I was just hoping they were wrong."
"Denial is a common defensive against such painful news. However, with your father deceased, you are given power of attorney. You've got to decide what treatment is given to your mother."
If it had been just the day before I would've corrected the women with a "she's my stepmother" but right then the technicalities didn't seem that important.
"I can't… I can't do that."
"That's understandable, you've got a lot to process at the moment. Why don't you go home for the night and try to get some rest?" The women suggested
"I won't be able to sleep, I'm not leaving." I answered sternly
"Alright, at least let me show to some where you can relax and dry off."
I had hardly noticed the icy dampness that had been seeping into my skin.
"Yeah."
"Good, this isn't a good time for a young man like yourself to be alone, would you like me to phone someone for you, someone you'd like to talk to?"
"No, no, there's only one person that can help me right now. I'll get in touch with her myself."
Twenty minutes later after I had changed into a pair of hospital scrubs that the nurse had offered me, I stood nervously running my fingers through my hair, which I dried under one of those electric hand dryers in the restroom. I was pretty apprehensive about calling the one person I wanted to talk to. I wasn't even certain if she would even talk to me, especially considering all that had happened recently, but still I picked up my cell phone and tapped in the number.
"Hello?" A groggy, unfamiliar female voice croaked following the sixth ring
"Connie?" I asked praying I hadn't dialed the wrong number
"Yeah, Scooter?"
"Uhuh, uh can I talk to Julie please?" I don't know what I was thinking calling that late on a school night.
"Scooter, do you realize what time it is?" She yawned
"Actually no."
"It's 2:00 AM."
"It is? I'm sorry Connie, it's just really important, I've gotta talk to Jules, could you please put her on?"
"Hold on a sec." I heard a ruffle of what I assumed was Connie's blankets, followed by footprints on a hard wood floor and muffled voices.
"Hello?" A second drowsy, girl's intonation came on the line, this one belonging to Jules
"Julie, it's me." I declared softly
"Scooter, what's wrong, what's the matter?" Her words were ensued by the sound of her sitting up straight on her bed and turning on the light on a nearby end table.
"There's been an accident." I began
"Accident, are you okay! What happened, where are you?" Her anxious inquiries spilled from her mouth like lighting from a cloud.
"I'm at the hospital, but I'm fine. It was my parents…" I gulped to control my emotions "My dad didn't make it and my stepmother's really bad Jules, she may die too. I just…I just wanted to hear you voice. I…I…I feel so alone right now."
"Shhh, it's okay, what hospital are you at, I'm coming down there, you shouldn't be by yourself."
"I'm at Fairview, but don't come down here Julie. I'm sorry for calling so late and waking you up, you've got class tomorrow and everything. I'm going to let you go. I'll call you back in the afternoon. Bye."
I hung up quickly and wondering into the waiting room, suddenly aware of my own exhaustion, I fell in heap onto one of the sofas and drifted to sleep. I'm not sure how long I was out before I felt the sensation of cold droplets of water falling on my face. But after the tenth or eleventh I realized I wasn't dreaming and opened my eyes. There hovering over me was a sopping wet Julie Gaffney. Her hair seemed a little darker, and it was noticeably shorter (I imagine as a fix for the purple dye job courtesy of my old friends), still she was the most beautiful thing my weary eyes could've seen.
"Crap, I didn't mean to wake you." She said, scowling at herself
"No, it's fine, I wasn't very comfortable anyway. But what are you doing here? I told you not to come." I sat up and stretched
"I wasn't going to let you stay here all night, on your own. Besides, I want to be here for you, I care about you a lot Scooter." The girl lowered herself onto the couch next to me and I wrapped my arms around her, pulled her close and wept into her already damp hair.
I stood there watching the moonlight dance on her innocent face and shivered unwillingly at the thought that my father was dead and my stepmother may not make it through the night. It was too surreal. I remember kissing my little sister's forehead before racing down the stairs, in the pouring rain, to the taxi that was waiting in the driveway. Bailey's nanny Sophie had arrived moments prior, after I'd called her in a panic, explaining that I needed to get to the hospital, so she had to watch the baby.
"May I help you sir?" A voice called shattering the blackness that formed in my brain.
I turned to see a tall, plump woman in a nurses' uniform. I didn't even remember walking into the emergency room, it was as if one minute I was in the taxi the next I was standing the hospital soaking wet and freezing cold.
"Yes, I'm looking for my parents, they were brought in after a car accident."
"Okay, if you tell me who they are, I can help you find them." The nurse smiled
"Oh right, uh, Scott and Sky Vanderbilt." I shook my head and tried to focus
"Well, Mrs. Vanderbilt is still unconscious and in critical condition. But she is stable and the doctors are working very hard to save her. She's up in ICU, unfortunately visitors aren't permitted for the first day in intensive care, so I cant allow you to see her right now." The smile retained on her face like she was trying to comfort me.
"What about my father."
Instantly the smile faded from the women's face and her eyes shifted unnervingly.
"Oh dear, didn't the police call you sir? I'm sorry but your father was already clinically dead when he got here, he didn't survive the accident. Right now we believe the impact broke his neck, making it impossible for him to lift his head and causing him to suffocate in his air bag. I thought it was the responsibility of the investigating officer to notify the next of kin of that."
"They told me." I whispered, "I was just hoping they were wrong."
"Denial is a common defensive against such painful news. However, with your father deceased, you are given power of attorney. You've got to decide what treatment is given to your mother."
If it had been just the day before I would've corrected the women with a "she's my stepmother" but right then the technicalities didn't seem that important.
"I can't… I can't do that."
"That's understandable, you've got a lot to process at the moment. Why don't you go home for the night and try to get some rest?" The women suggested
"I won't be able to sleep, I'm not leaving." I answered sternly
"Alright, at least let me show to some where you can relax and dry off."
I had hardly noticed the icy dampness that had been seeping into my skin.
"Yeah."
"Good, this isn't a good time for a young man like yourself to be alone, would you like me to phone someone for you, someone you'd like to talk to?"
"No, no, there's only one person that can help me right now. I'll get in touch with her myself."
Twenty minutes later after I had changed into a pair of hospital scrubs that the nurse had offered me, I stood nervously running my fingers through my hair, which I dried under one of those electric hand dryers in the restroom. I was pretty apprehensive about calling the one person I wanted to talk to. I wasn't even certain if she would even talk to me, especially considering all that had happened recently, but still I picked up my cell phone and tapped in the number.
"Hello?" A groggy, unfamiliar female voice croaked following the sixth ring
"Connie?" I asked praying I hadn't dialed the wrong number
"Yeah, Scooter?"
"Uhuh, uh can I talk to Julie please?" I don't know what I was thinking calling that late on a school night.
"Scooter, do you realize what time it is?" She yawned
"Actually no."
"It's 2:00 AM."
"It is? I'm sorry Connie, it's just really important, I've gotta talk to Jules, could you please put her on?"
"Hold on a sec." I heard a ruffle of what I assumed was Connie's blankets, followed by footprints on a hard wood floor and muffled voices.
"Hello?" A second drowsy, girl's intonation came on the line, this one belonging to Jules
"Julie, it's me." I declared softly
"Scooter, what's wrong, what's the matter?" Her words were ensued by the sound of her sitting up straight on her bed and turning on the light on a nearby end table.
"There's been an accident." I began
"Accident, are you okay! What happened, where are you?" Her anxious inquiries spilled from her mouth like lighting from a cloud.
"I'm at the hospital, but I'm fine. It was my parents…" I gulped to control my emotions "My dad didn't make it and my stepmother's really bad Jules, she may die too. I just…I just wanted to hear you voice. I…I…I feel so alone right now."
"Shhh, it's okay, what hospital are you at, I'm coming down there, you shouldn't be by yourself."
"I'm at Fairview, but don't come down here Julie. I'm sorry for calling so late and waking you up, you've got class tomorrow and everything. I'm going to let you go. I'll call you back in the afternoon. Bye."
I hung up quickly and wondering into the waiting room, suddenly aware of my own exhaustion, I fell in heap onto one of the sofas and drifted to sleep. I'm not sure how long I was out before I felt the sensation of cold droplets of water falling on my face. But after the tenth or eleventh I realized I wasn't dreaming and opened my eyes. There hovering over me was a sopping wet Julie Gaffney. Her hair seemed a little darker, and it was noticeably shorter (I imagine as a fix for the purple dye job courtesy of my old friends), still she was the most beautiful thing my weary eyes could've seen.
"Crap, I didn't mean to wake you." She said, scowling at herself
"No, it's fine, I wasn't very comfortable anyway. But what are you doing here? I told you not to come." I sat up and stretched
"I wasn't going to let you stay here all night, on your own. Besides, I want to be here for you, I care about you a lot Scooter." The girl lowered herself onto the couch next to me and I wrapped my arms around her, pulled her close and wept into her already damp hair.