Chapter 3: Who's hit?
When the gunfire stopped, the checkout area looked like a war zone. There were overturned carts, shattered displays, walls ridden with bullet holes, food and liquid spills on the floor, and the smell of gunpowder engulfed the area.
Lying on his back, Andy's heart hammered painfully against his chest as the gunshots ceased. His heartbeat was so loud he heard it thru his ears. And the nagging pinch in his side was no better. He thought he was having a heart attack. Andy felt something wet upon his chest. He looked down to find a mass of dark red blood covering the front of his button down plaid shirt.
'I'm shot.' Andy thought in disbelief. 'I can't believe it - I've been shot!'
He started to panic. His anxiety overtook him and he closed his eyes tight. The heart pounding increased tremendously. The pain was unbearable. His breathing became extremely difficult as thousands of thoughts and images raced thru his mind.
'I can't die. With Julia gone, who's going to take care of Ephram and Delia? I can't leave now. Please God, help me.' Andy prayed.
'Please let me live. Ephram and I just had our breaking moment and things were beginning to work out. It can't end like this. We haven't had a chance to really bond. Please don't take this away from me. Not now. Not yet.' Andy continued to pray.
Fran Michaels was the person within reaching distance to Andy. She was one of the customers and the wife of old Jacob Michaels, who owned the Everwood Hardware Depot. She crawled over to Andy.
"Are you ok, Dr. Brown?" Fran inquired. Then she saw the bloodstains. "You're hurt!!" Andy opened his eyes and found Fran hovering over him.
"You have to help me." Andy gasped for air. "I can't move." 'I won't move,' he thought. His life was gradually slipping away from him. He knew was dying and didn't want Ephram to see him this way. It would freak him out.
There were things he wanted to tell Ephram that he either never had the chance to or kept putting off. Andy didn't think Ephram knew how much he loved him and how proud he was of him. There were still numerous goals he needed to accomplish in this lifetime. He knew he wasn't the perfect father he was hoping to be. A medical profession meant dedication and long hours - he knew that from the start. But he would've gladly given it all up if he only knew how much his negligence would affect his kids. Moving to Everwood after his wife's death was supposed to be a second chance for him and his kids to get reacquainted. There were so many things he didn't know about Ephram and Delia, and there were things they didn't know about him. And now he was going to die. It wasn't fair.
The pain came mostly from the tightness in his chest. He wasn't sure if it was because he was so scared or if he was going into cardiac arrest. Part of him needed to see Ephram one last time before he dies. Not only to tell him what to do and where everything was, but most of all, that he loved him. It was effortless to tell Delia that he loved her on a daily basis because she forgave easier than Ephram. Delia expressed her feelings whereas Ephram suppressed his.
"OK, hold still. I'm going to check it out." Fran tried to be calm as she nervously flipped open Andy's jacket. He wondered why he didn't feel any pain from the wound itself. It was almost as if he felt detached from his body.
Fran cringed at the sight of Andy's blood soaked shirt. She unbuttoned his shirt with her spindly fingers and a puzzled look grew on her face.
"How bad is it?" Andy questioned preparing himself for the worst possible answer. 'Andy, I hate to break it to ya, but you only have minutes to live,' he thought. He was ready to burst into tears.
"Dr. Brown, where are you hit? I don't see anything." Fran exclaimed as she searched for the bullet entry wound.
"What are you talking about?" Andy said in confusion. "The blood's coming from my chest."
"Um, you're not hurt. Here, feel for yourself." She said as she lifted one of Andy's hands and placed it on his chest. "I.I don't think this is your blood."
Andy ran his hand over his entire torso. There was no wound. "If this is not my blood, then whose - Dear God NO!" He sat up and looked around for Ephram. He spotted Ephram about seven feet away. He appeared to be lying motionless on his side with his back towards Andy.
"Ephram?" Andy cried as he scrambled over to his son. The first thing he noticed was reddish-black caked blood on Ephram's tan jacket about three inches below the left shoulder blade. Andy turned his son over gently to face him. Ephram's chest heaved and his eyes fluttered open.
Andy was terrified when he saw the blood seeping on Ephram's chest. Apparently, the bullet entered his back and exited his chest right below the rib cage. He searched for the answers in his father's eyes.
"Dad?" Ephram murmured. "What.. "
"You've been shot." Andy said trying to remain calm as he took off his jacket and used it to apply pressure over the wound to keep it from bleeding.
Everything happened so quickly. Ephram didn't know a bullet went thru his body. He remembered hearing shots fired and running into his father. He felt a jab in the chest and the next thing he knew, he was on the floor with the wind knocked out of him. A nasty smell of gunpowder mingled with something else encircled him. Ephram wasn't aware that the odor came from a mix of gun smoke and his burning flesh. The pain didn't come to him until he saw the blood.
"I've been shot?!" Ephram squeaked in shock. "Oh my God!!" He moaned as he realized for the first time that his chest was covered with fresh blood.
"It's OK, son. Don't look at it. Look at me."
"Am I going to die? I'm going to die, aren't I?" Ephram sobbed frantically. Tears ran down his face. "It hurts."
"I'm not going to let you die. Not if I can help it." Andy said as he unbuttoned the first three buttons of Ephram's shirt.
* end of chapter 3 *
When the gunfire stopped, the checkout area looked like a war zone. There were overturned carts, shattered displays, walls ridden with bullet holes, food and liquid spills on the floor, and the smell of gunpowder engulfed the area.
Lying on his back, Andy's heart hammered painfully against his chest as the gunshots ceased. His heartbeat was so loud he heard it thru his ears. And the nagging pinch in his side was no better. He thought he was having a heart attack. Andy felt something wet upon his chest. He looked down to find a mass of dark red blood covering the front of his button down plaid shirt.
'I'm shot.' Andy thought in disbelief. 'I can't believe it - I've been shot!'
He started to panic. His anxiety overtook him and he closed his eyes tight. The heart pounding increased tremendously. The pain was unbearable. His breathing became extremely difficult as thousands of thoughts and images raced thru his mind.
'I can't die. With Julia gone, who's going to take care of Ephram and Delia? I can't leave now. Please God, help me.' Andy prayed.
'Please let me live. Ephram and I just had our breaking moment and things were beginning to work out. It can't end like this. We haven't had a chance to really bond. Please don't take this away from me. Not now. Not yet.' Andy continued to pray.
Fran Michaels was the person within reaching distance to Andy. She was one of the customers and the wife of old Jacob Michaels, who owned the Everwood Hardware Depot. She crawled over to Andy.
"Are you ok, Dr. Brown?" Fran inquired. Then she saw the bloodstains. "You're hurt!!" Andy opened his eyes and found Fran hovering over him.
"You have to help me." Andy gasped for air. "I can't move." 'I won't move,' he thought. His life was gradually slipping away from him. He knew was dying and didn't want Ephram to see him this way. It would freak him out.
There were things he wanted to tell Ephram that he either never had the chance to or kept putting off. Andy didn't think Ephram knew how much he loved him and how proud he was of him. There were still numerous goals he needed to accomplish in this lifetime. He knew he wasn't the perfect father he was hoping to be. A medical profession meant dedication and long hours - he knew that from the start. But he would've gladly given it all up if he only knew how much his negligence would affect his kids. Moving to Everwood after his wife's death was supposed to be a second chance for him and his kids to get reacquainted. There were so many things he didn't know about Ephram and Delia, and there were things they didn't know about him. And now he was going to die. It wasn't fair.
The pain came mostly from the tightness in his chest. He wasn't sure if it was because he was so scared or if he was going into cardiac arrest. Part of him needed to see Ephram one last time before he dies. Not only to tell him what to do and where everything was, but most of all, that he loved him. It was effortless to tell Delia that he loved her on a daily basis because she forgave easier than Ephram. Delia expressed her feelings whereas Ephram suppressed his.
"OK, hold still. I'm going to check it out." Fran tried to be calm as she nervously flipped open Andy's jacket. He wondered why he didn't feel any pain from the wound itself. It was almost as if he felt detached from his body.
Fran cringed at the sight of Andy's blood soaked shirt. She unbuttoned his shirt with her spindly fingers and a puzzled look grew on her face.
"How bad is it?" Andy questioned preparing himself for the worst possible answer. 'Andy, I hate to break it to ya, but you only have minutes to live,' he thought. He was ready to burst into tears.
"Dr. Brown, where are you hit? I don't see anything." Fran exclaimed as she searched for the bullet entry wound.
"What are you talking about?" Andy said in confusion. "The blood's coming from my chest."
"Um, you're not hurt. Here, feel for yourself." She said as she lifted one of Andy's hands and placed it on his chest. "I.I don't think this is your blood."
Andy ran his hand over his entire torso. There was no wound. "If this is not my blood, then whose - Dear God NO!" He sat up and looked around for Ephram. He spotted Ephram about seven feet away. He appeared to be lying motionless on his side with his back towards Andy.
"Ephram?" Andy cried as he scrambled over to his son. The first thing he noticed was reddish-black caked blood on Ephram's tan jacket about three inches below the left shoulder blade. Andy turned his son over gently to face him. Ephram's chest heaved and his eyes fluttered open.
Andy was terrified when he saw the blood seeping on Ephram's chest. Apparently, the bullet entered his back and exited his chest right below the rib cage. He searched for the answers in his father's eyes.
"Dad?" Ephram murmured. "What.. "
"You've been shot." Andy said trying to remain calm as he took off his jacket and used it to apply pressure over the wound to keep it from bleeding.
Everything happened so quickly. Ephram didn't know a bullet went thru his body. He remembered hearing shots fired and running into his father. He felt a jab in the chest and the next thing he knew, he was on the floor with the wind knocked out of him. A nasty smell of gunpowder mingled with something else encircled him. Ephram wasn't aware that the odor came from a mix of gun smoke and his burning flesh. The pain didn't come to him until he saw the blood.
"I've been shot?!" Ephram squeaked in shock. "Oh my God!!" He moaned as he realized for the first time that his chest was covered with fresh blood.
"It's OK, son. Don't look at it. Look at me."
"Am I going to die? I'm going to die, aren't I?" Ephram sobbed frantically. Tears ran down his face. "It hurts."
"I'm not going to let you die. Not if I can help it." Andy said as he unbuttoned the first three buttons of Ephram's shirt.
* end of chapter 3 *