Chapter 4: Hanging On
"NO, NO, NO. It wasn't supposed to turn out this way." Stan exploded at his silent partner. "You shot the kid. We were just gonna get the money and get out of here. Nobody was supposed to get hurt." He was panicking.
The phone by the cash register rang. Stan picked it up on the 5th ring.
"If you don't get us what we want, we are going to use these lovely people here for target practice." He shouted into the receiver and listened to the person on the other end.
"We want a car. You've got 30 minutes or people start dropping like flies. Got that?!" Stan slammed the phone down. The silent partner gathered the hostages.
"Please, my son needs medical attention. Let them help him. Let him go." Andy pleaded.
"You're askin' for a bullet in your skull, old man. Shut the hell up if you know what's good for ya." The silent partner retorted. "If the kid dies, the kid dies."
Andy held Ephram in his arms as he applied pressure to the entry and exit wounds. Ephram, drenched in sweat, was slowly spilling pints of blood. His breathing came in terrible labored pants as his body temperature rose. His black hair matted against his forehead.
"My heart feels like it's going to explode." Ephram said softly between breathes. He winced in pain and closed his eyes for a moment.
"Ephram, open your eyes. It's important that you stay awake. I don't want you going into shock. Keep talking." Andy instructed. Ephram looked helplessly at his father. His eyes told Andy that he was mortified. "It'll be ok. Don't be scared. I'm here."
"Dad?" Ephram whispered.
"What is it?"
"You know I love you, right? And Delia too." Ephram said after a short pause.
"Of course I know." Andy said surprisingly.
"Well, just in case - "
"Just in case nothing, Ephram. You are going to be fine." Andy cut him off. 'Don't cry Andy, Don't cry. He'll get scared if he sees you bawling your eyes out,' Andy thought holding back this anger and tears. Ephram fell silent.
"So, you want to fill me in on the story about that necklace that got you all worked up?" Andy asked trying desperately to change the subject.
"It was mom's. She gave it to me the day before my piano recital." Ephram swallowed hard. "The day before she died. She said it was for good luck." A deep breath. "I've never taken it off since. It's the only valuable thing I own. I can't let anyone take the last piece of mom away from me."
"Ephram, I had no idea." Andy was amazed at how little he took notice of his son this past year. He made a mental note that when they got out of this situation, he would have to pay closer attention.
"That's why I got pissed when he took it." Ephram coughed softly. Andy wiped the dried blood away from the cut on the side of Ephram's head where the butt of the Glock had struck him.
Worriedly, Andy noticed how Ephram's skin was slick with perspiration and his breathing pattern had become more irregular.
"Don't press so hard. It hurts bad enough." Ephram moaned.
"Sorry, but I have to stop the bleeding." Andy replied. He knew his son was getting worse. Ephram grunted in pain. He fought to keep his eyes focused but the dizziness would only make his eyes cross. He tried to shake it off.
"Hey, what do you think you're doing? You'd better stay with me." Andy said loudly into Ephram's ear. Ephram's eyes shot open again. "Talk to me."
"I can't." Ephram whined.
"Yes, you can. Tell me about last Thanksgiving. Go on." Andy had to keep Ephram awake as long as possible.
"Why do I have to tell you? You know what happened. You were there."
"Tell me again."
"It was just you, me and Delia. The first Thanksgiving without mom. None of us knew the secret to baking a juicy turkey. It's always moist on the outside but dry as a bone in the inside. So we invented our own way." Ephram paused for a couple of long breaths.
"Yea, then what?"
"Instead of basting the turkey every half an hour, you - you brought home these syringes and we filled them up with melted butter and injected it into the turkey." Ephram finished. Andy's heart softened as he saw Ephram's weak smile.
"And did it work?" Andy questioned. 'He looks so much like Julia,' Andy thought as he gazed into Ephram's greenish-gray eyes.
"Yea. For the most part." He tried to laugh but was caught in a painful coughing fit.
The phone rang. Stan picked it up almost immediately. He was edgy. There was no telling how many cops were out there. They called to tell him the getaway car is out front. Let the hostages go. He hung up the phone.
"Grab that girl, we are getting outta here! The car's out front." Stan ordered his silent partner as he pointed to Trudy, the cashier girl. The silent partner pulled the bawling Trudy from where she'd been sitting and dragged her halfway across the room. Stan grabbed the loot and unlocked the door as his silent partner pointed the pistol against Trudy's temple.
Everyone watched the three moved cautiously out of the supermarket, including Andy. Thru the corner of his eye, he realized Ephram was awfully still and no longer frantically gasping for breath. He directed his attention to his son, whose eyes were shut tight.
In his darkness, Ephram heard a familiar voice calling his name. But it wasn't his father. It was a female voice. The melodic voice was comforting and soothing almost like as if she was singing his name. It was mysterious yet entrancing. He could've sworn he heard this voice before. But it was pitch black and he saw no one no matter how hard he squinted.
"Ephram." The voice beckoned.
"Where are you?" Ephram called.
"Ephram." The voice beckoned again.
"Mom!" Ephram said excitedly as he finally recognized the voice.
* end of chapter 4 *
"NO, NO, NO. It wasn't supposed to turn out this way." Stan exploded at his silent partner. "You shot the kid. We were just gonna get the money and get out of here. Nobody was supposed to get hurt." He was panicking.
The phone by the cash register rang. Stan picked it up on the 5th ring.
"If you don't get us what we want, we are going to use these lovely people here for target practice." He shouted into the receiver and listened to the person on the other end.
"We want a car. You've got 30 minutes or people start dropping like flies. Got that?!" Stan slammed the phone down. The silent partner gathered the hostages.
"Please, my son needs medical attention. Let them help him. Let him go." Andy pleaded.
"You're askin' for a bullet in your skull, old man. Shut the hell up if you know what's good for ya." The silent partner retorted. "If the kid dies, the kid dies."
Andy held Ephram in his arms as he applied pressure to the entry and exit wounds. Ephram, drenched in sweat, was slowly spilling pints of blood. His breathing came in terrible labored pants as his body temperature rose. His black hair matted against his forehead.
"My heart feels like it's going to explode." Ephram said softly between breathes. He winced in pain and closed his eyes for a moment.
"Ephram, open your eyes. It's important that you stay awake. I don't want you going into shock. Keep talking." Andy instructed. Ephram looked helplessly at his father. His eyes told Andy that he was mortified. "It'll be ok. Don't be scared. I'm here."
"Dad?" Ephram whispered.
"What is it?"
"You know I love you, right? And Delia too." Ephram said after a short pause.
"Of course I know." Andy said surprisingly.
"Well, just in case - "
"Just in case nothing, Ephram. You are going to be fine." Andy cut him off. 'Don't cry Andy, Don't cry. He'll get scared if he sees you bawling your eyes out,' Andy thought holding back this anger and tears. Ephram fell silent.
"So, you want to fill me in on the story about that necklace that got you all worked up?" Andy asked trying desperately to change the subject.
"It was mom's. She gave it to me the day before my piano recital." Ephram swallowed hard. "The day before she died. She said it was for good luck." A deep breath. "I've never taken it off since. It's the only valuable thing I own. I can't let anyone take the last piece of mom away from me."
"Ephram, I had no idea." Andy was amazed at how little he took notice of his son this past year. He made a mental note that when they got out of this situation, he would have to pay closer attention.
"That's why I got pissed when he took it." Ephram coughed softly. Andy wiped the dried blood away from the cut on the side of Ephram's head where the butt of the Glock had struck him.
Worriedly, Andy noticed how Ephram's skin was slick with perspiration and his breathing pattern had become more irregular.
"Don't press so hard. It hurts bad enough." Ephram moaned.
"Sorry, but I have to stop the bleeding." Andy replied. He knew his son was getting worse. Ephram grunted in pain. He fought to keep his eyes focused but the dizziness would only make his eyes cross. He tried to shake it off.
"Hey, what do you think you're doing? You'd better stay with me." Andy said loudly into Ephram's ear. Ephram's eyes shot open again. "Talk to me."
"I can't." Ephram whined.
"Yes, you can. Tell me about last Thanksgiving. Go on." Andy had to keep Ephram awake as long as possible.
"Why do I have to tell you? You know what happened. You were there."
"Tell me again."
"It was just you, me and Delia. The first Thanksgiving without mom. None of us knew the secret to baking a juicy turkey. It's always moist on the outside but dry as a bone in the inside. So we invented our own way." Ephram paused for a couple of long breaths.
"Yea, then what?"
"Instead of basting the turkey every half an hour, you - you brought home these syringes and we filled them up with melted butter and injected it into the turkey." Ephram finished. Andy's heart softened as he saw Ephram's weak smile.
"And did it work?" Andy questioned. 'He looks so much like Julia,' Andy thought as he gazed into Ephram's greenish-gray eyes.
"Yea. For the most part." He tried to laugh but was caught in a painful coughing fit.
The phone rang. Stan picked it up almost immediately. He was edgy. There was no telling how many cops were out there. They called to tell him the getaway car is out front. Let the hostages go. He hung up the phone.
"Grab that girl, we are getting outta here! The car's out front." Stan ordered his silent partner as he pointed to Trudy, the cashier girl. The silent partner pulled the bawling Trudy from where she'd been sitting and dragged her halfway across the room. Stan grabbed the loot and unlocked the door as his silent partner pointed the pistol against Trudy's temple.
Everyone watched the three moved cautiously out of the supermarket, including Andy. Thru the corner of his eye, he realized Ephram was awfully still and no longer frantically gasping for breath. He directed his attention to his son, whose eyes were shut tight.
In his darkness, Ephram heard a familiar voice calling his name. But it wasn't his father. It was a female voice. The melodic voice was comforting and soothing almost like as if she was singing his name. It was mysterious yet entrancing. He could've sworn he heard this voice before. But it was pitch black and he saw no one no matter how hard he squinted.
"Ephram." The voice beckoned.
"Where are you?" Ephram called.
"Ephram." The voice beckoned again.
"Mom!" Ephram said excitedly as he finally recognized the voice.
* end of chapter 4 *