"Where's the baby?" Gordo repeated. "They had to take him Gordo. He's in intensive care. His heart is weak. They don't know how long he has to live." Lizzie was in tears. Gordo ran over and hugged her. "My Lizzie, my Lizzie." He cried into her hair. They were both there sobbing with each other while the rest of their family and friends came in. "Lizzie!" Mrs. McGuire ran over to them, "What's wrong?" She asked. "The baby. His heart is weak. They don't know if he'll make it." Lizzie sobbed. Everyone went white. Mrs. McGuire started to cry and Mrs. Gordon tightened her grip on her husband's hand.
Lizzie and Gordo spent every waking moment in the ICU. They had decided against the name Benjamin, but couldn't find one that fit their baby. One day Matt and Lanny were standing at the window of the ICU. The baby grabbed onto one of Lizzie's fingers. Lizzie started to cry. Lanny started to cry too.
Lanny went home that night. He started to draw. No one knew that he drew, but nobody truly knew Lanny. He sketched and erased waiting until it was perfect. The perfect lines. Black, thick lines crossing the paper. Moving and stretching over the vast, white surface. He painted. Delicately. Water colors. Filling the spaces. Connecting it. Making it whole. 'It is finished.' Lanny said as he laid down his brush.
Lanny hurried to the hospital. The traffic was bad so he took a short cut. It winded through the countryside but was so much faster. All of the sudden a horse dashed across the road. Lanny screeched on the breaks and tried to turn but landed up in a ditch.
'I'm dead. I'm dying. So dark. Aren't you supposed to see a light? A blinding, beautiful light. My legs. My legs they hurt so bad. My head! My head feels like it exploded. If this is death this must be hell..."
Matt dialed Lanny's phone again. No answer. He called the Onasises. "Hello?" Mrs. Onassis picked up the phone. "Is Lanny there?" Matt asked. "No, he was heading to the hospital to visit Lizzie and the baby with you." "He's not here yet." Matt replied. "Oh, Matt, I'm worried. He left an hour ago." Mrs. Onasis sighed into the phone. "It's okay. I'll see if I can find him." "Thanks Matt. Bye!" She hung up. Matt sat down on the bench and tried to figure out where Lanny was.
'Sirens! I here sirens! I'm not dead. I feel like shit but I'm alive. Ow! What's touching me. People. I see people. Talking. Noises. Motion. I hate this. I'm dead. This must be the after life. But why are there sirens? I'm dead already. Dead.'
Matt sat in the main lobby of the hospital. "Maybe he got lost." Matt thought aloud. He decided to walk down to the ER. He was looking around the waiting room. "Maybe he got hurt." He thought again. Then he saw a gurney come rolling in. "The kid's hurt bad!" The paramedic yelled to the nurse who took over. Matt looked at the stretcher. "Oh my GOD!" He yelled.
'Mommy, I love you. I'm dead. Gone. I'm sorry I took that quarter from your purse when I was five. I'm sorry I broke your china cat. Just come get me. I don't want to be dead. I am, but I hate it. People, white. Is this heaven? I feel so terrible. Come get me. I love you daddy. I love you...'
"Lanny!" Matt screamed seeing his friend. "What happened?" He asked the paramedic. "Landed in a ditch. The headrest was out and pierced thru his head. He got it out, but he doesn't have much of a chance." The paramedic replied. Matt started to cry. "You don't think he'll make it?" Matt sobbed. "No, I've seen this before. The outcome is not usually good." Matt nodded and went to call Mrs. Onasis. "Hello?" He sobbed into the phone. "Matt, is Lanny okay?" Mrs. Onasis asked. "No, you better get to the emergency room quick." Matt cried. Mrs. Onasis hung up.
'Dead. I feel dead. I must be dead. Baby? Why is there a baby? Baby come here! Are you dead too? I am. I'm scared. Light. Hurts. Hands. Mask. I'm so tired. I feel so tired. Mommy, daddy, come get me. I'm scarred. It smells so good. So, so good. Ow. I burn. I'm dead. But it smells so good...'
"Matt!" Mr. and Mrs. Onasis ran into the ER. "What's wrong? Where's Lanny?" Mr. Onasis asked. Matt sighed. "He was driving to the hospital but took the short cut. The one through the farm land. He must have missed turned or something but he landed in a ditch. The headrest came out and pierced his head. They don't know if he'll live. I'm so sorry." Matt replied. Mr. Onasis started to cry. Mrs. Onasis had to sit down. They all sat and hugged. Waiting for the news.
Lizzie was walking to the cafeteria. Gordo was with the baby. They were thinking about naming the baby Beathan, but they weren't sure. Lizzie was tired and needed to eat something. The baby was a week old and was gradually getting better. The doctors said another week should do the trick. As she was walking someone bumped into her. She looked up. "Matt? What are you doing here?" She asked. "Lanny. Lanny's been in a car accident. The headrest punctured his head. We also just found out one of his legs was crushed pretty bad. They have no idea if he'll live." Lizzie just starred at him. "I'm so scarred Lizzie." Matt hugged her. "Matt, he can't die, he just can't die." She cried. "I know, I know." Matt replied. Lizzie walked back to tell Gordo what happened. Gordo looked at her. "Landon," He whispered, "Landon Beathan Gordon."
Lizzie and Gordo spent every waking moment in the ICU. They had decided against the name Benjamin, but couldn't find one that fit their baby. One day Matt and Lanny were standing at the window of the ICU. The baby grabbed onto one of Lizzie's fingers. Lizzie started to cry. Lanny started to cry too.
Lanny went home that night. He started to draw. No one knew that he drew, but nobody truly knew Lanny. He sketched and erased waiting until it was perfect. The perfect lines. Black, thick lines crossing the paper. Moving and stretching over the vast, white surface. He painted. Delicately. Water colors. Filling the spaces. Connecting it. Making it whole. 'It is finished.' Lanny said as he laid down his brush.
Lanny hurried to the hospital. The traffic was bad so he took a short cut. It winded through the countryside but was so much faster. All of the sudden a horse dashed across the road. Lanny screeched on the breaks and tried to turn but landed up in a ditch.
'I'm dead. I'm dying. So dark. Aren't you supposed to see a light? A blinding, beautiful light. My legs. My legs they hurt so bad. My head! My head feels like it exploded. If this is death this must be hell..."
Matt dialed Lanny's phone again. No answer. He called the Onasises. "Hello?" Mrs. Onassis picked up the phone. "Is Lanny there?" Matt asked. "No, he was heading to the hospital to visit Lizzie and the baby with you." "He's not here yet." Matt replied. "Oh, Matt, I'm worried. He left an hour ago." Mrs. Onasis sighed into the phone. "It's okay. I'll see if I can find him." "Thanks Matt. Bye!" She hung up. Matt sat down on the bench and tried to figure out where Lanny was.
'Sirens! I here sirens! I'm not dead. I feel like shit but I'm alive. Ow! What's touching me. People. I see people. Talking. Noises. Motion. I hate this. I'm dead. This must be the after life. But why are there sirens? I'm dead already. Dead.'
Matt sat in the main lobby of the hospital. "Maybe he got lost." Matt thought aloud. He decided to walk down to the ER. He was looking around the waiting room. "Maybe he got hurt." He thought again. Then he saw a gurney come rolling in. "The kid's hurt bad!" The paramedic yelled to the nurse who took over. Matt looked at the stretcher. "Oh my GOD!" He yelled.
'Mommy, I love you. I'm dead. Gone. I'm sorry I took that quarter from your purse when I was five. I'm sorry I broke your china cat. Just come get me. I don't want to be dead. I am, but I hate it. People, white. Is this heaven? I feel so terrible. Come get me. I love you daddy. I love you...'
"Lanny!" Matt screamed seeing his friend. "What happened?" He asked the paramedic. "Landed in a ditch. The headrest was out and pierced thru his head. He got it out, but he doesn't have much of a chance." The paramedic replied. Matt started to cry. "You don't think he'll make it?" Matt sobbed. "No, I've seen this before. The outcome is not usually good." Matt nodded and went to call Mrs. Onasis. "Hello?" He sobbed into the phone. "Matt, is Lanny okay?" Mrs. Onasis asked. "No, you better get to the emergency room quick." Matt cried. Mrs. Onasis hung up.
'Dead. I feel dead. I must be dead. Baby? Why is there a baby? Baby come here! Are you dead too? I am. I'm scared. Light. Hurts. Hands. Mask. I'm so tired. I feel so tired. Mommy, daddy, come get me. I'm scarred. It smells so good. So, so good. Ow. I burn. I'm dead. But it smells so good...'
"Matt!" Mr. and Mrs. Onasis ran into the ER. "What's wrong? Where's Lanny?" Mr. Onasis asked. Matt sighed. "He was driving to the hospital but took the short cut. The one through the farm land. He must have missed turned or something but he landed in a ditch. The headrest came out and pierced his head. They don't know if he'll live. I'm so sorry." Matt replied. Mr. Onasis started to cry. Mrs. Onasis had to sit down. They all sat and hugged. Waiting for the news.
Lizzie was walking to the cafeteria. Gordo was with the baby. They were thinking about naming the baby Beathan, but they weren't sure. Lizzie was tired and needed to eat something. The baby was a week old and was gradually getting better. The doctors said another week should do the trick. As she was walking someone bumped into her. She looked up. "Matt? What are you doing here?" She asked. "Lanny. Lanny's been in a car accident. The headrest punctured his head. We also just found out one of his legs was crushed pretty bad. They have no idea if he'll live." Lizzie just starred at him. "I'm so scarred Lizzie." Matt hugged her. "Matt, he can't die, he just can't die." She cried. "I know, I know." Matt replied. Lizzie walked back to tell Gordo what happened. Gordo looked at her. "Landon," He whispered, "Landon Beathan Gordon."
