Road Trip
Chapter 5 - Broken Wings
It was all a blur to him.
A crowd of people; a few policemen; paramedics placing him onto a gurney and into a back of an Ambulance.
The ride to the hospital. The paramedics injecting IVs into his arm. The sudden turns of the Ambulance. A stop. Him being rolled out and onto an Emergency Room platform. Flashing lights. Shouts, orders. Rolled into an ER room. Then the morphine set in.
A phone call woke up Tommy. He turned on the lamp, and rubbed his eyes. "Hell, man, why is there a call at." He stared at the digital clock on the desk ".4:56 AM!" Tommy moaned. He grabbed the phone and placed it to his ear. "Hello?" "Yes, Mr. Vercetti, this is Dr. Jean Page at Walterboro General Hospital, a friend of yours, uhh..a Mr. Kenneth Rosenberg is in the ER." "What the hell?" "Yes, Mr. Vercetti, several people found him unconscious outside the Rebel Yell Strip Club and they called the police." "What's wrong with him?" "Well, according to the report here, he has a broken jaw and a very minor head trauma, and a number of missing teeth." "Shit, it must have been serious." "Please refrain from using profanity, Mr. Vercetti, people track these calls." "Sorry. So when can I go see him or get him out?" "Well, that's a problem there, Mr. Vercetti. He won't be leaving for several days." "WHAT?!" Tommy screamed loudly. "Calm down, Mr. Vercetti, Kenneth is delirious, and I called here to ask for you. He's wanted to see you." "Really, how sweet. I'll be there in ten minutes, bye."
He slammed the phone down and nudged Phil. "Get up; we're going to the Hospital." Phil moaned and turned to his side. Tommy grabbed the in-room Bible and slapped Phil with it several times. "GET.UP.YOU.LAZY.BASTARD!" Tommy shouted. Phil grabbed Tommy's shirt collar and said to him stealthily "I am awake." Phil threw him onto the bed and he sat up. "Now what the hell do you want?" Phil yawned. "Ken's in the hospital. Get ready, I'm checking out now." Tommy said. "But I want a shower!" Phil complained. "WELL YOU CAN GET ONE LATER!" Tommy shouted. Phil and Tommy got some clothes on and threw their stuff in the van. Phil ran for the check out counter and Tommy started up the van. Phil ran out and got in the van, and they sped off to the hospital.
"Ken, calm down, please!" "No, where is he, I want to kick his ass! Are you him? ARE YOU?!" Ken threw some punches at Dr. Roy Bengal, but missing every time. 2 Security Guards came in and held Ken back. "Ahh, my friends.my protectors." Ken said warmly to the security guards. Dr. Page came in the room. "Christ, Roy, how much morphine did you give him?" Dr. Page said. "I only gave him the normal dosage!" Dr. Roy said. "Well, give him more, he's crazy!" There was a slight rapping at the door. A nurse informed Dr. Page "A Thomas Vercetti and a Phillip Cassidy are here to see Ken." "Send them in!!!" Ken shouted. "Send them in." Dr. Page said. Tommy and Phil walked into the room. "Guys!" Ken shouted. Tommy rushed over and grabbed Ken's hospital blouse collar. "WHAT THE HELL WERE YOU THINKING, KEN?! GOING OUT LIKE THAT! HUH, WHAT WERE YOU THINKING, YOU IDIOT!" Tommy screamed. Several people were heard murmuring outside. Dr. Roy, Dr. Page, Phil, and the guards were silent. Ken was on the verge of tears. "I'm.I'm." Ken stammered. Tommy still looked at Ken fiercely. He started crying softly. Tommy then changed his look into a sympathetic glance. He took Ken in his arms and shot a warning glance to the inhabitants in the room. "Get out." He said to the Doctors, Guards, and Phil. They all left at once. Ken was crying harder. "Oh, Tommy.it was horrible. I was strolling up to the strip club, going to have a great time. I got pulled into the bushes and was pulled against a tree and I got the beating I'll never forget. I was so scared, Tommy.he had a gun, I thought my life was going to end. Instead, he said 'That prize is mine, and tell your little friends that too.' Oh, Tommy." Ken buried his face into Tommy's shoulder crying harder, letting his emotions flow. Tommy patted his friend on the back. "It's OK, Ken.Its over. You're safe now." Tommy said softly. This scene went on for minutes, which seemed more like decades. Ken sniffed and said shakily "I want to go home."
Those are the words Thomas Vercetti would never forget.
Tommy came out of the room, the upper-left part of his shirt wet with tears. Phil and Dr. Page started for the door, but Tommy blocked them. "No, leave him. He wants to think." Tommy said. Dr. Page put her hand on Tommy's shoulder. "Thank you, Tom. I think you made Ken feel a lot better." Dr. Page said and smiled. Tommy smiled back at her. "Phil, come with me." Tommy said and he went towards the cafeteria.
"Ken wants to go back to Vice City." Tommy stated. "Well, I can take care of that!" Avery Carrington said on the other line. "Thanks, Avery; I know I can trust you." "It's no problem, son. Just tell me where and when and I'll be there!" Avery reported. "I want to you go to the Charleston International Airport, and I'll meet you there in a few hours, OK?" "Alright, Tommy." "And bring an extra helicopter; me and Phil are done with this whole 'American Highway Legacy' crap." "Alright then, Tommy, I'll meet you in Charleston around...5:00 PM alright? See you later." Tommy placed the phone on the receiver. "Ready to go?" Tommy asked Phil and a patched up Ken. They both nodded. They walked out of the hospital doors and to the van, and made their way to Interstate 95, to get their newly found destiny.
It was all a blur to him.
A crowd of people; a few policemen; paramedics placing him onto a gurney and into a back of an Ambulance.
The ride to the hospital. The paramedics injecting IVs into his arm. The sudden turns of the Ambulance. A stop. Him being rolled out and onto an Emergency Room platform. Flashing lights. Shouts, orders. Rolled into an ER room. Then the morphine set in.
A phone call woke up Tommy. He turned on the lamp, and rubbed his eyes. "Hell, man, why is there a call at." He stared at the digital clock on the desk ".4:56 AM!" Tommy moaned. He grabbed the phone and placed it to his ear. "Hello?" "Yes, Mr. Vercetti, this is Dr. Jean Page at Walterboro General Hospital, a friend of yours, uhh..a Mr. Kenneth Rosenberg is in the ER." "What the hell?" "Yes, Mr. Vercetti, several people found him unconscious outside the Rebel Yell Strip Club and they called the police." "What's wrong with him?" "Well, according to the report here, he has a broken jaw and a very minor head trauma, and a number of missing teeth." "Shit, it must have been serious." "Please refrain from using profanity, Mr. Vercetti, people track these calls." "Sorry. So when can I go see him or get him out?" "Well, that's a problem there, Mr. Vercetti. He won't be leaving for several days." "WHAT?!" Tommy screamed loudly. "Calm down, Mr. Vercetti, Kenneth is delirious, and I called here to ask for you. He's wanted to see you." "Really, how sweet. I'll be there in ten minutes, bye."
He slammed the phone down and nudged Phil. "Get up; we're going to the Hospital." Phil moaned and turned to his side. Tommy grabbed the in-room Bible and slapped Phil with it several times. "GET.UP.YOU.LAZY.BASTARD!" Tommy shouted. Phil grabbed Tommy's shirt collar and said to him stealthily "I am awake." Phil threw him onto the bed and he sat up. "Now what the hell do you want?" Phil yawned. "Ken's in the hospital. Get ready, I'm checking out now." Tommy said. "But I want a shower!" Phil complained. "WELL YOU CAN GET ONE LATER!" Tommy shouted. Phil and Tommy got some clothes on and threw their stuff in the van. Phil ran for the check out counter and Tommy started up the van. Phil ran out and got in the van, and they sped off to the hospital.
"Ken, calm down, please!" "No, where is he, I want to kick his ass! Are you him? ARE YOU?!" Ken threw some punches at Dr. Roy Bengal, but missing every time. 2 Security Guards came in and held Ken back. "Ahh, my friends.my protectors." Ken said warmly to the security guards. Dr. Page came in the room. "Christ, Roy, how much morphine did you give him?" Dr. Page said. "I only gave him the normal dosage!" Dr. Roy said. "Well, give him more, he's crazy!" There was a slight rapping at the door. A nurse informed Dr. Page "A Thomas Vercetti and a Phillip Cassidy are here to see Ken." "Send them in!!!" Ken shouted. "Send them in." Dr. Page said. Tommy and Phil walked into the room. "Guys!" Ken shouted. Tommy rushed over and grabbed Ken's hospital blouse collar. "WHAT THE HELL WERE YOU THINKING, KEN?! GOING OUT LIKE THAT! HUH, WHAT WERE YOU THINKING, YOU IDIOT!" Tommy screamed. Several people were heard murmuring outside. Dr. Roy, Dr. Page, Phil, and the guards were silent. Ken was on the verge of tears. "I'm.I'm." Ken stammered. Tommy still looked at Ken fiercely. He started crying softly. Tommy then changed his look into a sympathetic glance. He took Ken in his arms and shot a warning glance to the inhabitants in the room. "Get out." He said to the Doctors, Guards, and Phil. They all left at once. Ken was crying harder. "Oh, Tommy.it was horrible. I was strolling up to the strip club, going to have a great time. I got pulled into the bushes and was pulled against a tree and I got the beating I'll never forget. I was so scared, Tommy.he had a gun, I thought my life was going to end. Instead, he said 'That prize is mine, and tell your little friends that too.' Oh, Tommy." Ken buried his face into Tommy's shoulder crying harder, letting his emotions flow. Tommy patted his friend on the back. "It's OK, Ken.Its over. You're safe now." Tommy said softly. This scene went on for minutes, which seemed more like decades. Ken sniffed and said shakily "I want to go home."
Those are the words Thomas Vercetti would never forget.
Tommy came out of the room, the upper-left part of his shirt wet with tears. Phil and Dr. Page started for the door, but Tommy blocked them. "No, leave him. He wants to think." Tommy said. Dr. Page put her hand on Tommy's shoulder. "Thank you, Tom. I think you made Ken feel a lot better." Dr. Page said and smiled. Tommy smiled back at her. "Phil, come with me." Tommy said and he went towards the cafeteria.
"Ken wants to go back to Vice City." Tommy stated. "Well, I can take care of that!" Avery Carrington said on the other line. "Thanks, Avery; I know I can trust you." "It's no problem, son. Just tell me where and when and I'll be there!" Avery reported. "I want to you go to the Charleston International Airport, and I'll meet you there in a few hours, OK?" "Alright, Tommy." "And bring an extra helicopter; me and Phil are done with this whole 'American Highway Legacy' crap." "Alright then, Tommy, I'll meet you in Charleston around...5:00 PM alright? See you later." Tommy placed the phone on the receiver. "Ready to go?" Tommy asked Phil and a patched up Ken. They both nodded. They walked out of the hospital doors and to the van, and made their way to Interstate 95, to get their newly found destiny.
