This is kinda a long chapter..and Antigone-Mason will be coming home soon I
promise..thanks those of you who reviewed..please continue to it makes me
want to continue writing.anyways. Hinton's characters not mine.here it goes
(Cole)
I was steaming as I followed Jamie and the doctor through the hospital. I don't know why she had insisted on going to identify him. We both knew who it was.
I had told Johnny numerous times that hanging out with Tex was trouble. I told him that he was going to get seriously hurt one of these days and look he's now in the hospital.
I had moved my family to the country to get away from the bad influences. Sure enough when we get here who do my children decide to hang around? That Tex and his brother who's father was in jail, that Lem Peters boy who got into trouble with drugs last year, and I can just imagine the people I don't know about.
Sure I didn't have all the facts yet, but I knew this was somehow Tex's fault. I figured Tex would wake up soon enough and when he did I was ready to rip him. Man, was I mad.
I figured I must have underestimated his condition when I saw the critical ward sign. The doctor led us to a room and yelling at Tex completely slipped my mind. Even if this may have been his fault it slipped my mind.
I had seen my share of people in the hospital before but never like this. I looked over at Jamie. My daughter paled and looked ready to pass out.
Tex was laying in a hospital bed completely still, eyes shut. His face was whiter than I'd ever seen a living person's be. There were tubes in his nose and an IV attached to the arm that was on top of the blankets. He was hooked up to many, many machines, one of which was beeping slow and steadily. His face was a little scarred up but not as much as I would have expected. He must have hit head on instead of sliding across the ground. There was a bandage wrapped around his head and his light hair was dyed red in a few places.
I didn't get to get anymore of a look as the doctor shooed us out into the hall. Jamie couldn't get any words out. I told the doctor Tex's name and where he lived. The doctor wouldn't tell us anything because we weren't family. He said he could only talk to immediate family and then we left. We decided to go see Johnny.
When we walked into Johnny's room he looked in pain but I was happy to see him moving and not in a coma. He had a cast on his leg and it was stuck through a sling that hung his leg up it the air. His side was bandaged and he was a little scratched and bruised. I never thought I'd be so happy to see someone in that state but after seeing Tex this was better. He'd heal in time. The doctor said the broken ribs would be painful but would heal rather quickly if not strained. He said the leg was busted up and that Johnny wouldn't be able to walk for a while and then he'd need crutches. But he'd have full use of it in a matter of months.
Johnny looked very nervous when he saw me. He never would have guessed that I was happy to see him. I did care about my kids even though I know they think I don't sometimes. I'm only strict because I care about them. I could be like Tex's father and not care what they do but look where that landed Tex-in trouble quite often and with injuries such as being shot, and now is in a coma.
Johnny waited anxiously for what I would do. He probably thought I would yell at him and normally I would. He would still get a good talking to later though. I was proud that he had been responsible and worn a helmet even though Tex wasn't wearing one. I wanted to tell him this but instead I just asked, "Are you okay, son?"
He looked at me completely confused. "It hurts, but I'm okay." He said looking at me like I'd fallen off my rocker. I nodded. He started talking to Jamie so I slipped into the hall with Mona. Mona sat on a chair but I stood in the doorway and continued to watch them.
After they were through talking about Johnny he looked down at the floor. "So-how's Tex doin'?" I saw the worry in my youngest son's face and realized he wasn't trying to rebel by hanging out with Tex, he truly cared for him.
Jamie looked around awkwardly. How do you tell someone that their best friend may not wake up? She started wringing her hands together and finally answered. "Uh-well they let us see him because they needed to know who he was so they could call his family-" She stopped.
Johnny looked up at her, "and?"
She just looked over towards me, her eyes starting to water. She sighed and ran out into the hall. Now Johnny looked up at me, his freckled face pleading. "Is he okay?"
I walked into the room. I wished I could tell him that Tex was going to be just fine but I didn't know if that was true. I looked at him and in the softest tone I'd ever taken with one of my children I told him. "I don't know Johnny. He's in critical care and he's in a coma. They wouldn't tell us anything though because we weren't family."
His face paled and he put his curly red head into his hands. I never have understood that hair or him for that matter. But right now I knew what he was feeling and I felt so sorry for him. For the first time since I got the call I was glad that Johnny had hurt his leg. Well of course I wasn't glad that he was hurt, just glad he couldn't just get up and go see Tex.
I remembered how torn up he had been after we'd gone to see Tex after he'd been shot. And that had been quite some time after and Tex only had some tubes and his arm in a sling. At least he could talk and move then.
It would kill Johnny to see him like this. Then I thought-what would it do to Mason.
(Cole)
I was steaming as I followed Jamie and the doctor through the hospital. I don't know why she had insisted on going to identify him. We both knew who it was.
I had told Johnny numerous times that hanging out with Tex was trouble. I told him that he was going to get seriously hurt one of these days and look he's now in the hospital.
I had moved my family to the country to get away from the bad influences. Sure enough when we get here who do my children decide to hang around? That Tex and his brother who's father was in jail, that Lem Peters boy who got into trouble with drugs last year, and I can just imagine the people I don't know about.
Sure I didn't have all the facts yet, but I knew this was somehow Tex's fault. I figured Tex would wake up soon enough and when he did I was ready to rip him. Man, was I mad.
I figured I must have underestimated his condition when I saw the critical ward sign. The doctor led us to a room and yelling at Tex completely slipped my mind. Even if this may have been his fault it slipped my mind.
I had seen my share of people in the hospital before but never like this. I looked over at Jamie. My daughter paled and looked ready to pass out.
Tex was laying in a hospital bed completely still, eyes shut. His face was whiter than I'd ever seen a living person's be. There were tubes in his nose and an IV attached to the arm that was on top of the blankets. He was hooked up to many, many machines, one of which was beeping slow and steadily. His face was a little scarred up but not as much as I would have expected. He must have hit head on instead of sliding across the ground. There was a bandage wrapped around his head and his light hair was dyed red in a few places.
I didn't get to get anymore of a look as the doctor shooed us out into the hall. Jamie couldn't get any words out. I told the doctor Tex's name and where he lived. The doctor wouldn't tell us anything because we weren't family. He said he could only talk to immediate family and then we left. We decided to go see Johnny.
When we walked into Johnny's room he looked in pain but I was happy to see him moving and not in a coma. He had a cast on his leg and it was stuck through a sling that hung his leg up it the air. His side was bandaged and he was a little scratched and bruised. I never thought I'd be so happy to see someone in that state but after seeing Tex this was better. He'd heal in time. The doctor said the broken ribs would be painful but would heal rather quickly if not strained. He said the leg was busted up and that Johnny wouldn't be able to walk for a while and then he'd need crutches. But he'd have full use of it in a matter of months.
Johnny looked very nervous when he saw me. He never would have guessed that I was happy to see him. I did care about my kids even though I know they think I don't sometimes. I'm only strict because I care about them. I could be like Tex's father and not care what they do but look where that landed Tex-in trouble quite often and with injuries such as being shot, and now is in a coma.
Johnny waited anxiously for what I would do. He probably thought I would yell at him and normally I would. He would still get a good talking to later though. I was proud that he had been responsible and worn a helmet even though Tex wasn't wearing one. I wanted to tell him this but instead I just asked, "Are you okay, son?"
He looked at me completely confused. "It hurts, but I'm okay." He said looking at me like I'd fallen off my rocker. I nodded. He started talking to Jamie so I slipped into the hall with Mona. Mona sat on a chair but I stood in the doorway and continued to watch them.
After they were through talking about Johnny he looked down at the floor. "So-how's Tex doin'?" I saw the worry in my youngest son's face and realized he wasn't trying to rebel by hanging out with Tex, he truly cared for him.
Jamie looked around awkwardly. How do you tell someone that their best friend may not wake up? She started wringing her hands together and finally answered. "Uh-well they let us see him because they needed to know who he was so they could call his family-" She stopped.
Johnny looked up at her, "and?"
She just looked over towards me, her eyes starting to water. She sighed and ran out into the hall. Now Johnny looked up at me, his freckled face pleading. "Is he okay?"
I walked into the room. I wished I could tell him that Tex was going to be just fine but I didn't know if that was true. I looked at him and in the softest tone I'd ever taken with one of my children I told him. "I don't know Johnny. He's in critical care and he's in a coma. They wouldn't tell us anything though because we weren't family."
His face paled and he put his curly red head into his hands. I never have understood that hair or him for that matter. But right now I knew what he was feeling and I felt so sorry for him. For the first time since I got the call I was glad that Johnny had hurt his leg. Well of course I wasn't glad that he was hurt, just glad he couldn't just get up and go see Tex.
I remembered how torn up he had been after we'd gone to see Tex after he'd been shot. And that had been quite some time after and Tex only had some tubes and his arm in a sling. At least he could talk and move then.
It would kill Johnny to see him like this. Then I thought-what would it do to Mason.