Chapter Ten

Rah! Go team.

I awoke in an unfamiliar room. The bed was uncomfortable and there was something on my arm. I opened my eyes and there was a gasp from the corner of the room and someone rushed over. It was my mother. She was looking extremely tired. There were bags under her eyes and her hair was falling out of its once tight bun.

"Thank God." She murmured and brushed the hair out of my eyes.

"What?" I asked. I wanted to say more but I couldn't form the thoughts flowing through my mind into anything.

Why hadn't I woken up in the banquet hall? It seemed as if I had just been there, not only five minutes ago. Where was father? What had Blink been doing with that man with a gun? Why was I in this strange room and why was my mother looking so beat up and heartbroken?

"Oh Dacey." She said quietly and pulled a chair close to where I lay. "I don't know where to begin."

I tried to sit up but my left hand wouldn't permit me to lift myself up. I couldn't feel it. I looked and saw it wrapped up and sighed, it must have been broken. Great. I looked at my mother with pleading eyes. She sniffled and took a deep breath.

"There was a man at the banquet who was sent to shoot and kill your father." She said slowly as if I couldn't possibly understand what she was saying.

"Yes, I know. Why was Blink with him?" I asked snapping at her.

"Well, the police and I believe that Blink saw the gun and went to stop it." She said. Droplets of water filled her eyes and then one by one tears rolled down her cheeks and dripped onto her knees.

"And then what happened?" I asked snapping again. I didn't understand why this was a big deal, father was fine. I saw him after the shot had been fired.

"The man shot Blink, Dacey." My mother said quietly and the tears fell quicker.

"Is he dead?" I asked so quietly it was barely audible. The thought wrapped around my heart and strangled it as I waited for my mother's reply.

"No, no." My mother said. Her voice was quivering. I tried to sit up once more. If Blink wasn't killed why was she still so sad and crying? "It was only in the arm. The doctors are almost positive he is going to be fine. He is in the next room, he's sleeping."

"Thank Heavens." I said smiling, still confused at my mother's unhappy state. "Mother, why are so sad? Everything is going to be fine." I paused looking around the room. "Where's father? Getting coffee?" I asked.

"Oh Dacey." She wailed and threw herself on me in what I guess was supposed to be a hug. I figured this whole ordeal had just shaken her up and she was in shock or something. "Oh Dacey, dear." She said pulling herself up. "A mother should never have to tell her child this." She was shaking. "Your father..." She trailed off. She couldn't manage.

Despite my broken arm I managed to sit myself up. My eyes started to get wet again and I couldn't manage words. My father was not dead; I had seen him after the shot. He was standing and he was fine. My mother opened her mouth quite a few times but didn't manage to get the words out.

"He died while you were sleeping." She said wailing.

"No, he didn't." I screamed at her. "He was FINE! I SAW him. I saw him." I said and my voice trailed off as my mother shook her head.

"Dacey, the first shot hit Blink, but the second shot...hit your father."

"No..." I said through my sobs.

My mother held me as I cried on her sleeve. She rocked me back and forth like she had done when I was little and woke up from nightmares. Why would someone want to kill my father? He was a good mayor, he did everything he could to help people. He never hurt anyone. The thoughts raced through my mind.

"Why?" I managed to ask.

My mother pulled away from me for a moment. "The man got away, Dacey. The police can't find him. We have no idea who he is or who he is working for. When Blink wakes the police are going to ask him questions." My mother said. Her voice was oddly calm.

"Blink tried to save Daddy's life." I sobbed and my mother held me again.

"Yes, Blink is a hero." She said rubbing my back. "Do you want to go see him?" She asked. I nodded and she helped me up.

She slipped some house shoes on my bare feet and threw my robe over me. I was no longer in my banquet gown, but in a white hospital gown. Mother held onto my good arm and led me out of my room and into one across the hallway. There was a doctor standing on the side of the bed wrapping up Blinks arm. My mother led me to a chair and said she was going to get some food. The doctor nodded hello and left soon after my mother did. I pulled the chair closer to the bed and sat down.

Blink was asleep and breathing heavy. His arm was wrapped tightly and laying by his side. Blood had somehow gotten in his hair and no one had bothered to wash it off. I held onto his hand, on his good arm of course and leaned back in the chair and closed my eyes. I drifted off and a few minutes later someone was talking to me. I looked over at the door but no one stood there. Then I look down and saw Blink. His eyes were opened and he was smiling despite the obvious pain he was in.

"What a lovely site ta wakes up to." He said squeezing my hand. I sniffled my nose and tried to smile back.

I wanted to say thank you but at the moment those two words would not come out of my mouth. He had risked his life for my father. I didn't know whether I should be happy or upset that Blink was alive and my father wasn't. Why couldn't they both just be alive, and the empty place in my heart would once again be filled, like it had been only a day ago.

"Dacey, where's your father? I need ta tell him somethin'." Blink said. He didn't know what had happened.

"Blink, the man..." I paused; I couldn't bring myself to say it. Luckily Blink understood.

"Oh." He said then laid his head back down on the pillow and spoke again. "I shoulda figured. I'm sorry." He closed his eyes.

There was a long silence, but I could tell Blink was still awake.

"Thank you. You didn't have to get in front of that gun, but you did. You risked your life for my father, that means everything to me." I said slowly. "I'm just upset that both of you couldn't be alive." I managed to finish, and then the tears came once again.

I tried not to let my crying be noisy; I didn't want to keep Blink up. He opened his eyes and managed to prop himself up. He patted the bed and I sat down next to him. He reached out his good arm pulled my head so it was resting on his chest.

"I thought you and the man had been trying together to kill my father. I should have never thought such a thing. I thought you were dead, but it was dad and I don't know what to think. How could someone do such a thing?" I mumbled in a stream of tears.

"I'm sorry Dace." Blink said then put his head back down on his pillow. He kept his arm around my neck so I too was brought down and my head stayed rested on his chest.

Blink fell back to sleep soon after, but I just laid and listen to his breathing. My mother came back in later with some food. I sat back on the chair and ate it slowly. Once I was done my mother put a blanket over me and left again. Once she walked out two detective looking people walked in pulling chairs behind them. They were probably the ones to question Blink. They sat across from me, on the other side of Blink's bed.

"Are you Dacianna Devan?" One in a brown coat asked. I nodded. "I'm Daniel Pinny, and this is my brother Dwayne." He said. The other man nodded.

"Nice to meet you." I said and as if on cue Blink opened his eyes again and slowly sat himself up.

"Kid Blink is it?" Dwayne asked.

Blink nodded.

"Alright. We have some questions for you, Blink." Daniel said.

"Can you describe what the man looked like?" Dwayne asked.

"Brown hair, a brown beard. He's got dark eyes and a scar across his nose. He isn't very tall. He'se was wearing a brown suit with patch on the elbow." Blink said, as if he had seen the man more than just once.

"Good." Daniel said writing all this down.

"Anything else?" Dwayne asked.

"I know who he is." Blink said a moment later. He glanced over at me.

"You know his name?" Daniel asked curiously.

"How do you know him?" Dwayne asked.

There was a long pause. Blink was looking awfully pained.

"He was my step-father." He said finally.

"What?" All three of us asked.

"Me step-father. A real bastard. His name is Robert Rorey." Blink said, but after questioning looks from the detectives he continued. "He beat me and me mother. That's why I left. At da banquet I saw him from da other side of the hall. I went over to ask him what the hell he was doing here." Blink paused. "He said..." Another pause. "He said he was there to make sure I was nevah happy again. And that he was gonna kill Mr. Devan, Mrs. Devan, and Dacey as well. Shooting me was nevah the plan, I'se just got in the way. But when Dacey screamed it ruined his plan, and he didn't have time to get everyone."

There was silence for a few minutes. Blink looked truly sorry for being born.

"I didn't think he had gotten a chance to shoot Dacey's fatha." Blink said quietly.

There was more silence and the detectives got up.

"Thanks Blink, you've been a great help. We'll get this guy, don't worry." Daniel said.

"Dacey do you know where your mother is?" Dwayne asked.

I couldn't speak for what seemed the millionth time that day. I just shook my head.