A Heavy Heart 4/20
Chapter Four:
If Larry were thinking, he'd be making phone calls right now.
He'd be finding Alan and Don and letting them know what hospital Charlie is at and what's happening.
But Larry's not thinking.
He's staring at the door of the room they took Charlie into.
He knows there are people running around him in the emergency room. They are yelling things like 'patient's coding' and 'get me a crash cart' but he doesn't really hear them.
He just stands and stares at the door.
It feels like Charlie is gone already. That crossing the threshold of that door meant Larry was never going to see him again.
He shivers when he realizes that that might be true.
Larry's always been squeamish and he knows he'd never want to see Charlie's body, even if the funeral is open casket.
Body... Funeral...
Larry starts to shake, his thoughts overwhelming him. He's filled with preemptive grief, so certain that his friend is not long for this world.
He wants Laurel.
It finally hits him. He should call Laurel. He should call Alan and Don.
The ambulance driver had made him turn off his cell phone so Larry wanders off in search of a pay phone.
Larry has no memory for numbers at the best of times, so there's no way he can remember Don or Alan's phone numbers without his PDA. However, he remembers Laurel's.
He calls Laurel and explains where he is and what's going on.
As much as he needs her there with him, he needs her to do something else first.
She has to find the numbers and call Charlie's family.
Larry feels guilty at making her deliver the bad news but it's more than he can handle right now. 'More than I can handle?' he thinks, finally realizing how this is going to affect Alan and Don.
"Laurel, wait. Don't call Alan. Just... just go to Charlie's house and get him okay? He shouldn't be driving."
Larry hangs up the pay phone and lowers himself into a nearby chair.
And starts staring at the door again.