CHAPTER EIGHT
(chapter title – An Unexpected Turn)
"There is a castle on a cloud
I like to go there in my sleep
Aren't any floors for me to sweep
Not in my castle on a cloud."Sara sang as she strummed her guitar later that evening. She was dressed in her pajamas – dark blue boxer shorts and a light blue Superman sleep shirt.
"We all lead such elaborate lives
wild ambitions in our sights
How an affair of the heart survives
days apart and hurried nights
Seems quite unbelievable to me
I don't want to live like that
seems quite unbelievable to me
I don't want to love like that
I just want our time to be
slower and gentler, wiser, free." Roger sang, strumming his guitar.
"Well, well, well. Our dueling guitarists hard at work." Mark teased as he sat down next to Roger.
"Very funny, babe." Roger told him, his tone sarcastic.
"I'm gonna go to bed. Night Daddy. Night Dad." Sara told the two men, putting her guitar away and hugging both Mark and Roger before heading upstairs to her room.
"Night Sara. We love you." Roger and Mark chorused after her.
"She's a great kid." Mark told Roger. Roger nodded and leaned in to kiss Mark when the phone rang. Letting out a frustrated sigh, Roger stood up and answered the phone.
"Hello? Jeffery? What's wrong?...Holy shit. Okay…yeah…uh huh. What hospital? Okay. We'll be right- what? Shit. Just stay calm and we'll be right there. Bye." Roger hung up the phone and collapsed, crying. Mark ran over to him and hugged him. Roger just pushed him away and continued to cry.
"Babe, what's wrong?" Mark asked, sitting down next to Roger and rubbed a hand up and down Roger's back.
"C-C-Collins i-i-is i-in th-th-the h-h-hospital." Roger managed to choke out. Mark felt tears come to his eyes as he hugged the love of his life and cried with him.
Meanwhile, upstairs Sara wasn't sleeping – she was online chatting with Kristen.
MADAMEELPHABA06: I got a threatening phone call again.
KRISSYPOO008: OMG! Sara! R U OK?
MADAMEELPHABA06: I will b.
KRISSYPOO008: how r ur dads handling this?
MADAMEELPHABA06: I don't think they even care.
KRISSYPOO008: I'm sure they do Sar. There's probably other things on their mind.
MADAMEELPHABA06: Kristen! I've gotten 2 threatening phone calls! I don't know what's more important than that.
KRISSYPOO008: Sorry Sar. Have you talked to your Aunt Joanne about this? I mean, she's a lawyer and all.
MADAMEELPHABA06: Dad thinks it's a prank call.
KRISSYPOO008: …
MADAMEELPHABA06: h/o. I'll brb.KRISSYPOO008: okay.
Sara put up her away message and quickly messed up her hair so that it looked like she had been sleeping before walking down the stairs. She saw Mark and Roger crying in the middle of the living room floor, their arms wrapped around each other.
"Dad? Daddy? What's wrong?" Sara asked hoarsely.
"Uncle Collins is in the hospital." Mark choked out in-between sobs. Sara ran to them and hugged them, tears streaming down her face.
"That can't be. We saw him at Life Support. He looked fine." Sara sobbed. Roger kissed the top of her head and drew her close.
"Let's go to the hospital. I told Jeffery we would be there for him." Roger spoke up. His voice was hoarse and he looked awful.
"Okay, but I'm driving. You look like shit." Mark told him, kissing his cheek and getting the keys off the kitchen counter before Roger could protest.
As they drove to the hospital, Sara tried her best to sleep, but it was no use. Mark and Roger kept her awake by talking about the anonymous caller – who was he? What did he want? Was he anyone that Sara knew? Why did he keep calling her?
Finally, they reached the hospital. Roger and Sara climbed out of the car while Mark went to go find a parking spot.
"Hey guys." Maureen greeted them. She hugged Roger first and then Sara. Sara hugged Maureen tightly as she cried into her shirt. Maureen rubbed her back and told her everything would be okay. Roger had gone to sit with Joanne and Scott. Joanne was crying and Scott was listening to his CD player with the volume turned up loud enough for everyone to hear.
"Scott, turn it down, please." Joanne choked out, reaching over to touch Scott's shoulder with a trembling hand. He shrugged it off and ran a hand through his dark brown hair, his hazel eyes darting around the room. Sara and Maureen were crying together in a far corner of the waiting room. Roger was crying. Mark had just entered the waiting room and walked over to Roger and sat down next to him. Joanne was silently praying.
After a few moments of silence, Jeffery entered the waiting room and walked over to Sara, placing a hand on her shoulder. She looked up and stood up, following Jeffery to the hospital room. Everyone else had been to see Collins – Mark, Roger, Joanne, Maureen and Scott, so it was Sara's turn.
"He's right in there." Jeffery told Sara, motioning to a closed hospital door. Sara bit her bottom lip as she opened the door and walked into the room. She instantly walked to Collins' bed and carefully sat down next to him. He was fast asleep and looked horrible – there were lesions all over his arms and hands, fever spots appearing on his face and his breathing was getting weaker.
"U-Uncle Collins?" Sara managed to choke out after a moment of silence. She saw his big brown eyes flicker open.
"S-Sara is that you?" he asked, barely above a whisper.
"It's me Uncle Collins." Sara told him, taking one of his hands in hers and squeezed it.
"How you doing?" Collins inquired.
"I'm scared." Sara admitted.
"I know you are, but soon the virus will take hold-" Sara couldn't believe what she was hearing.
"Uncle Collins! Don't talk like that." Sara told him.
"When destiny calls you
You must be strong
I may not be with you
But you've got to hold on…" his voice was getting weaker. Sara looked over at his heart rate monitor – beep beep beep beeeeeeeeeeeeep
"NOOOO!" Sara screamed, taking Collins in her lap and rocked him, just as Jeffery and the others entered the room. Sara continued to cry as the others gathered around the hospital bed. They knew that their beloved Collins was gone forever and there wasn't anything anyone could do about it.
