Steven was sitting in bed recanting to Elyse what had happened at the bar.
"I can't believe they even let Alex into the bar." Steven shook his head. Elyse picked up the pillow and held it on her lap.
"They don't have people looking out all the time because it isn't just a bar anymore. We could take Jennifer and Mallory in and nobody would care." Elyse said. He turned and looked at her.
"Well I cared." Steven stood up, threw his pillow on the bed and smacked his hand on the dresser and he stood next to it. "I cared a lot when I saw my son sitting there too drunk to walk for himself and to know that somebody gave him a drink. He's only eighteen Elyse!" Elyse nodded.
"I know that Steven. He's my son too." Steven turned to face her. "I want to know why Alex wanted to go into the bar. He doesn't drink. Alex doesn't even like the idea of touching the stuff and to be DRUNK when you picked him up."
"I felt helpless Elyse. I don't know what to do for Alex; and I'm not sure what I'll do to him, but we have to punish him somehow. He can't get away with something this big." He looked at her. "I know he was upset because he was rejected by the school, but that gave him no reason to do all the things he did tonight. He was disrespectful, rude, and drinking under the legal age." He sighed. "I wonder if would have driven home too!" Steven stated and Elyse nodded.
"I agree. We've got to do something. We'll work on something together." She replied. "His keys! Where are Alex's car keys?" Steven sighed.
"Probably still at the bar. He was so drunk I'm sure that the bartender took them. I wouldn't want to think about Alex driving home that late at night in the condition he was in when I picked him up." Steven put his head in his hand.
"I'm not sure what that man was doing selling alcohol to Alex. Doesn't he know Alex is just a kid?"
"I asked him about that Elyse. He pointed out some guy in the bar who was sleeping."
"What?! So somebody else was buying Alex's drinks?" Elyse sighed. "Not only is he drinking now, but he's a free loader? That is definitely not the son we raised Steven." As she got out of the bed and started to walk towards him there was a loud boom that they heard through the house. "What was that?!" Steven stood there frozen in place.
"It was a gunshot." He replied. Elyse stopped where she was and looked at him.
"Gunshot? Nobody around here has a gun." She responded. Before he could open his mouth, Steven bolted out of his own bedroom and over to his son's room. He tried to open the door, but it was locked. He started pounding on it.
"Alex!" He took a deep breath. "Alex! If you're awake open this door!" Elyse rushed in from her room about the time that Jennifer and Mallory emerged from their bedrooms in bathrobes and matted bed hair all over their faces; evidence of slumber left traces on Jennifer's face.
"What's going on mom?" Jennifer asked as she walked over to her mom. Even for a nine-year-old Jennifer was pretty receptive. Elyse put her arm around her youngest daughter.
"We thought we heard a gunshot." Elyse replied. Jennifer's eyes widened.
"What?" Jennifer asked.
"Alex wouldn't do something like that." Mallory waved it off half asleep. Elyse turned to her daughter.
"What'd you say Mal?"
"Alex wouldn't use a gun; he wants to go to school. He can't go to school and kill himself." Mallory replied. Elyse nodded to herself. That logic did make some sense to her; but she knew that Alex was desperate to try anything because he hadn't been accepted to his college and that's what worried her. Steven walked over and took Elyse away from the girls.
"Elyse, take the girls downstairs-" He started.
"Steven, I want to be here for Alex." She said. He looked at her.
"I don't know what we could find on the other side of that door Elyse! We don't want to startle the girls until we know what we're dealing with. This could be traumatic on all of us." Steven replied. Elyse tried to keep her calm sensible side, but it wasn't working.
"My son could be bleeding to death as we speak and you are talking about the trauma saving him could be on us?" She exclaimed.
"I just think it'd be best if the girls weren't here to see whatever is going on." Steven said. Elyse looked at Steven before she looked over at the girls and then back to Steven. The anger and confusion was resting on her face.
"It's been enough for all of us Steven; let's just get the door open." Elyse said thinking out of her head. Steven went over to the door and pounded on it one more time.
"ALEX!" He shouted. "I'm coming in!" Elyse stepped back and walked right into Jennifer who stood in the hallway not sure what to do. When she realized Jennifer was there, Elyse held her close. Steven backed away from the door and rammed into it once. "Uhhh." He groaned as he fell away from the door.
"Steven!" Elyse screeched out as her husband nearly fell to the ground. He regained his balance before he fell on top of her.
"I'm alright." He nodded. Steven stood up straight and rammed his whole body into Alex's door breaking through it that time. Elyse rushed over to Steven and they stood in the doorway to see the scene that more parents have seen in their lifetime than should have to, but was unfamiliar to them. Their son and oldest child was lying on the floor of his bedroom, bleeding uncontrollably. Steven stood motionless because he was sure what to do. Elyse fell onto the bed with her hands covering her mouth; her shoulders shook as the hot tears fell down her face.
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After a moment or two, Steven turned to see Jennifer and Mallory still in the hallway. Elyse stood up and walked over to Mallory.
"Take Jennifer downstairs and call 911." Elyse said.
"I can't." Mallory whimpered.
"Mallory, you have to take Jennifer downstairs and call 911. Alright?" Elyse touched her shoulders and gripped her elbows until she nodded through the tears.
"Okay." Mallory took Jennifer and walked down the stairs. Elyse walked back over to Steven and cried as she tried to avoid looking at Alex's lifeless body even though she wasn't doing a very good job. Her voice cracked as she spoke.
"What are we going to do?" Elyse asked. Steven couldn't take his eyes off of Alex. He cleared his throat so he would be able to speak.
"Mallory will call 911 and when they get here, they'll take Alex and we'll head to the hospital." Elyse nodded and held onto Steven's arm; but they were both thinking something that neither of them wanted to say. Finally, Elyse had to let it out.
"What happens if he doesn't wake up? What if it's too late?" Elyse asked. That's when Steven broke his gaze on Alex to look at his wife.
"We aren't going to think about that. He'll be in the hospital, they'll take care of him, we'll bring him home and that'll be it." Steven replied. Elyse still looked at him.
"Even if he lives, he could have some serious health issues because of this." Elyse replied. Steven looked back down at Alex.
"Elyse, the longer he lays here, the less and less oxygen gets to his brain. The important thing now is just for him to get help." Steven walked over to the window and could hear a siren blaring as it got louder and closer to the house. Help was on the way.
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"Is Alex going to die?" Jennifer asked. She was sitting on the arm of the couch. Mallory was pacing back and forth in the living room. She was biting her thumb nail when she stopped to look at her sister.
"Don't be stupid. He's going to be fine. We called 911 like mom said to." Mallory said. Her whole body was shaking. She could barely control herself and Jennifer was asking all kinds of crazy questions. "They will be here soon." Then, she heard a siren blaring from outside. "I think that's them."
"I'll help!" Jennifer jumped up and went to rush to the door. Mallory grabbed her and held her in place.
"We can't do anything Jennifer. We need to stay out of their way." Mallory said. She hugged her little sister and watched the firemen burst into the house. They rushed up the stairs and out of the girls' eyesight. As soon as they were upstairs, Mallory and Jennifer went up to see the EMTs and the firemen loading Alex onto a stretcher and taking him carefully, but quickly, out of the room. When the EMTs got out of Alex's bedroom, Steven ran into the bedroom leaving Elyse, Mallory and Jennifer in the hallway.
"Where's dad going?" Jennifer asked looking up. Elyse wiped the hair away from Jennifer's face.
"He's going to get his shoes; we're headed for the hospital." Elyse replied. One of the firemen walked over to her and tried to get a report.
"What happened?" He asked and Elyse looked over at him half dazed. She shook her head to get back in focus.
"I'm not fully sure." She looked at him. "We were lying in bed when we heard a gunshot." The fireman was furiously writing in a tablet.
"Was this your gun? Do you keep guns in the house?"
"Absolutely not." Elyse said as quickly as she got the question. "We are peace makers; we don't like to cause trouble." The guy laughed.
"Apparently somebody does or else we wouldn't be here." He smiled to himself about the joke he'd made. Steven walked back over. By this time he was fully clothed holding his wallet and his keys.
"What do you think his chance is of surviving the blow?"
"I'm not a doctor, but I'd say from the shot that he has a slim chance of surviving." He paused. "Your son is either already gone, or when he gets to the hospital he'll be in a coma and just never wake up."