Crumbly Writer’s Stories
		“Normalcy Is Harder Than It Looks”
		Book 3 of “The Catalyst” Series
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Chapter 21:  Another Day, another Emergency

           

We arrived home tired and dejected. The girls had done like I asked, so the only people at home were family, though Becky and Melinda thought that if we were keeping up appearances, then it was OK for them to be here, so we had two more for dinner. The only one of my girls left was Anh, since she technically served as our housekeeper and could pretend she didn’t speak English to avoid answering any questions. However, she planned to stay inside where no one could easily observe her. I’d dropped Kitty off before coming home, reminding her not to say anything to anyone, however pointless such warnings were by now.

“Hey, Alex,” Melinda said as I came in the door, enveloping me in a hug. “Cate told us you had a scene with another reporter.”

After Melinda hugged me, she moved over and gave Cate one while Becky moved in and embraced me too, showing neither one was afraid of showing me physical affection any more.

Mom, of course, had to give me her own hug before steering us to the dining room table already laid out with dinner. I guess when mothers worry, they cook, so we had quite a feast awaiting us. Despite not feeling hungry, I scarfed down quite a bit.

“Well I’m glad to see someone still appreciates my cooking,” Mom remarked.

“Yeah, it doesn’t look like this setback disturbed your hunger any,” Becky laughed uneasily, sitting back and fidgeting with the food on her plate, her own appetite apparently affected more than mine.

“Actually, we learned a little more over the weekend,” Cate explained before detailing what had happened between Gail, Kitty, Cate, Melissa and I late Friday night when I had that bad reaction. “So it looks like the stress is draining what little reserves he had. Thus he isn’t eating like that because he isn’t worried, he’s doing it because his worry is driving him to.”

I still felt ill at ease telling my parents about my sexual endeavors, but everyone else in the family was well beyond that minor concern, so they didn’t hesitate and no one reacted negatively. After that we explained in detail everything which happened. I mentally broadcast the conversation to each of my girls, including Patricia.

“Alex, isn’t talking telepathically with people across the country going to wear you out even more?” Cate asked, noticing what I was doing by how my eyes glazed over as I did it.

Holding my finger up to remind her I hadn’t finished yet, I finished my conversation then turned to her.

“They deserve to know what happened, especially since it affects them so directly. There’s a good chance one of them might get accosted by Lisa Woodall, and I’d rather they know what they’re up against. I was also talking to Patricia, so she could inform our people in New Orleans what’s happening.”

“Well, it doesn’t make sense pushing yourself when you’re already running on empty,” Cate chided me, sharing worried looks with my mom and our other sisters.

“Frankly, it’s never shown any evidence of tiring me before. It’s not as if doing it over a distance is any harder than doing it with someone standing beside me.”

“Beside, we speak for long time using him as a … conduit, and it never wear him down,” Anh informed them. Cate grumbled about that argument, but didn’t pursue it.

“So, what are you planning to do about this reporter tracking you down?” Becky asked.

“Honestly, I’m not aware enough of how much she actually knows to hazard a guess,” I told her. I’d been worrying about it myself, but things had been too busy for me to evaluate the situation.

“Don’t forget, it was another reporter, Albert Rodriguez, who chased you out of New Orleans,” my father unhelpfully pointed out, “and this one chased you out of St. Louis. Don’t let her chase you away from home as well,” he cautioned.

I didn’t find such comparisons particularly soothing or helpful, as they didn’t give me any insight into how to handle the situation. We essentially decided it wasn’t looking good. About all we could do now was lie low and hope she wasn’t smart enough to find us. Somehow I wasn’t quite willing to pin my hopes on that.

The problem wasn’t so much her tracking me here to Shawneetown. The problem was our presence in Carbondale, only a couple hours’ drive from St. Louis. Since they both shared the same television airspace, any news about me in St. Louis would alert anyone who’d seen me in Carbondale. All it would take would be someone volunteering some information about me, and several people would be in trouble. I didn’t think any of my girls would leak anything, nor the doctors or nurses at the hospital, but the patients or their families were another matter, as were the other sorority girls at SIU. Plenty of people had seen me and could link me to a number of enterprises.

“That’s actually why we’re here,” Becky explained. “Mom called us in so we could stay here for a little while, keeping the house full while replacing your girls and hopefully confusing anyone looking for them.” Her argument was a stretch, not likely to fool anyone, but it was better than nothing. Still, I couldn’t see it confusing anyone seriously interested in us. Both Becky and Melinda firmly told me they’d provide whatever comforting my girls normally offered me, even if that included cuddling with me in bed at night. I don’t think they meant it sexually, so the offer was appreciated.

But frankly, all this discussion was getting to me. We weren’t really resolving anything. They just kept pointing out all the issues I was already aware of.

“Look, while I appreciate the concern, I really need to get away and think this out. Too much has been happening lately, between Lisa Woodall, Clara, and the mounting evidence of my impending medical problems. I’ve got to come up with an organized approach, not just to this one problem, but to all of them, and then formulate a plan for my followers. I just can’t do that without some time away from the distractions of a crowded house full of fretting women.

“These are complex issues with a lot of complications, and there aren’t any simple solutions and there’s a whole raft full of unknowable possibilities. I’ve also got to figure out how we’re going to handle all of my girls. We might be able to hide them away for a few days, but we need longer term plans. So, if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to head out so I can wrestle with the issues and come up with a response to the crisis for everyone involved.”

My family, as I’d expected, didn’t respond well to this news.

Melinda started to say something, but Becky elbowed her. When Melinda pulled back, Becky leaned forward and took the lead in the conversation. “Alex, you know that’s a bad idea,” Becky warned, taking over Cate’s usual watchdog position while Cate herself remained fairly passive in her own response. “There are too many people who respond negatively to you for you to just wander off on your own. There’s no telling when someone will react like Tony or Brandon, and if you’re out on your own, you may not be able to fend them off on your own.”

“Honestly, how much more trouble could I possibly be in? I’m only going out for a stroll around the neighborhood in the dead of night, I’m unlikely to encounter anyone outside at this time of day, and even then they’d just be the local neighbors. It’s not like another midnight skateboarding adventure.”

“I’m sorry, but I’ve got to side with Alex on this one,” Cate said, sticking up for me, despite her normally being the one to argue this cautious approach. It was then I realized just how much she hated the role of being my perennial naysayer. While she felt it necessary to warn me about dangers, she only did so to inform me, and she preferred defending me against others saying the same things she normally did, since she realized I generally did the right thing once I was aware of any given issue. That made me feel better, and it effectively ended the discussion. Everyone there knew I had some major issues to resolve, and the longer it took, the more exposure we all faced.

With no more objections, but still a lot of worried looks, I stood up and headed out. It was a warm evening, so I didn’t really need a jacket, and I didn’t want to take the time looking for one. Getting chilly was the last thing on my mind.

I managed to get as far as the end of the yard, my head obscured by dark thoughts, when I almost ran into someone. I didn’t think much of it, there were plenty of neighborhood kids, and although it was late, it wasn’t unrealistic someone might be out on the street either wandering like me, or perhaps walking a dog. But when he insistently blocked my way I finally glanced up at him. It was dark and he was wearing a dark jacket, black pants and black sneakers. His dark skin blended into the dark background and his dark hair didn’t help either. I was about to ask what he wanted when he asked simply, “You Alex Jennings?”

When I acknowledged I was, thinking maybe this was a delivery of some kind—after all, he didn’t look like a reporter—he pulls out this great big gun which looked as dark as the rest of him and points it right at my forehead. ‘Oh shit’, I thought to myself, ‘this is it!’ All that talk of an early death, all the worry about too many responsibilities, the anxiety about discovery, and it all ends like this with some thug on my normally quiet street in my normally quiet town. I instantly sent an image of his face and of him holding the gun to each of my girls, hoping to at least let them know what happened to me and who to look for, since I was sure they’d want to exact whatever pitiful attempt at revenge they could. I squeaked out a simple “Why?” and he just smiled.

“You scared, punk?” he asked. I thought this odd, so I straightened my shoulders a bit and considered him. He was a big man, dark skinned, with wide lips and a broad nose and deep set eyes. He had a thin mustache and a number of tattoos on his face and neck. Pretty typical attire for the streets, but hardly typical for this area of the country.

“Clearly, but not enough to play whatever games you want.” That’s it, I thought, act like an arrogant jerk right through to the end. Haven’t you already got enough people who want to hurt you without adding the criminal with the gun pointing at your head?

“You should know your place,” he added cryptically, making no sense at all as my mind again switched into slow motion as it typically does when faced with danger. I saw his finger begin to tighten on the trigger. I again sent as much detail about him as I could, including the few things we’d said, then simply shut my eyes, trying to think of any way out I could. Thinking it was taking an awfully long time for him to pull a simple trigger, I cracked one eye open. I’d assumed it was that stupid slow motion shit again, just when it won’t do me any good. The gun was still there, the finger was part way back and the barrel was resting maybe an inch and a half from my forehead. I refocused my vision and looked into his eyes, hoping to somehow make it personal for him, something they always tell you to do with potential murders. However his eyes seemed lost. They had a glazed look about them. Then I noticed his left jaw was hanging open and a small line of drool was dangling from his lip. Slowly the gun started to slide to the side a bit and descend at the same time. I watched as the gun began to drift lower, first between my eyes, then across my nose, then across the side of my mouth. What the fuck is going on, I asked myself, unbelievably, as the gun drifted lower and lower.

It finally dropped down to my chest, I still wasn’t out of danger yet, but it was a damn sight better than my forehead, when I hear a noise behind me. It took a second for the sound to hit me, then I realized what it was, it was the front door opening. Suddenly the thug’s eyes brightened a bit and he seemed to wake up. He started to consciously move the gun again, swinging it towards the latest noise. Thinking he was going to shoot one of the girls I tried to block him, getting between them when suddenly I see the same damn finger finally tighten.

That was it.

Suddenly I feel a sharp pain explode across me, the pain both so sharp and so quick I couldn’t immediately place it. I feel myself physically lifted off the ground. I didn’t hear any sound. No pop, no bang and no explosion. Just the overwhelming pain and I’m in the air once again, just like I was back in New Orleans, oh so long ago. The pain made it difficult to think of anything beyond its searing sting. I feel myself hanging in mid-air, halfway between rising and falling, simply waiting for gravity to finally call for me. My arms flailed behind me as my body started to descend. I’ve got no contact point so I can’t press or shift myself. I can’t bring my arms up to my face since they’re so far behind me, simply flopping in the air. As I start to sink lower I finally hear some noises. It’s like what always happens when everything switches to slow motion, you notice the strangest things. However I realize these noises are voices, shouting voices. I hear a pop of some kind, but not a gun or explosive pop, simply a pop like one of those party poppers you pull during the holidays. I idly wonder why it should matter if I’m already dead, then figure if I can feel this much pain I can’t be dead yet, but it’s only a matter of time.

I finally managed to focus enough to recognize the lancing pain in my neck, radiating throughout my head and chest. A neck shot means either complete paralysis or a severed artery. That is if it was actually a neck shot. A bullet to the head can trigger all kinds of phantom pains, I reminded myself. There’s no telling what a high speed projectile can do to the brain, most of the people who suffer one never live to tell of it.

As my body sank lower I imagined I was sinking into a grave, but instead of dirt there were colors and fabric. There was movement and motion. There was sound and cursing. Finally I reached the ground and hit with a heavy thud and my body bounced, jarring all of my innards. I could see individual droplets of blood floating before my eyes, like you see in the silly CSI shows on television. I got tired of all of it and tried to close my eyes, but the pain kept interrupting me.

I thought of the girls. All the women I know and love, and who depend on me. All those I haven’t even met yet, who’ll never know of me because they’ll never discover their abilities. I thought of Cate, my parents and my sisters. Finally I thought of my two girlfriends.

Suddenly the question flashes across my consciousness, ‘Are you OK?’

Hell no, I think to myself, I’m dying, you ass.

‘How badly hurt are you?’

Very, it hurts to think much. I’d rest, but it also hurts too much to close my eyes.

‘WHERE are you hurt?’

What? My neck of course. I think it’s gone. I’m sure my neck is severed, or the spine is broken, or the artery is sliced. It was nice knowing you all. Say goodbye to everyone for me.

Suddenly I felt myself being shaken like a rag doll. I try to protest but I can’t get my arms to work properly. Oh yeah, they’re paralyzed, aren’t they. What’s that in front of my face? Why, it’s a hand. Is it one of mine or someone else’s?

Another hand appeared and waved in front of my eyes. I tried to focus around the pain and see the thing waving in front of me, but it moves back and forth too fast.

‘SNAP OUT OF IT, YOU LITTLE SHIT! ‘

Damn, those spirits get mighty pissy, don’t they?

‘Come on, Alex, don’t give up.’ And at the same time I hear, “Alex, Alex, speak to me?”

Which one is talking? Which one do I listen to? Which one was yelling at me, and which one is shaking me? Why can’t I focus? Why does my throat hurt so much?

‘He’s beginning to make more sense, keep going.’

“They say to keep working on him. They think he’s coming around, but he may be in shock.”

“Who … who am I … talking to?” I tried to ask. Instead it came out “Waa … wha ma … taa?”

“Don’t talk, Alex. It makes it bleed more. Just lie still till the ambulance gets here. But, Alex, please don’t go. Stay here with us. You can’t leave us, you just can’t.”

I again gurgled a bit and could hear a wet sound I assumed was due to the bleeding.

‘Tell her I’m not going,’ I sent out to no one in particular. ‘Hurt too damn much … to go anywhere.’ I didn’t know if it would ever get to her, but at the moment it was my only means of communication.

Suddenly something was being pushed at me, then more pain radiated from my throat as someone tried to wrench my neck loose or something. I could feel something wrapped around it so I could only assume they were wrapping it with something.

Another voice spoke, seemingly from a distance. “They say he’s coming around. He’s making bad jokes, so he’s somewhat rational.”

“Waa…?” I tried to ask again.

“Shh, don’t talk.”

“She says he wants to know what’s happened.” I tried to nod my head but pain lanced through me as I did, and I had to close my eyes at the pain.

“We got him,” the voice responded. Now that I was starting to come back to reality I could identify it as Cate’s, though it seemed remote somehow. “We rushed out when Anh told us about your message. He shot you as soon as we got outside, so Becky and Melinda tackled him. We called the police and Gail before we came out, so they’re on their way. I think Gail’s relaying your medical status.”

It was good to know someone was in control, because I had no real memories after the initial event, which I can only assume was when I was shot. I couldn’t imagine how two girls could overcome an armed gunman from a distance, but I was still in too much pain to focus. I could feel myself start shivering.

“Damn it, where are they?” Cate shouted.

‘Alex, focus honey, don’t think about the confusion or the pain. Think about us, those who depend on you.’ Once again, the mental messages were instantaneous, and I could get the meaning quicker than if I had to try to parse the language.

‘Can’t talk.’

‘We know,’ I received, and I could tell it was Gail this time. ‘Ambulance and police are on the way. Michelle is near.’

Michelle? I thought. Who the hell is Michelle? Finally I could hear the sound of sirens. More movement caught my eye and I saw Becky moving Cate out of the way.

“Alex, are you OK? Can you move your limbs?”

I took a second to consider and tried to wiggle my toes. It was hard to focus enough to do it because the pain was nearly overwhelming. They seemed like they were moving, but I also knew you couldn’t always trust yourself because of potential phantom sensations. Finally I lifted my hand and noticed it was covered in blood. Apparently I’d been clutching my throat with it at some point.

“OK, it looks like it didn’t hit the spinal cord, but don’t try to move, since there might be some bone damage to the spinal column. We can’t afford to move you too much until we get your neck stabilized.” My sister was proving her worth, not only as a scientist but also as someone knowledgeable about physiology. Plus she was helping me focus past the pain which kept demanding my total attention. I tried speaking again.

“Gaa, uugh, aah,” I got out along with plenty of gurgles.

“No speaking. No head shaking either. Just blink once for yes and twice for no. It’s safer that way,” she assured me. I blinked twice in rapid succession for her.

“That’s better. Though I should have added only blink once for ‘OK’. They shouldn’t be much longer. You’re losing a lot of blood so you’re going to be getting weak. That’s probably why you’ve started shivering.”

“He wants to know if anyone else is hurt?” I heard from beside me, finally recognizing Melinda’s voice.

“It’s handy being able to talk like that. Guess you sent everyone away a little soon, huh?” she asked me pointedly, obviously disappointed in me not having anyone with me when I went storming out of the house.

“No, no one else was hurt,” Melinda answered. “What happened to the shooter? He looks like he had a minor stroke or something.” I blinked once at her. She looked me in the eye. “That seems awfully lucky, maybe just a bit too lucky to be purely coincidental?” She stopped talking, and though it was hard to notice much, she cocked her head slightly to the side.

“She says Gail doesn’t want any of us to say anything yet. They have to work out what happened before we volunteer anything. Just play up the difficulty in speaking, and we can answer any questions for him,” Melinda explained.

“He wants to know what happened to the shooter,” she explained to her sisters. “Dad is watching him at the moment, Alex. Frankly, he’s in no condition to do anything to anyone. I’ll tell you, it’s dangerous attacking you. You always get injured, but never as much as your attackers. I don’t think he could attack a slug at the moment,” she told me, although I could only parse a small portion of her words. The pain kept interrupting her sentences.

“Did you know the shooter?” Becky asked me. I blinked twice.

“Did you do anything to him?” I didn’t know how to blink ‘I don’t know’.

“He says he doesn’t know but it seems possible. He has no idea how, but he also has no other explanation.” The sound of the sirens was getting closer and I began to see a flashing red light.

“All right. No more speaking over the telephone. You can keep talking to your girls, but we’ve got to pretend you can’t speak. They should be here shortly.”

Soon after everything started happening. An ambulance pulled up, followed shortly by a police car. Just as a paramedic was kneeling by me I heard a cop shouting out for everyone to stay where they were. Becky started giving the paramedic her medical background, never detailing how far afield it was, and describing what she’d been able to gather about me, telling him she’d only just started checking on me after having wrestled with the shooter.

“Someone will have to look after him as well,” she advised. “It looks like my brother might have been saved by his having a stroke at just the right second. Guess a life of crime has an effect on you after all, huh?”

“I’d call it an incredibly lucky stroke,” he laughed. “OK, Alex, is it? Can you follow my finger?” he asked, moving his finger back and forth. I made sure to do it only with my eyes.

“OK, you’re responding a little slowly but not too badly.”

“He seems like he was in a bit of shock but seems to be coming out of it,” Becky explained. “He’s also started shivering, but whether that’s from shock or blood loss is an open question.”

The paramedic quickly had me outfitted in a neck brace, and he and Becky got me onto the portable gurney. The neck brace application was made difficult by the need for bandages to prevent further blood loss, which was also made difficult by their fear of moving my head.

The other paramedic had gone over to check my potential killer after the police cleared him. Suddenly there was a quick commotion to the side, as I heard several familiar voices screaming at me. The policeman yelled at them but they ignored him and swarmed around me.

“You’ve got to keep back,” the paramedic warned. “Who are all of you and what’s your relationship with the victim?”

“They’re friends who live with us and help around the house,” Becky informed him, further complicating my previous attempts to distance their associations with me.

“Sorry, but they can’t come with us. Are you riding with us or coming separately?” he asked my sister.

“I’ll get there with the rest of the family, but can my sister Cate go with you? She’s really close to him and is likely to be distressed. Plus, she’s the best one to keep him calm and focused, which might be important when the doctors examine him. She was the first one to get to him, and to get him focused and somewhat sensible.”

“Yeah, I guess we can manage that as long as she can control herself,” he warned.

“You’ll also have to take him to Carbondale,” Becky informed him. “Alex has a special doctor there who wants to take responsibility for him.”

“Sorry, no can do. We have to take him to the nearest facil….” My mother handed him a phone.

“His father and I authorize the transfer, as does the head of the Carbondale Memorial Hospital, who’s on the phone.”

The paramedic nervously took the phone and listened for a few minutes.

“Frankie, we’re taking him to—” the paramedic started to tell his partner before he was interrupted by the policeman who shoved his way in.

“You’re to take him to Carbondale Memorial,” he insisted in a no nonsense manner. “Everything has been arranged.”

“All right,” the paramedic answered, “I guess we’re driving all the way to Carbondale. How’s the other guy, Frankie?”

“Not good, but he’s not critical. He can talk, but he’s only somewhat mobile. Is there any problem taking them both in the same van?”

Mom was about to object when Cate grabbed her arm.

“I’ve just been told you’re to take both to Carbondale, but they are to be taken using separate ambulances for obvious reasons. Carbondale has better resources than the closer facilities,” the officer instructed them. “Make sure the other ambulance knows he’s supposed to be handcuffed at all times. The handcuffs are to remain unless we’re assured by a doctor he’s not a threat to anyone. I’ll provide an escort, as they want us to keep an eye on this one.”

“Take care, Alex, we just had to see for ourselves what you looked like. We’ll go to the hospital and be there when you’re ready,” Shani informed me. I blinked once out of force of habit, although it certainly wasn’t necessary. I was loaded into the ambulance, and Cate climbed in after me after I was safely strapped in and an IV was started on me.

“Be strong for everyone, Alex,” she advised me. “Allison, Brooke and Ryan will meet you there.” I managed to give her a limited thumbs up with my strapped down arm as we started to pull away. It was only then I managed to finally evaluate what my general state was.

My head had cleared, although it was hard to think with the shooting pain in my neck, no pun intended. I had a headache, probably from smacking the back of my head when I landed on the ground. I was still shivering despite their throwing a thin blanket over me. Apparently I hadn’t bled out so it looked like an artery hadn’t been hit. Those accounted for most of the vital organs in the throat, so I might just be in the clear, assuming the bullet hadn’t hit my lymph nodes or something similar. I guess I might just pull through after all.

I knew I’d have to consider just how I’d managed to survive, since the odds of the gunman having a stroke at that exact moment seemed … but my thoughts were interrupted as I started shivering.

The EMT riding in the back with us noticed this and tossed an additional blanket over me, which Cate lovingly fit around me so it covered me properly, continually glancing at me while biting her lip. I glanced at my sister as we hurtled through the night heading for the same hospital I’d been in so recently for a similar incident. She smiled weakly at me and all I could do was try one myself, although mine ended up as more of a grimace than anything else. She moved closer and held my hand.

“God, you’ve got this way of scaring everyone, Alex. You’ve really got to find a better hobby.” I tried to grin again, but it just generated more throat pains.

“You know none of your women are ever going to be separated from you again? They’re not likely to ever trust me around you again, either. I keep letting you bully me into letting you wander the streets like you’re invincible and have no enemies.” She paused for a moment.

“Have you thought about who might have arranged this?” Since I couldn’t respond I just blinked once, but I had no idea if she’d been paying attention when Becky was going through that with me. “We’re going to have to hire armed guards just to walk you around the block.” She sighed in exasperation. “I guess this means Gail won’t have any choice but to take your offer. You need a full time body guard so protective of you she even sleeps in your bed. Either that, or she’ll have to train me how to shoot someone. Maybe I should have Anh train me in the oriental art of fireplace pokers?

“Do you have any idea how seriously you’d fuck us all up if anything happened to you? We all depend on you. And what was that last movement of yours. It looked suspiciously like you were putting yourself between the gunman and us. That’s just stupid, Alex. You should know you’re much more important to this whole process than any of us. The girls would all give their lives for you, and your whole family would do the same thing in an instant. You’ve got to get over this whole heroic male thing of yours, and think of yourself as a valuable public servant instead. It’s more important to save yourself than anything else.”

I started blinking repeatedly in an attempt to shut her up, we certainly didn’t need for her to be spreading any more rumors about me. She still had a tendency to give away too much in normal conversations held with others around. I don’t know if she got the message or not, but she fell silent while looking into my eyes for awhile.

“Jesus, Alex, I really love you, and I know everyone else does too. Oh shit,” she suddenly recoiled. “I forgot to call your girlfriends. We contacted everyone the girls thought were vital, but I didn’t call them.”

She pulled her cell phone from her pocket and started dialing.

“Hello? Martha? It’s Cate. Look, something serious happened to Alex. He’s been shot. Could you tell Kitty for me, and possibly call Chalise as well. We’re on our way to the hospital as we speak. He’s stable right now, but he’s lost a lot of blood.” She fell silent while listening to the response.

“He was shot in the neck. I’m not sure why the neck, but it looks like the shooter had a stroke so he might have been aiming for Alex’s head and his arm just slipped.” She listened again for a couple moments.

“Thanks, I appreciate it. Tell Chalise and Kitty that he sends his love to them. Bye.” She replaced the phone and smiled at me again.

“OK, that’s over with. They’re going to be soooo pissed at you, Alex. You’ve got to find a way to stop having people try to kill you. Couldn’t you just do something safe like bungee jumping, cliff diving or lion wrestling?”

“Did I hear something about a couple of girlfriends?” The paramedic asked while checking my blood pressure readings.

“Yeah,” Cate laughed. “He has two official girlfriends, a whole group of wanna be girlfriends, several devoted household slaves, and a dedicated family ready to do anything for him. You’re probably looking at the one high school student with the greatest group of dedicated groupies you’re ever likely to meet. How many young boy band singers do you know whose fans would take a bullet instead of him? And then this lunkhead,” she said, punctuating the thought with a punch in the arm, “goes and puts himself in front of the bullet himself.”

The paramedic, I saw his name was Omar, looked at her crossly but didn’t reprimand her for hitting someone on a backboard and wearing a neck restraint collar. “He sounds like quite a young man. Too bad he can’t dodge bullets?”

“Oh, he dodged it pretty well. I think the guy was aiming for his head from only a couple feet away. We were all in the house when it happened. He’d just insisted he needed time to think on his own and stormed out of the house after demanding no one follow him. It’s frustrating when he gets stubborn like that. I know this is normally a safe town, but this is the fourth incident he’s been in, and seeing him fail to change his behaviors is challenging. Especially when he goes and steps in front of the guy’s gun in order to protect everyone. Still, I’d have done the same thing to protect him, even if I’m not quite as good at dodging bullets as he was.” Fresh tears began streaming down her face, causing the various bloody fingerprints covering it to smear.

Just then we pulled into the hospital emergency bay and everything got busy again. I took the opportunity to send a message to everyone else.

‘Where is everyone?’ I asked.

‘I’m in the car with your family,’ Shani sent back.

‘Nikki and I are in a separate car with the others,’ Anh answered.

‘I was staying with Rebecca,’ Allison said. ‘She’s currently watching Brooke’s kids, and Brooke and I are waiting for you at the hospital.’

‘I’m driving down, I’ll meet you at the hospital, but I’m talking off and on with Michelle,’ Gail told me.

‘Who the hell is Michele?’ I asked her, still confused by the name.

‘That’s Officer Michelle McCallister,’ she reminded me, and I suddenly remembered her. How the hell could I forget someone like that? She’d been helping me quite a bit and I couldn’t even remember her. Well, I guess I had an excuse of having almost been shot in the face.

‘Did you tell her anything?’ I asked.

‘There wasn’t much to say. All I knew was that you’d been shot. It took a bit of juggling to get the proper calls made in the proper order, but we arranged that while your sisters went out after you. Jesus, Mary and Joseph, Alex, you’ve got to stop this type of thing. One of these days someone’s going to succeed in trying to kill you,’ she responded angrily. ‘When I get to the hospital, I think I’m going to give you a serious beating, that is if you’re still breathing by the time I get there. What’s more, I think each of your girls will want to strangle you as well, and then we’ll let your family and your girlfriends work their frustrations out on you for a while. This is serious. Everyone is pissed and crying, from what I hear your parents are a mess. I think Cate has been putting on a brave front for you, but I know she’s torn up about this as well.’

‘Well, if it’s any consolation, they almost did kill me this time. I was sure I was dead and I was busy trying to say goodbye to you all,’ I told her.

‘Yeah, we got that. It’s pretty drastic, surprising someone with an image of someone holding a gun in their face and telling them goodbye and have a nice life. You’ve got to find a friendlier way of saying you need your space than that.’ I knew she was joking, but she didn’t seem very friendly in her delivery. I guess that’s just my style, always piss off the person with the gun.

By now I was being wheeled into an Emergency Room and several people started swarming around me, so I was too distracted to converse any further. I’d lost Cate when they wheeled me in. I couldn’t see her but she may have just been standing a short distance away to avoid the confusion and any blood.

“Don’t worry, Alex, we’ll take good care of you. It doesn’t seem to be too serious,” Ryan consoled me, though it’s hard to hear how good you are when people are talking about performing emergency surgery on you.

They were all very efficient. They examined me, determined they couldn’t wait for an X-ray and took me to the operating room as soon as they could arrange for everyone to be ready. There they put me under while they sewed me up and checked for any fragments or any potential damage. That took me out of any further action for a good bit. I just hoped I’d see some friendlier and happier faces when I finally came to.

           

Note: Check out smashwords.com or vincentberg.net for eBooks of the entire series.

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