RedViper
July 3rd, 2012, 05:16 AM
It still doesn't have a title.
Also, most names in anything I write are just whatever pops into my head first.
Hospital car park: a man and his daughter weaved between the cars towards the entrance. They were in such a rush he barely had enough time to stop his daughter from running into the automatic doors. Once inside he looked at the elevators then turned to the stairs and hurried up them. He couldn’t bear to stand in the elevator feeling helpless for he knew would feel like hours. Glancing at each sign as they ran past he searched for ‘Emergency Room’. Jodi tripped on a step.
“Come on, honey.” Frank said, helping her up.
Each flight of stairs seemed to get longer and longer. When they got to the third floor he checked the sign, “Radiology, Oncology, Emergency Room”, saying each word aloud as he read. Once they got to the emergency room they slowed. He spotted his wife standing by the nurse’s station biting her finger nails. Dodging the busy nurses they made their way toward her.
“Karen, how is he?” he asked.
She opened her mouth to answer but stopped when she saw a nurse coming towards them.
“Mrs Stevens,” she said whilst flipping back a sheet on her clipboard. “Your son has suffered significant internal bleeding and several broken bones.”
“Can we see him?”
“He’s on his way to surgery.”
Karen wiped her cheek with her sleeve.
At the local beach Karen was spreading butter on a slice of bread.
“Jodi,” she called, “what kind of burger do you want?”
“Chicken, Mum.” replied the little girl, running to the barbeque area.
Karen grabbed a chicken burger off the barbeque and put it between two slices of bread. When she looked up to hand it to her daughter she spotted her son climbing a large tree.
“Frank,” she said, “can you please tell Joey to get down from there?”
“Let the boy have some fun, Karen. Besides he’ll just say ‘You’re not my real Dad.’”
“You know that no matter what he says you’ll always be his father, biological or not.”
Frank couldn’t comprehend why Joey said such things. He’d been with Joey and his mother since Joey was three. Frank often wondered if Joey was jealous of Jodi, she still had both of her real parents, although she was only five and didn’t really understand the fact that Frank was only Joey’s step-father. Frank noticed that Karen kept watching Joey, ignoring the burning burgers.
“Karen, the burgers are burning.”
Karen bit the inside if her lip.
The three of them sat and ate their lunch as Joey continued to climb. The branches were getting smaller as Joey was getting higher. He grabbed hold of a branch just above him, it bent under his weight. He lifted his leg to a branch just in front of him. The branch snapped. He landed unsteadily on the branch below him. Karen jerked up and gasped.
“Joey get down from there!”
He didn’t hear her, but began to descend anyway. As he put his foot on a lower branch he slipped and fell rapidly towards the ground.
“Joey!”
In the hospital waiting room Frank paced as Karen sat in a chair staring at the wall. Jodi leant on her shoulder.
“I’m sorry,” Frank said quietly.
Karen remained silent.
“If only I’d--“Frank croaked.
In the silence an old man coughed. He’d been there for an hour, pushed aside for more urgent patients.
“I’m so sorry.” He repeated as if she didn’t hear him the first time. “Karen?”
“What do you want me to say, Frank?” she snapped.
He said nothing.
“Do you want me to tell you that it’s all your fault? That I blame you?” she said aware of how loud her voice was getting.
She paused.
“Well?”
“I-I don’t know,” Frank stuttered, “I’m sorry.”
“No matter how many times you say it, it doesn’t change what happened! Every time I close my eyes I see him, bruised and bleeding, in that ambulance and all you can say is ‘sorry’? Your apology means nothing to me!”
“I don’t know what else to say.”
“I know, why don’t you tell me why you’ve always treated Jodi better? Is it because Joey’s not good enough because he’s not yours?”
“That’s not true.”
“That’s bull shit, Frank, and you know it!”
Frank opened his mouth to say something in his defence when a nurse walked in and interrupted.
“This is neither the time nor the place for this.” said the nurse.
“I’m sorry.” Frank said.
He turned to Jodi and said, “Sweetie, why don’t you come to the vending machines with Daddy and we’ll get you some Cheezels?”
Jodi got up without speaking, clutched her father’s arm and rubbed her eyes.
The waiting room was silent except for the occasional cough of the old man. Jodi sat between her parents, desperately wanting to hug one of them, but remained still. She was afraid she might somehow cause another argument between them. A doctor walked in with a surgical mask pulled around his neck. Frank and Karen sat up straight.
“There was a lot of bleeding,” he began,” but we were able to get it under control. He’ll be fine.”
Frank sighed. Joey was going to be okay. He sat back in his chair and sighed again, looking at his wedding ring with uncertainty.
Also, most names in anything I write are just whatever pops into my head first.
Hospital car park: a man and his daughter weaved between the cars towards the entrance. They were in such a rush he barely had enough time to stop his daughter from running into the automatic doors. Once inside he looked at the elevators then turned to the stairs and hurried up them. He couldn’t bear to stand in the elevator feeling helpless for he knew would feel like hours. Glancing at each sign as they ran past he searched for ‘Emergency Room’. Jodi tripped on a step.
“Come on, honey.” Frank said, helping her up.
Each flight of stairs seemed to get longer and longer. When they got to the third floor he checked the sign, “Radiology, Oncology, Emergency Room”, saying each word aloud as he read. Once they got to the emergency room they slowed. He spotted his wife standing by the nurse’s station biting her finger nails. Dodging the busy nurses they made their way toward her.
“Karen, how is he?” he asked.
She opened her mouth to answer but stopped when she saw a nurse coming towards them.
“Mrs Stevens,” she said whilst flipping back a sheet on her clipboard. “Your son has suffered significant internal bleeding and several broken bones.”
“Can we see him?”
“He’s on his way to surgery.”
Karen wiped her cheek with her sleeve.
At the local beach Karen was spreading butter on a slice of bread.
“Jodi,” she called, “what kind of burger do you want?”
“Chicken, Mum.” replied the little girl, running to the barbeque area.
Karen grabbed a chicken burger off the barbeque and put it between two slices of bread. When she looked up to hand it to her daughter she spotted her son climbing a large tree.
“Frank,” she said, “can you please tell Joey to get down from there?”
“Let the boy have some fun, Karen. Besides he’ll just say ‘You’re not my real Dad.’”
“You know that no matter what he says you’ll always be his father, biological or not.”
Frank couldn’t comprehend why Joey said such things. He’d been with Joey and his mother since Joey was three. Frank often wondered if Joey was jealous of Jodi, she still had both of her real parents, although she was only five and didn’t really understand the fact that Frank was only Joey’s step-father. Frank noticed that Karen kept watching Joey, ignoring the burning burgers.
“Karen, the burgers are burning.”
Karen bit the inside if her lip.
The three of them sat and ate their lunch as Joey continued to climb. The branches were getting smaller as Joey was getting higher. He grabbed hold of a branch just above him, it bent under his weight. He lifted his leg to a branch just in front of him. The branch snapped. He landed unsteadily on the branch below him. Karen jerked up and gasped.
“Joey get down from there!”
He didn’t hear her, but began to descend anyway. As he put his foot on a lower branch he slipped and fell rapidly towards the ground.
“Joey!”
In the hospital waiting room Frank paced as Karen sat in a chair staring at the wall. Jodi leant on her shoulder.
“I’m sorry,” Frank said quietly.
Karen remained silent.
“If only I’d--“Frank croaked.
In the silence an old man coughed. He’d been there for an hour, pushed aside for more urgent patients.
“I’m so sorry.” He repeated as if she didn’t hear him the first time. “Karen?”
“What do you want me to say, Frank?” she snapped.
He said nothing.
“Do you want me to tell you that it’s all your fault? That I blame you?” she said aware of how loud her voice was getting.
She paused.
“Well?”
“I-I don’t know,” Frank stuttered, “I’m sorry.”
“No matter how many times you say it, it doesn’t change what happened! Every time I close my eyes I see him, bruised and bleeding, in that ambulance and all you can say is ‘sorry’? Your apology means nothing to me!”
“I don’t know what else to say.”
“I know, why don’t you tell me why you’ve always treated Jodi better? Is it because Joey’s not good enough because he’s not yours?”
“That’s not true.”
“That’s bull shit, Frank, and you know it!”
Frank opened his mouth to say something in his defence when a nurse walked in and interrupted.
“This is neither the time nor the place for this.” said the nurse.
“I’m sorry.” Frank said.
He turned to Jodi and said, “Sweetie, why don’t you come to the vending machines with Daddy and we’ll get you some Cheezels?”
Jodi got up without speaking, clutched her father’s arm and rubbed her eyes.
The waiting room was silent except for the occasional cough of the old man. Jodi sat between her parents, desperately wanting to hug one of them, but remained still. She was afraid she might somehow cause another argument between them. A doctor walked in with a surgical mask pulled around his neck. Frank and Karen sat up straight.
“There was a lot of bleeding,” he began,” but we were able to get it under control. He’ll be fine.”
Frank sighed. Joey was going to be okay. He sat back in his chair and sighed again, looking at his wedding ring with uncertainty.