Page 89 of Behind the Bars

I watched them relentlessly. I watched them check his pulse. I watched them try to make his heart beat again. I watched them try to save him as they loaded him into theambulance.

“Let me come!” I shouted, trying to push my way through, but they wouldn’t allow it. There was no way they’d let me inside, and every second I fought them was a second they could’ve spent helping TJ, so I stepped backward and let themgo.

“Tulane Medical Center,” the paramedic shouted before they closed the doors and droveaway.

As they left, my heartcollapsed.

I grabbed his saxophone, placed it into his case, and hurried down the streets of New Orleans. I couldn’t breathe. My legs forced me to run as I tried to find air to fill and empty my lungs. I raced to the corner, flagged down a taxi, and waited…and waited…andwaited.

Once at Tulane, I rushed through the doors of the emergency room and hurried to the frontdesk.

“Excuse me, I’m lo-looking for a man who was just brought in. He had a heart attack or stroke or something on Frenchmen Street, and, and I-I need to know he’s okay.” I fumbled my words, my whole body shaking as I hugged TJ’s saxophone case to mychest.

“Slow down, slow down. What’s the patient’sname?”

“TJ—um, Theodore James. He’s in hiseighties.”

“What’s your relation to him?” she asked, typing away at hercomputer.

“I’m hisfriend.”

She paused her typing and peered at me over her screen. “Any bloodrelation?”

“No, we’re justfriends.”

“I’m sorry, I can’t give out a patient’s information without an actual connection. All I can tell you is that he was brought in and is in theICU.”

“But—”

“I’m sorry, ma’am. That’s all I can say. Do you know any of his family members? Can you get in touch withsomeone?”

“I only knew about his wife, and she died. I just, I…” Tears swelled in my eyes, and she reached out and placed a comforting hand on myforearm.

“Maybe just hang out in the waiting room for a bit to see if a family memberarrives?”

“Okay, thankyou.”

I walked over to a chair in the waiting room and did exactly that—Iwaited.

It was going to kill me, the waiting. Whenever I blinked, I saw TJ falling in my mind. His terrified eyes were imprinted on mymemory.

I rocked back and forth, wiping away the few stubborn tears that fell from myeyes.

Over the past few months, I’d been graced with TJ’s presence, and losing him wasn’t an option. When the waiting became too much, I stood up and rushed out of the building, going to the only place I could think togo.

* * *

“Elliott!”I exclaimed, out of breath as I rushed into Daze. He was sitting in the same booth as the last time, and he looked up with a hard stare myway.

He stood slowly and shook his head. “I thought Isaid—”

“It’s TJ,” I toldhim.

“What abouthim?”

Tears fell down my cheeks as the words fell from my lips. “I think he had a stroke. He’s at the hospital. I was there with them, but they wouldn’t let me know how he’s doing because I’m not family, and I don’t know if you know anyone we can callor—”

“Let’s go,” he said swiftly, gathering his notebook and walking past me. “I’lldrive.”

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