Page 144 of The Sweetest Cruelty: Hudson
Everything became a blur after that. The paramedics arrived, as did the police. They took Micah into the back of the ambulance, and Reed went with him. He was in bits as he held his brother’s hand, sobbing and broken.
Phoenix’s face was hard to read as he held a weeping Harper against his chest.
I had Molly tucked into my side as the police took everyone’s names. The smell of blood was in the air, and I couldn’t bring myself to look at the red-stained ground where my brother had fallen.
With one hand, I held Molly and with the other, the top used to stem Micah’s wound.
You couldn’t see the color as it was stained red, but itwasa football jersey. The number on there was seven, and the surname on the back said LEWIS. On the front was the school’s name. St Andrew’s.
MOLLY
What had started as an amazing night ended in a nightmare. Micah was taken away in the ambulance with Reed. Once the police had our information, our parents were called. Phoenix had already taken Harper home.
My dad arrived, and then so did BethanySawyer. To my dismay, Hudson and I then got separated. Ihatedthat. I didn’t want to leave his side.
We were told that the police would come to the house to take statements later that day. I was so tired, I could hardly keep my eyes open.
My father didn’t tell me off about the party. I told him that Harper and I would go for an hour. So, in theory, I hadn’t lied to him. I also hadn’t been drinking, and Hudson only had one or two. But I knew my dad was upset when he saw me with Hudson.
When we arrived at the house, I broke down in tears again, and my father pulled me against his strong chest. He whispered into my hair and told me that it would be OK.
But it wouldn’t, would it? What if Micah died?
His blood still stained Hudson’s top, and my arms were also encrusted.
My father told me to take a shower and then get into bed.
After around half an hour, he then came upstairs. He’d been on the phone with the police. It was almost three in the morning, and I couldn’t sleep.
Hudson had messaged to ask if I was OK, and I responded yes, even though I wasn’t.
I felt my father pulling the covers over me at one point as I lay there, thinking about how pale Micah’s dark skin had looked.
I hadn’t been the one to find him. The boys took so long to get to the car that Harper left the backseat to find somewhere to pee. On her way back, she saw two guys bending over Micah and then ran to fetch me. The girl had been terrified.
Micah’s eyes had been open, and he was awake at first, but what he said was garbled, and I couldn’t make it out.
On autopilot, I had fallen to my knees and put his head on my lap, telling him help was coming.
One of the boys who found him, Fletcher something, was already trying to stop the bleeding.
I was so relieved when I saw Hudson. He and his brothers took charge of the crowd, telling them to give us space. He’d taken my hand, squeezed it, and then had fallen apart himself. It felt like forever for the emergency services to arrive.
As we’d exchanged looks, it was apparent that we were helpless. None of us knew what to do.
We were kids, that’s what happened when you found yourself in a situation far beyond your comprehension.
A boy had been stabbed. And that boy was now in the hospital fighting for his life.
*****
I was grounded for the rest of the weekend, and my dad took my phone from me. He explained that the incident had gone viral on social media, and he didn’t want me to be upset.
I hoped Hudson would come and see me, andI left my window open. I so wanted him to climb up the side of our house like he had that one time, but he didn’t. I felt some reassurance that at least his other brothers and mother were there to support him.
My father was in contact with the principal of St Andrew’s, trying to establish if the stabbing had been connected. Maybe a hate crime due to Harbor Heights’ big win.
I gave the police my statement and asked if they had heard anything from the hospital. They explained that the patient had been stabilised but had lost a lot of blood. I wasn’t sure what that meant.
