Page 70 of All Your Fault

“His best friend. His parents live out of town. Please let me stay. His fiancée is in another room.” My eyes swell with tears. “Please.”

“Check in with the nurse station. I’m sure they’ll be okay with it for now.”

“Ma’am, is he in a coma?”

“No, we sedated him to prevent further injury,” she answers. “The doctors will know more when they see the test results.”

I nod. When she finished hooking him to ten machines. She looks at me and says, “You’re a good friend.”

No, I’m not. I’m the cause of all of this. Why couldn’t I mind my own business?

Me:I’m in the room with Joe. He’s sedated.

Adalee:Is he okay?

Me:No. I don’t think so.

Adalee:Talk to him. I’ve always heard people can hear you even when they are sedated or in a coma.

Me:And tell him this is all my fault?

Adalee:What?

Me:Nothing. The nurse is coming in. Talk later.

I lie. It’s the first and only time I’ve lied to her. This keeps getting worse.

Adalee:Okay. Love you.

I don’t respond. Worse.

I haveto make sure that it’s her dad up the hall. If Adalee finds out before I tell her, the damage I’ve caused may be irreversible. My body aches, my stomach shakes, and bile creeps into my throat as I walk into his room.

He’s asleep. A laceration extends across his forehead. A different nurse comes in asking if I’m family. I explain the situation and how I put three people in the hospital without being there. She pats my hand. “It’s not your fault.” She’s lying.

“Can you tell me if he’ll be okay?” I ask.

“Yes, he’ll be severely bruised, but he doesn’t have any obvious breaks. They’ll take him for testing in a few minutes to make sure.”

So, I sit. I’m hoping he’ll wake up because I need to know what happened. I stay in there until they take him, but he never wakes. They unhook him and he doesn’t move.

I end up back in Joe’s room. I know I need to tell Adalee about her dad. I need to tell her this is my fault. And Ginger…

Will they forgive me?

I talk softly to Joe, telling him how I asked Adalee’s dad here to surprise her. How sorry I fucking am. I didn’t mean for any of this to happen. I was just trying to reconnect my girl and her dad.

I look at my phone and Adalee’s texted me twenty times. It’s midnight when the doctor comes in. “Is he going to be okay?”

The doctor asks, “And you are?”

“His brother.”

The doctor squirrels his mouth to one side. “We’ll do everything we can. Are your parents around?”

“No sir. We go to school here, but they’re on their way.”

“Your brother has a brain bleed which will require surgery. He hands me a card. Not being cocky but I’m the best neurosurgeon in the state. If he has a chance, it’s with my hands.”

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