Chapter 9: When the curtain falls
879 Words
Elijah POV:
Never before did I think I’d be here. Bright lights shine in my eyes as I open them to see pristine walls encompassing my surroundings. Wait! I was in the park… what happened to me?
I glance at what’s around me and recognise the scent of detergent, it’s only when I see that I’m connected to an IV , do I realise where I am at.
What happened?
The more I tried to collect my thoughts and figure out what happened , the more dazed I became. Last thing that I could recall was the guys walking up to me and surrounding me with knives in their hands. Everything else after that— is a mystery to me. My eyes feel heavy—my body like a rock sinking in the ocean and slowly I drift into the dark again.
Elles POV:
Rushing in to the hospital room , lungs burning from running so fast. I see my mom lying on the bed cringing in agony, hooked up to a drip.
She hurt herself. Again. This lady!!!!
“Mom , you need to be careful! You can’t lift heavy things anymore. You are 69 years old. How many times do we have to have this conversation?”
My mom frowned at me, shooing me away with her hand as if I was being dramatic. This woman will cause me to have a heart attack one day I swear.
“You never listen.. so you want to leave me alone in this world??”
While scolding my mom due to her lack of care for her well being , I saw commotion erupt in the hallway of the hospital room she was being treated in.
“Multiple stab wounds on the back and abdomen, looks like there could be internal bleeding…”
The voice trails off as the doctors rush the person on the stretcher to the OR.
Out of sheer curiosity and a nagging feeling , I stepped out of the room and approached a nurse who was staring bewildered at her clipboard.
“Excuse me, just now someone was brought in on a stretcher , it sounded fatal. What happened?”
The lady glanced at me with a hint of frustration edged on her face.
“Some guy that got attacked and robbed in the park off West Chester. Looks bad. They stabbed him and beat him up. He was found by police that was patrolling around the area and brought in”
Shock. That’s the best way I can describe how I felt. Who would do that to someone?
“Oh my… who would do such a thing ?”, I asked rhetorically.
“They say it looks to be the biker gang that has been terrorising small businesses and the community based on the knife found at the scene. The guy fought back but it seems he was out numbered.”
Curiosity and fear radiated through me. Everyone knew everyone here.
“Do you know who it is?”
“Yes, Elijah Manning. The CEO of that Tech firm in the city.”
What? Surely it can’t be.
My heart dropped. The park is just a few blocks away from my book store. Is it him? He said he would get me at 5pm.
No. Please no.
Guilt rode up my spine and my throat became clogged.
“Where’s he now?”, I asked the nurse who was too engrossed in her clipboard to notice my sudden change in expression.
“He was taken in for surgery,do you know him?”
“I’ve seen him in my store I believe. We were supposed to meet up tonight.”
Shock radiated off her face at my words. Clearly I caught the poor nurse off guard. She looked at me from head to toe and back up.
“Oh I’m really sorry about your…friend. He will be moved to the private rooms after surgery and you can see him then.”
She left after that. I walked back into my mom’s room.
“Honey , why does it look like you’ve seen a ghost?”
I relay everything to my mom about what I had learnt. Purposefully avoiding to mention that this man was a complete stranger to me a few days ago and using the term ‘friend’ very loosely.
“Oh dear, that poor boy. You should go check on him. They discharging me now, I am just waiting for the paperwork. Your friend needs you now honey.”
My mom, ever so sweet, urges me on to the door with that shooing hand of hers.
“I’ll just go find out if he is out of surgery yet and I’ll come get you.”
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After leaving my mom , I walked up to reception.
“Elijah Manning, is he still in surgery?”
The disgruntled woman behind the desk, begrudgingly gave me the information I asked for and directed me to his room.
Walking in , I paused. The handsome man from a few hours ago, was bloodied and blue.
Was this my fault?
- Writer
