A Rose and A Kiss in the Rain

Luke

I quickly drive to the hospital with Lilibeth. Everything is running through my mind right now as we step into the emergency room.

She could be dead. Someone took her. She's drunk. She's hurt.

The next thing I know is that my mother is hugging me tight.

"Luke! You're here! Your sister...I don't know what happened!" Tears stream down her cheeks and I gently take a step back.

I put my hands on her soft arms and say, "We have to stay strong. Maybe she's alright and we're panicking for nothing."

Then I remember the baby. I look over at Lili and see that buttoned long sleeve she found at the house is loose enough to hide away that tiny bump. My heart does a sigh of relief. I really need to tell her and I can't have her asking anything right now.

I watch Lili look at her phone with wide eyes and quickly dial someone. Mom still keeps me still as she gives me a tight hug. I gently pull her away and go to the security at the counter.

"Please," I say to him. "My sister just got in an accident. Her name is Charity—"

"All patients will be recorded later on if they just came in."

"But—"

"A doctor should be coming to tell you if she's dead or not."

My blood boils but Lilibeth stops me as she puts a soft hand on my shoulder. I turn around and hear her say, "I just called Francesca. That was my last call because my phone died. I hope she could transfer the message to my mom."

I run a tender hand on her cheek and give her a soft kiss. It's the only way to calm down my nerves from all of this.

Then a nurse comes by with a warm smile. I go up to her and say, "My sister—"

"Charity?" she asks and I give her a quick nod. My mother now stands by us as she watches the nurse gesture for us to follow her. She leads us into another room on the same floor. It's a cold waiting room. Just by it there's a window showing most of the Emergency Room.

I go up to it with Lilibeth and my blood runs to my feet at the sight of two people. I can see Charity's bright blonde hair just through a crack of a curtain. She's unconscious but there doesn't seem to be any blood.

But my eyes land on a man by her with worse cuts and bruises. My body trembles and I walk away from the window as I let out shaky breaths. On the bed beside her, my father lays unconscious as well....

It doesn't seem like Lilibeth was able to see either of them as she lets out a worried sigh and goes over to my mother to help her comfort her nerves.

In between my many thoughts, I feel someone take my collar and bang their head on mine. I step back in pain and hold my head as the world turns in circles.

All I hear is Lilibeth say, "Dad! What is wrong with you?!"

I can't really see anything as my vision blurs but I feel my mother's hands on my arm. Then I recognize Lilibeth's touch guide me to a chair. I groan as my head throbs and she tenderly touches where I got that hit.

"I'm sorry," Mr. Dawson says. "I thought Lili was the one that was hurt."

"No, Dad," Lilibeth says with a hint of anger. "It's Charity."

Mrs. Dawson enters with Micheal and I prepare to cover myself just in case he decides to hit me, too. Micheal nods at my mother and frowns at Lilibeth. "If your fine then why are we here?" His eyes then grow wide with realization and says, "Charity?!"