RAINY DAY [H.S.]

-13-

The ride to the hospital was the longest ride i've ever experienced. The lights of the city dancing on my face. The tears completely recovered my face, my vision was blurry and it was probably a bad idea to drive in that state of mind, but my dad needed me. 

Every red lights I stopped by felt like a waste of time, my hand holding the wheel so tighty I could feel my heart beating in my arm, I just wanted to see him, to be with him. It all felt unreal. I couldn't lose him too. 

I can't even imagine a life without my father, and somehow, this whole situation made me realise how much I care about him. 

My phone started buzzing beside me, only once, my hand dipped in my bag placed on the passenger seat beside me, strumbling through my items trying to find my phone. Meanwhile, I finally reached the hospital parking, it was cahotic, a bunch of  ambulances lights attacking my eyes, some people running with the rolling beds, what happened? 

I parked the car and looked all around, it felt like a nightmare, or the start of an apocalyptic movie, the nurses didn't tell me about how my dad got shot, and the multiple people at the emergencies were showing this was not simply a shooting, it was more. 

My phone buzzed again and I froze at the notifications on my screen, it really felt unreal.

(6) texts from H-

"are you safe?"

"Jane"

"Please pick up"

"are you home?"

"Jane come on"

"i'm coming over"

I couldn't believe it, after months of silence, Harry stopped being mute and finally texted me, at my worst moment. I decided to not awnser, my dad was not okay and this boy did not deserve my attention now.

I placed my phone back in my bag and got out of the car, the sirens and the multiple people all seemed like it was out of a movie. 

I made my way to the entry, teams of nurses were running all around, a bunch of people waiting to finally see a doctor, some old people, some kids bleeding or crying about their loved ones on the operation table, this was awfull. 

I still had no idea what was happening, I made my way to a nurses, writting on some papers she was holding.

I asked her about my dad, she pointed at the waiting seats, explaining the doctors were fighting to keep him alive and that I couldn't see him. 

The wait was hard to deal with, I don't know how many hours I stood there, I didn't want to sit down, I needed to be ready when the doctors would come get me and give me news about my dad.

I was constantly shaking, but, I stopped crying, I had no more tears. 

Harry didn't text me again, Eli was not awnsering the phone and here I was, pacing through the room holding into my hair, my whole body weak from crying.

I just wanted him to be safe and for the first time in so long, I took time to pray. 

The waiting room slowly got calm, people leaving to go to bed and come back the next morning, the nurses were taking a break, the hallways were half empty, and the screams were now all stopped.

I finally sat down and felt how heavy my body was, my head fell back against the wall beside me, my eyes getting heavier as I closed it, the noises of the hospital slowly fading away. 

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Here is Jane in her lovely sun dress, ready for your first day at school?" my dad asked as I stood there my arms crossed against my chest, my lip in a pouty position. 

"That's a grumpy Jane!" he laughed as he kneeled down and held both of my shoulders, with his smile full of amusement, mom was here too, she was stanting at the door, watching us. 

I still remember the smell, the smell of fresh cut grass and flowers, the sound of the birds singing on a beautiful summer morning. I remember mom, chuckling from the front door, her old camera up her eye as she walked over us, her smile not leaving her face. 

"Jane honey say hi to the camera!" 

My dad messed my dark hair up, my piggy tails wiggling as I finally smiled at them, my arms wrapping around my dad's neck as I smiled wide at the camera. 

"Look that's happy Jane again!" he said. 

The laughs started mixing all together, doing echo in my mind, another voice slowly getting added to it...

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Miss Preston?" I felt a delicate hand moving against my shoulder, I got up quickly rubbing my eyes, I fell asleep. 

"Your dad is okay, but we should keep him some weeks, the bullet got out but it was close to his stomach, we need to make sure he can eat properly before letting him go back home. He is asleep now but you can come see him."

she spoke very quietly, she looked as exhausted as me, probably been up the whole night, taking care of the patients. 

"Could you please tell me what happened?" I asked, knowing this wave of patients was not a coincidence with my dad getting shot.

She raised her brows, just like I asked a very curious question. 

"Didn't you hear about this? They found a gang in the old museum building, they started the assault but the gang attacked back and started shooting at people in the street to distract the police...A lot of people died tonight miss, I never saw that much blood, and i'm a nurse since a few years now. Your dad was in that street, helping his colleagues." 

My blood froze in my veins as I listened to her words, trying to take everything in. 

"But what about the gang?" I asked still shaking and a bit asleep from this long night full of emotions. 

"They escaped and are somewhere in town, the police is working on it."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

That chapter was short but important for the rest ;)))

Looks like Harry is worried about Jane's well-being...