The Desire for a Simple Life

TWENTY-TWO

TWENTY-TWO

Grant

As soon as Natalia sat in the car she zoned out. I noticed a gunshot wound on her thigh. How did she carry me, with an injured leg? I put my hand on it, squeezing it to stop some bleeding.

"Natalia? Natalia!" I tried to snap her out of her stone gaze, but she doesn't budge.

"The hospital is about eight more minutes away. Is she okay?" Omar asks.

"She was shot. She is totally out of it. Drive fast." I answer.

I hear Omar press his foot down on the gas pedal.

"Natalia, you're okay. Look at me." I say to her. She doesn't acknowledge my presents. "Natalia." I pull her face toward me and her eyes remain forward as they look into mine. Except they aren't looking to me, just at me. Natalia is still lost in her mind. I remove my hand and her face turns back to the window.

I continue to hold pressure on her leg.

A few minutes later Omar announces we are here. He drove back to the ambulance lot so people will be there and ready to help us. Omar rolls down his window to talk to the confused doctors.

"They need your help." He says.

"Sir, this is the ambulance lane. The emergency is on the lot not too far from here." The woman explains.

"Please, help them." He says.

He rolls down the back window so the medical professionals can see Natalia and I. Immediately they open both my door and the one on Natalia's side. I hobble out of the car and am helped onto a gurney. I look over to see as soon as someone touched Natalia she began to trash and even hit one of the doctors.

"Natalia! Snap out of it!" I shout trying to get to her. She is strapped down onto the gurney, but continues to try to fight the straps. "Natalia! You're okay! Calm down!" She wipes her head in my direction before we are put in separate rooms.

"Sir, can you hear me. What is your name?" A male doctor asks.

As soon as I know that Natalia is getting help and is safe at last, all my own pain starts to him me. Sharp pain, stabbing pain, constant pains, stinging pain, it all comes at once. I bit the inside of my cheek to stop me from screaming.

"Sir, can you hear me?" He asks again as he orders some medical stuff.

All goes black.

- The next afternoon, 2:10 pm -

I jerk awake to a sharp pain in my abdomen. Looking around three nurses stare at me with shock in their eyes. They all looked embarrassed and leave the room calling for the doctor. I am hooked up to a few machines, a constant beep fills the silent room until the doctor comes in.

"Hello, I am Dr. Neffis, I performed your minor surgery this past evening. How are you feeling?" He asks.

"I'm fine. Where is Natalia?" I question.

He smiles. "She is down the hall. When you came in, you had several lacerations on various locations of your body. One in particular punctured your lung. We fixed it up, but your breathing will be irregular for a while. Do you have any questions?" He asks.

"How long do I need to stay here?" I ask.

"We'd like you to stay for at minimum a week." He answers.

"How is Natalia?" I question.

"She has been asking about you." He answers. Just then Natlaia in a wheelchair comes in with a fake smile. "I'll leave you two for discussion." He nods his head and leaves the room.

I try to sit up, but fail so I remain where I am. Natalia looks down and frowns. "What's wrong?" I question.

"It's just- it's been a long couple of months." She lets out a fake chuckle. "But then when I woke up they told me Omar was rushed to surgery." She puts her hands on my bed leaning forward and she fiddles with her fingers.

"What happened?" I ask sincerely.

"He-" She tries to choke back tears. "He was apparently bleeding internally so when the doctors went to update him they found him unconscious."

"Is he okay now?" I ask after a few silent moments.

She looks up at me with heavy tears in her eyes. "He- he uh didn't make it." She stutters. Natalia's hands begin to shake but she suppressed them and looks back down.

"Natalia, I'm so sorry." I say.

"Omar was kind of the closest thing I had to any type of 'father figure'." She bites her lip.

"I know. I really am sorry."

We sit there in a tense silence for a while until three cops walk into the room. Natalia wipes her tears quickly turning away from the officers. "Is now a good time to talk?" He asks. "I understand you've lost someone today."

"No, just lets get this over with." Natalia answers. Get what over with?

"Would you like to go somewhere more private?" They suggest looking at me.

"No, it's fine. Go on." Natalia answers, looking at the policemen.

"Yes, ma'am. Regarding your father, Thatcher Brewer he was brought to prison, awaiting his sentence. He was brought upon charges that consisted of fraudulent activity, tax fraud, kidnapping, and forethought of murder." The officer explains.

"Okay- Uh, can you tell me about Atticus now?" She asks.

"Yes ma'am. Atticus was deemed dead at the scene. One gunshot to the chest was the kill shot." He states.

"It was self defense." She tries to argue.

"Yes ma'am it was. Your story of the kidnapping before checks out. He would have been put away a long time." The officer states.

I can tell Natalia is holding something back. She shakes her head to relieve her confusion. Natalia scrunches her eyes shut. "What happens now?" She questions.

"Now we may be calling to ask you more questions. You father left you a few things while he is in jail." He states.

Natalia looks up even more confused. "What is that exactly?"

The officer pulls two pieces of paper out of a folder, and hands them to Natalia. "We will be in touch." He nods his head and they leave.

I watch the expressions on Natalia's face change as she reads the paper. "What did he leave you?"

"My father left me his house, and some money." She says. "But- but Omar left me a lot too." She states.