Collection Of Short Stories

It's Just Life

I'm Marshall. My dad left my family and me when I was ten. I was young and didn't really understand. But it still hurt me just as much as it does now.

It's unfair, I became the man of the house, helping my mother with everything. By the time I was sixteen I was supporting the household. I put dinner on the table and drove my brother and sister to school. I don't complain anymore because I know my mother was doing her best, and I couldn't make her feel bad about anything extra.

It was a typical night, my mom was making dinner. The smell of potatoes and vegetables filled the room with a wonderful aroma. My brother and sister were sitting at the dining room table doing their homework with their mechanical pencils they stole from other kids at school, I chuckled and went to the couch. The couch was my bed, I gave up my room so Michael and Janna didn't have to share rooms anymore. It got pretty comfortable though,I was laying down watching the Sunday Night Football, it was Greenbay vs. Chicago Bears.

I was nearly asleep, my eyes closings beginning to see dark spots of the inside of my head, but I heard the high pitched shriek of my brother and sister screams. I immediately got up from my rest and ran to the kitchen where my mom lay on the ground shaking and hyperventilating. I got down on my knees, my brother and sister behind me crying and staring at mom.

I'd never seen her like this before. She looked awful, I didn't know what to do, I was panicking but I did my best for her. I picked her up and put her on the couch, her eyes closing and opening slowly. I began to scream, "Mom, no! Stay with me! Janna, call 911! Now!" Janna looked at me panicking and ran to the phone and dialed 911.

"Please come to my house, my mom is hurt. I don't know what's wrong with her, please save my mommy, please," she said crying into the phone.

Within minutes that seemed like hours police sirens and ambulances were outside the house. Michael ran to the door and a bunch of people came rushing in, and took my mother. Those moments happened so fast, I didn't even know how to comprehend anything besides the crying and screaming of Janna and Michael saying, "Don't take my Mom!"

They both tried to run out with mom and into the ambulance but I had to hold them back. They were pretty strong together but I couldn't have them act like this now. So I brought them to the car and we drove the hospital speeding in silence. Tears were streaming down Janna and Michaels face and their chins quivered. I sped up even faster because I couldn't bare to see them like this. They needed to see mom, and so did I.

I looked into the mirror and saw the two sleeping and that's when it happened. The car all of a sudden flew off the road and flipped and turned. I blacked out.

My eyes struggled to open and through the tunnel-like view I can barely see a hand reaching... Something sharp jabs into my side and I try to readjust myself but the pain... oh- pain... Blurred, I see Janna and Michael opposite from me, I reach out, knowing that they needed my help, but all I can do is scream in agonizing pain. I didn't have my phone and I couldn't even move.

I reached my fingers out to Janna's neck and felt for a pulse. Nothing. It was so quiet, all you could hear was crickets chirping. "No, No, this isn't happening, please God, please," I whispered in disbelief, then I started to scream.

Michael's body shuddered, he was alive, his eyes all of a sudden shot open. He looked around spastically at me then Janna. "Marshall, what happened, Janna? Marshall is Janna okay?"

I didn't say anything, I just looked into his eyes, tears began to take over my eyes. "I'm sorry Michael." He didn't say anything, he just looked away and he screamed when he looked down.

He had something metal through the bottom of his leg but I managed to pull it out. He was bleeding out slowly so we had little time to get to the hospital was busted up but I had to get Janna and Michael to the hospital, so I pulled Janna out of the car and walked back up to the road with Janna swung over my shoulder and Michael in my arms.

We walked down the long curved road. I had to get them to safety, and I didn't want mom to get mad at me. A car driving down the road and stopped and asked if we needed help staring at all of us, "Yes, please take us to the hospital, please ma'am," I said crying, she nodded and opened the car doors for us.

We stained her back seat with blood, I felt really bad but we had to get the two to the hospital. We drove down the road all the way to the hospital in complete silence.

By the time we got there I jumped out of the car thanking the woman and carried both Janna and Michael into the ER screaming for help. Two doctors dropped all their papers and grabbed the two and a man came up to me asking me what happened. I told the man everything and he forced me into a hospital bed as I shouted and yelled.

I sat in that bed for hours, scared what happened. I don't know if moms okay, I don't know if Janna's okay, I don't know if Michael's okay. I stared at the ceiling waiting for someone to come into my room. The door opened and a doctor came in with papers.

"Marshall?" I nodded. "We tried out best..." my body shuddered, I whispered no, "Your sister Janna is gone. We managed to save your brother before he bled out all the way, and your mother..." I looked at the doctor. "She has maybe a day left to live, I'm very sorry Marshall for everything."

I got up, I pushed past the doctor and looked through every room until I found Janna. I finally found her. "Oh my gosh," I said putting my hands over my head I couldn't believe that she was dead. She had all A's, she was only in 5th grade, and I let her die. It was all my fault. I began sobbing, telling her how sorry I was.

I got up and left the room and looked for Michael, once I found him he looked up at me smiling and said, "Marshall! I missed you! Where's mom and Janna?" He said clueless of what happened last night. I just smiled and reassured him that everything was okay and I told him I had to go see mom. So I left the room and searched for mom.

I saw her. She was laying down with her eyes wide open. I walked into her room and knelt down by her side. I said sorry, "Mom, I know I let you down. Janna-"

"It's okay hun, I know." She said looking at me with her smile that always made me feel better. "It's just life."