Doing alright // Hardzello

Chapter 30

From the corner of his eyes, Ben sees someone running towards them. His vision is blurry, but he manages to recognize Rami. The latter drops himself onto his knees next to them.
"What happened?" Rami asks.
"He fell off the balcony," Ben says. 
"Is he awake?" The dispatcher asks.
"I don't know. My hands are shaking so bad, I can't feel anything," Ben says while his fingers roam Joe's neck. Rami signs to hand the phone over. So, that is what Ben does.

"Sorry, I'll continue the conversation. Ben is in too much distress," Rami says.
"Alright, an ambulance is on its way. Can you tell me if you feel a pulse?" By now Ben has grabbed Joe's hand in his own. He figures that if Joe can feel anything, he might want to know that there is someone with him.
"Yes, he has a pulse," Rami says while holding two fingers against the side of Joe's throat. 
"It is important that you don't move him in any way, okay?"
"Right. Hey Ben, calm down. Take a deep breath for me. An ambulance is on its way. Joe is going to get all the help he needs," Rami says while placing a hand on Ben's shoulder. 

"Can you see any head or neck injuries?" The dispatcher asks.
"He has a few scratches on his right cheek and on his forehead, but that doesn't look too bad," Rami says. In the distance, he can hear the sirens of various emergency vehicles getting closer.
"I hear the ambulance," Rami says. 
"They are less than a minute away. I'm going to end the call, they will help you further," The dispatcher says.
"Okay, thank you," Rami says before handing the phone back to Ben. An ambulance and two police cars stop in front of them. The ambulance nurses are doing a quick scan before lifting Joe onto a stretcher. Rami walks over to the ambulance to give them Joe's name and birthdate. 

"Good evening, we would like to talk to both of you separately," One of the police officers says to Rami and Ben. Rami gets taken to a bench on the other side of the field. There are four policemen following him to the bench. After confirming that it was his balcony that Joe fell off and which apartment was his, the three extra policemen left to check it out. Rami gives officer Joe's name and birthday once more before he is asked to explain what happened.

"I was hosting a new years party. I wasn't there when it happened, I was in the kitchen. Someone told me to go outside. So, that is what I did," Rami explains. He is astonished by how calm he is staying. 
"What did you see when you came outside?"
"Ben was sitting on his knees next to Joe, I assume he was trying to find his pulse and then I saw him starting to call 911," Rami says. He glances at the bench where Ben is sitting. Even though they are far away from each other, Rami can see how stressed Ben is. His hands are fidgeting with the hem of his sweater while his chest rises up and down fast. 
"Did you have open access to the balcony?" The officer asks, drawing Rami back to the conversation.
"No, the door was locked. But there are only four people that know where the key is. My girlfriend who lives with me, Ben, Joe, and I" Rami says.
"How did Ben and Joe know where the key was?"
"Both of them stayed with me for a longer period of time. Joe would go out on the balcony if he needed a moment to think. Ben smokes. I don't want him smoking inside. So, he would do it on the balcony. I assume that they came outside to do just that."

"Do Ben and Joe know each other?"
"Yes, they do. We all met on a project we were working on. We became friends. They have been in a relationship," Rami explains. He knows the officer will get a wrong image of the entire situation, but he knows that he can't lie.
"How did that relationship come to an end?"
"Ben kissed someone else. Joe broke up with him the second he walked in on them," Rami carefully chooses his words.
"Do you think there could be a possibility that Ben pushed Joe?" The police officer asks. Rami looks up to look the officer straight in the eye.
"No, I don't think so. Ben is one of the nicest guys you'll ever meet. The entire situation had a huge impact on him. He was not mad at Joe. He was mad at himself. He worked very hard to get his life back on track and he wouldn't throw that away like this."

"Is there a possibility that Joe was trying to frame Ben?" Rami stays silent for a second. 
"No, I don't think so. Joe is also a really decent guy. And although he was really mad at Ben, he got over it."
"Were you aware that both of them were coming to the party?" The officer asks. Rami takes a deep breath.
"I was. At first, Ben was supposed to be spending the holidays in the UK with his family. So, I invited Joe, because I knew he would be in New York. Joe had another party he wanted to attend. Then plans changed with Ben and he flew over yesterday. As Joe wasn't going to come, I invited Ben. This morning I got a call from Joe that he would rather attend my party. I didn't have the heart to deny either of them access to the party," Rami says. The police officer scribbled something down in his notebook.
"What would you think would happen if they would run into each other?" 
"I think once either of them noticed the other was there they would avoid each other," Rami says. The officer nods. 
"Thank you for your time. It might be necessary to come to the precinct tomorrow or the day after just to clear up a few things," The officer says. Rami nods.
"That's alright."

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Ayooo!!

Dramaaaaaaaaaaa!

Take good care of yourself and others. Stay safe, stay healthy.

Goodbye,

Xx Itsametaphorjoe