The Boys Who Cried Sasquatch

Chapter 16

The emergency room was busy. It takes at least an hour and a half before someone sees Sally. I go with her while Julian went back to my place to check on Bigfoot. He told me to text him when I needed to be picked up.

A nurse takes her to x-ray. I wait outside the room for her until they wheel her out, taking her to a ward while we waited for the doctor to come in with the results. The nurse elevates her foot, making sure she was comfortable. She asks how she did the injury. Sally looks over at me as to ask whether or not if she should mention anything about Bigfoot, but she doesn't. Instead she tells the nurse how she had fallen over the edge of the riverbank.

"Try not to stand too close to the edge next time." She smiles at Sally. She turns to look at me. "Are you alright, sir? Are you injured?"

I look down at myself, seeing all of the blood stains on my clothes. I wasn't sure how badly injured I was since I haven't fully examined the wounds since what happened last night. I should have put on cleaned clothes before I came here, but the thought didn't occur to me at the time. My sister was my main concern than myself.

I nod. "I'm fine. I just tripped when I went to help her."

I would tell her about Bigfoot, but I knew she would just laugh at me.

"Have you had it check out yet?"

I shake my head. "No, not yet."

"Would you like me to take a look for you?"

"No, it's okay. I will clean the cuts up later."

The nurse answers okay, and then leaves the room. I take a seat beside my sister.

"How are you doing?" I ask her.

"The pain has subsided a little," she says. "The nurse gave me some morphine."

"That's good to hear."

"So are you and Julian going to take Bigfoot back to the mountains?"

I nod, sitting down in a chair beside my sister, crossing my legs. "We will. We may have to wait until it's dark. It's too risky for anyone to see him right now. Once it's dark we will load him into the jeep and take him to a different location up there."

"I'm sorry if I ruined your plans for today. I shouldn't have come like you said."

I uncross my legs and then lean forward, taking my sister's hand and squeezing it. "Hey, it was an accident."

"Yes, but he wouldn't be in our basement right now."

I nod. "I know. Listen, this isn't your fault. Julian and I will take care of it all. We are going to head back out to the mountains tonight."

"The mountains?"

Sally and I look up to see Dad standing at the door. I stand up from my chair, not sure what to say to him now that he has found out where we really were.

He steps inside the room and walks over to us. I can see him trying not to narrow his eyes or to start a scene in the hospital. He clenches his fist together as he gets closer to me. If we were home he would have started yelling at me already.

He looks from me to Sally and back to me. "You were at the mountains again?"

I swallow hard, not knowing how to answer him. I didn't need to say anyway. Just by reading my face he knew the answer.

He points a finger at me. "I will deal with you later." He turns to Sally, hugging her. "Are you okay, sweetie?"

Sally nods. "Yes, I'm okay."