FLY

Chapter 19: Downhill

I awoke to someone shaking me. Slightly discombobulated, I looked up at the person shaking me awake. My eyes blinked tiredly a few time until it came into focus that it was Aarin, Katie's boyfriend shaking me awake.

"Avery, you've got to get up!" he said and offered me a hand. I took it gladly and my muscles and joints argued in protest. My legs gave out as I stood up straighter and he caught me.

"Any news on Ralph?" I ask going right to the point.

"They're suspecting a stroke or heart attack, it was kind of a freak accident. Ralph is one of the healthiest people for his age that I know. I just baffles me, maybe he's just under a lot of stress." Aarin says.

"Are Gavin and Katie still at the hospital?" I question Aarin although I know the answer is going to be yes.

"Yeah, Katie refuses to go back to our house to sleep or clean up. She's a mess, Gavin's in even worse shape." he says shaking his head.

"Have they been able to see him yet?"

"Yeah but only for a couple minutes, he was sleeping so it's not like they got much accomplished?" 

"I guess we better go in, just to be with them?" I half ask, half state to Aarin.

He shrugs his shoulders in return and we wander into the kitchen. I help myself to a glass of orange juice and pop half of a bagel into the toaster. Aarin fiddles with the handle on his mug of coffee, he hasn't gotten much sleep. Heavy bags line his under eye and he is starting to show the signs of a five o'clock shadow, I probably don't look much better. I absentmindedly fiddle with a strand of hair coming loose from my extremely messy ponytail.

"I'm going to suggest that you go have a shower and then get your ass to the hospital before Gavin looses it," Aarin says and brushes some stray crumbs off the counter.

"Good idea," I answer and finishing the last of my orange juice and bagel and slipping the dirty dish and glass into the stainless steel sink. 

I slip on a pair of jeggings and a loose fitting top. I grimace at how horrible I smell and quickly spritz some vanilla body spray on. I fight through the jungle of tangles on my head with my hairbrush and in record breaking time, manage to brush my teeth. Aarin is leaning on the railing leading to the main floor.

"We may as well carpool because we're both going to the same destination," he states and slips his keys out of his pocket. They jingle as he tosses them from hand to hand anxious to get going. I slip on a pair of sandals and hurry out the door, close on Aarin's heels. 

We pull into Central State hospital and slide out quickly. We half run half speed walk to the front entrance of the hospital. Aarin, who is taller than me, makes it to the front desk before I do.

"Can you direct us to Ralph Davis' room please," Aarin says charmingly, he looks like a wreck. I should really be the one asking for directions.

"Whom may you be?" asks the lady working the front desk.

"We are his son and daughter-in-law," he says nonchalantly.

"I'm sorry  but he can't have visitors right now, we can call you when that is an option," the lady says haughtily.

"I think it would be best if you showed us to his room so we can be with the rest of the family," I say with a bit of force and authority, trying my luck.

"Very well," the lady answers slightly miffed, "He is on floor 2, hall F, room three-oh-nine." It's on the left not too terribly difficult to locate,"

"Thank-you Miss," I reply biting back a smart-ass comment.

Aarin leads the way and follow wiping the stray horse hairs off my pants, they always seem to stick to your pants like glue no matter where you go they always seem to find you. We took the elevator up to floor two and followed the signs. I single wooden bench occupied the long ominous hallway. I breathed in the scent off the chilly, cool cleanliness of the uniform hospital smell. I shuddered, I hated hospitals. We stopped outside of room 309, I held my breath as Aarin lightly rapped on the closed door. It creaked open a few centimeters and I caught Katie's eye. She opened in farther exposing us to the rest of the room. Gavin sat on the one provided chair in the room, seated as close as he could possibly get next to his father. 

Ralph was placed on the uncomfortable hospital bed laid out as flat and straight as a board the only signs of life was the light and steady rise and fall of his chest as he took in breaths. His skin pale and looking pretty cool and damp. This was not good. Gavin's eyes were red and slightly puffy, this was scary for him. If Ralph died then Gavin's only living family member would be his sister. I quietly entered the room and stood next to him, placing my hand on his shoulder telling him that I was here. Ralph stirred in his sleep, a subtle twitch in his face but it set Gavin and Katie off. They rose to their feet like zombies hovering over his body until they were sure he wasn't waking up just yet.

Gavin turned to me, the sadness in his body welling up and over flowing covering the whole room in his sorrow. I brushed his clumped hair out of his face and gently ran my thumb along his jawline, he had lost so much already and Ralph not making it could be the final blow that sends him over the edge.  Gavin turned is head away from me, eyes settling back on his father , pleading him to wake up.

I could see Aarin out of the corner of my eyes consoling Katie as best as he could. Her mascara was running and she couldn't seem to stop rocking back and forth on her heels. I could see her mouth the words 'I can't lose him too' and felt a pang of grief. Although I had never met their mother losing her was hard on the two of them and sometimes the grief of losing her came back to Gavin crippling him like a blow to the stomach.

I heard a rustle of bed sheets and my eyes snapped to the bed that Ralph occupied. His arms moved slowly and his eyes fluttered open, he searched the room, his eyes settling on me. He moved his finger slowly gesturing for me to come closer. I took a slow step forward kneeling to come closer to eye level with Ralph.

"You need to promise me something," he whispers.

"Anything, what do you need," I says urgently.

"You and Gavin and Fire win those three friggen races and bring me the friggen prize money when you do," he says, barely audible.

I nod in response, "We'll certainly try our hardest, Fire's got it in him."

"I know he does," Ralph says and cracks a small smile.

I return the smile and back away. Katie and Gavin hover over him offering him water or medical assistance but he turns it away. He reaches out and brushes their cheeks, smiling warmly, and closes his eyes again falling back asleep.

I made a promise, now I had to keep it.

A/N:

Sorry for not updating in four months guys. I was focusing really hard or starting up the third part of Greaser Grirl. Now that it's running smoothly I decided to update a chapter of this.

Thanks for waiting for me,

XxMaddyxX