Jean Robinson

Chapter 4

Chapter 4

                “Can you hear me, Simon?” A female voice whispered. I heard some rattling in the distance that sounded like marbles being dropped on hard-wood floor.

                “Will he be okay?” Another girl asked.

                “Yeah, he’ll be fine. He was just so dehydrated and weak that his body couldn’t take it anymore,” The first woman explained. My eye lids fluttered before I opened them to bright florescent lighting. It stung my pupils for a second, and then they adjusted. I looked around the room to find my sister, Piper sitting there, and a middle-aged nurse. Piper looked great with her new face-lift and her hair was a little darker than usual. She looked far from forty.

                “Hey, Pipes,” I coughed. She grinned and joined the nurse at my bedside.

                “Hey, brother. How are you feeling?” She asked, placing a cold hand on my arm. I thought about it.

                “My head hurts a little,” I admitted. The nurse nodded her head.

                “That’s a common side effect from dehydration. I’ll get you some medicine.” I nodded back and watched her leave. The room was quiet with the sounds of my heavy breathing.

                “So, I just went out to see Charlie,” Piper sighed, “He asked about you.”  I smiled.

                “I just went to see him with…” Beads of sweat began to form at the top of my head, “Jean. Where’s Jean?!” I yelled. Piper placed her fingers to my mouth.

                “Be quiet, Simon. Jesus. Jean is right across the hall. Look, you can see her through the glass,” She pointed. My eyes strained to look past the hallway and into her room. Her hair was messed up and she was in a hospital gown. Even though I was far away, I could almost hear her I.V. drip. My heart stopped when I saw who kneeled by her side.

                “Simon?” Piper said, pulling her hand away from my tensed muscle. My veins began to pop out of the side of my neck.

                “Who in the hell let him in there with her?!” I screamed in question. Piper looked at me coldly.

                “Be quiet, Simon, please…”

                “Why the fuck is he in there with her, Piper?!” She sighed and grabbed my hand.

                “That’s her husband—”

                I interrupted her by ripping my I.V. out of my arm and throwing myself out of bed. I stormed past all the nurses’ resistant hands and made my way into Jean’s room. I pushed Brandon against the window.

                “You stay the hell away from her. You hear me?” I ordered, my face inches from his. He looked deep in my eyes, and I recognized that exact look. He had given me it after he had beaten Jean in 99’. I smiled back at it, and didn’t take it as a fearful gesture. If I would’ve had my gun, I would’ve blown the bastards brains out in front of the whole hospital. I would’ve enjoyed seeing his pitiful face as he begged for mercy.

                Doctors pulled me back and took me back into my room. Piper sat there crying.

                “Don’t let him be with her! Get him away!” I screamed as they tugged me down onto my bed, “Get him away from her! He’ll kill her!” By now I was crying hysterically, and I’m sure it came off as a sense of insanity. But now I didn’t care about that. I cared about my poor Jean, who I was deeply in love with, that lay unconscious near the hands of her murderous, ex-husband, Mangle.