Death Bed Chats

Chapter 4 - The Crusades

The sun was peeking through the interrogation room and the detectives had been at me all night even though Uncle Billy had told them I wasn't talking. It got to the point where Uncle Billy said we were walking out, they had no crime, they had nothing. Just as we got up to leave one of the cops that had brought him in came barging in and announced that Jeannie had been found. I asked if she was alive and the answer was 'barely'.

I sat back down shaking uncontrollably and the tears flowed. Uncle Billy was a lot like my Dad and it didn't surprise me when he barked at me to get control of myself.

Jeannie was being airlifted to the local hospital. A jogger had found her when he heard moaning coming from the thicket. If he had seen her first and not heard that moan he would have sworn she was dead.

Jeannie was in there trying to speak, but the people around weren't understanding her. She was talking to them, trying to tell them what had happened, but they were all talking about her, not to her.

She heard her parent's voices and her mom was crying; she heard something about frost bite and hypothermia.

Time was something that was unrecognizable where she was. How long had she been out there she wondered. When were they going to start asking her what happened. She was ready to be the crusader and put Father Tom in jail. She was so tired she would have to be a crusader a little later; for now she slept.

The police let me go for now, but told me to be available because they would be by to arrest me as soon as they talked to Jeannie.

They also warned me to stay away from the hospital. How would I ever explain; apologize, to Jeannie for leaving her and for not being there when she wakes up.

When Uncle Billy brought me home, my parents wanted to talk all about it, and I just wanted to sleep. I stayed up with them and convinced them that I had nothing to do with what happened to Jeannie. I stopped short of telling them about Father Tom, my Dad was one of Father Tom's biggest supporters, so now was not the time to tell Jeannie's secrets.

I climb the stairs and my legs feel like they weigh a hundred pounds each. I splash some water on my face and there before me is my Mom's Vicodin from her surgery she had. The bottle was pretty much full; that would do it, take the whole bottle and my problems would be solved. I reach for the bottle and a voice from behind me says, "ASSHOLE"

I look in the mirror and its Jeannie, she looks horrible, she's greyish blue and she's wet. She can't be here, I must be dreaming, but then she grabs the bottle from my hand and throws it.

"How dare you! I'm in this mess because of you and you want to take the easy way out. I saved you once, how about you getting off your Ass and saving me".

I bolted upright in bed; it was a dream, it was just a dream or at least that's what I thought until I saw the bottle of pills that were in the bathtub.

Everything Jeannie said in the dream was true, I did need to save her and I needed to do it now.

Nervously, I went to the hospital to find Jeannie. Her father found me first and there was murderous rage in his eyes.

He pointed at me, "You get the hell out of here".

"Mr. Craig, please let me explain, I didn't do this to Jeannie, she's my best friend".

"You didn't do this to her, maybe I believe that but what you did was worse, you left her," he grabbed his head as if it were going to explode. Just then Father Tom came around the corner and walked to the nurse's station telling them to call the police.

I hear what he says and I go into a rage telling Mr. Craig that Father Tom was the one to blame. Before I can get to him the police show up and this time they put the cuffs on me and escort me out of the hospital.

I've really done it now, not only have I let Jeannie down again, but once again I didn't protect her from him. He was in there with her, no one knows what he's capable of and Jeannie is helpless.