Shifted

Red

I woke up to a phone going off. Confused and out of sorts I blindly tried to find my phone. I nearly fell off of my bed but couldn't find it. I heard it get clicked off and Jake spoke.

"Hello?" his sleepy voice said. There was a long pause. "I understand I will leave now."

I heard him get out of bed and I did the same. He seemed to slip past my room without noticing I was awake. I pulled on jeans and slid into my combats. Following him downstairs he quickly checked on Apollo and Willow who currently share the main floor bedroom, with Matt in the other. I tiptoed past their room and ran to get into the car. I hadn't checked the time yet but it was still dark. I gave a small thank you to my past self for always spending time outside at night as I managed to get into Jake's car. 

He saw me as soon as he stepped out the door and gave me a small smile. Inside the car, he backed out without saying anything. I don't know why I felt like I needed to come with. He gets called to the hospital in the middle of the night all the time. I just knew somehow that it wasn't the normal call to the hospital. And when he let me go with him my hunch was confirmed.

He turned the wrong way onto Main street and I knew where we were going. We were going to see Seth. Only then did he speak.

"Seth was jumped," Jake told me breaking the silence that had occurred in the car. 

"Jumped?" I asked.

"Someone came at him with a broken broom. He has some scratches and wanted to tell me. I thought I would check to make sure he was rotting in jail for the full double life sentence he was given." Jake explained. I nodded and we sat in the silence again.

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So I don't know if you have ever visited your evil dad in jail before. And if you have you still haven't. I walked into the building with my half-brother and the building was hectic. It wasn't the normal metal detector security guard waiting for us at the door instead the doors had the metal detectors but the guards were nowhere to be found. Jake passed through and went straight to the hospital room in the jail. Like he did it every day. I guess he might he is a nurse at a hospital after all. 

The room is strangely lit and it takes me a few seconds to adjust. It smells like sweat and vomit. the ground seems as though it's only cleaned when people do throw up on it and the walls are growing mold. Jake doesn't seem to notice so I try not to. We find Seth with a hand on his side. An underpaid staff member is sitting with him with a fresh cloth to soak up the blood. I watched as Jake checked the wound. He had me help the staff find a clean needle and sutures for him to stitch Seth up. Jake tells Seth to bite on a rag as he pours water and saline onto him. Seth laughs saying he is too tough for that. Jake smiles and tips the small bottle onto him. Seth takes a sharp breath in and grits his teeth. I hand Jake the needle and wipe up some of the dripping blood and saline. 

"Look at my kids." Seth croaks. "Working together to help their old man."

"Shut up Seth," Jake told him.

"Who did this?" I asked.

"Oh, you know. My biggest fan." Seth gives a small laugh and winces.

"The inmate on the cleanup of the hall jabbed at him through the bars of the cell." The officer in the room with us said. "He was jealous that he got so much publicity. Now the lunatic is in isolation."

"Thank you," I told the officer. He nodded.

"He can't be kept safe forever and this won't be the last time,"  Jake said out loud to no one in particular. (ODP: 7/24/18)