Bass Case

Chapter 17: Hospital

    This can't be happening. It just can't.

    The blood in my hands. The bass case on the floor. The wounds in her sides. Her limp body in my arms.

    Sarah, no, she can't be dead!

    The door to the basement bangs against the grey wall followed by the rapid scurry of footsteps. I turn to see Mr. Vibrato alongside a paramedic. "Move!" He orders us. I release her without fail. Praying that someway, somehow, she will draw breath into this world again. The man dressed in white kneels before her, staining his pure uniform. He checks for a pulse, searching for even the smallest chance of life still living inside her. Another paramedic with long blonde hair tied into a bun kneels on the other side of her, putting pressure onto her many wounds. "I got something." The first medic proceeds to perform CPR, pressing the weight of his body down onto her chest in a steady beat. They pull out an AED, the first doctor starts up the machine, and they stay clear, striking her with its power. Her body jolts, but she still shows no sign of waking. The paramedic tries again, rubbing the two plates together. Again. Her body jolts once more, but still nothing. Then finally on one final attempt she sucks in a breath, recalling to life!

    Sarah and I rush beside her though the paramedics seem displeased that we are taking up space. I stroke her brown dirtied hair in my hand as her brown eyes strain to remain open. They fall to the side lazily as she attempts to utter our names. "D...Daniel....Angelica...."

    "It's okay. You're going to be okay." I say to her as tears continue to fall from my face.

    "Sarah, I'm sorry. This is all my fault." Angelica cries, holding her sister's hand.

    Sarah looks as though she wants to say more, but her strength fades at an alarming rate. "We need to get her out of here now!" The blonde paramedic states, "You can come with us if you'd like."

    "Thank you." I reply followed by a nod from Angelica. I look up at Mr. Vibrato who looks horrified at the scene. Such a gory mess. I can see him fidget with his hands at his sides unconsciously. I try to thank him, but he says nothing. He merely nods, unsure of what exactly to say.

    When we leave the building, the ambulance, fire truck, and the police all shroud the school in red and blue. The sound of the sirens blast the sky, leaving nothing but a constant ringing in my ear.
***
    We sit in the hallway, waiting for the doctors to finish their treatment on Sarah. Time seems to be traveling at a snails pace. No matter what I do or think about the endless waiting drags on. Neither Angelica or I utter a word.

    After what felt like hours of endless suffering, the door finally opens. The rather young, clean shaved, man with short black hair exits the room. We both stand in anticipation, our hearts still from the doctors stagnant expression. "She'll live though she has lost a lot of blood. She won't be conscious for a while. You're free to see her. Feel free to talk to me if you have any questions or need help." He smiles gently with sympathy.

    "Thank you." We simply reply, rushing into the room to see Sarah. My heart breaks at the very site of her. The IV strapped to her arm, her cleaned body bruised and battered, her figure draped in the teal gown all laying in the pure white bed. We both pull up a chair beside her, staring at her in silence as though the act will cause her to suddenly awaken. Each of us grab one of her hands, holding them tightly as to never let her go again. I kiss it gently, hoping that she'll feel that I'm here. A mask plasters itself to her face; I watch as her breath slowly clouds into fog before being sucked out of existence.

    Angelica looks over her sister in shame. Her head tilts down as her tears flop onto the sheets of the bed. She back off, wiping her eyes frantically though she does not release her sister's hand. "This...is...all my fault..." I remain silent, unsure of how to respond. I do not blame her exactly, but perhaps this route could have been avoided. "If it weren't for me, Sarah would still be happy and at home with you and my parents.... She wouldn't have....She wouldn't have had to worry about me. Just gone on home..."

    "You...you can't blame yourself completely." I reply, attempting to be sincere, but I'm struggling. Desperately trying to hold myself together.

    "I'm sure Daniel...that even as nice as you are...you still blame me..." she cries, "and I don't blame you."

    I remain silent once more. I do not want to admit it, but a part of me does feel like that though I will not hold it against her. She was doing what her heart commanded her. But still.

    "All that I want right now is for me and my sister to go home...." She wishes, placing her forehead against the back of her sister's hand.

    "Yeah..." I utter, kissing Sarah's smooth hand gently, "Me, too." I look over Angelica with wandering eyes. I suck in a deep breath and say, "Maybe you should go home Angelica."

    She looks up at me, flinging her head back in shock. "I can't leave her. Not now!"

    "Angelica." I sigh, "I'm sure it would be what she wants."

    "How would you know? You're not her."

    "There you go again. Why can't you just listen?" I growl, my inner frustration beginning to seep out. Her brown eyes soften and look at the ground in pain. I feel kind of bad and reach out to correct myself. "I'm sorry...I just want you to be safe, Angelica. I care about you, you know that. Sarah cares about you. Just go home. I think it will put her at ease to know that you are safe somewhere. I will watch over Sarah."

    Her facial expression remains stagnant as she ponders the thought for a long time before speaking, "She would want you to be safe, too, Daniel."

    "I know. But since she can't go home, I need to keep her safe. She's my responsibility."

    "Daniel. I'm her sister. She's my responsibility."

    "What's the difference?"

    "If either of us were to have priority over her, it would be me."

    "No. Angelica. Not this time. Please, just go home...I can't afford to lose you, too."

    The room grows dark as the light from he window begins to dim. The world falls into a gloomy darkness that the light cannot trespass. Angelica sits across from me, stuck between her guilt and morals. "Fine... I guess that it's for the best..."