Sweet Lantern

Chapter 43

Alice

That game was amazing! It was so exciting to watch them keep such a big lead on the other team. Our guys were on fire the whole time! Everyone around us was on their feet, screaming and cheering them on. It was like electricity was in the air.

After the game, the guys decide they're gonna ride together to get all of that after game guy talk out before they get to the house. Me and the girls are going to go on over and get things ready. Not that there's really much to do anymore, I finished most everything today while they were at school.

I drive our car with Jessica and Brittany following behind me. The parking lot is crowded with people and cars trying to get out. We all end up scattered in the mess, me leading the way out, leaving the guys still piling into Matt's Jeep.

Almost the whole town was out for this game, everyone curious to see how it would unfold, if we'd be able to comeback from our loss against them last year. And boy did we ever come back? I know the guys are feeling on fire right now. They invited some more of the team back to the house, which I'm totally cool with. I can't wait to get there and hang out with everyone, hearing them talk about this win. I know the excitement will follow along them.

I pull into the driveway and park outside of the house, over to the side, to allow room for the rest of the cars I know are right behind me. I rush up the stairs to unlock the door and turn the lights on, when I hear the first set of cars coming up the driveway. I have to call my parents, so they know what's going on and daddy doesn't come out in his underwear with the shotgun. "Hey, mom", I say when she answers the phone, "I just wanted to tell y'all that we won the game! We're having some guys from the team over, so you'll be hearing cars coming down the drive for a few minutes, OK? Tell daddy so he won't embarrass me, alright?"

She agrees and we hang up. I walk out to see Jess and Brittany getting out of the car, and some of the guys are pulling in now too. I wonder how long our guys had to wait until they got out of that hectic parking lot... must have been a while because they aren't here yet.

Cars continue coming in and people are piling into the house. The livingroom and kitchen are starting to fill up with football players and their girlfriends. I know everyone because we've all lived here our whole lives and grown up with each other. There's not a single face in the crowd that I can't remember from 5 years old.

When thirty minutes has passed, I ask Jessica to text Joel to find out where they are. Brittany's already trying to reach Matt too. I've sent at least five text messages to Darry, but he's not answering. I try to call him, and there's no answer that way either.

We're all starting to get worried now. It's been 40 minutes since we all left the game, they should be here.

I look around at the faces around me and see worry starting to creep in on them too. "Hey Alice, where's Darry? He gonna be joining this party tonight?" Barry Denton calls out to me from the livingroom.

I leave the kitchen and go into the room where he is, "I don't know where they are, Barry. Could you try calling Joel, Matt, Kevin or Darry?" I ask. Jessica is behind me, obviously able to feel my anxiety growing, because she grabs me by the shoulders and pulls me in for a side hug. "It'll be OK. They probably just stopped to grab something to eat", she says, knowing it's a flimsy argument because they all knew we had food here waiting.

When the blue lights start down the driveway, I feel my knees start to give under me. Barry catches me, and moves me to the couch, "Whoa... you need to sit down, Alice. I'll see what this is about", he says walking over to the door. The room has gone completely silent as everyone's eyes are glued to the front door, waiting for it to open, to find out why the police are here.

Barry opens the door and Officer Wiley steps in.

"Dad? What's going on?" Kyle steps forward, questioning why his dad is now standing in my livingroom, pale as a ghost, looking around the room not making eye contact with anyone but his son.

"What is it?!" I say, much more aggressively than I intended to. Standing up I ask, "Where are they? Are they OK?", tears starting in my eyes. Barry is back beside me in a second, his arms around my shoulders to steady me.

"Mrs. Willia... Alice... there's been an accident", he starts. "The boys are at Cedar Regional. You and Jessica and Brittany need to come with me, now."

I feel the air suck out of the room. My head is spinning, and I can't make heads or tails of what's going on around me. I'm suddenly alone in this crowded house, everything going black in my peripheral vision. I don't even know how I get to the police car, but before I even have time to think of anything, I'm in the front seat and belted in. We're driving away from the house, my safe and comfortable life with Darry, moving further and further away. No one talks the whole way to the hospital, or I don't hear them if they do.

When we pull into the parking lot, Officer Wiley stops just short of the door and turns to me to say, "It's not good, Alice. I want you to be prepared when you get in there. We're going to take you straight back to see Darry, but he's been hurt badly, you may not recognize him. Alice? You need to tell him how much you love him."

My stomach is sick. I can't breathe. "It's bad... won't recognize him... tell him you love him..." these words play repeatedly in my head as arms reach in to pull me out of the car. It's Brittany, I think. I'm being led to the double doors that are opening and closing obnoxiously in front of us.

I hear the chatter around me, but it's very faint, and the lights keep going in and out around me.

I'm led down a very long corridor to a room, the hospital is too cold, it hurts my arms.

The arms around my shoulders turn me into a room. I see a bed in front of me, and there's something all over the floor. Someone has spilled something, I think to myself, trying to be careful not to step in the mess but it's impossible, the dark sticky liquid, is everywhere around the bed.

I walk over to the bed, with very heavy feet, and it feels like the very walls around me are wobbling. I look down at the person laying there in front of me, seeing the cuts and gashes all over their bloody face. Hair is stuck to their forehead, matted down with all the blood. Their arms are covered in cuts and scratches, torn flesh and blood is just all over them, even on their bare chest.

"Alley?" The small voice calls from the face before me. A hand finds mine and it feels very weird, and wet.

That voice...

No.

This isn't happening!

"Darry?" I can barely choke his name out and I feel the wet hand squeeze mine.

My mind is finally understanding, it's catching up to the situation in front of me. This is my husband, laid out in front of me. The spill isn't a spill at all, it's his blood all over the floor, under my feet!

"Darry! Oh God! Darry, I'm here. I'm here, babe. I love you so much. You're gonna be OK. They're going to work on you, Darry and make you better." I tell him, hearing the hope in my own voice.

"I love you Alley. I love you more than anything. I want to make sure you know that", Darry whispers weakly. "Please tell my son that I love him." The hand that was holding mine lets go and falls beside the bed.

"Darry?" I call out for him. "Darry?!" But he doesn't answer, he doesn't respond. The sound of alarms coming from the machines all around the bed are the only noise in the room. Just then his parents come running into the room, mine following right behind them. I hear his mother's screams and feel myself falling to the floor, when big strong arms catch me and lift me up, carrying me out of that horrible room.

I lay my head to the chest of the person that's carrying me, and a familiar scent fills my nostrils. "Daddy?" I say as my eyes close, hearing so many sobs and cries from all around me. I allow myself to fade away, leaving this terrible place, this horrible nightmare.