How I Saved Harley Matthews

Chapter Twenty-Eight: Sweet Home Alabama

The nerves were devouring my soul, and I couldn't seem to keep myself from setting a chain reaction of destructive thoughts. I had my arms wrapped tightly around my shaking body as if I might fall apart, physically and mentally, without it.

My long sleeve shirt and jeans were stained with dark coloring, and I couldn't un see what I had just witnessed. How could I have not known. We were too far gone.

"That's her." A woman said, and another voice followed.

"Miss Bellarose?" A soft male voice spoke.

I spun around in haste to face a tall man. He was older maybe in his early forties and had a pare framed glasses perched on his nose. A white and gray beard grew on his face.

"Y-yes?" I trembled.

"My name is Arthur, and I'm a nurse here. Might I speak with you and the others?" He offered and gestured towards the semi vacant waiting room.

A hint of hesitance lingered in the air because of what I might find out, but I willingly agreed knowing I had to.

As we entered the room, Frazer bolted to his feet and ran straight to me. His arms wrapped around my entire upper frame, and I felt that I might stop breathing with how tight he held me. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry." He kept whispering.

When he finally pulled away I saw that a small circle had congregated consisting of us, Granny, Ella, and Emma.

"Okay." Arthur began. "He's in pretty bad condition. He suffers from blood forced trauma, several blows to the head, seven cracked ribs, a broken femur and radius. His nose as well was broken, and there is some internal bleeding." He pause momentarily. "Doctors have him in surgery right now, trying to stop his bleeding and stabilize him. I'll be honest, they're doing all the can, but his injuries are life threatening." He finished.

"Thank you telling us." Granny whispered and turned to go sit down.

Ella and Emma were holding hands, and I could see Ella doing everything she could to hold herself together whereas Emma just looked dead to the eye.

I struggled to keep my breathing relatively even as my eye sight blurred. I covered my mouth with a hand and drug in a long breath as tears began to spill over my eyes.

Frazer pulled me into a side hugged, and I buried my face into his chest as he rested his chin on my head. "Maybe you should sit Audin." Ella said in hopes of comforting me.

She pointed to the empty seats next to Granny, but I just shook my head. I pulled away from Frazer and started to walk away.

"Audin wait up." Ella called as she jerked me to a stop. "Just stay with us." She was barley whispering now, and I could tell she was on the edge.

"I-I can't El." I forced out. "I found him half dead laying on his living room floor... In-in a pool of his own blood. It was seeping though the white car-carpet... And it was dark... A-and thick... He-he had been there, for a-awhile." I hunched over grabbing my sides as I tried to regroup myself.

After several deep breaths I had calmed back down enough to speak. "I can't go back over there and sit with her." I whispered in a thick voice. "Not if I'm try to fathom the fact that he might not make it."

Ella's face looked broken. "Audin he's gonna make it." She tried to assure me.

"I'm sorry." I told her as I turned to walk away.

My shoes slided over the tiled floor and hurried off into a deserted hallway. Like a rag doll, my body fell against a wall as I slumped onto the cool floor beneath me.