Philip Lives...?

Chapter 1

Philip woke up in a white room. He did not know how he got there, or more importantly, why he was there to begin with. He tried to sit up to call for his mom, hid dad, his brothers and sisters, anybody; but when he tried moving, a sharp pain shot through his head, making him cry out in pain. At the sound of her conscious, hurt child, Eliza rushed to Philips side, crying in relief. She called out to Alexander, who brought in the rest of the children: Angelica "Angie", Elizabeth "Lizzy", William, Alexander Jr, James, and John Hamilton. Philip was the oldest, followed by Angelica, Alex Jr "AJ", James, John, William, then Little Lizzy. All 7 of them rushed into the room."Mom...Pop..." Philip's eyes fluttered open slowly. Eliza sobbed tears of utter relief; her son was finally back."Oh Philip, you're awake!" Eliza felt a rush of emotions.Philip gave them all a puzzled look. "What happened? Why are you all looking at me like I rose from the dead...?"Little Lizzy chimed in, "Because you did! It was magic, Phily!"The room was deadly quiet. Philip's eyes grew wide. "B-but it's only been a few hours, right? It's six o'clock, see?" He looked over at the table beside his bed and saw the clock. "See? November...29th?! I've been out for five days?!" Suddenly, his face dropped in absolute horror. "George...W-where's George...?"Eliza and Alexander exchanged glances. There was no easy way to say this. The younger children hung their heads, fiddling with their clothes. The older ones exchanged fearful, uneasy glances.It was Angelica who spoke up and said, "Philip...George Eacker is dead."Philips heart sank at that sentence. Tears stung his eyes as three words floated around his head: "I killed someone" A single tear rolled down his horror-stricken face, all features frozen. His eyes darted back and forth between his family, not wanting to believe them...but the looks on their faces said it all.Alexander spoke softly, "When the bullet left his pistol, it shot you in the side, right below your ribs, creating an exit wound. You dropped your gun, causing it to go off and hit Eacker in the chest. He was rushed to a hospital in Weehawken, dying at his family home in New York City. I'm so sorry, son."At the news, Philip wondered why he woke up at all. What's the point of waking up, just to hear you killed someone? Tears spilled as Philip sobbed for his fallen foe. The room was silent. Lizzy finally broke the silence, saying;"At least he won't hurt you no more, Phily. You're safe now." She gave him a big smile, showing where her front two teeth were missing. Lizzy climbed up to give Philip a hug, but he winced in pain, loudly crying out.Afraid she hurt her brother even more, Lizzy cried and raced out of the room, AJ not too far behind her. Poor Eliza was a pale slump in the chair, tears rolling down her cheeks. Alexander is leaning on the door frame, stifling tears himself. John and James were sleeping, and Angelica was keeping busy with little William in the corner.Hours later, AJ returns, carrying Lizzy, and followed by a few guests. Philip immediately perked up upon seeing who it is.