If She Knew

Chapter-43

The environs of the Valdez office building appeared more desolated than ever. I could feel an ominous mist of sinister swaddling me as we made our way towards the entrance. There were no guards. The gate was left unlocked too.

A sound from upstairs echoed in the otherwise silent area. Was it Uncle Nick?

Jonas and I hastened up the stairs. There was no hint of any human on the first floor, or the second. Then there was, on the third floor-

Brian.

He stared at us with his eyes wide open in fright at our arrival.

It was his voice that had reached our ears downstairs. But he was not alone-

Uncle Nick.

Uncle Nick lay motionless with blood oozing from his forehead, his head rested on Brian's lap. No, he could not-

"Amy!" Brian howled.

"Uncle-Nick-" his voice broke as the words came out.

I dropped to my knees. I opened my mouth to say something, but no words came out. I had forgotten how to speak. Tears froze in my eyes, making the vision blur.

Uncle Nick's condition brought back the painful sight of Uncle Dave and Pappa in my memory. When I had seen them in this state, it was the last time I had seen them. Was Uncle Nick also-?

"What happened to him?" Jonas asked in a low voice.

"He fell down the stairs," Brian replied with a note of terror.

I noticed Uncle Nick's chest puffing in and out as he struggled to breathe. He was alive. I took his hand and rubbed it unceasingly while calling him out, as if he would wake up by that.

"Did you call the ambulance-?" I asked Brian restlessly.

He nodded.

"They are coming."

"Let's take him downstairs," Jonas suggested, coming forward to lend a hand.

Jonas and Brian wrapped Uncle Nick's hands around their necks from both sides and descended down the stairs. I walked ahead of them, making sure none of them tripped. The ambulance was already there by the time we reached downstairs.

The medical team placed Uncle Nick's wounded body on the ambulance stretcher and immediately put him under ventilation using an oxygen mask.

As if just for a moment, Uncle Nick's eyes opened when the ventilation was provided. Wide open. He grabbed my hand and strained to move his lips. He was choking. His forehead was beaded with perspiration. He gave his best effort in saying something, but we couldn't hear anything.

"You'll be alright Uncle Nick, don't worry," I tried to calm him down, ignoring the stress that was inundating inside me.

"Nurse!" Brian screamed anxiously.

We leaned closer to Uncle Nick in an attempt to either hear him out or to help him out.

"My pocket-" at last a whisper came out from his mouth. "The keys.....the locker."

With those three words, he drifted out of consciousness once again.

The nurse checked his pulse and breathing rate but didn't give us any update despite our tenacious demand.

Brian and I remained by his side, with all our failed attempts to revive him back to consciousness. It wasn't in our hands. Jonas was following the ambulance with his car. My cheeks were stained with uncontrollable tears while hands were stained with unwanted blood.