13 WINDOWS

Chapter 19 Part 2: SQUEAK

Rupert lost track of how many days he had been in the hospital. He could never fall into a deep sleep because of the endless interruptions of nurses and staff coming in. Often he would only be semi-conscious. But a real sleep would never occur.

And because Rupert could not sleep, his dreams began to intermingle with his reality. He conducted several conversations with people who he would later realize could not have possibly been there.

He spoke with his father one night, who had been dead since 2001. Rupert did not think it was strange at the time. At first they discussed some of the old topics they would have discussed before, like the Blue Jays, and some movies Rupert had seen lately. It was very conversational and ordinary. But then they talked about Terry, and Rupert mentioned that he had really only been his half brother. His father seemed very sad to hear about this. Then he became quiet. He did not remember his father leaving the room.

He also had a conversation with his mother. She seemed to be surrounded by light. And she seemed younger. Rupert asked her what the name Streicher meant. She was floating and her grey hairs and wrinkles had vanished. But then suddenly she was sitting in the chair next to Rupert, and the fluorescent lights were blindingly bright in his eyes.

His mother had changed. She was older. And she was real. He was awake. A nurse was checking Rupert's drip.

"Mom," Rupert said groggily. "You're here."

"I don't know Rupert," she said quietly. "I just found out myself."

Rupert looked at his mother confused. "Huh?"

"Streicher. I had never heard the name either. I don't even know how to pronounce it," she said. She had grey hairs and wrinkles again. She started laughing, but tears were also dripping down her cheeks. Her tone became bitter. "But Emeline knew."

"Auntie Emeline knew? Knew what?" Rupert said. Then his mother stared Rupert in the eyes. Her face became expressionless. She was looking somewhere in her memory.

"Mom," Rupert said. "What?"

She stared Rupert in the eyes. A cold stare. Then she looked past Rupert and her eyes widened with fear.

"Mom can you talk to me please? What are you looking at?"

She lifted her hand and pointed towards the door of Rupert's hospital room.

"What? I can't turn. It hurts. Who's there?"

"HIM!" she cried. She stood up with her arm pointing at the door. "HIM!"

Rupert had to know what she was pointing at. He forced himself to turn. He didn't care how much it hurt. But when he turned there was nothing. No one was at the door. But he could hear something. Wheels turning. Squeaking. Coming closer.

squeak...

Squeak....

SQUEAK...

There was no other sound. Rupert turned his head back towards his mother.

But it wasn't her. It was his math teacher Mr. Lanson. Rupert screamed.

And then he awoke, lying in his bed in broad daylight. The sound of the busy hospital around him. Reality. It had been a nightmare.

"Oh thank God." Rupert exhaled. His dream life was so insane sometimes. People did not understand that this was why he needed to smoke weed. It calmed the vividness of his emotionally shattering nightmares.

That was when he heard the squeaking again. The wheels turning. Something was coming closer to the room.

squeak...

Squeak...

SQUEAK...

Then he heard a child's voice clear as day say:

"Rupert..."

Rupert looked at the foot of his bed. And there was his brother Terry. The same age he was when he last saw him. A child.

"Rupert. Why did you leave me?" Terry said wiping his eyes.

Rupert started shrieking, "It's a nightmare! It's a nightmare! WAKE ME UP! NURSE! DOCTOR!"

He tried to shake his body awake, but he could not move. He tried to scream and no sound would leave his mouth.

"Rupert..." cried Terry. "You left me!"

He felt a hand on his arm. It started shaking him. Terry's face was suddenly right beside him.

"HELP ME!" Terry shrieked.

Rupert was suddenly awake. The nurse was smiling down at Rupert.

"Hey there. I think you were having a nightmare."

"Am I awake?" He looked down at the foot of the bed. There was just an empty chair.

"Yes you're awake," she said smiling. "We have some delicious hospital food for you. Apple juice. Some kind of a meat thing. Yum!" she said sarcastically.

Rupert wasn't hungry. He just wanted to get better, and get out of the hospital.

"Do you need anything?" she asked.

"You have any weed?" he replied. She just stared at him with a dead pan expression. "No."

She checked his morphine drip. It was empty.

"You can have some more of this though. We have to stay ahead of the pain." She smiled and left.

Rupert lay in the bed quietly. For a moment he felt peace. Then he heard the wheels squeaking. Coming closer to the door of his room.

squeak...

Squeak...

SQUEAK!

(I will be publishing Chapter 20 - CELLPHONE next monday November 23, 2020. See you then.)