Thirteen

 Victory. I said to myself. Pure victory. I had finally taken revenge on what Daniel did to me. And I felt good. Really good. There Daniel was clutching his stomach and moaning out cries of pain and here I stood standing over the pathetic weakling and just laughed. What a loser; can’t even take a hit from a girl.

That’s when I heard footsteps coming my way and Lucas came into view from behind the branches. “Lucas!” He walked forward and then stopped short, viewing the scene before him. “I can explain!” I started right when his eyes moved over to the crippled Steve. When his eyes rolled down to the pitiful looking Daniel, however, he smiled. His eyes came back up and met mine, “Its about time, Chels.” I quickly smiled back, “Mind if we hurry and get Steve to a doctor?”

Cautiously, Lucas and I managed to pick up Steve from his little pile of leaves and toppled back to Lucas’s car. When we had snugly put Steve in the back seat and buckled him in I asked, “What about Steve’s car? We can’t just leave it here.” Lucas thought for a moment, “I’ll drive it. The keys are probably in his pockets somewhere. You’ll drive my car. Drive straight to the hospital, okay? I’ll be right behind you.” I nodded and prodded through Steve’s pockets until I pulled out two keys on a ring. I handed them to Lucas, and just as he was walking off I called him back, “Lucas! What about Daniel?”

“What about him?” Lucas asked, a smug grin on his face. I awkwardly returned the grin and go into the red pick up. My thoughts were really overpowering my brain, but the roar of the engine from the old beaten truck was just what I needed to drown all my contemplations out. And before I knew it I was pulling up into the parking lot of the Redberry Hospital.

I swerved into a parking spot and quickly got out of the car to check on Steve. Before I even had the door open, Lucas drove in. I pulled open the door and ducked my head in, “Steve?” A soft reply came from him and I guessed that meant that he was okay. Lucas was at the other door with a wheelchair that he had gotten from the office. I went around to the other side and gently pulled Steve into the chair.

“I’m going to go back to the park, okay? Here are Steve’s keys. You can drive him home in his car.” Lucas said once we had reached the entrance to the hospital. I reached back to him and grabbed the sleeve of his shirt, “Why?” Lucas sighed and looked down, ashamed. “What? What is it?” I asked, worried. “You won’t be proud of me.” I shook my head, “You weren’t proud of me either when I wouldn’t do anything about Daniel. We all have our moments.” Lucas nodded, agreeing. “I’m going back there to teach him a lesson.”

My hand instantly let go of his shirt; shock riding through my body. Lucas apparently took that as a go ahead. So he walked out the doors and got in his car and left. “W-wait.” I said to the air. My mind was so jumbled I could barely think straight. What if Daniel hurt Lucas? I couldn’t survive without my Lucas...No. Never. I decided I would follow after him as soon as I could.

I rolled Steve over to the front desk. The short, blonde Barbie doll nurse told me to sign in with my name and last name, the patient’s name and last name, and an emergency number. When I had finished, she told me to go sit in a chair and wait. Wait?? How was I supposed to wait if Steve could be dead any minute? I didn’t know the damages...I didn’t know what Daniel had done to him. He could by dying right now as I sat. But did the nurse care? Did the nurses ever care? 

 

After about 15 minutes of non patiently waiting for some [censored] doctor to show up, the nurse walked up to me and said that Dr. Chill would see me now. Now? About time...I stood up and rolled Steve with me as we followed the Barbie down a hallway and into a room labeled 8. She ushered us in and then swiftly closed the door, happy to be rid of us it seemed.

Dr. Chill was a squat little man who had thinning hair and a gray beard that looked like a soft shade of light green. It looked like mold. He stood there calmly with a small clipboard in his hand and peered over his glasses and Steve and I. I glanced down at Steve to make sure he didn’t look dead. His eyes were closed, but his chest was rising and falling. I let out a sigh of relief and then focused my attention to Dr. Chill.

“So, what seems to be the problem?” He asked. What kind of question is that? Here’s my friend in a wheelchair who I found half conscious in the woods with blood coming out of him. Well let me just ask him what seems to be the problem. “I think my friend is bleeding” I replied after some time.

He laughed and set down his clipboard. His eyes twinkled as they met with mine, “Yes, I can see that. Your not sure what caused it?” Was this guy really going to spend time asking me these questions or get help for Steve? “I believe my friend-sorry. A guy I know stabbed him” The twinkle of jolliness in Dr. Chill’s eyes disappeared as once. “That’s a serious assumption, miss-” He glanced down at his board, “-Chelsea.” I agreed, but what could I say? I knew it was Daniel who had hurt Steve; it couldn’t have been anyone else.

“Dr. Chill?” I asked, hesitant. “Yes, my dear, what is it?” The twinkle had returned. “I have to go...um get my brother. I kind of left him at the park when I drove over here in his car.” I quickly improvised. “Oh sure. Sure. I’ll get this boy bandaged up nice and well while your gone. He’ll be just fine.” I bobbed my head up and down, not really sure if I should believe him or not. I’d only be gone for about ten minutes. Fifteen at the most. “Okay, I’ll be back as soon as I can.” Dr. Chill replied with a non-caring sway of his hand, “Take your time.”

I ran out of the little room, and into the main lobby area. The automatic doors pulled back, releasing me into a breezy wind. Steve’s car door was a little tough to open but I managed and slid into the driver’s seat. The engine was hungry and immediately started up the second I turned on the ignition. It was about a three-minute drive from the hospital to the park. But it seemed like the longest three minutes of my life because my whole entire body was filled to the brim with worry for Lucas and Steve.

When I reached the park I yanked the keys out and jumped out of the car. I ran as fast as I could, not even stopping to catch my breath, to the spot where I had left Daniel curled into a ball. When I reached the area, no one was there. It looked like nothing at all had been there in the past year. Leaves were rumpled and blowing in the wind, and the woods around me were completely silent. Not even a bird made a noise. It made the place seem even spookier then when I had come here to find Steve.

I jogged out from the woods and started to run around the park looking for any traces of Lucas or Daniel. Most everyone that had been here earlier were gone. It was probably around six or six thirty. Once I had finished two circles around the whole park I decided to make one more run around in case I had missed something. When I reached the area with the sandboxes and benches I spotted something behind a bench; something you wouldn’t have seen unless you were purposely looking for it.

It was a strip of blue. The same exact color of the shirt that Lucas had been wearing. I walked over to it and took it off the edge of the bench. It was definitely a part of his shirt because I recognized the logo in the corner. What could they have been doing that might have caused a part of Lucas’s shirt to tear off?

I looked behind the bench and some of the grass lay unplanted on the surface. They must have been wrestling at this spot. Then that was when I heard a voice yell. It sounded like Lucas’s but I couldn’t be sure. It came from behind one of the hills. I trotted over to the place where the sound had come from. I peered over the hill and there were Daniel and Lucas on the waterfront grabbing each other’s arms and shouting at each other.

I nearly tumbled down the hill but when I got to the bottom and both boys spotted me they let go of one another at once. I stomped closer to them and screamed, “What the hell is going on?!” Lucas turned to me with a grimace side glance toward Daniel and said, “This bozo here is a maniac!” I rolled my eyes, “We already knew that, Lucas.” Then I turned to Daniel and said, “What I mean is what are you doing to my brother??” Daniel’s face flushed a little. No matter how psychotic the boy was, he still got embarrassed. 

“I’m waiting!” I said, getting more impatient as the time grew between my question and his answer. “Well...He walked up and started accusing me of murdering your little friend-” “Oh shut up, Daniel! I didn’t say murder! If you listened to what people told you then you would know that I said-” Lucas cut in. “Oh both of you shut up!” I yelled. I could not deal with this mess anymore. “Now, we are going to calmly, and I mean CALMY, discuss this crap that has been going on for the past who knows how long!” That silenced them. Proves that girls have a thing or two to say when they get pissed.

We walked back up to one of the benches in the main park area and sat down. I closed my eyes and tried to concentrate on breathing correctly. Inhale. Exhale. Inhale. Exhale. “Chelsea?” Lucas’s voice interrupted. I slowly opened my eyes and stared over at him. “Yes?” “I’m sorry...I thought that you might have wanted me to beat the crap out of Daniel...” He eyed him before he continued, “Because of what he has done to you.” “B*****d.” Daniel whispered under his breath.

“Did I not say that we were going to talk about this calmly? Or is someone’s anger management not going to be able to cooperate?” Daniel huffed out a sigh of surrender and leaned back onto the bench. I turned to Lucas, “You’re forgiven, Lucas. Even though there wasn’t really anything for you to be forgiven of since you were only trying to protect me. DANIEL on the other hand...” I turned the conversation back to him.

“What?” He asked, playing the innocent role. I didn’t buy it, “Oh you know exactly what, boy. Don’t give me any crap that you don’t.” Daniel didn’t answer; he just rolled his eyes and looked the other way. “Hey! I’m talking to you!” His rudeness to me was really getting on my nerves, and I was sick of it. “Yeah? Well, I’m done talking to you.” And with that Daniel got up and walked away. “That little...” I said, but before I could finish the statement Lucas got up and jogged after Daniel. He tapped him on the shoulder and just as Daniel turned his head to him, Lucas punched him straight in the face.

Instantly, I saw red drip down and out of Daniel’s nose. I covered my mouth to keep from laughing with no prevail. I snort laughed and got up and ran over to where Lucas stood towering over Daniel. He was keeled over on his knees holding his nose. “Basberd!” Daniel yelled, sounding like he had a bad cold. Lucas chuckled and grabbed my hand pulling me along with him as he started to run.

We ran all the way back to the parking lot. We collapsed onto the asphalt, out of breath from running and laughing at the same time. Daniel had gotten his butt kicked twice today. It was his turn to take the medicine. I laid my head down on the ground, the asphalt cool against my warm face. “Lucas?” “Yeah?” He asked, still a little out of breath.

“Have I ever told you how much I love you?” He choked out a laugh and said, “Love you too, Sis.” I smiled. “Thank you.” I whispered, closing my eyes. I heard him shift his weight, “Your welcome” He whispered in my ear and then kissed me lightly on my forehead. Which was something he used to always do to me before I went to sleep. He used to tell me that a kiss of love would scare all the nightmares away because they didn’t have any love. Daniel sounded like my nightmare.