Page 91 of You Saw the Best In Me

There’s blood everywhere, and that’s not a good sign.

“I’m going to the hospital. You guys stay here. I’ll call in a little while,” I say, hugging them both.

Just as everything has been going smoothly, another wrench gets thrown at all of us. I pinch the bridge of my nose, trying to center my thoughts and keep calm.

I take the familiar road toward the hospital, hoping to see Grams soon and return to my girls.

Two hours have passed, and I’m still in the waiting room. I’ve been told she’s stable, but they still won’t let me see her or inform me of what exactly happened.

Finally, the emergency doctor, who always seems to be here, emerges and heads straight for me.

“Mr. Carter, I wish I had better news. Your grandmother took a nasty spill and her blood alcohol was well over the legal limit. As I understand, she’s not supposed to consume alcohol, correct?” he asks, and I nod.

I never should’ve let her convince me that one or two wouldn’t hurt.

“Her lung is punctured, and she’s suffered a serious laceration on her head, which will require stitches. We’ll be keeping her for observation, but her labs indicate that she’s not getting enough oxygen,” he holds his hand out for me to shake and directs the way to her room before walking off.

Jesus Christ.

I was expecting different news. I figured it’d be the usual bumps and bruises, then back home. The same cycle we’re used to.

This time, the doctor made it seem much worse, and I don’t know how the fuck to break the news to Harper.

Once again, I’ll disrupt her school routine by taking her back to my place, and it’s too dysfunctional for a kid. I hate the circumstances surrounding this, and I wish that my apartment was Harper’s home.

I haven’t saved up nearly enough money for a house, and all this comes slamming at me like a freight train.

When I pull up to the house, Harper and Karina are drawing chalk on the sidewalk, probably a way to keep Harp’s mind off what happened.

They both bombard me with questions when I step out of the truck, and I’m overwhelmed. I give them the rundown, telling Harper to grab a bag and pack it with what she’ll need for the week.

“The whole week?” she cries, and I try to calm her down.

“It’s easier this way. You’ll stay with me this week, and once Grams is settled, we’ll get you back, okay?” I hug her, and she groans but accepts her fate.

Once she went inside, Karina poked for more information, but I didn’t have it in me to explain.

“Not now, okay? Later,” I push past her to go inside and help Harper pack.

I feel bad, but I need to focus on my sister.

The drive isn’t long back to my apartment, but it feels like a marathon today. The tension hangs in the air because of how I dismissed Karina, and Harper’s worried about Grams.

I tell them to order whatever for dinner and lock myself in the bathroom. I turn the water on but have no intention of getting in the shower.

I just want a quiet few minutes to think, but every thought is worse than the last.

There’s a light tap on the door, and I know it’s Karina checking on me.

“I’ll be out soon. I need a minute,” I yell, but she insists on letting herself in.

Finally, I open the door, and she squeezes into the bathroom with me.

“Are you okay, Angel?” she whispers, pulling me in for a hug.

“I don’t know,” I say, breaking apart from her embrace.

“Do you want to tell me about it?” she asks, that glimmer in her eyes nearly impossible to resist.