Date: Fri, 30 May 2003 09:12:19 -0700 (PDT) From: Thomas Gaige Subject: My Step-Brother Jacob - Chapter 19 DISCLAIMER: The following story is FICTIONAL. It contains descriptions of sexual activities between teenage boys. If you are not over 18 years of age, or if you find this type of story offensive, or viewing this material is illegal where you are, then please DO NOT READ IT! If you choose to read it, then - I hope you enjoy it! My Step-Brother Jacob Chapter 19 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Jacob and I stood rooted to the floor, staring at the policemen. The one who had caught Elizabeth, eased her into a chair that was a few feet behind her. He tapped her lightly on the cheek. "Mrs. Wilder!" he said. Elizabeth started to come around. The other officer looked at me and Jacob. Shakily, I asked, "I-is he dead?" "No. But his injuries are pretty bad. He's on his way to the hospital right now," the officer who was looking at us said. Elizabeth had come around. Tears were running down her cheeks. "We have to get to the hospital!" she said. "You can't drive maam," the first policeman said, looking at her. "My stepson can," she said looking at me. I nodded. The cop looked at me, apparently trying to appraise my ability to drive, given the situation. Finally, he told me which hospital Dad was being taken to, and asked if there was anything else they could do. I told him we'd be OK. They asked Elizabeth if she was OK, and she stood up and said she was. They expressed their sympathy again, then left. "We have to get to the hospital right away!" Elizabeth said, picking up her coat, and starting to put it on. Jacob and I grabbed our jackets, and we left. "We'll take my car, It's behind your's," Elizabeth said, handing me her keys. We arrived at the hospital 10 minutes later. I pulled up to the door of the Emergency Room, next to an ambulance, and let Elizabeth and Jacob out. I parked in the attached parking garage, and ran into the hospital. Elizabeth and Jacob weren't there. I told the nurse at the desk who I was and she took me to a room. Some nurses, interns, and the Ambulance personnel were just lifting Dad off the gurney and onto a bed. He was on a back-board. His head was wrapped in bloody bandages. One arm looked twisted, and there was a splint on his right leg. He was covered in blood. There was a tube sticking out of his mouth. As soon as they had him on the bed, a nurse attached a respirator from the wall to the tube, and it started to breathe in and out for Dad, who apparently was unable to breathe on his own. Jacob stood just inside the doorway, a look of horror on his face, tears running down his face. Elizabeth was sobbing hysterically. As I arrived, she turned away suddenly and vomited into a garbage can. The nurse who had brought me to Dad's room, went over to help her. A doctor who was examining Dad looked at me and asked me who I was. I said I was his son. "Good! Does he have any allergies that you know of?" he asked. "None that I'm aware of," I said. Just then an alarm that was hooked up to pads stuck to Dad's chest began to sound a loud, steady beep. "Code Blue!" a Nurse yelled into an intercom, as she pushed a button on the wall. An alarm in the ceiling went off. Two more nurses, a crash cart clattering along between them ran in. The nurse who'd brought me into the room steered Elizabeth toward the door and pushed her through it, saying "you'll have to wait out here for a few minutes." Then she grabbed Jacob and pulled him out the door. I stood rooted to the floor, as she tried to pull me away. I watched as the doctor took the electric paddles off the cart, a nurse squirted goop on them, while another nurse ripped Dad's shirts open wider. The doctor rubbed the paddles together and yelled "Clear!" He held the paddles to the sides of my father's torso. I jerked involuntarily, as with a "click" and "zap" Dad's body jerked up off the bed and remained stiff in the air for a second, before the machine shut off, and he flopped back down onto the bed. A nurse started doing chest compressions. The incessant, steady beep of the heart monitor droned on shrilly. My vision became blurred as tears filled my eyes. "Clear!" I heard the doctor yell again. Again there was a "click" and "zap" and through my blurred vision, I saw Dad's body jerk up off the bed again, then flop back down again. Two nurses were pulling on my arms now. I resisted, and watched as four more times they tried to revive Dad, as the heart monitor continued its death scream. Suddenly the monitor stopped, and I heard the doctor say "Time of death, 6:12 PM." Finally, I let the nurses lead me from the room. They lead me to the nurse's station. Elizabeth was sitting there in a chair, vomiting again, this time into a bedpan. Jacob stood next to her, sobbing, his hand resting on her shoulder. Looking left, I saw the ambulance bay doors, with the ambulance still backed up to them. I turned and ran across the ER, through the doors, and out of the building. Outside, I turned to the left and ran a few yards from the door. There I stopped, leaned against the building and sank to the ground crying hysterically. I was still sobbing when the ambulance driver came out the doors. He came over and squatted down next to me, his back against the building too. He put an arm over my shoulders. "You're his son aren't you?" he asked. Snuffling and wiping at my eyes, I looked at him and shook my head. "I'm very sorry," he said. Then he said, "He had this in his hand when we picked him up." He took something out of his pocket and handed it to me. It was a picture of me, that he'd taken when I was about 13. I started to sob hysterically again. The driver rubbed my shoulder and pulled me toward him, giving me a hug. I turned toward him and leaned on him crying. He sat, and held me until my crying finally subsided. Once I'd calmed down a little, he said, "I know this is awful for you, but your Mum and brother are inside, and they probably are going to need you now." I looked at him miserably for a few seconds. Then he stood up and held his hand out to help me up. I took it and let him pull me up off the ground. I put the picture in my pocket, wiped my eyes and nose on my sleeves, and followed him back into the ER. Elizabeth and Jacob were gone from the nurse's station. The nurse nodded toward Dad's room. The ambulance driver put his hand on my shoulder and lead me to the door of Dad's room. The door was closed. He squeezed my shoulder. I looked at him and he smiled grimly. "I know how hard this is going to be, but they need you now!" I sniffed a couple times and said "I know. Thanks!" Then I reached for the door handle. The driver turned and walked slowly away. I opened the door. It was quiet in the room now. The lights had been dimmed. Dad lay on the bed. The respirator and monitors had all been removed. His eyes were closed, and he looked as if he were sleeping, except for the bandages on his head. I noticed they were fresh ones. Elizabeth stood next to the bed holding one of Dad's hands. Jacob was next to her, looking down at him as well. Both were sobbing. I clenched my jaw, and walked over behind them, the door to the room shutting quietly behind me. Standing between, right behind them, I put a hand on each of their shoulders. Both turned toward me, and collapsed against my shoulders and chest crying. I wrapped my arms around them and held them, as I felt my own tears beginning to flow again. The three of us cried in each other's arms, as I looked down upon my father, who like Mike, had died because of me. After a few minutes, Elizabeth straightened up and said, "I want to go home now." She turned to look at my father one last time, then bent down and kissed him on the cheek. "Good-Bye my love, I'll always love you!" Then she moved toward the door. Jacob looked down at Dad, and through his tears said quietly "Bye Dad - I love you." Then he joined Elizabeth, and they walked out the door. I stood staring down at my father a minute. Tears flowing down my face, I hoarsely whispered "I'm sorry Dad, I'm so s-sorry! I never meant to hurt you!" Then I turned and walked swiftly out of the room. Elizabeth and Jacob were at the nurse's station. Elizabeth was telling them which Mortuary they should call. They said they would call them, and said again how sorry they were. Elizabeth thanked them and then put an arm around each of us and moved us all in the direction of the door. Still crying, we walked to the car and got in. I drove us home, although I don't remember the drive. As we were parking in the driveway, Elizabeth said finally, "and this was to be such a happy evening!" "Why?" Jacob asked, "what're you talking about Mum?" "I had good news," she said. "What news?" Jacob asked, as we both looked at her. "I found out today that I'm pregnant," she said, looking at us, as tears began to run down her cheeks again. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- The next chapter in this series will be published shortly.