Less Than Perfect Circumstance by Clarke Kristofer

Author:Clarke , Kristofer [Clarke , Kristofer]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Second Twin Publishing
Published: 2012-04-08T00:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER TWENTY

SO I CAN FEEL YOU STILL LOVE ME

Dexter

The drive from my parents’ house, down I-95 to The Heart Center at Mercy Hospital, was quiet, and took longer than I thought it would. I drove in silence, affording myself the opportunity to think about the things I’ve always wanted to say to my father but never did. As I entered the visitor’s parking garage, I became overwhelmed with the thought of losing my father.

Diedra and Marcel had excused J.R. and Briana from the last two weeks of basketball and dance camp to make the unexpected trip. Dane, who had begun shooting scenes for his new action movie ‘Together They Fall’, had taken a break from his busy schedule. He was back at the house resting, after spending much of the previous night by my father’s side. Rian and his fiancé, Lena, would be back at the hospital later.

Once in the elevator I was reminded exactly why I hated hospital visits. The smell of sickness, of death, made me ill. No matter how sanitary, the smells were always the same, always present, always lurking around, waiting to penetrate the nose of those who visited. A conversation with a female patient on an evening stroll, looking as if she had received her invitation from death, went no further than hi. As I exited the elevator, my nephew stood outside a room, his face pressed close to the glass window that separated him from the occupants. As I neared, I noticed the tears streaming down the sides of his face as he watched his father and grandmother standing over the bed, attempting a conversation with his grandfather.

“Hey, J.R,” I greeted, touching my nephew’s shoulder. When he turned to face me, I tried to reassure him his grandfather was going to be ok. Whether J.R. actually believed me was something entirely different. He was old enough to understand sickness; death, however, would be a new experience for him.

“Uncle Dex, we’ve been here all day and he hasn’t moved. Are you sure he’s going to be ok?” J.R. asked. His eyes were filled with sadness.

“Your pop’s a tough one. Plus, God isn’t ready to deal with him in heaven just yet.”

“I don’t want to lose him, Uncle Dex,” J.R. said with a noticeable lisp his sister often teased him about.

“He’ll be ok. I promise,” I said, making a promise I wasn’t sure I could keep.

I needed to say something to comfort J.R. I thought about the hospital’s reputation and was immediately at ease. How could he not pull through?

“Once he realizes we’re all here waiting for him, he’ll recover. You’ll see,” I continued.

“I hope so.”

“Where are your mom and sister?”

“They should be back shortly. I think they went to use the restroom.”

After acknowledging my mother and brother-in-law through the glass window, J.R. and I walked to the waiting area.

The area was quiet and comfortable. A young wife with tear-stained face slept peacefully with her head resting comfortably in her husband’s lap. White linen blanketed her from the cool hospital air.

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