A Broken Reality by Rob Kaufman

Author:Rob Kaufman
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Robert Kaufman
Published: 0101-01-01T00:00:00+00:00

* * *

Once Jesse opened his eyes, it took him a couple of seconds before he realized where he was. He saw Melissa standing above him, looking down with worry etched into every feature of her face. He attempted to smile, to show her just a bit of confidence he didn’t really feel. She wasn’t buying it.

Behind Melissa stood two patrolmen, one who looked like a rookie and another who appeared old enough to be a few weeks away from retirement. Jesse couldn’t tell if their expressions displayed concern or irritation, but at that moment he really didn’t care. He was dizzy and on the verge of vomiting, so his focus was more about not puking than it was about the mood of these two strangers.

“Let’s get you inside, sir,” the older cop said as he offered his hand to help him up. “You look white as a sheet. Should we call you an ambulance?”

With the officer’s help, Jesse was able to walk to the back door. The movement helped energize him and he could feel his strength returning. Although his head still felt as fuzzy as a bad hangover, as long as he didn’t look directly at the bright sky, his nausea seemed to ease up and his legs became steadier.

“I’m okay,” he said, trying to break free of the grasping hands. “I just need to sit down for a minute.”

As Jesse sat on the sofa with the two cops watching over him, Melissa went to the kitchen to get him a glass of water. He could almost feel the younger cop’s glare and the nausea started to resurface. Was this guy here to actually help or to simply go through the motions for the purposes of paperwork and protocol? Jesse was about to question his motives but caught his paranoia in time and bit his tongue.

Melissa returned with the water and handed it to him.

“Just take a sip, Jesse, please. It’ll help with the headache. You could be dehydrated.”

Jesse obeyed and drank some water which, to his surprise, helped revive him further. Melissa gestured for the officers to sit on the chairs opposite the sofa as she sat down next to Jesse.

“Are you okay?” she asked. “Should I call the doctor? I don’t like the way—”

“Missy,” he interrupted. “I swear, it was just the migraine. The light was too much. Add to that what those damn punks did and it hit me hard. I’ll lie down again once we’re done here.”

A knock came at the door. The older patrolman answered it and Detectives Washington and Daniels stepped in, greeting everyone solemnly.

Jesse remained seated in fear that standing up would cause his head to throb. “Hello, detectives.” He nodded to both cops and tightened his lips. “So, what happened? Who’s doing this to us?”

Washington appeared confused. She turned to her partner, who gave the slightest shake of his head to show he was at a loss as well. “I’m sorry, Mr. Carlton—who’s doing what to you?”

Melissa took her husband’s hand.

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