Welcome to the Family (On Hold Until Further Notice)
Can't You Help Me as I'm Starting to Burn?
Michelle’ eyes welled up with tears. “How could you do this?”
I sighed. Closing my eyes, I regained my senses. What if this was just an act she was putting on to get my sympathy? “I’m sorry, Michelle. I don’t want to do this, but this is what’s best for Sammy. I hope you understand.”
“I- I hate you, Brian Haner!” She yelled through her tears. Sobbing loudly, she took one last look at Sammy, who was resting peacefully in the hospital bed, and ran out of the room with her face in her hands.
I shook my head. How could anyone fall for that act? Ashlynn appeared in the doorway, looking alarmed. “Why did Michelle suddenly leave? And why was she crying?”
“I told her I was taking custody of Sammy and she got really upset.” I explained.
Ashlynn walked up to me and placed a small kiss on my lips. “You could have said it to her differently, Brian.” She whispered, looking into my eyes with a glimmer of sadness.
I took ahold of her hand and placed it on my cheek. “I know, baby. I do feel a little bad about what I said.”
Ashlynn opened her mouth to reply, but she was cut off by Matt, Zacky, and Johnny, who piled into the room all at once, laughing loudly. Sammy’s eyes snapped open, and a huge smile erupted over his face.
“Uncle Matt! Uncle Zacky! Uncle Johnny!” Sammy cried, sitting up quickly.
“Hey there, sport! How are ya feelin’?” Matt smiled, tousling his dark hair.
“Great! Daddy’s gonna take care of me from now on!” Sammy beamed, looking at me with his identical chocolate brown eyes. His eyes suddenly shifted to look at Ashlynn. “Who’s this, Daddy?”
Ashlynn smiled. “I’m your dad’s friend. My name’s Ashlynn.”
Sammy gave her a big hug and whispered something in her ear that I couldn’t hear. She smiled and whispered back, “I don’t know.”
“What did you tell her, Sammy?” Johnny asked what everyone else was thinking.
“Oh, nothing, Uncle Johnny! Or should I say, Uncle Shorty!” Sammy yelled. We all burst into a myriad of laughter.
Johnny looked at me with an “I’m not amused” expression. “You told him to call me that, didn’t you?” He said in a monotone voice.
I grinned evilly. “Maybe.”
“At least he didn’t tell Sammy to call you Uncle Short Shit.” Matt said. Johnny looked at him with the same facial expression that he showed to me.
Before Johnny could respond with a smart-ass remark, a nurse holding a tray of food suddenly appeared. She was short and dark-skinned, and, when she spoke, her thick Mexican accent shone through.
“The boy needs food and medicine. I give it to him.” She said with somewhat broken English.
I nodded. “Yes, ma’am. Thank you.”
The nurse looked at me like she didn’t want to be here and grunted, “Whatever. Move aside, pretty boy.” Johnny snorted quietly.
I moved out of her way politely without saying anything. She responded with a muffled “thank you” and placed the food tray on another moving tray in front of Sammy. He immediately bolted up and attacked the food.
I cleared my throat. “Sammy, what do we say?”
Sammy looked up at the nurse. “Thank you, miss.” He said with a mouth full of red Jell-O.
The nurse’s mood suddenly shifted, and she smiled broadly at Sammy. “Very welcome, young man. Remember to take medicine, too.”
“Yes, ma’am.” Sammy said, swallowing the bite and shoving another one in his mouth. The nurse nodded and left the room.
“How long does Sammy have to stay here?” Ashlynn asked.
I sighed. “I’m not sure. The doctor didn’t say a specific time.”
“I’ll go ask the doctor.” Matt said, dismissing himself from the room.
“I wanna go home right now, Daddy! My head doesn’t even hurt anymore!” Sammy said, pushing gently on the bump with his index finger. “See?”
I smiled and gently moved his hand away from his head. “Don’t touch it, Sammy.”
“But it doesn’t hurt!” Sammy piped.
“You have to give it time to heal, son.” I said, kissing his forehead, making sure to avoid the injury.
“Okay, Daddy.”
The door opened and Matt returned with Dr. Cooper right behind him. “Matt here says that you wanted to know when your son can leave?” He asked.
“Yes, doc.”
Dr. Cooper thought for a minute. Finally he spoke, “Given the impact of the injury, he might have to stay for about three hours.”
I looked at the clock, making a note of the time. “Okay. Thanks, doc.” Dr. Cooper nodded and left the room again.
“Three fucking hours...” I muttered, shaking my head.
“Maybe we should leave and then come back when it’s time?” Ashlynn suggested.
“What would we do though?” Zacky said, verbalizing my thoughts.
“I have no idea.” I said.
“Maybe we could go to the beach!” Ashlynn said, her excitement filling the room.
“That’s a great idea.” Matt smiled.
I sighed, rubbing my temples. “You can go without me. I’m gonna go to Johnny’s Bar.”
Ashlynn’s smile slowly disappeared. She looked hurt. “W-Why?”
“Yeah, what the fuck, man?” Matt said, crossing his arms.
“I need to get my head on straight.” I said, trying to get to the door.
Ashlynn jumped in front of me. “I’ll go with you.” She said.
“No, Ash. I need time to myself.” I said, stepping to the side.
Ashlynn moved to block me again. “Please?”
Something inside me snapped. “MOVE!” I yelled, shoving her into the wall and storming out the door. The last thing I heard was three gasps in unison and Ashlynn scream.
I sighed. Closing my eyes, I regained my senses. What if this was just an act she was putting on to get my sympathy? “I’m sorry, Michelle. I don’t want to do this, but this is what’s best for Sammy. I hope you understand.”
“I- I hate you, Brian Haner!” She yelled through her tears. Sobbing loudly, she took one last look at Sammy, who was resting peacefully in the hospital bed, and ran out of the room with her face in her hands.
I shook my head. How could anyone fall for that act? Ashlynn appeared in the doorway, looking alarmed. “Why did Michelle suddenly leave? And why was she crying?”
“I told her I was taking custody of Sammy and she got really upset.” I explained.
Ashlynn walked up to me and placed a small kiss on my lips. “You could have said it to her differently, Brian.” She whispered, looking into my eyes with a glimmer of sadness.
I took ahold of her hand and placed it on my cheek. “I know, baby. I do feel a little bad about what I said.”
Ashlynn opened her mouth to reply, but she was cut off by Matt, Zacky, and Johnny, who piled into the room all at once, laughing loudly. Sammy’s eyes snapped open, and a huge smile erupted over his face.
“Uncle Matt! Uncle Zacky! Uncle Johnny!” Sammy cried, sitting up quickly.
“Hey there, sport! How are ya feelin’?” Matt smiled, tousling his dark hair.
“Great! Daddy’s gonna take care of me from now on!” Sammy beamed, looking at me with his identical chocolate brown eyes. His eyes suddenly shifted to look at Ashlynn. “Who’s this, Daddy?”
Ashlynn smiled. “I’m your dad’s friend. My name’s Ashlynn.”
Sammy gave her a big hug and whispered something in her ear that I couldn’t hear. She smiled and whispered back, “I don’t know.”
“What did you tell her, Sammy?” Johnny asked what everyone else was thinking.
“Oh, nothing, Uncle Johnny! Or should I say, Uncle Shorty!” Sammy yelled. We all burst into a myriad of laughter.
Johnny looked at me with an “I’m not amused” expression. “You told him to call me that, didn’t you?” He said in a monotone voice.
I grinned evilly. “Maybe.”
“At least he didn’t tell Sammy to call you Uncle Short Shit.” Matt said. Johnny looked at him with the same facial expression that he showed to me.
Before Johnny could respond with a smart-ass remark, a nurse holding a tray of food suddenly appeared. She was short and dark-skinned, and, when she spoke, her thick Mexican accent shone through.
“The boy needs food and medicine. I give it to him.” She said with somewhat broken English.
I nodded. “Yes, ma’am. Thank you.”
The nurse looked at me like she didn’t want to be here and grunted, “Whatever. Move aside, pretty boy.” Johnny snorted quietly.
I moved out of her way politely without saying anything. She responded with a muffled “thank you” and placed the food tray on another moving tray in front of Sammy. He immediately bolted up and attacked the food.
I cleared my throat. “Sammy, what do we say?”
Sammy looked up at the nurse. “Thank you, miss.” He said with a mouth full of red Jell-O.
The nurse’s mood suddenly shifted, and she smiled broadly at Sammy. “Very welcome, young man. Remember to take medicine, too.”
“Yes, ma’am.” Sammy said, swallowing the bite and shoving another one in his mouth. The nurse nodded and left the room.
“How long does Sammy have to stay here?” Ashlynn asked.
I sighed. “I’m not sure. The doctor didn’t say a specific time.”
“I’ll go ask the doctor.” Matt said, dismissing himself from the room.
“I wanna go home right now, Daddy! My head doesn’t even hurt anymore!” Sammy said, pushing gently on the bump with his index finger. “See?”
I smiled and gently moved his hand away from his head. “Don’t touch it, Sammy.”
“But it doesn’t hurt!” Sammy piped.
“You have to give it time to heal, son.” I said, kissing his forehead, making sure to avoid the injury.
“Okay, Daddy.”
The door opened and Matt returned with Dr. Cooper right behind him. “Matt here says that you wanted to know when your son can leave?” He asked.
“Yes, doc.”
Dr. Cooper thought for a minute. Finally he spoke, “Given the impact of the injury, he might have to stay for about three hours.”
I looked at the clock, making a note of the time. “Okay. Thanks, doc.” Dr. Cooper nodded and left the room again.
“Three fucking hours...” I muttered, shaking my head.
“Maybe we should leave and then come back when it’s time?” Ashlynn suggested.
“What would we do though?” Zacky said, verbalizing my thoughts.
“I have no idea.” I said.
“Maybe we could go to the beach!” Ashlynn said, her excitement filling the room.
“That’s a great idea.” Matt smiled.
I sighed, rubbing my temples. “You can go without me. I’m gonna go to Johnny’s Bar.”
Ashlynn’s smile slowly disappeared. She looked hurt. “W-Why?”
“Yeah, what the fuck, man?” Matt said, crossing his arms.
“I need to get my head on straight.” I said, trying to get to the door.
Ashlynn jumped in front of me. “I’ll go with you.” She said.
“No, Ash. I need time to myself.” I said, stepping to the side.
Ashlynn moved to block me again. “Please?”
Something inside me snapped. “MOVE!” I yelled, shoving her into the wall and storming out the door. The last thing I heard was three gasps in unison and Ashlynn scream.
Would like to see Brian and Ashlynn end up together in the end. :)
2/6/14