“What are you doing here?” she asked. “And who’s this…?” She waved her finger at me and crinkled her nose. “This hussy?”
“She’s not a hussy,” replied Cole. Although my slutty little dress combined with my tits being out indicated otherwise. “Dad, will you please drop the gun?”
Cole’s dad grimaced. And then he literally dropped the gun.
A shot rang out through the house and we all screamed.
Except for Cole’s dad. He was too busy clutching his chest as he stumbled backwards.
“Brucey?” gasped Cole’s mom just as Cole said, “Dad?”
Cole rushed over and put his arm around him, guiding him to comfort in an armchair.
“I,” started his dad, but he was struggling to get the words out. “My chest. I can’t breathe.”
I just stood there watching the entire scene unfold, the top of my dress now clutched securely around myself.Oh my God.I was pretty sure I just gave Cole’s dad a heart attack. By flashing him.
“Don’t just stand there!” shrieked Cole’s mom in my general direction. “Call an ambulance!”
“I don’t have my cell phone!” I yelled back. I was totally panicking.
Cole tossed me his and I dialed 911.
“911, what’s your emergency?”
“I think my…”What is he?I didn’t want to call him my boyfriend’s dad. “I think my dude’s dad is having a heart attack.”Dude? Why would I refer to him as that?!
“What’s your current location?”
“2407 Windy Lane,” I said. “Wait, no.”Shit!That was my home address. Not Cole’s. What was I doing? The pressure was totallygetting to me. I didn’t want to be responsible for killing Cole’s dad. “Hold on.” I turned to Cole. “They need your address.” I tossed him the phone.
Cole calmly finished the phone call. And unlike me, he was able to give the right address.
The ambulance arrived a few minutes later. And then another came.Two ambulances?That seemed bad. Really bad.
Cole and I sat on the porch while the paramedics checked him out.
“I’m so, so sorry,” I said. “I never meant to give your dad a heart attack.”
“He’s going to be okay,” said Cole. But he didn’t sound nearly as confident as he usually did. “And it wasn’t your fault.”
“I really think it was. You saw what happened…right?”
He nodded. “I did. My crazy dad pulled a gun on you. And for some inexplicable reason, you flashed him and gave him a heart attack. To be honest, it’s not so bad of a way for him to go.” He forced a laugh and looked away.
I put my arm around him and squeezed his shoulders. “You’re allowed to be upset, you know.”
He turned farther away and wiped a tear from his face. “Why should I be upset? Like I said, he’s gonna be okay. I know he is.”
“But he might not.”Why are the ambulances still here?“I don’t mean to be a downer. I just know all too well how much you’ll regret it if you don’t spend every last minute that you can with him. I’d give anything to have just one more minute with Rosalie.”
He nodded and stood up. “Can you maybe come with me?” He put his hand out for me.
Of course.I slipped my hand into his and we walked over to the ambulance.
Please don’t be dead yet.I wanted Cole to be able to say goodbye. Then at least he’d get the closure that I never got with Rosalie.
“What’s going on?” asked Cole to the nearest paramedic.
