Page 5 of Stick Around
He turned and paced back to where Madison and Lauren stood, side by side. Their eyes were filled with confusion, trying to understand what had happened.
Billy’s voice picked up urgency as he continued. “But I only got, like, half a mile before I went back. He was being a stubborn ass, like always, but I should have known not to leave him. So I turned around and headed back.”
Lauren’s and Madison’s eyes bore into him, pleading.
Goddamn it.
Swallowing hard, he continued. “When I pulled back into the yard, your dad was getting into the loader. By then the rain was more like sleet and…” Billy looked at the ceiling and inhaled before blowing the air out hard between pursed lips. “And he slipped on the top step. He fell back, hard, to the ground.”
Lauren grimaced and tilted her head. “That’s it? He just fell?”
Billy rubbed the back of his neck. “He fell straight back, Laur. And he hit his head. When I saw him fall, I jumped out of the truck and ran over to him.” He looked into Lauren’s eyes, and then Madison’s, before looking down at his boots. His voice dropped as he finished. “There was a lot of blood.”
“What?” Madison squeaked out before her eyes filled with tears.
Lauren grabbed her sister’s hand. “Then what?”
“So I called 911. They told me not to move him, so I didn’t. I stayed there until the ambulance came. Told him they were on the way and to hold still and that it was going to be okay.”
Lauren’s eyes narrowed. “Hold still? What do you mean? Was he trying to move? Was he conscious?”
“Yeah,” Billy nodded. “He was talking and trying to get up.”
“Oh.” Lauren put her hand to her heart. “Good. That’s good, right?”
“Fuck, Billy.” Madison punched Billy in the arm. “Grace made it sound like Dad was on his fucking deathbed here and you’re saying he just banged his head? So, like, is he getting stitches now or what?”
Between the girl’s heads, Billy noticed Dr. Mackey, Bernice, Diane and Grace approaching the waiting room. Billy fixated on Grace. Her chin was dipped, her eyes were cast down, and Billy knew.
No. No, that’s impossible.
Lauren’s and Madison’s faces came back into focus. Their expectant faces were still fixed on him, waiting for him to assure them it was only stitches and a concussion. Everything was going to be fine. Their dad would be up and back to piggybacking Maisie in no time. Their entire world wasn’t about to shatter around them.
But he couldn’t speak. He couldn’t even move. His greasy motorcycle boots felt as though they were welded to the floor beneath him. The blood drained from his body with each step Dr. Mackey took closer. All he could hear was the rubbery padding and squeaking of the doctor’s sneakers against the tile floor.
Pad, as his heel hit the ground.Squeak, as he pushed off his toes.Pad. Squeak. Pad. Squeak.
All Billy could focus on was how ridiculous those two little noises were. A pad and a squeak? How could a pad and a squeak be delivering the news that the greatest, strongest man Billy had ever known was dead? Sneakers on a tile floor? No, it was too insignificant.
Brian Avery’s death would arrive on the seat of a Harley Fat Boy. The guttural, popping hum of its V-twin reverberating down the hall as it approached. A deafening rumble as it revved into the waiting room. A squeal of hot rubber as it came to a foreboding stop.
But no.
Pad. Squeak. Pad. Squeak.
Dr. Mackey cleared his throat. “Lauren? Madison?”
The girls spun to face the doctor, who stood with his hands clasped in front of him. The three nurses stood behind him in a somber line.
“Hi, Dr. Mackey,” Madison said. “How’s Dad? Can we go see him?”
Billy felt something hot rise in his throat. He gulped it back.
“Girls, your father arrived tonight by ambulance after suffering a fall. He had a serious injury to his head, which resulted in considerable blood loss.”
Billy watched the blonde waves at the back of Madison’s head swish across her shoulders as she turned to look at Lauren.
“The injury to your father’s brain was severe. We called for an air ambulance, but there wasn’t enough time. I’m so sorry, girls, but your dad did not survive. He’s gone.”
