Читать книгу Respect the Dead - Shawn McLain - Страница 15

“Dammit!” Wes grunted as he perused several websites advertising tires. Even the cheapest set was more than he could afford.

"Honey I need your help please." His mother called form the living room. Wes wearily walked over to the couch to check on Reg. He was pale and sweaty. “Can you make some more tea please?” She asked.

Wes watched from the kitchen. His mother was attempting to get Reg to drink something. Wes hurried back the his mother's side handing her the warm beverage.

“Reg, honey, try to drink this. It will make you feel better.”

“My head….hurts so bad….” Reg moaned.

Wes ran to the bathroom to grab a bottle of aspirin. Shaking several bottles on the counter and floor, he found they were all empty. Frustrated he ran a wash cloth under some cold water. He found his mother on the phone, tears in her eyes. “I’m on hold It. The recording says the wait time is 2 hours!” Say cried hanging up. Tears spilled onto her cheeks. She swiped them away trying not to let Wes see. He pretended not to notice while he knelt down next to Reg.

“I’m sorry, we are out of aspirin." We explained placing the cloth on Reg's sweat soaked forehead. "I will run out to get some later.” Wes covered his nose as he pretending to scratch, Reg’s putrid breath turned his stomach. Reg’s skin was like marble, grey and white hanging slacked on his face, his lips were white and chapped. A shudder ran through Wes as he felt the cold hand of his Stepfather take his hand.

“I’m ok,” his words barley a whisper, “you shouldn’t try to go anywhere.”

“Unbelievable!” Wes turned to see his mother’s look of anxiety and anger. “How can I get an ambulance if I can’t even get someone on the phone for several hours?”

Wes remembered the news and his talk with Beth. Looking from his mother to his stepfather he made his way to the kitchen. Standing next to his mother he turned his back to Reg. “I heard this morning… they said there is no room in the emergency rooms so we can’t take him there. The Hosptials are all full. ” He whispered.

“So what do we do?” She whimpered.

Their whispered conversation was instantly cut short when Reg sat up. They waited but he simply moaned and lay back down on the couch. “My stomach…so hungry.” He groaned.

“I’ll make you some soup.” Wes’ mother perked up. “He hasn’t eaten since he got sick.”

“Anything I can do to help?” Wes asked.

“No honey, I…no that's ok.” She patted him on the arm and began to bustle around the kitchen. Wes looked over at Reg. His eyes were closed as he lay motionless on the couch. Trying to shake the fear building in him Wes wandered back upstairs to his room.

Sitting on the edge of his bed, He became lost in worries. A vibration followed by a familiar tune caused him to jump. Frantically he fumbled in his pocket to extricate his phone.

“Wes have you seen the news?” Beth demanded without preamble.

“No, well I heard the hospitals are all full. Mom was told it would be hours before even 911 would answer. What have you heard? What is happening? Have they made any progress in finding a cure? Dad is really bad off.”

“No, in fact they don’t seem to know anything. People are locking themselves in their houses or trying to get out of the cities." Wes could hear the strain in her voice. "It is crazy out there people are walking around with surgical masks on. They said people should avoid contact. Then the CDC said something about hand sanitizer seeming to speed up the infection.” AS Beth spoke her tone became more panicked.

“Yeah Mom heard that already. She threw out every bottle in the house. I swear she was a junkie on that stuff. She was always on me to use it. She must have thrown out, like ten bottles.” Wes sighed. He rubbed his face with his free hand. “Beth, I don’t know what Mom’ll do if something happens to him.”

For a second neither spoke, “He is my Dad you know.? More of a father than that other bastard ever was.” Wes continued as a tear ran down his cheek.

From downstairs a painful hacking cough traveled to Wes’ ears. He listened as his mother fussed over his stepfather. “I’m worried.”

“I know, but he’ll be ok.” Beth’s gentle voice soothed him but something sounded as if she didn't believe it.

“He’s never hit us, or gotten drunk, I think I’ve seen him have like two beers the entire time they’ve been married.” Wes was rambling and Beth let him. This was all information she already knew. Wes had basically lived at the McDaniel house when he was much younger. Beth’s father had actually beaten up Wes’ real father at one point right after Wes’ mother finally got the courage to kick him out. Reg loved Wes’ mother and Wes loved him for being so good to her.

“Thanks for always being there for me.” Wes smiled into the phone.

“Thanks for being there for me. I will never forget what you did when Mom died. Without you Steve would have done all the cooking, and that might have been the end of us all.” She gave a laugh squelching the sob that threatened.

A long silence stretched, interrupted only by the sounds of coughing and moaning from downstairs.

Beth broke the void, “Aunt Marge just arrived.”

“What? Oh the book, yeah it starts to get fun from there.”

They spent several minutes discussing the books and the first two movies they had watched together. The conversation was enjoyable. Both forget how worried and scared they were. That was until Reg started coughing again a dry and rasping cough that sounded truly painful.

“I gotta go. I need to help Mom. It sounds like we need to get Dad to a hospital even if we have to take a number.”

Beth tried to talk him out of going but in the end she could only wish him luck, “Remember if things get bad, Dad will get us out of town.” She said goodbye. Wes sat in his room listening as Reg coughed and coughed then moaned. With each cough Wes grew more scared. His mother call for him. He was on his feet at the top of the stairs when he heard Reg start coughing and coughing then suddenly stop. Wes froze, with his hand on the rail his foot hung in the air above the next step.