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Chapter 18
Broots slowly eased himself off of Miss Parker, holding a hand to his front left side. He just knew he was going to have a nasty bruise there. When he fell, he must’ve hit his side on something. He looked down at Miss Parker. She was lying down on the ground, slowly coming to. Taking his eyes off of Miss Parker, he looked over at Lyle. He was on the ground, clutching his left shoulder. Half of Lyle’s shirt was covered in blood. Seeing some rope lying on the floor, Broots walked over to it and tied Lyle up.
Once he was done tying Lyle up, Broots looked over at Miss Parker, who was now sitting up and rubbing the back of her head. Taking a couple of steps his vision started becoming blurry. ‘I must’ve hit my head on the ground also,’ he thought wryly. He shook his head a couple of times, trying to get rid of the blurriness. When his eyes came back into focus, he walked back over to Miss Parker.
He couldn’t believe how dizzy he felt when he walked over to her. A couple of times he had to stop to regain some equilibrium. When he finally made it to Miss Parker he gingerly knelt down beside her, trying not to aggravate the bruise on his side. “Miss Parker, are you alright?” he asked with concern.
“I’m okay, except for this pounding headache I now have, courtesy of you,” she replied jokingly. “How about you?” Miss Parker looked over at Broots, surprised at his appearance. He was clutching his left side, grimacing in pain, but trying to hide it. He kept shaking his head, as if he was trying to focus his vision. Plus, he was swaying a bit.
Broots flashed her a weak smile. “I’m alright. Nothing to worry about.”
“Nothing my ass.”
“I know what you’re thinking. I think I hit my...” he stopped mid sentence when he noticed the wet stain on Miss Parker’s black blouse. “Miss Parker, you’re bleeding, you’ve been shot!” he cried out.
Miss Parker followed his eyes, seeing the dark stain on her shirt. Resting her hand on her shirt, she brought her fingers back up. “It’s blood,” she said, stunned by the sight. She lifted up her shirt half way, but didn’t see any injuries. She gasped when she looked back at Broots. He was even paler than he was before, but what shook her to the core was the blood seeping through his left hand. “Broots, I wasn’t shot it was you,” she replied back in disbelief, pointing at his left side.
Broots looked down at his hand and just now noticed the blood seeping through. Taking his hand away from the wound, he slowly lifted up his shirt. Miss Parker gasped at the wound. “Miss Parker, I...I...” Broots didn’t have a chance to finish as he fell to the ground. The shock and adrenaline, that ran through his body having been spent.
Miss Parker instantly sprung up, kneeling beside Broots. Ripping her coat off, she placed the material on the wound, trying to stop the bleeding. ‘No, this can’t be happening,’ she thought miserably. Looking up at Broots’ face, she could see him going in an out of consciousness. “Broots, stay with me. BROOTS!” she cried out frantically, slapping his face.
“Miss Parker, I’m not going to make it. I’m going to die,” he commented sadly, tears running down his face.
Miss Parker looked down at him with watery eyes. Silent tears already streaming down her face. “No, no you’re not. I’ll be damned. I’m not going to let you die.” She looked around the building, trying to find anything to help her friend. When her eyes fell on Lyle, she became furious. He was laughing manically, staring up into the ceiling. “I swear to God Lyle, if Broots dies because of you, so help me, you’ll be missing more than just a thumb,” she yelled out angrily to him.
Through his fit of laughter he replied smugly, “If Broots does die, it isn't because of me, it's because of you. I wasn’t trying to kill him; it was you I was trying to kill. Unfortunately, he just got in the way.”
Miss Parker looked at her brother. It amazed her that she could even be related to this monster. “I can’t believe we share the same mother,” she said with disgust.
“Oh boo hoo hoo. Please Parker, cry me a river,” he commented sarcastically.
If she could, she would’ve got up, ran over to the chair and choked him with her bare hands. She would’ve taken so much pleasure in that, taking the last remnants of his pathetic life away. She was broken from the pleasant thought when Broots starting coughing. “Broots, everything is going to be okay,” she said gently, trying to reassure him, and herself for that matter.
She lifted up her coat, which was now becoming heavier with soaked blood. The wound was still bleeding profusely. She had to do something. “Broots, I know this is asking a lot, but do you think you could get up?” she asked softly.
With a shaky breath he replied, “I’ll try, Miss Parker. But, I can’t make any promises.”
Miss Parker stood beside Broots, helping him up. Knowing he couldn’t stand on his own, she put his arm around her shoulders, letting him lean on her for support. Turning around, they slowly walked to the doors.
“Wait, you can’t leave me here!” Lyle screamed out.
Miss Parker gave Lyle a seething look. “Lyle, its time for you to have a taste of your own medicine.” She paused. “With all that blood on your shirt, you’ll probably attract some nice little animals, looking around for something to eat. My, won’t they have a field day with you.” Looking over to the side, she continued, “Well, look at that, you already have a little visitor.”
Lyle followed Parker’s eyes. Seeing the critter moving along the floor towards him he pleaded, “Please, don’t leave me here.” He froze in pure terror when the rat stopped ten feet from him, as if it was waiting for Miss Parker and Lyle to leave.
“Isn’t it poetic justice, Lyle? Here, you thought one rat would bring you riches, however it seems the rats will always be against you, no matter what,” said Miss Parker tauntingly. “Now you two have fun. I’m sure some of his little friends would want to join the party later on. Bye-bye, Lyle.” With that, Broots and her headed out the door. She smiled to herself when she heard Lyle’s screams.
“PARKER! OH GOD, GET OFF OF ME. NOOOO!”
Miss Parker could feel Broots becoming slack in her arms. She knew he didn’t have much energy left. “Just hang on, Broots. We’re almost to the car.” They were a short distance from the car, when Broots fell to the ground. “Broots, get up. Come on, get up.” Kneeling down by his head, she lifted him under the shoulders, trying to drag him to the car. She knew they were running out of time. She had to hurry.
However, try as she might, she couldn’t get him to the car, he was like a dead weight in her arms. She fell to the ground, feeling so useless and frustrated. Looking out into the distance she screamed out his name. “JAROD, ARE YOU OUT THERE? WE NEED HELP. JAROD!”
“Miss Parker?” asked Broots weakly.
The sound of his voice brought on more tears for her. “Yes,” she whispered out shakily.
Broots grabbed a hold of her hand, giving it a gentle squeeze. “Tell...tell Debbie...that I love her. Tell her...I was blessed...to have a...daughter like her,” he struggled out through the pain.
Miss Parker looked away from Broots, looking into the night sky, trying to fight back the tears that were building within her. Closing her eyes, she took in a deep shaky breath. Even though this was tearing her apart, she had to be strong, for Broots’ sake. She looked back down at the pale man lying in her arms. “Broots, you can tell Debbie this when you see her again,” she said, trying to sound hopeful.
Broots gave her a solemn look, shaking his head sadly. “I’m not going to make it.”
“Stop talking nonsense. Everything will work out, you’ll see,” she said with determination. She looked down at Broots to find a couple of her tears running down his face.
Broots looked away from her, staring off into the distance. “Debbie is such a good kid, isn’t she?”
“Yes, yes she is,” Miss Parker choked out.
Broots looked back at her, tears shimmering and running down his cheeks. “I won’t see her graduate high school or college. I won’t be there to walk her down the aisle when she gets married. I won’t be there to see my first grandchild. I...I don’t want to die, Miss Parker. It’s not fair, she shouldn’t have to go through life without her father.” He winced as a shooting pain ran through his body.
Miss Parker cradled him more closely to her. “Broots, you’re right. It’s not fair for her to go through life without you, but that’s not going to happen, because everything will be okay. You’ll be there for...” she was interrupted when Broots starting coughing. Seeing blood coming out of his mouth, she turned him on his side, letting him spit it out.
Miss Parker knew he didn’t have much time left. This thought sliced through her like a knife. She was again losing someone she loved, a friend who’s been with her through thick and thin. Deciding not to fight back the tears any longer, she wept openly in front of Broots, not ashamed of showing her emotions in front of him.
Broots gave Miss Parker a sympathetic look. “Don’t cry, Miss Parker.” He paused, coughing more blood out. When the hacking subsided, he looked back at Miss Parker. “I want you to know...that I love you...” Broots chuckled at the surprised look on her face. “It’s not...what you think. I...I...” He grimaced in pain, but continued, “At first...I was infatuated with you...but I realized...that your heart belonged to someone else. Besides...could you imagine...us together.”
Miss Parker tried to hold back her laughter, but couldn’t. “Yeah, I could imagine the looks on everyone’s faces if we were together,” she replied jokingly.
Broots laughed out loud, holding his side. When the laughter subsided, he looked at Miss Parker with a more serious face. “I want you...to know...that I...love you like...a friend...well, more like a...sister,” he managed to get out.
Miss Parker looked down at Broots, taken aback by his words. Tears were beginning to stream down her face again. “Broots, you’ve always been like a brother to me. I know this may be hard to believe, but I’ve always wished that you were my brother instead of the thumbless wonder that is Lyle. I know I’ve hounded you and called you names. Personally, I don’t know why you’ve stuck by me, but I’m glad you did.” She paused taking a shaky breath. “Broots, I...I do love you. You’re my lovable moron,” she said with a weak smile.
Broots gave her an astonished look, grinning up at her. Feeling his time running out, he reached out and grabbed Miss Parker’s hand, scared of letting go. He knew he was bleeding internally, drowning in his own blood. He was so scared. “Miss Parker, when I’m gone...please, would you...look out for...Debbie?”
Miss Parker looked down at their tangled hands. “No matter what, I’ll always make sure Debbie is safe and sound.”
“Thank you,” he choked out. They remained in silence until the time came. She could feel Broots slipping away slowly. His hand was losing its grip in hers. She watched with anguish as he struggled for air, trying to stay alive. ‘If there was only a way to ease his pain,’ she thought sadly.
Afraid of the inevitable, she held him more closely to her, rocking them both back and forth. She rested her head on top of his, humming to him through her tears. She could feel her heart breaking inside as her friend slowly faded away from this world.
“I’m so sorry, Broots. This is my entire fault. You got involved in a war that you were never asked to be a part of. You should’ve gotten out when you had the chance. But, I know why you stayed; it was because of Sydney and me. You didn’t want to desert us in our times of need.” She paused, trying to suppress the sobs building within her. “Broots, I’ll be forever grateful to you.”
She didn’t have to open here eyes to know that he passed on. She placed a gentle kiss on top of his head, as she still held him in her arms, not wanting to let go. Resting her face on top of his head, her body shook with uncontrollable sobs. Through the tears she said to herself, “I’m sorry, Broots. I’m so sorry.”
XXXXXXX
To Be Continued...
Chapter 18
Broots slowly eased himself off of Miss Parker, holding a hand to his front left side. He just knew he was going to have a nasty bruise there. When he fell, he must’ve hit his side on something. He looked down at Miss Parker. She was lying down on the ground, slowly coming to. Taking his eyes off of Miss Parker, he looked over at Lyle. He was on the ground, clutching his left shoulder. Half of Lyle’s shirt was covered in blood. Seeing some rope lying on the floor, Broots walked over to it and tied Lyle up.
Once he was done tying Lyle up, Broots looked over at Miss Parker, who was now sitting up and rubbing the back of her head. Taking a couple of steps his vision started becoming blurry. ‘I must’ve hit my head on the ground also,’ he thought wryly. He shook his head a couple of times, trying to get rid of the blurriness. When his eyes came back into focus, he walked back over to Miss Parker.
He couldn’t believe how dizzy he felt when he walked over to her. A couple of times he had to stop to regain some equilibrium. When he finally made it to Miss Parker he gingerly knelt down beside her, trying not to aggravate the bruise on his side. “Miss Parker, are you alright?” he asked with concern.
“I’m okay, except for this pounding headache I now have, courtesy of you,” she replied jokingly. “How about you?” Miss Parker looked over at Broots, surprised at his appearance. He was clutching his left side, grimacing in pain, but trying to hide it. He kept shaking his head, as if he was trying to focus his vision. Plus, he was swaying a bit.
Broots flashed her a weak smile. “I’m alright. Nothing to worry about.”
“Nothing my ass.”
“I know what you’re thinking. I think I hit my...” he stopped mid sentence when he noticed the wet stain on Miss Parker’s black blouse. “Miss Parker, you’re bleeding, you’ve been shot!” he cried out.
Miss Parker followed his eyes, seeing the dark stain on her shirt. Resting her hand on her shirt, she brought her fingers back up. “It’s blood,” she said, stunned by the sight. She lifted up her shirt half way, but didn’t see any injuries. She gasped when she looked back at Broots. He was even paler than he was before, but what shook her to the core was the blood seeping through his left hand. “Broots, I wasn’t shot it was you,” she replied back in disbelief, pointing at his left side.
Broots looked down at his hand and just now noticed the blood seeping through. Taking his hand away from the wound, he slowly lifted up his shirt. Miss Parker gasped at the wound. “Miss Parker, I...I...” Broots didn’t have a chance to finish as he fell to the ground. The shock and adrenaline, that ran through his body having been spent.
Miss Parker instantly sprung up, kneeling beside Broots. Ripping her coat off, she placed the material on the wound, trying to stop the bleeding. ‘No, this can’t be happening,’ she thought miserably. Looking up at Broots’ face, she could see him going in an out of consciousness. “Broots, stay with me. BROOTS!” she cried out frantically, slapping his face.
“Miss Parker, I’m not going to make it. I’m going to die,” he commented sadly, tears running down his face.
Miss Parker looked down at him with watery eyes. Silent tears already streaming down her face. “No, no you’re not. I’ll be damned. I’m not going to let you die.” She looked around the building, trying to find anything to help her friend. When her eyes fell on Lyle, she became furious. He was laughing manically, staring up into the ceiling. “I swear to God Lyle, if Broots dies because of you, so help me, you’ll be missing more than just a thumb,” she yelled out angrily to him.
Through his fit of laughter he replied smugly, “If Broots does die, it isn't because of me, it's because of you. I wasn’t trying to kill him; it was you I was trying to kill. Unfortunately, he just got in the way.”
Miss Parker looked at her brother. It amazed her that she could even be related to this monster. “I can’t believe we share the same mother,” she said with disgust.
“Oh boo hoo hoo. Please Parker, cry me a river,” he commented sarcastically.
If she could, she would’ve got up, ran over to the chair and choked him with her bare hands. She would’ve taken so much pleasure in that, taking the last remnants of his pathetic life away. She was broken from the pleasant thought when Broots starting coughing. “Broots, everything is going to be okay,” she said gently, trying to reassure him, and herself for that matter.
She lifted up her coat, which was now becoming heavier with soaked blood. The wound was still bleeding profusely. She had to do something. “Broots, I know this is asking a lot, but do you think you could get up?” she asked softly.
With a shaky breath he replied, “I’ll try, Miss Parker. But, I can’t make any promises.”
Miss Parker stood beside Broots, helping him up. Knowing he couldn’t stand on his own, she put his arm around her shoulders, letting him lean on her for support. Turning around, they slowly walked to the doors.
“Wait, you can’t leave me here!” Lyle screamed out.
Miss Parker gave Lyle a seething look. “Lyle, its time for you to have a taste of your own medicine.” She paused. “With all that blood on your shirt, you’ll probably attract some nice little animals, looking around for something to eat. My, won’t they have a field day with you.” Looking over to the side, she continued, “Well, look at that, you already have a little visitor.”
Lyle followed Parker’s eyes. Seeing the critter moving along the floor towards him he pleaded, “Please, don’t leave me here.” He froze in pure terror when the rat stopped ten feet from him, as if it was waiting for Miss Parker and Lyle to leave.
“Isn’t it poetic justice, Lyle? Here, you thought one rat would bring you riches, however it seems the rats will always be against you, no matter what,” said Miss Parker tauntingly. “Now you two have fun. I’m sure some of his little friends would want to join the party later on. Bye-bye, Lyle.” With that, Broots and her headed out the door. She smiled to herself when she heard Lyle’s screams.
“PARKER! OH GOD, GET OFF OF ME. NOOOO!”
Miss Parker could feel Broots becoming slack in her arms. She knew he didn’t have much energy left. “Just hang on, Broots. We’re almost to the car.” They were a short distance from the car, when Broots fell to the ground. “Broots, get up. Come on, get up.” Kneeling down by his head, she lifted him under the shoulders, trying to drag him to the car. She knew they were running out of time. She had to hurry.
However, try as she might, she couldn’t get him to the car, he was like a dead weight in her arms. She fell to the ground, feeling so useless and frustrated. Looking out into the distance she screamed out his name. “JAROD, ARE YOU OUT THERE? WE NEED HELP. JAROD!”
“Miss Parker?” asked Broots weakly.
The sound of his voice brought on more tears for her. “Yes,” she whispered out shakily.
Broots grabbed a hold of her hand, giving it a gentle squeeze. “Tell...tell Debbie...that I love her. Tell her...I was blessed...to have a...daughter like her,” he struggled out through the pain.
Miss Parker looked away from Broots, looking into the night sky, trying to fight back the tears that were building within her. Closing her eyes, she took in a deep shaky breath. Even though this was tearing her apart, she had to be strong, for Broots’ sake. She looked back down at the pale man lying in her arms. “Broots, you can tell Debbie this when you see her again,” she said, trying to sound hopeful.
Broots gave her a solemn look, shaking his head sadly. “I’m not going to make it.”
“Stop talking nonsense. Everything will work out, you’ll see,” she said with determination. She looked down at Broots to find a couple of her tears running down his face.
Broots looked away from her, staring off into the distance. “Debbie is such a good kid, isn’t she?”
“Yes, yes she is,” Miss Parker choked out.
Broots looked back at her, tears shimmering and running down his cheeks. “I won’t see her graduate high school or college. I won’t be there to walk her down the aisle when she gets married. I won’t be there to see my first grandchild. I...I don’t want to die, Miss Parker. It’s not fair, she shouldn’t have to go through life without her father.” He winced as a shooting pain ran through his body.
Miss Parker cradled him more closely to her. “Broots, you’re right. It’s not fair for her to go through life without you, but that’s not going to happen, because everything will be okay. You’ll be there for...” she was interrupted when Broots starting coughing. Seeing blood coming out of his mouth, she turned him on his side, letting him spit it out.
Miss Parker knew he didn’t have much time left. This thought sliced through her like a knife. She was again losing someone she loved, a friend who’s been with her through thick and thin. Deciding not to fight back the tears any longer, she wept openly in front of Broots, not ashamed of showing her emotions in front of him.
Broots gave Miss Parker a sympathetic look. “Don’t cry, Miss Parker.” He paused, coughing more blood out. When the hacking subsided, he looked back at Miss Parker. “I want you to know...that I love you...” Broots chuckled at the surprised look on her face. “It’s not...what you think. I...I...” He grimaced in pain, but continued, “At first...I was infatuated with you...but I realized...that your heart belonged to someone else. Besides...could you imagine...us together.”
Miss Parker tried to hold back her laughter, but couldn’t. “Yeah, I could imagine the looks on everyone’s faces if we were together,” she replied jokingly.
Broots laughed out loud, holding his side. When the laughter subsided, he looked at Miss Parker with a more serious face. “I want you...to know...that I...love you like...a friend...well, more like a...sister,” he managed to get out.
Miss Parker looked down at Broots, taken aback by his words. Tears were beginning to stream down her face again. “Broots, you’ve always been like a brother to me. I know this may be hard to believe, but I’ve always wished that you were my brother instead of the thumbless wonder that is Lyle. I know I’ve hounded you and called you names. Personally, I don’t know why you’ve stuck by me, but I’m glad you did.” She paused taking a shaky breath. “Broots, I...I do love you. You’re my lovable moron,” she said with a weak smile.
Broots gave her an astonished look, grinning up at her. Feeling his time running out, he reached out and grabbed Miss Parker’s hand, scared of letting go. He knew he was bleeding internally, drowning in his own blood. He was so scared. “Miss Parker, when I’m gone...please, would you...look out for...Debbie?”
Miss Parker looked down at their tangled hands. “No matter what, I’ll always make sure Debbie is safe and sound.”
“Thank you,” he choked out. They remained in silence until the time came. She could feel Broots slipping away slowly. His hand was losing its grip in hers. She watched with anguish as he struggled for air, trying to stay alive. ‘If there was only a way to ease his pain,’ she thought sadly.
Afraid of the inevitable, she held him more closely to her, rocking them both back and forth. She rested her head on top of his, humming to him through her tears. She could feel her heart breaking inside as her friend slowly faded away from this world.
“I’m so sorry, Broots. This is my entire fault. You got involved in a war that you were never asked to be a part of. You should’ve gotten out when you had the chance. But, I know why you stayed; it was because of Sydney and me. You didn’t want to desert us in our times of need.” She paused, trying to suppress the sobs building within her. “Broots, I’ll be forever grateful to you.”
She didn’t have to open here eyes to know that he passed on. She placed a gentle kiss on top of his head, as she still held him in her arms, not wanting to let go. Resting her face on top of his head, her body shook with uncontrollable sobs. Through the tears she said to herself, “I’m sorry, Broots. I’m so sorry.”
XXXXXXX
To Be Continued...
