Clash Of The Rockbands
McDonald's and Mayhem
At around eight o’clock that morning, a new doctor walked into the room where Melrose’s parents were. He looked slightly older than Dr. Lynder, with thinning black hair and kind blue eyes.
“Hello, I’m Dr. Parsons.” he said, walking over to where everyone either sat on the floor or in those uncomfortable chairs they always put in hospital rooms. He shook Melrose’s hand. “I’m taking over for Dr. Lynder, since his shift is over.” Melrose nodded. “Your parents survived the night, I see. That’s usually a good sign. They might still pull out of it. We’ll just see.” Melrose nodded again. “I’ll check back on them every half hour or so.” With that, Dr. Parsons left the room.
“I’m hungry.” Kim announced from where she lay stretched out on the white tile of the room.
“Me too,” Rayne agreed.
“There’s a McDonald’s down the street.” Melrose said quietly. “You guys can go there and grab some food.”
“Sounds like a plan,” Kim replied, already struggling to her feet.
“I’ll go too.” Jen said, hopping up as well.
“We’ll all go.” Rayne stated. Melrose looked reluctant. “You need to get out of this hospital.”
“But what if my parents wake up while I’m gone?” Melrose asked, looking seriously concerned.
“We’ll be gone for five minutes, Melrose.” Rayne continued calmly. “If they wake up, they’ll still be awake when we get back.”
“But—” Melrose began, still rather reluctant.
“Melrose, just c’mon.” Daphne encouraged, seizing her sister’s wrist. “They’ll be fine. The chemical smell is starting to burn my nose anyway.” At the constant persistence of her sister, Melrose rose to her feet with the rest of us.
A few moments later, we stepped out of the hospital into the open, if not a bit polluted, Indianapolis air. Our breath rose up out of our mouths as a billowing mist that dissipated in the weak glare of the sun. Melrose and I laced our fingers together as Rayne led the way towards the sidewalk. Daphne just rolled her eyes with a strange look on her face and flounced ahead to chat to with Kim.
“I see the little sister doesn’t approve of me.” I muttered.
“Well, that’s too bad.” Melrose replied as we stepped up onto the sidewalk running alongside the road. “I love you, and what everyone else thinks doesn’t matter.”
We followed the five others into the front doors of McDonald’s. Warmth billowed across our cool skin as we stepped onto the brownish tile floor. Kim breathed in deeply, looking like she hadn’t eaten in weeks.
“It smells like Heaven...in a fattening, totally unhealthy, if-you-dare-eat-me-I-will-make-you-obese kind of way.” she stated before walking up to the counter.
After she ordered and the cashier gave her the price of her food, Kim began to search in all of her pockets.
“Um...” she said, digging in her front pockets. “I should have...money...somewhere. I think.”
“It’s fine. My treat,” Rayne told her, stepping forward. She pushed Kim gently towards the other end of the counter before ordering for herself. Pretty soon, everyone had ordered. I squeezed Melrose’s hand a bit tighter than normally when she ordered just a large sweet tea. As we stepped over to get our order, she looked over at me.
“What was that for?” she asked.
“You need food. You need sugar. You need more than liquid and ice.”
“It’s fatty liquid.” Melrose replied defensively, seizing the plastic cup off of the counter. She took a sip, looking up at me out of innocent, sad eyes.
“Oh, fine,” I sighed, wrapping my arm around her shoulders as we headed back out into the chilly air to go back to the hospital. Melrose leaned against my side and wrapped her arm around my waist, sipping at her tea.
“I could probably live off of McDonald’s and never gain a pound.” Kim announced, bouncing down the sidewalk beside us. That girl never seems to lose any energy.
“No surprise there,” Rayne replied, munching at her sandwich. “You move around too much to keep any fat on your body.”
“I know, right?” Kim agreed, frantically nodding her head. “But Johnny likes skinny girls. He says meaty girls are too much woman for him to handle.”
“Once again, no surprise there,” Rayne answered as we stepped back into the hospital.
**********
Finally, finally, around one o’clock PM, Melrose caved in and grew hungry. She dug a couple of dollars out of her pocket before turning to me. Just one glance into those wide, innocent, puppy-dog eyes had me asking her what she wanted.
“A bag of Skittles and a granola bar,” she answered. I held out my hand for the money and Melrose quickly put the two green bills into my hand. Amazingly, she still had about half her tea left from that morning, so she was good on the beverages. “Thank you.” She pecked me on the cheek, earning a grunt of disgust from Daphne. I ignored the noise and rose to my feet, heading out of the room in search of the vending machine.
I found it after a minute or so of wandering around. I quickly got the granola bar and Skittles and then headed back towards the room. For some reason, though, a lot of stray doctors appeared to be being sucked towards the room as though a giant vacuum dragged them into its swirling vortex. I picked up my pace, seriously concerned about what was going on in that room.
I stepped into it to find absolute mayhem.
The machines keeping Melrose’s parents alive pretty much were going crazy with the alarms. Their frantic beeps filled the entire room. A doctor and small group of nurses all clustered around each bed, attempting to regulate whatever needed regulated, attempting to fix the problems that had arisen.
“We’re losing her!” a nurse cried out from Patricia’s bed. Melrose had rocketed out of her seat and was staring at the frightening scene before her with wide, horrified eyes and her pale, trembling hand covering up her mouth. Daphne stood frozen a few feet away, the fear in her heart reflected clearly on her face.
I strode over to Melrose, wrapping my arms tightly around her. She didn’t even acknowledge the fact that I was there. She just continued to stare at her parents with her hand trembling across her lips.
BEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEPPPPPPPPPPPP......
The green line on one of the heart monitors flattened from jagged mountains to a flat plateau. A continuous beep filled the entire room, drowning out the orders of the other nurses and doctors. A doctor tried in vain to restart Patricia’s heart, but even he knew it wasn’t any use. He pulled away from the dead body, looking sad and disappointed.
BEEEEEEEEEEEEEEPPPPPPPPPPPPPP....
Soon, the heart monitor hooked up to Earl flat-lined as well. All the doctors and nurses stepped back away from the beds a bit, letting Dr. Parsons, who had pretty much just arrived, get closer to the bodies. He looked sadly down at the heartbeat-less couple before turning sympathetic eyes onto Melrose and Daphne.
“I told you before that there wasn’t a good chance of survival, but I’m sorry all the same.” he said sadly.
With a low whimper, Melrose’s knees gave way and she collapsed in my arms. I tightened my arms around her, pulling her gently back to her feet. She curled her fingers into a fist in the cloth of my sweatshirt, pressing her face into my chest. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Daphne collapse back into her chair, staring at the dead bodies of her parents.
“I’ll alert the morgue.” Dr. Parson’s announced quietly. As he left the room, along with the tiny band of nurses and spare doctors, Melrose’s dam holding back all her tears crumbled away, and she burst into sobs.
“Hello, I’m Dr. Parsons.” he said, walking over to where everyone either sat on the floor or in those uncomfortable chairs they always put in hospital rooms. He shook Melrose’s hand. “I’m taking over for Dr. Lynder, since his shift is over.” Melrose nodded. “Your parents survived the night, I see. That’s usually a good sign. They might still pull out of it. We’ll just see.” Melrose nodded again. “I’ll check back on them every half hour or so.” With that, Dr. Parsons left the room.
“I’m hungry.” Kim announced from where she lay stretched out on the white tile of the room.
“Me too,” Rayne agreed.
“There’s a McDonald’s down the street.” Melrose said quietly. “You guys can go there and grab some food.”
“Sounds like a plan,” Kim replied, already struggling to her feet.
“I’ll go too.” Jen said, hopping up as well.
“We’ll all go.” Rayne stated. Melrose looked reluctant. “You need to get out of this hospital.”
“But what if my parents wake up while I’m gone?” Melrose asked, looking seriously concerned.
“We’ll be gone for five minutes, Melrose.” Rayne continued calmly. “If they wake up, they’ll still be awake when we get back.”
“But—” Melrose began, still rather reluctant.
“Melrose, just c’mon.” Daphne encouraged, seizing her sister’s wrist. “They’ll be fine. The chemical smell is starting to burn my nose anyway.” At the constant persistence of her sister, Melrose rose to her feet with the rest of us.
A few moments later, we stepped out of the hospital into the open, if not a bit polluted, Indianapolis air. Our breath rose up out of our mouths as a billowing mist that dissipated in the weak glare of the sun. Melrose and I laced our fingers together as Rayne led the way towards the sidewalk. Daphne just rolled her eyes with a strange look on her face and flounced ahead to chat to with Kim.
“I see the little sister doesn’t approve of me.” I muttered.
“Well, that’s too bad.” Melrose replied as we stepped up onto the sidewalk running alongside the road. “I love you, and what everyone else thinks doesn’t matter.”
We followed the five others into the front doors of McDonald’s. Warmth billowed across our cool skin as we stepped onto the brownish tile floor. Kim breathed in deeply, looking like she hadn’t eaten in weeks.
“It smells like Heaven...in a fattening, totally unhealthy, if-you-dare-eat-me-I-will-make-you-obese kind of way.” she stated before walking up to the counter.
After she ordered and the cashier gave her the price of her food, Kim began to search in all of her pockets.
“Um...” she said, digging in her front pockets. “I should have...money...somewhere. I think.”
“It’s fine. My treat,” Rayne told her, stepping forward. She pushed Kim gently towards the other end of the counter before ordering for herself. Pretty soon, everyone had ordered. I squeezed Melrose’s hand a bit tighter than normally when she ordered just a large sweet tea. As we stepped over to get our order, she looked over at me.
“What was that for?” she asked.
“You need food. You need sugar. You need more than liquid and ice.”
“It’s fatty liquid.” Melrose replied defensively, seizing the plastic cup off of the counter. She took a sip, looking up at me out of innocent, sad eyes.
“Oh, fine,” I sighed, wrapping my arm around her shoulders as we headed back out into the chilly air to go back to the hospital. Melrose leaned against my side and wrapped her arm around my waist, sipping at her tea.
“I could probably live off of McDonald’s and never gain a pound.” Kim announced, bouncing down the sidewalk beside us. That girl never seems to lose any energy.
“No surprise there,” Rayne replied, munching at her sandwich. “You move around too much to keep any fat on your body.”
“I know, right?” Kim agreed, frantically nodding her head. “But Johnny likes skinny girls. He says meaty girls are too much woman for him to handle.”
“Once again, no surprise there,” Rayne answered as we stepped back into the hospital.
**********
Finally, finally, around one o’clock PM, Melrose caved in and grew hungry. She dug a couple of dollars out of her pocket before turning to me. Just one glance into those wide, innocent, puppy-dog eyes had me asking her what she wanted.
“A bag of Skittles and a granola bar,” she answered. I held out my hand for the money and Melrose quickly put the two green bills into my hand. Amazingly, she still had about half her tea left from that morning, so she was good on the beverages. “Thank you.” She pecked me on the cheek, earning a grunt of disgust from Daphne. I ignored the noise and rose to my feet, heading out of the room in search of the vending machine.
I found it after a minute or so of wandering around. I quickly got the granola bar and Skittles and then headed back towards the room. For some reason, though, a lot of stray doctors appeared to be being sucked towards the room as though a giant vacuum dragged them into its swirling vortex. I picked up my pace, seriously concerned about what was going on in that room.
I stepped into it to find absolute mayhem.
The machines keeping Melrose’s parents alive pretty much were going crazy with the alarms. Their frantic beeps filled the entire room. A doctor and small group of nurses all clustered around each bed, attempting to regulate whatever needed regulated, attempting to fix the problems that had arisen.
“We’re losing her!” a nurse cried out from Patricia’s bed. Melrose had rocketed out of her seat and was staring at the frightening scene before her with wide, horrified eyes and her pale, trembling hand covering up her mouth. Daphne stood frozen a few feet away, the fear in her heart reflected clearly on her face.
I strode over to Melrose, wrapping my arms tightly around her. She didn’t even acknowledge the fact that I was there. She just continued to stare at her parents with her hand trembling across her lips.
BEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEPPPPPPPPPPPP......
The green line on one of the heart monitors flattened from jagged mountains to a flat plateau. A continuous beep filled the entire room, drowning out the orders of the other nurses and doctors. A doctor tried in vain to restart Patricia’s heart, but even he knew it wasn’t any use. He pulled away from the dead body, looking sad and disappointed.
BEEEEEEEEEEEEEEPPPPPPPPPPPPPP....
Soon, the heart monitor hooked up to Earl flat-lined as well. All the doctors and nurses stepped back away from the beds a bit, letting Dr. Parsons, who had pretty much just arrived, get closer to the bodies. He looked sadly down at the heartbeat-less couple before turning sympathetic eyes onto Melrose and Daphne.
“I told you before that there wasn’t a good chance of survival, but I’m sorry all the same.” he said sadly.
With a low whimper, Melrose’s knees gave way and she collapsed in my arms. I tightened my arms around her, pulling her gently back to her feet. She curled her fingers into a fist in the cloth of my sweatshirt, pressing her face into my chest. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Daphne collapse back into her chair, staring at the dead bodies of her parents.
“I’ll alert the morgue.” Dr. Parson’s announced quietly. As he left the room, along with the tiny band of nurses and spare doctors, Melrose’s dam holding back all her tears crumbled away, and she burst into sobs.
♠ ♠ ♠
Heyloo.O.O <---- The face says all.
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