The Man with the Gun
Waking Up
“How is she? Is she hurt?”
“Nothing serious. A fairly long cut on the shoulder, a bruise on the side of her head and a gash in her stomach, but other than that she’s just fine. It’ll all heal eventually. The paramedics have cleaned her wounds thoroughly”
“Okay. Well, that’s a relief. I don’t think my old heart could take it if anything serious happened to her.”
“Oh, don’t worry ma’am. She’s in good hands, and she’ll recover quickly. I believe she’ll be waking up any moment now.”
I’m listening to their conversation, slowly gaining consciousness.
I don’t know where I am or why I’m here. The woman’s voice seems familiar, though. I can’t seem to recall her name.
My eyes slowly flicker open, letting the bright ceiling lights filter through. I look down at myself. I’m laying on a white, wrinkled hospital bed, in a bright, small hospital room. I’m wearing a blue plastic gown, and I can feel scratchy pads attached to my stomach and left shoulder, which are stinging. A cold ice pack is on my head.
At the foot of my bed, staring at me is a skinny, frail woman, and a young doctor with jet-black hair. I recognize the first one.
“Mom?” I mutter in a hoarse, raspy voice. My throat is clogged, like when I’ve been sleeping for a very long time. Mom rushes over to my side and bends down to inspect my shoulder.
“Are you okay?” she asks, a bit of panic in her voice.
I force a small smile.
“Yeah, I guess.” I reply in my raspy voice. “Where am I?”
“You’re at the hospital, sweetie.”
“Why?”
“Don’t you remember?”
“Uh-unh.” I slightly shake my head.
The doctor steps forward to intervene, and whispers something to Mom.
“She probably doesn’t remember the incident. She hit her head really hard. It will all come back in a few minutes.”
Mom nods knowingly, and the doctor gets up and walks out of the room. My shoulder and stomach start to throb in pain.
“Ouch.” I mutter.
Mom’s eyes widen in alarm.
“What? What happened? Are you okay? Are you hurt? Did I –“
I interrupt her.
“I’m fine Mom. It’s just that… My shoulder and my stomach hurt.”
Mom’s face relaxes and she smiles
.
“You got cut pretty bad, honey.”
“How?”
“You’ll remember pretty soon.”
“Where’s Matthew?”
“In the waiting room. He’s pretty worried about you.”
I smile.
“What happened to my head?”
“Oh, it’s bruised. You fainted.”
“Oh.”
Mom and I stare at the ground for a few moments in awkward silence. Suddenly, the doctor walks through the door, holding several papers.
“It looks like your healing pretty well,” he tells me, flashing a set of white teeth. “You can leave in a few hours, after you’ve regained your memory.”
I wonder what I forgot. I guess it’s the reason why I’m hurt.
“Thank you, doctor.” Mom replies. He nods, and is out the door again.
“What don’t I remember, Mom?” I ask.
She stares at me, with an expression of pity.
“The serial killer,” she whispers.
In that one sentence, it all comes crashing down on me.
My teacher’s death.
The horrible man.
That bloody dagger.
My mouth slips open, and my eyes fill with hot, frightened tears.
“Mom!” I cry, and begin to sob into her shirt in shock
.
She immediately wraps her arms around me and cradles me back and forth.
“Oh sweetie,” she murmurs, kissing my forehead. “I’m so sorry. It’s all over now - they’ve caught him. It’s all over.”
“But where is he?” I ask, looking up at her. Her face is blurry through my tears.
Mom glances sideways and chews her lip.
“Um… I believe he’s dead.”
Suddenly, I remember.
“Oh my god, Mom! Where the heck did you get a gun?”
“I’ve always had one, dear.”
“But why?”
“Safety. For times like that little incident.”
“Isn’t that illegal or something? How did you find me?”
“I went looking for you when you didn’t come home. I brought my gun, just in case. And I was right. You almost gave me a heart attack when I found you with that awful man.”
Her eyes are glazed over, as if recalling some memory.
“I love you so much.”
I give her a huge hug, and more tears fall down my cheeks.
I then fall back onto my bed.
“You have great aim, you know, Mom. Like a pro.”
“Why thank you.”
I beam at her, until I realize something.
“Wait. Does anyone know about this, Mom?”
She smiles knowingly.
“The whole town knows, honey. Word got around pretty fast. In fact, about your whole grade is outside in the waiting room now.”
“Oh no!”
“What?”
“Ugh. The last thing I need is for my classmates to be pitying me.”
“You say that like it’s a bad thing.”
“It is! You know I don’t like the attention!”
“Sorry honey. But they care, and they’re worried for you. At least let them know you’re okay.’
“Fine. But then can we leave? Please?”
“Sure thing.”
I sigh and cross my arms.
“I want to go home.” I say.
“Me too.”
“Nothing serious. A fairly long cut on the shoulder, a bruise on the side of her head and a gash in her stomach, but other than that she’s just fine. It’ll all heal eventually. The paramedics have cleaned her wounds thoroughly”
“Okay. Well, that’s a relief. I don’t think my old heart could take it if anything serious happened to her.”
“Oh, don’t worry ma’am. She’s in good hands, and she’ll recover quickly. I believe she’ll be waking up any moment now.”
I’m listening to their conversation, slowly gaining consciousness.
I don’t know where I am or why I’m here. The woman’s voice seems familiar, though. I can’t seem to recall her name.
My eyes slowly flicker open, letting the bright ceiling lights filter through. I look down at myself. I’m laying on a white, wrinkled hospital bed, in a bright, small hospital room. I’m wearing a blue plastic gown, and I can feel scratchy pads attached to my stomach and left shoulder, which are stinging. A cold ice pack is on my head.
At the foot of my bed, staring at me is a skinny, frail woman, and a young doctor with jet-black hair. I recognize the first one.
“Mom?” I mutter in a hoarse, raspy voice. My throat is clogged, like when I’ve been sleeping for a very long time. Mom rushes over to my side and bends down to inspect my shoulder.
“Are you okay?” she asks, a bit of panic in her voice.
I force a small smile.
“Yeah, I guess.” I reply in my raspy voice. “Where am I?”
“You’re at the hospital, sweetie.”
“Why?”
“Don’t you remember?”
“Uh-unh.” I slightly shake my head.
The doctor steps forward to intervene, and whispers something to Mom.
“She probably doesn’t remember the incident. She hit her head really hard. It will all come back in a few minutes.”
Mom nods knowingly, and the doctor gets up and walks out of the room. My shoulder and stomach start to throb in pain.
“Ouch.” I mutter.
Mom’s eyes widen in alarm.
“What? What happened? Are you okay? Are you hurt? Did I –“
I interrupt her.
“I’m fine Mom. It’s just that… My shoulder and my stomach hurt.”
Mom’s face relaxes and she smiles
.
“You got cut pretty bad, honey.”
“How?”
“You’ll remember pretty soon.”
“Where’s Matthew?”
“In the waiting room. He’s pretty worried about you.”
I smile.
“What happened to my head?”
“Oh, it’s bruised. You fainted.”
“Oh.”
Mom and I stare at the ground for a few moments in awkward silence. Suddenly, the doctor walks through the door, holding several papers.
“It looks like your healing pretty well,” he tells me, flashing a set of white teeth. “You can leave in a few hours, after you’ve regained your memory.”
I wonder what I forgot. I guess it’s the reason why I’m hurt.
“Thank you, doctor.” Mom replies. He nods, and is out the door again.
“What don’t I remember, Mom?” I ask.
She stares at me, with an expression of pity.
“The serial killer,” she whispers.
In that one sentence, it all comes crashing down on me.
My teacher’s death.
The horrible man.
That bloody dagger.
My mouth slips open, and my eyes fill with hot, frightened tears.
“Mom!” I cry, and begin to sob into her shirt in shock
.
She immediately wraps her arms around me and cradles me back and forth.
“Oh sweetie,” she murmurs, kissing my forehead. “I’m so sorry. It’s all over now - they’ve caught him. It’s all over.”
“But where is he?” I ask, looking up at her. Her face is blurry through my tears.
Mom glances sideways and chews her lip.
“Um… I believe he’s dead.”
Suddenly, I remember.
“Oh my god, Mom! Where the heck did you get a gun?”
“I’ve always had one, dear.”
“But why?”
“Safety. For times like that little incident.”
“Isn’t that illegal or something? How did you find me?”
“I went looking for you when you didn’t come home. I brought my gun, just in case. And I was right. You almost gave me a heart attack when I found you with that awful man.”
Her eyes are glazed over, as if recalling some memory.
“I love you so much.”
I give her a huge hug, and more tears fall down my cheeks.
I then fall back onto my bed.
“You have great aim, you know, Mom. Like a pro.”
“Why thank you.”
I beam at her, until I realize something.
“Wait. Does anyone know about this, Mom?”
She smiles knowingly.
“The whole town knows, honey. Word got around pretty fast. In fact, about your whole grade is outside in the waiting room now.”
“Oh no!”
“What?”
“Ugh. The last thing I need is for my classmates to be pitying me.”
“You say that like it’s a bad thing.”
“It is! You know I don’t like the attention!”
“Sorry honey. But they care, and they’re worried for you. At least let them know you’re okay.’
“Fine. But then can we leave? Please?”
“Sure thing.”
I sigh and cross my arms.
“I want to go home.” I say.
“Me too.”