The Truth About Heaven
Two
Frank sat outside the ICU, wringing his hands furiously. The nurses rushed in and out, muttering in an indecipherable code. Finally, Frank managed to stop one of them.
“Wait. Is she okay?” he asked desperately.
“Is who okay son? There’s a few ‘she’s’ in there.” The nurse replied.
Frank rummaged through all the information in his head, trying to remember her name. He was sure Gerard had said it.
“Sarah!” he cried suddenly, the name springing up clear.
The nurse pursed her lips and stared Frank down.
“Sarah who?” she asked, realizing Frank wasn’t a next of kin.
“Please.’ Frank begged, trying his best to look desperate. ‘I need to know how she is. I’m, I’m her boyfriend. But we’ve only just started dating.”
The Nurse looked at Frank piteously, and finally took him to the side of the corridor.
“Her name’s Sarah Cahill. Age 18. Overdosed on Cocaine. If anyone asks, you’re her boyfriend. And you had better hope to god you weren’t the one that got her into this mess. Her father ain’t a kind man.” The nurse warned, as she slowly opened the door to the ICU.
Frank wandered into the dark room, guilt running through his body. He had caused a young girl to overdose on Cocaine. How could he be so cruel and heartless? He took a seat next to the girls sleeping, still body and placed a hand on her wrist.
It could’ve been worse, Frank reasoned with himself. He might not have found her in time if he had let his stubbornness get in the way. Maybe he really did need to see some help for it. Like Jamia suggested when he left for the east coast tour. He felt his stomach tighten as he thought about her. He missed her so much. It was going to be hard going back to sign the papers.
But right now, his main focus was the girl before him.
He studied her hand. It was miniscule. She had the tiniest hands Frank had ever seen. But they were perfect. The nails looked strong and healthy, and a clear gloss had been layered over them. His gaze followed her skin up her slender, tanned arm and Frank wondered if this girl actually ate. Her collarbone was pronounced against her smooth skin, and her chest was adorned with monitors attached, monitoring the life left in her.
Her hair was shoulder length and an unusual brown colour. It looked almost purple. Her face was rounded and young looking, unscarred and clean.
Frank let his eyes wander down her chest, past the monitors down to her…
“Who are you?”
Frank’s head snapped up from the girl’s chest and he looked wildly around the room trying to find the owner of the voice. He finally focused on a man standing near the door. He was of an average height and was wearing an expensive looking suit. Frank instantly noticed the similarities between Sarah and the man standing before him, and he made the assumption that he was Sarah’s father.
“I-I-I’m Sarah’s boyfriend.” Frank stuttered out.
“Oh great, she’s now going out with a blundering fool. At least Sam could manage to string sentences together. Even if they didn’t always make sense.” Sarah’s father barked at Frank, not bothering to explain who “Sam” was.
“What happened to her? Were you with her when it happened?” The man demanded and Frank couldn’t help think he was rude for ordering Frank around, without even introducing himself.
“She overdosed on Cocaine. Ah I was there at the time, but I wasn’t with her-”
“Oh so now you do drugs as well. Explains the speech deformity. Did you give her the drugs? Son you had better hope to hell you didn’t.”
Frank cowered back a little unsure of what to say. Everyone around here seemed to know this girls father, except for him. And they all had warned him against him. So now, he was here making threats against Frank, and he was more than a little scared.
“I-I-I-”
“Daddy, he didn’t give me the drugs. I found them in the cellar of the Club.’ Frank turned to see that the girl, Sarah, had woken up. ‘You should be thanking this man. He saved my life.”
“Well, next time you’ll just have to be a little more careful about how hard you party. If you do this again, people might start thinking you’re suicidal. And you wouldn’t want that for Daddy’s reputation would you?” Her father warned in a voice so sweet, it put Fairy Floss to shame.
“Of course not. It was just a little hard partying that’s all.” Sarah said softly as she stared at the ground like a toddler being scorned for drawing on the walls with a marker.
Frank stared at astonishment as her father prepared to leave, without so much as a kiss on the forehead, or a “Hope you feel better soon.” Disgusted, he stood up.
“Sir, I think that you need to take a little more interest in your daughter. This wasn’t a little hard partying. This was a suicide attempt. Can’t you see your daughter needs help?” he said angrily, trying not to raise his voice too high so he didn’t wake the other patients in the ICU.
“I’d watch what you say young man. I take plenty of interest in my Daughter. I buy her anything she wants in exchange for a good image. There is no evidence that this was a suicide attempt. As far as I am concerned, it was a little too much fun, and she’ll be right as rain in a few hours. Discharged by tomorrow at the latest.’ The man looked at Sarah and smiled. ‘This, young man, is the reason sensitive people like you were created. To fill the emotional gap in times like this. As far as I’m concerned, this conversation is over. Bye, bye sweetheart.”
And with that he walked out of the room.
“Wait. Is she okay?” he asked desperately.
“Is who okay son? There’s a few ‘she’s’ in there.” The nurse replied.
Frank rummaged through all the information in his head, trying to remember her name. He was sure Gerard had said it.
“Sarah!” he cried suddenly, the name springing up clear.
The nurse pursed her lips and stared Frank down.
“Sarah who?” she asked, realizing Frank wasn’t a next of kin.
“Please.’ Frank begged, trying his best to look desperate. ‘I need to know how she is. I’m, I’m her boyfriend. But we’ve only just started dating.”
The Nurse looked at Frank piteously, and finally took him to the side of the corridor.
“Her name’s Sarah Cahill. Age 18. Overdosed on Cocaine. If anyone asks, you’re her boyfriend. And you had better hope to god you weren’t the one that got her into this mess. Her father ain’t a kind man.” The nurse warned, as she slowly opened the door to the ICU.
Frank wandered into the dark room, guilt running through his body. He had caused a young girl to overdose on Cocaine. How could he be so cruel and heartless? He took a seat next to the girls sleeping, still body and placed a hand on her wrist.
It could’ve been worse, Frank reasoned with himself. He might not have found her in time if he had let his stubbornness get in the way. Maybe he really did need to see some help for it. Like Jamia suggested when he left for the east coast tour. He felt his stomach tighten as he thought about her. He missed her so much. It was going to be hard going back to sign the papers.
But right now, his main focus was the girl before him.
He studied her hand. It was miniscule. She had the tiniest hands Frank had ever seen. But they were perfect. The nails looked strong and healthy, and a clear gloss had been layered over them. His gaze followed her skin up her slender, tanned arm and Frank wondered if this girl actually ate. Her collarbone was pronounced against her smooth skin, and her chest was adorned with monitors attached, monitoring the life left in her.
Her hair was shoulder length and an unusual brown colour. It looked almost purple. Her face was rounded and young looking, unscarred and clean.
Frank let his eyes wander down her chest, past the monitors down to her…
“Who are you?”
Frank’s head snapped up from the girl’s chest and he looked wildly around the room trying to find the owner of the voice. He finally focused on a man standing near the door. He was of an average height and was wearing an expensive looking suit. Frank instantly noticed the similarities between Sarah and the man standing before him, and he made the assumption that he was Sarah’s father.
“I-I-I’m Sarah’s boyfriend.” Frank stuttered out.
“Oh great, she’s now going out with a blundering fool. At least Sam could manage to string sentences together. Even if they didn’t always make sense.” Sarah’s father barked at Frank, not bothering to explain who “Sam” was.
“What happened to her? Were you with her when it happened?” The man demanded and Frank couldn’t help think he was rude for ordering Frank around, without even introducing himself.
“She overdosed on Cocaine. Ah I was there at the time, but I wasn’t with her-”
“Oh so now you do drugs as well. Explains the speech deformity. Did you give her the drugs? Son you had better hope to hell you didn’t.”
Frank cowered back a little unsure of what to say. Everyone around here seemed to know this girls father, except for him. And they all had warned him against him. So now, he was here making threats against Frank, and he was more than a little scared.
“I-I-I-”
“Daddy, he didn’t give me the drugs. I found them in the cellar of the Club.’ Frank turned to see that the girl, Sarah, had woken up. ‘You should be thanking this man. He saved my life.”
“Well, next time you’ll just have to be a little more careful about how hard you party. If you do this again, people might start thinking you’re suicidal. And you wouldn’t want that for Daddy’s reputation would you?” Her father warned in a voice so sweet, it put Fairy Floss to shame.
“Of course not. It was just a little hard partying that’s all.” Sarah said softly as she stared at the ground like a toddler being scorned for drawing on the walls with a marker.
Frank stared at astonishment as her father prepared to leave, without so much as a kiss on the forehead, or a “Hope you feel better soon.” Disgusted, he stood up.
“Sir, I think that you need to take a little more interest in your daughter. This wasn’t a little hard partying. This was a suicide attempt. Can’t you see your daughter needs help?” he said angrily, trying not to raise his voice too high so he didn’t wake the other patients in the ICU.
“I’d watch what you say young man. I take plenty of interest in my Daughter. I buy her anything she wants in exchange for a good image. There is no evidence that this was a suicide attempt. As far as I am concerned, it was a little too much fun, and she’ll be right as rain in a few hours. Discharged by tomorrow at the latest.’ The man looked at Sarah and smiled. ‘This, young man, is the reason sensitive people like you were created. To fill the emotional gap in times like this. As far as I’m concerned, this conversation is over. Bye, bye sweetheart.”
And with that he walked out of the room.