Her Escape

As he guided Jade down into a stiff wooden chair, she could hear him sniffle discreetly. His breathing was growing more abstract with each passing second, warm salty droplets soaked themselves into the top of her skull, Mikey was crying. Jade had never seen Mikey break down to such a lucid venerable point. She slowly plucked her weighted head from his chest and gazed into his hazel eyes. Searching for a way to make his pain disappear, to be able to tell him everything was going to be ok and mean it.
The orbs that were once so full of life and passion, gaped back now, drowning in dark, dishonorable colors. Outlines in puffy, red, chafed, raised skin; his lashes clumped together with minutely seized beads of water, as tears streamed down over the fine features of his face.
Utter helplessness washed over her body as she wrapped her arms around the love of her life’s neck. She could feel worry radiating off his body in thick waves; he was terrified he would lose his brother. Feeling the density of his pain, she knew she had to get herself together for his sake. Harnessing all the anguish and pain that was capitalizing her body, she regained control of her emotions and got the strength to lie “He’s going to be OK, Gee wouldn’t give up that easy. He is going to make it through this, I promise,” she whispered in his ear.
Just as the words escaped her lips, Bob and Frankie came racing into the stale atmosphere of the NYC emergency room. When it registered in Frankie’s head just how wounded Mikey and Jade were, his first reaction was to cradle Jade in his arms and tell her everything was going to be OK. Ever since the day they meet Frankie had been looking out for and protecting Jade. They had developed this unwavering bond that only grew strong as they spent more time together; Frankie was the big brother she wish she had, he gave her a sense of family. That sense and hope was exactly what she needed in that moment.
Bob walked over to Mikey and gave him a tight grip hug “Hey man, how is he?” which was a big display of affection for him. “They just took him in, we don’t know anything yet.” Mikey’s answering voice was low and monotone.
“Come on why we all don’t sit, there is nothing we can do, but wait.” Frankie spoke with obvious remorse and struggle.
Jade moved from the arms of Frankie, which offered family, to the arms of Mikey, which offered love, safety, and security. The four of them sat and waited for something to change in the rhythm of the hospital that frightened Jade. The white purity and finalization of what happened here made her cringe.
“Has anyone called Ray? Mr. and Mrs. Way? Brian?” Bob broke their deadly silence first.
“We couldn’t get in-touch with Ray or Brian. The Donna and Donald are on their way here now,” Jade uttered back in a hushed tone from behind her blockade. “I’m going to go try and get in touch with them now,” She continued exiting the fortress of Mikey’s arms and standing on her own.
“Want me to come with you?” Mikey asked, expecting it to be rhetorical, beginning to rise from his chair.
“No, it’s alright. I need some air,” she gave a fake smile, not convincing anyone and walked back down the long hall back out the door she came.
Frankie watched her walk away with cautious eyes, waiting for her to shatter to the ground. But when she made it out the door, he turned to Mikey concern striking his features “Hey Mikey is she going to be alright? I’m worried about her.”
“She’s really shaken up; I mean she’s the one that found him. Damn it! I should have gone with her” Mikey’s self inflicted anger was evident.
“None of this is your fault. She is young and has been through things no one should ever have to experience. She is our baby; we all want to protect her. I’m going to go talk to her.” Frankie got up and walked in the same direction Jade had. As he walked he watched his surroundings, taking notice to details and the actions of others. The gossiping nurses that sent his questionable glances, the doctors that passed with their clip boards, the looks of exhaustion and drive in the eyes of the interns, the pale perry pink plastic trim that lined the middle of the white walls. Till he reached the automatic, mostly glass, sliding doors that lead to the rest of the world; he peered out but did see Jade.
At this moment panic began to bubble through his veins, as he burst through the doors that couldn’t open fast enough, his eyes darted right, left, and right again; till finally he spotted a sobbing girl over in the corner. She had wedged herself in a tight space between two stone walls, she cried with her hands covering her face. Frankie dashed over to her. He knew it was Jade, there was no doubt in his mind to that fact.
He was not able to sit next to her, but he stood in-front, and with an out-reached hand spoke words that he believed to be true, that he wanted to be true, but in reality had no control over. “Don’t worry; we will never leave you alone.”
Jade wanted to believe him, needed to believe him. She needed to have faith in something, so she took his hand and stood up into his arms. He gently soothed the tears off her cheeks with his rough callused fingers. “Come on baby, lets get you inside before the clouds open up on us.” Jade nodded her head, shivering slightly. The skies were dark, threatening to deploy heavy thunder storms; cold air filled the open spaced between objects.
“Here put this on,” Frankie insisted, sliding his crimson red sweat-shirt over his head and pushing it towards Jade, who accepted the gesture with-out a fuss. “Thanks,” a whisper was all her voice was capable of at that time.
She slowly glazed her arms through the lenient, cozy sleeves and tossed the rest around her small body. The tender and forgiving scent of Frankie made a slight smile creep across her face, but only for a moment. For then she remembering the situation at hand, and guilt filled her heart for letting the expression show.
Just as Frankie began to guide Jade back into the hospital, they heard a scared, desperate voice call from behind them. Jade looked up from the path of her feet just long enough to see Mrs. And Mr. Way’s terrified faces as a reflection in the glass down that lay directly in-front of her. Jade and Frankie turned; she was unable to control her emotions, tears poured from her eyes. She saw just how worried and caring Mrs. Way was, and the strong yet confiding eyes of Mr. Way made her remember that she no longer had a family that loved her.
When she was broken in the hospital, it was seven strangers were the ones who were waiting in the waiting room. It was seven strangers that saved her life, seven strangers that nursed her back to health. Jade found herself wondering, who would truly miss her if she died. Besides those seven guys, who would notice she was missing from the world?
Suddenly this sensation came over her entire body, like someone was griping every last gasp of breath from her lungs. This unwilling emotion crept itself into her being, she was drowning in the blood of every person she cared about. People was died, everyone she loved always left, she couldn’t let that happen to them, to Gee. They meant to much to her, and in Jade’s mind they were safer if they never saw her again.
With that thought the skies opened up and hell fell down from the heavens on the un-expecting world. Electricity tore through the horizon, as Jade began to run. She didn’t know where she was running to or why she no longer had control over her legs. She was across the parking lot, when Frankie’s voice trialed into her consciousness. “Jade no! Come back! Jade!” he screamed. He sounded so desperate. But her entire body was completely numb, his words didn’t register in her head.
When Jade didn’t come back at his plea, Frankie ran inside to Mikey “Mikey…Mikey, Jade took off,” he gasped between short breathes.
“What do you mean she took off?!” his voice was solid and fearful
“She jus started running. She was going to come inside but then she just took off… I tried calling her, but she wouldn’t come back. “
“I have to find her, before she does something stupid. She isn’t herself.”
Mikey, was already on his feet at Frankie’s approach. He grabbed his sweat-shirt and darted for the door, Frankie, dripping wet, was right behind him. “What are you doing?” Mikey shot an angry glance back at Frankie, but it didn’t intimidate him.
“I’m coming with you. We have a better chance of finding her if there is two of us,”
“Fine, lets go.”
They both ran through the wretched, pouring rain, on the city streets. Screaming her name, searching every face and every ally way; praying to spot that intense brightness of Frankie’s red sweat-shirt.
Jade continued to run as fast has her body would allow. All she could hear was her heart pounding wildly from the increase in physical activity and strain and he lungs wheeze and shriek from her asthma. All she could see was her father’s crash, her cousin’s accident, her mother sick and dying alone in the hospital, and finding Gerard in the back ally. All these horrific images taking over and playing unwillingly like a slide-show in her head. It was like she was tied to a chair, forced to watch all her worst memories played on the silver screen. All her fault. As she ran she wept, pain shot threw her leg where she was stabbed with every stride, but she kept running.
She finally ceased at a bridge, gazing out upon the dark horizon. Lighting struck twice just inches apart. She sat down on the edge, sticking her small aching legs through the rungs of the hand ladder. She didn’t move even a muscle for hours, just staring at the water, the waves swelling larger, crashing on the shores.
People stopped momentarily and watched her, but they always moved on. The storm got worse, and winds picked up. It was now a category three hurricane, most power was down, and little traffic was on the treacherous roads.
She hauled her body off the bitter, drenched cement and continued to run. She ran until she came to in the intersection that stole her father’s life. She set her body down in the middle of the road and watched the black traffic light sway in the torturous winds.
After hours of searching every street in the city, Mikey had an epiphany. He immediately hailed a cab and called Frankie, “Frank, I think I know where she went…to where her father was killed…I’m on my way now, go back to the hospital and I’ll call you when I find her….bye man.”
Mikey urged the cabie to go as fast as he could, but the stubborn man mumbled incoherently about the weather under his breath, and only speed up slightly. With the heavy rain and early darkness, the driver didn’t see Jade until the last minute when Mikey screamed for the back seat, and he swerved the car to the right.
As soon as the car slowed enough Mikey leapt from the door and raced to Jade’s still body. She hadn’t so much as flinched at the sight of the speeding yellow taxi, or the sound of the shrieking breaks.
“Jade…Jade…Please…..Please just speak to m,” tears began to pour form his eyes, mixing with the rain drops that already existed on his cheeks as he clutched her still body to his chest.