“Hey, I’m going to get you to the hospital,” I tell him. I decide that since he’s responding and recognizes who I am, I’ll drive him in order to get him to the hospital quicker. It’ll save the time of having to wait for them to make their way through these winding hills only to have to drive him all the way back to the hospital.
So I tell them to expect us, then help Dave up. He’s disoriented and wobbly, but he’s thin and easy to assist into the passenger seat. I get him something to hold against his head, but he seems a bit out of it as I start driving. I call Shepherd and tell him what’s going on as the dogs sniff at Dave in confusion.
“Okay. Please be careful. Don’t show your face. Just let them get him out of the car,” Shepherd says.
God, this is such a fuckup. Should I have waited for them to come? But then what if he’s bleeding internally? No, I can’t risk everything just for that. “I know.”
“Do not go in with them. You immediately leave, got it?” he asks.
He’s making me nervous but I can’t just let Dave bleed to death somewhere. “Yes, I’ll head home right after.”
“Be safe,” he says before we issue our goodbyes, and I turn my attention to Dave.
“Dave, can you hear me?”
His head lolls to the side. “Hmm?”
“Hey, did you fall?” I ask.
He slow blinks at me. “I did?”
“What were you doing?”
Silence for about a full minute. “I don’t know…”
“Do you remember my name?”
“Lucas… although they call you something different on the TV… a strange name… you’re that cop’s son that’s missing.”
I glance away from the road to stare at him in surprise. “What? I don’t know what you’re talking about,” I lie. Shit. Shit. Shit. This day is getting worse by the minute.
“I thought about reporting it… but I don’t think the other one’s holding you there… I think you want to be there.”
“Dave… you can’t tell anyone this. Please, I’m begging you. There are people after me that want to hurt me, and this is the first time I’ve been happy in years. Please, please don’t tell anyone.” I feel so desperate to make him understand.
He gives me a halfhearted wave as he closes his eyes. “I ain’t telling no one or anyone, kiddo.”
“Thank you.”
“You gotta fight for what you want. You gotta tell them what you think before it’s too late. Before they’re gone.”
I look over at him as he mumbles senseless stuff and then drifts off, but his breathing stays steady, so I let him doze as I drive. And I’m left thinking about what he was rambling about. Maybe it was about his wife? About losing his wife and not being able to tell her something before he lost her? That makes my attention stray to Shepherd and I question how much I should tell him. Do I tell him how I feel about him? Do I tell him all the things I left out when we met?
I sigh, unsure of what to do, like normal.
When I reach town, I realize that I don’t have a hood on my shirt, so I scavenge around until I find sunglasses.
“Dave?” I call.
“Hmm?”
“I can’t go in because I can’t have someone recognizing me. But you call me if you need anything.”
“Maybe Esther will drive me home. I’d quite like that. Do you think she likes men with scars?”
“I bet she does,” I say as I pull up to the emergency door. They immediately come out the door to help and before I can do anything, they have Dave up on a gurney as he talks about how pretty Esther is but not a whole lot of it makes a ton of sense. “I’ll take care of Buddy for you.”
“Yeah. Yeah, take good care of Buddy Boy,” Dave says as they start to wheel him off. And before I can throw the car in gear and speed off, someone knocks on the window.
I hesitate before rolling it down and look up at the man wearing scrubs.
“Do you know what happened?”
I try to keep my head tucked down as I fiddle with my phone as an excuse not to look at him. “I think he was hanging birdhouses and fell off his ladder. I just found him. I don’t know. I’m just a neighbor. I found his dog wandering around and went over