ONE NIGHT....17

Brandon had been driving around for what seemed like hours when his phone rang.  He immediately snatched it up not looking at the caller id.

 “Donna”?

 “It’s Vanessa.”

 “Vanessa, what’s wrong?”

 “I need you to come to the River Oaks Memorial as soon as possible.”

 “Why what happened?”

 “Jason was brought in with gunshot wounds, and I was already here when I called his cell, and the nurse answered, then I came down to emergency and all these doctors and nurses was in this room and more  nurses came then doctors and it…”

 “Vanessa, slow down, you’re rambling I can barely make out what you are saying.”

 “Brandon just please come to the hospital, Jason has been shot. Please come right now.”

 Before Brandon could say another word, the line was disconnected.  Damn Vanessa said that Jason was shot, not dead.  But his main concern was Donna; he still could not reach, or find her.  Maybe she just wanted to be alone and clear her head.  Brandon made a u-turn, and headed for the hospital on the other side of town.  30 minutes later he pulled in to the parking lot of the hospital.  The whole time he was driving there he was hoping he would get here and be told that Jason was dead.  He was surprised though to how quickly Anthony came through for him.  He knew he could count on his brother to handle the situation for him.  He wondered if he would ever see Tony again.  He doubted it but, you never know.  He walked into the emergency room.

 “Hello I’m Brandon West. I’m here about a gunshot victim that was brought in here.”

 The nurse looked up at him, and said...

 “We had only two gunshot victims tonight, let me get an orderly to talk to you. Have seat there in the waiting room.”

Meanwhile….

Downstairs in the hospital morgue, an orderly was cleaning up the blood form the body of a gunshot victim he just cleaned.  One bullet had gone right through one of the lungs, the other was removed from the chest cavity.  He felt sorry for the family.  In a bin on the table were the belongings found on the victim. A cell phone and a wedding ring.  He was about to slide the drawer close, when the phone rang.  The nurse upstairs told him the relative of the gunshot victim was here to identify the body.  He informed her he would be right up.  He took off his gloves and rubber apron. Then he removed the rubber boots and left the room.

Brandon was on the phone trying again desperately to reach donna when the orderly walked up to him.

 “I’m Tom I will be taking you to identify the body. If you could please follow me?”

Brandon nodded his head because he was leaving a message on the phone for Donna, telling her to call him back when she got the message, because Jason had been hurt.  He did not want to tell her over the phone that Jason was dead. He would wait till he saw her.  He hung up and tried again. Once off the elevator the orderly named tom led him to a room through some swinging doors.  It’s shameful to admit it but Brandon was almost giddy with the knowledge of seeing Jason laid out on a cold slab, with what he hoped was a bullet through his fucking head.  The orderly wheeled over a gurney and was about to pull the covers back when he said something that made Brandon’s heart stop.

 “I’m really sorry for your lost sir.  It’s a shame what happened to her.”

 “Her?”

 The orderly pulled back the covers and Brandon’s world ended.  There lying on the gurney was his beloved Donna.  Brandon let out the most guttural painful yell and collapsed in tears over her body.  He could not believe what was happening, how did this happen?  How did his angel end up here?  Brandon could not think.  All he could do was hold his Donna in his arms and sob.