Chapter 2
Worried about the boy, Nathan paced, wringing his hands nervously while waiting to be told if he was going to live or die. Finally, he sat down and began looking at the kid’s knife. When he thought about giving it back to him he broke out in a cold sweat. It was six inches of cold steel, the handle was ivory, and it looked as if it had been made for murder. He weighed the knife in his hand, but it was no heavier than a kitchen blade. The weight didn’t matter. Nathan knew it would cut on first contact, even with minimum pressure. Its serrations were like waves, and would go in smoothly and do maximum damage. The thought of it being in the clutches of one so young sent a chill up Nathan’s spine. What the hell was this kid doing with a knife like this? What was his purpose for having it? Was he part of some gang?
Because it was getting late he knew his roommate would be worried, so he pulled his cell phone out, and began punching in numbers. When he finally got him on the phone he spoke softly so no one could hear. “I’m at the hospital…”
“My God, Nathan, what are you doing at the hospital? Are you hurt?”
“Don’t worry, Ryan. I ran into this guy who needed help, and called 911. He’s in with the doctor now.”
“Poor guy,” Ryan answered.
“Say, uh…Ryan, I’ve been thinking.”
“Stop right there, Nathan. I know what you’re going to say.”
“I feel sorry for the guy, man. He doesn’t seem to have anybody.You wouldn’t mind if I bring him home just for a few days would you? Just until he starts feeling better?”
“Nathan, listen to me. You cannot save the world.”
“Just for a little while.”
“Hell, man, this is just like you. Birds, cats, dogs, anything hungry, or in trouble.”
“I know, and you’re right. But Ryan, he has to go somewhere. I think he might be homeless.”
“So, they’ll send him to a shelter.”
“A shelter? That’s no good. He could only stay a couple of weeks. Where’s he gonna go after that? Come on, man, the boy is hurt. He needs help for God’s sake.”
“You called him a boy. How old is he?”
“I don’t know…in his twenties, I guess. Look, I just want to make sure he has a place to stay. If he does, I won’t say a word.”
“I just have a feeling you might be taking on more than you can handle if you try to help this guy.”
“Hey, he might not even like the idea anyway. Something tells me he’s a very independent dude.”
“All right, but the first sign of trouble, out he goes. Okay?”
“Thanks, man. I’ll be home as soon as I can get there. Bye.”
Just then Nathan saw the doctor coming down the hall, and ran to meet him. “So how is he, doc?”
“He’s coming through it okay, which surprises me since he’s lost so much blood. By the way, are you…?
“I’m just…I guess you could call me a friend. I found him and called for help.”
“Good, he needs a friend right now. People don’t realize that medicine is only the first step. An attempted suicide needs to know that someone gives a damn. It gives them the will to live.”
“When can I see him?”
“You can see him now if you want, but don’t stay long. He’s in 523, just down the hall.”
“Thanks doc, thanks very much,” he said before he rushed away.
When Nathan stepped into his room and saw him, his heart melted. He looked like a lost little boy practically buried beneath a mountain of bed clothes. No doubt the boy didn’t expect to ever wake up again. He expected to float down to Hell to face Satan while surrounded by the screams of the dead. He might have even expected to be trapped on Earth as a ghost, or to sleep peacefully for eternity. Instead, he woke up in the same old world that undoubtedly got pleasure out of kicking him in the ass and giving him nothing to look forward to but more of the same.
With hesitation, he spoke. “Hi. I’m…I’m Nathan West. I thought I’d come and see how you’re feeling.”
The dude looked at him through suspicious eyes, and said, “Yeah? Why the hell would you care how I’m feelin’? Since you’re wearin’ street clothes, you can’t be a doctor, so who the hell are you, and how do we know each other?”
“Well, we don’t…know each other, I mean.”
“Then what are you doin’ here?”
“Well, I…uh, happened to be there when you had your…accident.”
“Accident?” He gave a sarcastic chuckle. “Yeah, sure. Accident.”
“You asked for help just before you fell. I called the paramedics, and, well…here you are.”
“Okay, so now that you’ve done your good deed for the day why don’t you just…”
“Look, you bastard,” Nathan said, fed up with the kid’s ungrateful attitude. “This wasn’t some kind of good deed I was doin’ for a patch on my Boy Scout uniform, I saved your fuckin life! If not for me you’d be shakin’ hands with the devil right now. I don’t expect any thanks, a reward, or even a slap on the back, but hey, if you want to kill yourself, be my guest.” He pointed toward the window. “We’re on the fifth floor, so jump. If that’s not good enough for you, just keep talking because if you say one more word, I might be tempted to kill you myself.”
With that he turned to leave.