Saving Della Ray

“Bone!” someone yelled as he ran over. “Is he all right?”

“He will be!” I muttered. I was concerned about moving him and wanted to call an ambulance, but when he started to lose consciousness, I knew I couldn’t wait. I jumped up. “Get me a car from somewhere!” I shouted.

“You’re bleeding, Bone. You’ve been hit too.”

I looked to my arm and saw a bullet had burst into one side and come cleanly out on the other. I had no horror of death, so I glanced at the red blood pouring out of my arm and felt nothing but annoyance. “I’m fine,” I said and held on to my arm as I rose to my feet.

Someone’s car, probably poor father James’s was commandeered for our use, and Junho was transferred carefully into it. There didn’t seem to be any other casualties as everyone else had been quick to respond.

His attention had been on me, and mine had been on the past.

My arm had begun to throb as I shut my eyes and rode with Junho’s unconscious body. You should have stayed a bit longer on cater-for-the-old-hag duty, Junho.

Della Ray

Saturdays were supposed to be for picnics … but we hadn’t been on one for many months now. In fact, since Jess got sick and I had to work two jobs to pay the bills, there had been no time for picnics.

For the last few days, Jess had appeared a bit down and not as bright as was usual. I kept asking her if she was well but all she did was nod or give me one of her heartbreakingly radiant smiles.

I couldn’t take it any longer, so I requested a break from the diner and forced both her and Nichole out to the park in Brookside. Jess and I immediately headed for the sandpit and began to build sandcastles while Nichole had lain down to bask in the sun with music blasting in her ears. At least, until a corgi ran over to her and began licking her face.

She shrieked at the sudden attack and both Jess and I fell to each other laughing. There would never exist a greater way to send a clear message to someone to join in on the fun. The corgi ran, more alarmed than Nichole, so Jess and I hopped over to her and sat together to have our lunch of the most delicious ham and tomato sandwiches.

Early evening came around too soon. It was almost time for me to start getting ready for my shift at Sinkhole, so we returned home.

Nichole immediately began to do the laundry while I put Jess to bed before quickly baking some cookies for Jess’s lunchbox tomorrow.

The first batch of cookies were ready. They smelt so divine and I couldn’t resist biting into one. That was the precise moment when the doorbell rang. I didn’t want it to wake Jess up so I hurried to the door. I pulled it open and the chocolate chip cookie left my mouth and fell to the ground.

His gaze fluttered down to it and then back to me, while mine fluttered over to first the sling that suspended his right hand, and then the spotting of blood on it. I opened my mouth to speak but nothing would come out. So I snapped it shut and just waited for him to help me to make sense of why he was injured and in front of my house.

“I want your help,’ he said to me.

“My help? How?”

“As much time as you can spare. Everything hurts. I also need to get out of these damn boots.”

I looked down at the dusty leather. There was blood on them too.

“Even bending down to get at these is pure hell,” he continued. Something different echoed in his voice. A kind of dumb pain.

My eyes flowed back up his body to his face. I noticed how pale he looked.

“Will you help me? I don’t want to be alone. A kid nearly died in my arms today.”

My mouth fell open in a silent gasp.

“Please,” he coaxed.

“I-I- have work in an hour,” I croaked.

“An hour is fine.” He nodded.

“Uh,” I said indecisively.

“I won’t touch you. I just want to be with you for a while.”

I looked into his eyes and the despair in them made me forget everything Gloria and Allan had said. “Do you have a home? Apart from your … club house, I mean. You live there, right?”

“I have a small house,” he murmured.

“Let’s go there, then,” I said, pulling my work bag, from the side table and took a step forward.

He looked at me as though he was shocked that I had agreed. His gaze went down my jeans and simple T-Shirt and down to my bare feet.

He frowned. “Aren’t you going to put on some shoes?”

“If I go back in I won’t come back out,” I replied.