Page 5 of Lost Little Boy
I checked my rideshare app to see all cars were delayed by an hour, so what could I say? “Okay. Thanks.”
We drove out of the airport and headed northbound onto the George Washington Parkway. When the cab merged onto Route 50 West, everything came to a screeching halt. Obviously, there was a problem on the highway ahead. Lights were flashing everywhere.
I leaned forward to the driver as a mild case of panic set in at the wrath of Junior awaiting me. I didn’t want to be a prick to the driver, but I had to ask. “So, is there any hope for getting to Courthouse in ten minutes?”
I didn’t appreciate his loud guffaws.
“Okay, uh, I’ll get out here and walk the rest of the way.” I handed a hundred through the plexiglass and grabbed my carry-on, dodging honking cars and hoofing it up the 14thStreet ramp, taking the most uncomfortable jog of my life in my new—now ruined—Bruno Magli loafers.
I turned down Fairfax Drive to cut down the alley behind the Liberty Building. I got to the stairs of the loading dock when…thwack!
“Look at the shoes. Take ’em.”
“Get the coat off him. Grab the duffel bag.”
Everything faded to black.
“Hello?”
“Help me…” My eyes fluttered open and looking back was the most beautiful set of brown eyes I’d ever seen before a bright light flashed in my eyes.
“I’m Perry. I’m going to get you some help. Stay with me, please.”
The sound of a male voice was beautiful…
“Can you open your eyes for me?”
My head was going to roll off my shoulders, I was sure, because of the pounding inside it. I opened my right eye to see a woman in a white coat with a flashlight that nearly blinded me again.
“Shut that damn thing off. Where am I?” My throat was dry, and my voice was hoarse. What the fuck happened to me?
“You’re at Virginia Hospital Center. You were found in an alley behind the Liberty Building. Someone hit you in the back of the head with something that fractured your skull. They stole your stuff, if you had anything with you. Luckily, the janitor found you and the security guard knew who you were. They called an ambulance.” She raised the top of the bed and eased me into a sitting position.
The room spun, and I immediately gagged. She grabbed a plastic basin, and I threw up. The hacking and coughing weren’t attractive. She gave me a drink to rinse my mouth and took the pan away before returning to stand by the bed.
She patted my shoulder before turning on a light that she aimed toward the ceiling so it wasn’t too bright. “You’ve got twenty stitches back here. You have a skull fracture with a grade two concussion. You were unconscious off and on, but not too long, so we don’t have the worry of a severe brain injury.”
“How long have I been here? Did they take my wallet and my duffel?” The window shades were closed, so I had no idea if it was day or night… or, moreover,whichday or night.
“It’s early Saturday morning. You’ve been here for about eight hours, and we’ve been waking you up every hour or so. You might not remember it, but that’s normal. The neurologist had a CT scan performed, and there’s a small amount of swelling, but nothing of long-term concern. You came in with the clothes on your back and nothing else. We’ll release you in a few hours.”
“Are my parents here?” Surely, someone would have informed my mother and father I was in the hospital.
“They just left. They’ll be back in a few hours to pick you up. There’s a young man in the waiting room named Larry. He claims to be the guy who found you in the alley. You want me to send him back?”
“I, uh, I don’t know anyone named Larry, so I’d say no.” I lowered the bed and turned on my side to sleep more. Going to my parents’ house to recuperate would be bad enough. I wasn’t in the mood to talk to someone I didn’t know.
Chapter Three
Perry
“Larry?” I glanced at the nurse who’d told me to sit in the ER waiting room while she asked Mr. Grassley the third if I could come back. I just wanted to see if he was okay. The hospital staff wouldn’t tell me anything about the man’s condition becauseI wasn’t family.
“Perry?” I asked.
She smiled. “Yes, I’m sorry. I misheard you. Mr. Grassley needs his rest. I’m sure he’s grateful. You’re a good guy, Larry.”
“Perry. Thanks for trying.” There went three hours of my life I’d never get back.
