Window in the Earth Trilogy

by Fish, Matthew

  “I had no idea either,” Kylie added. “My mom told me before she left that the entire Midwest was in danger of flooding.”

  “That’s crazy,” Christopher said as he shook his head. “And all this time I’ve been worrying about it being bad here. We haven’t had it anywhere near as bad as they’ve had it.”

  “Bones is really late today,” James said as he made his way out of the kitchen, a sandwich in his hands. “I wonder what time he’ll finally decide to show up?”

  “You remember last time,” Christopher replied. “He came home so late, and had an entire trunk full of stuff. I had never seen so much new crap at one single moment in my whole life.”

  “Yeah,” James said, shaking his head. “It was like Christmas in here.”

  “Aren’t you worried, about him being gone so long?” Kylie asked.

  “Well, the first time we were,” Christopher said as he stretched his arms out in the air, letting out a brief yawn. “Then once we knew that he had been shopping and doing his own thing the whole day, we figured it was fine.”

  “Yeah,” James said. “He’s pretty much got his own agenda and does whatever he wants. I don’t even think that he believes in keeping to any kind of schedule. Besides, none of the clocks in the house are even remotely right.”

  “I’ve come to notice that,” Kylie said, a smile on her face.

  Outside a vehicle pulled up in the driveway, the gravel underneath the tires crunching and grumbling from the weight of the vehicle. Christopher jumped up to his feet, happy that Bones was finally home. Even though he had expected Bones to be late, he couldn’t honestly say that he hadn’t concerned at all.

  “About time!” James exclaimed as he rose to his feet as well, dusting the crumbs from his sandwich off of his shirt and onto the floor. “I wonder what he went out and did today…?”

  A loud, demanding knock came to the door, and Christopher paused at the door for a moment. Bones wouldn’t knock. He turned back to James and Kylie, giving the two a puzzled look.

  “Maybe he forgot his keys,” James replied, shrugging his shoulders.

  “Then how did he drive the truck?” Christopher asked as he shook his head.

  Kylie quickly ran to the picture window, peering out into the night to try and identify who was outside as the rapping on the door continued. “I think that’s Jack Olen’s truck—it should be all right.”

  Christopher unlocked the front door, cautiously opening it up to see who was behind it. He gulped deeply as he looked at the very big man at the other end of the door. This was definitely not Jack Olen. The man was bald, and had dark, angry-looking eyes. He wore a leather jacket that covered his large frame, and looked as though he would be able to knock down the door if Christopher had not answered it. This is definitely…definitely not Jack Olen, Christopher thought to himself. Maybe this guy beat up Jack Olen and stole his truck, or—

  “Christopher?” the large man asked, pushing his way into the house, causing Christopher to step back nervously.

  “Bill!” Kylie exclaimed, recognizing the large man. “You gave us one hell of a scare.”

  “Sorry,” Bill said quietly, nervously eyeing everyone in the room. He fidgeted around for a moment, almost as though he was having difficulty piecing together what to say. Then finally, he just went and blurted it out. “Bones is in the hospital.”

  “Is he all right?” Christopher asked in shock.

  “I don’t know,” Bill replied as he made his way back out of the door. “You’re all supposed to ride with me though. I’ll take you there.”

  “Where’s he at?” James asked, following behind the big man.

  “They’ve got him up at Lakeland Regional, in Springfield,” Bill said. He opened the passenger door up for the three. “We should be there in about half an hour.”

  “Isn’t it much farther?” Kylie asked.

  “Not how I drive,” Bill replied as he shut the door behind her.

  Christopher’s mind was full of terrible thoughts. Could this be one of the bad things that Alena had warned him about? He had really hoped that it wasn’t. He couldn’t deal with anymore tragedy in his life, especially with so many other things going on.

  “Seatbelts,” Bill said. He put the truck into gear, causing it to jump a bit.

  James was sitting next to Bill. He turned to him and asked anxiously, “Bill, are you Jack’s…?”

  “I’m Jack’s partner,” Bill answered. He mashed his foot down on the gas, causing the vehicle to lurch forward, the tires spinning as dust and rock shot from the back tires. “The name is William Walker.”

  Christopher thought about the name for a moment. It was not the first time he had heard about Bill. However, it was definitely the first time he had actually heard his last name, Walker. Bones had always called him “Bill something-or-other.”

  “Do you know what’s wrong, Bill?” Kylie asked, deeply concerned. She was sitting back in her seat, and was tightly gripping Christopher’s leg in apparent shock at Bill’s driving.

  “Jack didn’t say,” Bill said quietly. “I’m sorry, I don’t know more…. I’m kind of out in the dark on this one, you know.”

  Bill sped the truck through the forest, making Christopher almost nauseous at every turn and hill they took. He wondered if his stomach would allow him to make it all the way to Springfield, or whether or not at some point it would simply abandon his body in protest. He gripped onto Kylie’s hand, hoping that he was not squeezing too tightly.

  “I’m worried,” Kylie whispered over to Christopher, squeezing his hand in return. “About Bones….”

  “Me too,” Christopher whispered.

  Christopher looked off in the distance. The sky ahead was lit a dull red from the bright lights of Springfield. The closer they approached the more nervous and anxious Christopher began to feel. He wished he could be there already, and see Bones. However, on the other hand he wished he was farther away from the hospital, so the worry in his heart wouldn’t be so great. Christopher watched through the window in silence. All around him were things so familiar, yet so alien to him now. Things like streetlights and gas stations passed by, and for once Christopher realized that he really hadn’t missed all these busy things at all. The constant streams of traffic, all of the bright lights of industry and business, and the sounds of a city full of people. He had seemingly forgotten about this world, or had this world forgotten about him? Either way, he felt strange being in a city again. It looked so similar to Bloomington; it felt as though it could have been his former home. Yet at the same time this place felt as far away from home as he could possibly get.

  “This is it,” Bill said. He pulled the truck up to the hospital entrance. “Ask for room 504. I’ll meet you up there after I park this thing.”

  “All right,” Kylie whispered as she opened the passenger door, being the first one to step out.

  “Thanks, Bill…,” Christopher said as he stepped down from the truck and into the outside world. The sounds of the city were all around him and full in his ears as he followed Kylie into the main building.

  James shut the door behind him, hurrying to catch up to the two, and once he did he said, “It’s so strange being here.”

  “I know what you mean,” Christopher said, looking around. It was strange for everything to feel so alien when it used to be so familiar. The noises of the city seemed way too loud, and the lights far too bright. It was as if he had been away from a city for years instead of just a week or so. Maybe it was just because he had gotten so comfortable in Pine Hallow. “It’s so busy,” he added.

  The three quickly made their way into the hospital, searching for any kind of sign to guide them. After stopping for a moment to ask a nurse, they walked over to the closest elevator.

  The strange smell of the hospital bothered Christopher. It was strange that even the smells here were so different and alien to him. As he stood in the elevator, he glanced to James and then to Kylie. They both looked as worried and
concerned as he felt. Christopher wondered why he worried so much; after all, they didn’t even know anything yet. Maybe it was not knowing that was most troubling.

  “Are you okay?” Kylie asked, reaching out for Christopher’s hand. She must have noticed that he was very nervous.

  Christopher took her hand. “I don’t know.…”

  “I’m sure things will be okay,” James said, wrapping an arm around both Christopher and Kylie. “Let’s go find him.”

  They navigated their way down the pale white maze of corridors and rooms, finally coming upon room 504. Standing outside of the room with a large cell phone to his ear was Jack Olen. He was dressed in his nice black trench coat, and underneath he was wearing some kind of business suit. He quickly nodded to Christopher, Kylie, and James, saying into the phone: “I’ll have to let you go now.”

  Jack reached his hand out to greet the three, taking turns shaking each hand firmly. He finally said, “I’m glad you guys are here.”

  “How is he?” Christopher asked first, his hands sweaty and anxious.

  “I don’t know how much you know…,” Jack nervously replied, rubbing his short black beard, “…but I don’t think it’s good.”

  “We don’t know anything,” James said, a grim look washing over his face. “He never let on that he was even sick.”

  “He is,” Jack quietly answered, shaking his head. “He has been sick for a while. I’ve known about it for about three months now or so. We didn’t expect it to ever get bad—at least not so soon.”

  “It’s bad?” Kylie asked, sounding forlorn. “How bad is it?”

  “The way it’s spread…,” Jack said, taking in a deep breath, “…they don’t think he’ll make it through the night.”

  “What?” Christopher nearly yelled, in complete shock. Bones had never even hinted to anyone that he was sick, and now he wasn’t expected to make it through the night? It just seemed so unfair, and made him feel so angry and frustrated that he wished he could just tear the whole place apart in a rage he himself couldn’t quite understand.

  “No…,” Kylie whispered, her mouth open and her arms slung across her chest as if she was hugging herself. “No….”

  “Why didn’t he even tell us?” James asked, sounding more angry than upset. “He should have said something! It’s just not fair.…”

  “I’m so sorry…,” Jack whispered as he hung his head down, eyes closed. “This is my fault, too; I was the one who helped arrange for you guys to stay with your grandfather. We both thought that there would be years of time, not days.”

  “It’s all right,” James said, kicking the hospital wall. “No one else in the family wanted us anyway.”

  “Don’t think of it like that,” Jack said, placing a hand on James’s shoulder. “He felt so bad about what happened to you, and that he had never spent time with you when your parents were alive. He just wanted to make up for all the time he had lost.”

  “I just can’t believe it,” Kylie whispered. She reached over, drawing Christopher close to her. “He has been so happy lately.”

  “He’s been so active that I couldn’t even tell he was sick.” Christopher quietly sobbed, and a tear came streaming down from his eyes. “I didn’t even know….”

  “Not knowing kept you all happy,” Jack answered. He brought out a handkerchief from his pocket, wiping Christopher’s tear away from his face. “He didn’t want you to spend your time there worrying about him, or what might happen to him. He felt that you guys had been through enough, and had enough things of your own to worry about.”

  “Well, he’s putting us through it now,” James said, frustrated. “Telling us didn’t help anything at all, now we’re going to have to go through it all over again.”

  “James…,” Kylie said, trying her best not to cry. “That’s not fair. He didn’t know.”

  “I don’t care,” James said as he stormed off. “Now we’re just back were we started! We’ve got nobody left! Can’t you see that?”

  “James!” Christopher cried, going after his brother. He had never seen James act this way, it terrified him. “Don’t…”

  “I’ll talk to him,” Jack replied, holding Christopher close to him. “Don’t worry, I’ll talk to him. It’s best if you see Mathias one at a time. You go first, okay? I’ll go make sure James is all right.”

  Tears flowing from his eyes, Christopher simply nodded in reply.

  “Here…,” Jack said, handing a handkerchief to Christopher. “Don’t let him see you cry. He is being as brave as he possibly can, so promise me you’ll try to be your bravest as well.”

  “I promise,” Christopher whispered, wiping away the tears from his eyes and trying to strengthen his expression.

  Kylie gave him a hug, resting her head on his shoulder for a moment. Christopher could feel the wetness of her eyes as she cried.

  Christopher opened up the door to Bones’ hospital room. He paused for a moment to try and strengthen himself against the sadness that was deep within him, and then continued inside. In an almost dizzy, dreamlike state Christopher slowly made his way to Bones, who lay motionless in the hospital bed, tubes coming from his chest and an IV running from his hand. The sight alone was enough just enough to make Christopher almost lose it again completely.

  “Christopher…,” Bones whispered, slowly opening his eyes and turning his pale face laboriously in Christopher’s direction. “I’m glad you could come.”

  Christopher took a deep breath. He was in a state of complete shock. Bones did not look even remotely like his normal self. He had seen Bones just that very same morning, and already Bones looked completely different. His skin was paler, his eyes red and dim. His voice, which was usually strong and deep, seemed brief and quiet.

  “I’m sorry…,” Christopher whispered, not knowing exactly what else to say. “I didn’t know.”

  “Of course you didn’t know,” Bones said, attempting a smile. “I’m just sorry that I didn’t tell you. I just thought that there was so much time left, that we’d have more time to talk about things later….”

  “I know why you didn’t,” Christopher whispered. He carefully pulled up a nearby chair to sit beside Bones. “I just wish that you weren’t here. I just want you to be back home with us.”

  “I know…,” Bones said quietly. He took another deep breath, releasing it with a loud cough. “I thought we had all the time in the world to become a family. I knew that one day this might happen, but I thought it was years, or even a year…a year is such a long time. Compared to this, a year is a lifetime.…”

  “I’m happy for the time we have had though,” Christopher said, trying to think of something to say to comfort Bones.

  “That’s true,” Bones said, trying to laugh. “What a strange week it has been, too, right?”

  “Right,” Christopher said, forcing a smile, although he felt as far away from smiling as one could feel. “We found Alena; she thanked us for what we did for her.”

  “Good…,” Bones said, slowly nodding his head. “If it weren’t for her, we might have died on that day in the storm. Although I may not have had a lot of time with all of you, I’m glad that I could have the time that I had. I’m content with what I was given.”

  “I don’t want you to die…,” Christopher whispered, his voice breaking for a moment. He could no longer hold it back. He quickly wiped away the tears forming in his eyes.

  “I want us all to be together too,” Bones said with effort. Tears came from his eyes as well. “I’m just sorry that it won’t happen. But I don’t want you to be so sad for me; I’ve done a lot of things. I’ve loved, I’ve lived…I’ve gotten to know my grandsons, the two people that I’ve regretted not meeting for my entire life.”

  “Why didn’t we ever meet before?” Christopher whispered with a hand at his eyes to hold back any tears that might come.

  “Me and your father…we didn’t get along,” Bones said as he shook his head. “Pride—it was all pride on both of
our parts. It was such a stupid thing for us to do. It was such a stupid thing for us to do to you and your brother.…”

  Christopher stood up and stepped closer to Bones’ bedside. He reached down, careful of the IV, and held on to Bones’ hand. He could no longer hold back any tears, and did not care to do so any longer. “I am glad that we met,” he said. “I am so thankful for every moment and for everything that you have done for us. Thank you, grandpa.…”

  Bones brought his free hand up to his eyes to hide the tears that came streaming down. He let out a cry as he squeezed Christopher’s hand tighter. “Thank you, Christopher…thanks for everything. Thank you for every moment.”

  Christopher slowly released Bones’ hand. So many tears were streaming down his face that there wasn’t even a point to attempting to hide them. He stepped back a few paces. “Are you ready…to see the others?” he asked.