Sean walked back up the stairs begrudgingly. His night with Chandra was ruined and he probably wouldn’t get any sleep either because of the medical condition of his new crosser, and what did his father mean when he said this one had a lot of heat? All crossers were ‘hot’!
Sean worked hard to get everything ready by six o’clock so when Chandra stopped by they could at least spend an hour together. He set out all manner of bandages, ointments, gauze, antibiotic injections, medications (some of which he had just picked up at the pharmacy), scissors, medical tape and a few other odds and ends. He didn’t know what kind of injuries this crosser would be arriving with, but his father had referred to them as critical, so Sean planned as such.
Six o’clock came and went and Chandra didn’t arrive. Sean paced the living room in anticipation of his fiancée and her reaction to their evening plans being squashed. She’s going to blow a gasket, Sean thought to himself.
Chandra finally arrived at six thirty.
“I’m so angry!” She announced as she stormed past Sean. Her long golden hair flew past Sean’s face. Her delicious perfume trailed behind her in an invisible presence making Sean lose focus. “The stupid girl who was supposed to take the shift at six didn’t show up on time. When she showed up she was all like, ‘I’m sorry, I had to drive my brother to the hospital to get stitches.’ Like that’s my problem or something. Some people don’t have any consideration for others! It’s like, hey, I have a life too, you know.” She took a calming deep breath and her voice softened and turned sickeningly sweet, “But I’m here now so let’s go.”
It never ceased to amaze Sean how Chandra’s personality would titter back and forth with a Jekyll/Hyde kind of intensity. He chose his words carefully, “Chandra, we can’t go anywhere tonight. I’m sorry.”
“What?” Her smile faded from her face.
“I have a new crosser arriving tonight,” Sean hesitantly informed her.
“So soon? It’s too soon… It’s not right… This isn’t fair!”
“I know.”
“This is our night! Doesn’t anyone ever think about us? About me?”
“I’m sorry,” Sean apologized further.
“You will just have to say no. You tell your father no this time.”
“I’m sorry. My father is picking him up right now. Look, I’m not any happier about this than you are,” Sean tried to convince her.
“You always get a week long break. Why not this time?”
“I don’t know it’s apparently an emergency.”
“An emergency, huh? Can it be any more important than our relationship?”
“Chandra,”
“How can we even pretend to be engaged if we never get any time together?”
“I know and I’m sorry, Chandra.”
She pouted as she realized there was no way to win this, “Well, can we at least go grab a bite to eat?”
“No, there isn’t enough time. My father will be back any minute.”
“Your job stinks,” she sulked with her bottom lip jutting out, “like mine.”
Sean didn’t say anything.
“So, that’s it for tonight?”
“I’m sorry Chandra. I’ll make it up to you.” Sean tried to smooth it over.
“Yes, you will.” She whirled around and left the house.
Sean’s mood turned sour with his fiancée storming out like she did. Or perhaps it was only the fact he wouldn’t be getting a break between crossers.
Shortly after seven, Sean saw his father’s car pull in the driveway with Dr. Randall in the passenger seat. The relationship between Dr. Randall and Paul went way back. He was the only doctor Paul trusted to work with their crossers within their home. Dr. Randall kept the Cutler family well stocked with medical supplies and he trained both Sean and Lyndee often on first-aid and basic medical procedures. Sean thought of him as a nice enough man, but not very talkative about his relationship with his parents. Dr. Randall never married and Sean supposed him to be about fifty-five to sixty years old. His white hair and horn rimmed glasses completed his medical professional persona.
Sean went out the back door to offer help to his father.
“Go back in the house, Sean!” Paul nearly yelled.
Sean turned around and went back inside feeling more than a little slighted. He sat in the living room in a chair facing the open staircase, waiting for everyone to come in. After about ten minutes of waiting, the doctor and Paul carried the injured crosser up the stairs and into Sean’s room. Sara went up with them too. Even from the ideal vantage point Sean had, he couldn’t see the new crosser’s face.
As the night hours ticked by, Sean grew more irritated. He and Chandra could have gone somewhere and been back by now. They hadn’t needed him at the house all this time. It aggravated him to no end.
“What are you doing down here?” Sean’s younger brother, Ryan, asked as he came in the front door.
Sean rolled his eyes in abject frustration. “I’ve been kicked out.” Ryan was the last person he wanted to talk to right now. It wouldn’t matter what Sean said, Ryan would find a way to tick him off. Sean seemed to always be frustrated with Ryan these days, due to the fact that Ryan constantly shirked his responsibilities, forcing their mother and father to pick up the slack. And for a twenty year old young man, it was simply unacceptable behavior.
“Why have you been kicked out?” Ryan was intrigued and a half smile lit up his face.
“Not sure. Dr. Randall is helping Mom and Dad with a new crosser. They don’t want me up there.”
“Why not?”
“I don’t know! Weren’t you listening?”
“I’m asking ‘why they don’t’, but you’re saying ‘they just don’t’. What is the reason, Sean?”
Ryan’s idiotic way of thinking was what irritated Sean the most. “Why don’t you go ask them, Ryan?” Sean hoped his brother would feel egotistical enough to actually do it. Then Sean could enjoy a good laugh when Ryan was reprimanded.
“Well, if I were you, I would. But since I’m not you, and the crosser isn’t my responsibility, I have no reason to go ask, do I?” Ryan seemed to love this trite conversation with his brother.
“Don’t you have anything else to do instead of sitting here pissing me off?”
“I already did and I must say, she was fine,” Ryan was already exiting the room as he gloated in his conquest.
That was Ryan in a nutshell; conceited, irresponsible, annoying and rebellious. Ryan’s very DNA seemed to be dissenting. His appearance was nothing like the rest of the family. His dirty dishwater blond hair and light hazel eyes stuck out wildly in the family portraits and he was short; he only stood five foot five inches. There were enough familial traits such as his facial bone structure and hooded eyes to confirm he was a Cutler, he just caught all the other recessive genes.
Ryan’s good looks made it easy for him to find girls, but his over confidence and arrogance pushed them away. Paul often joked that neither of his sons could keep a girl; Sean was always too concerned with other people, and Ryan was always too concerned with himself.
Dr. Randall left at ten o’clock p.m. and Sean was finally allowed to enter his room. His attitude preceded him as he sauntered in, but when he saw the new crosser on the bed, Sean became speechless. All prior frustrations melted away as he examined the badly beaten young teenage boy not more than fifteen or sixteen years old.
Preview of:
The Dictator’s Daughter
by Lorena Angell
Available at Smashwords.com
Discover other titles by Lorena Angell at:
http://lorenaangell.blogspot.com
Twitter: @LorenaAngell1
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Scars Of Defiance Page 21
