First, Best and Always

Chapter 50 - A Brother's Strength

The sound of the telephone awakened Chris from his much needed sleep. As he rolled over reaching for the phone every muscle in his body seemed to ache.

“Hello?” he said sleepily, “Rae…is that you?”

“Yes sweetie, it’s me.” “Are you up yet?”

“No, the phone just woke me…is Craig all right?” he said anxiously.

She spoke in a kind of broken pattern, trying to get several points across at once, never really completing any one of them.

“They’re about to take him into surgery… I need you to get dressed…the fluids on his brain….they couldn’t control them… The car will be there to pick you up in about 20 minutes…Ric is going to do the surgery…”

“Rae…tell me the truth…how bad is it?”

The words choked in her throat as she tried, not wanting to distress her brother further, to maintain her composure…

“He’s stable honey, he’s holding on…but I need you to get here as soon as you can.”

“I’m on my way,” he said and quickly hung up the phone. Bounding out of bed he snatched his jeans up from the floor, jumping into them as he scanned the room for his sneakers. Hurrying he stepped into one of them and tucked his shirt under his chin as he hopped his way to the door pulling on the second shoe as he went. Slamming the door behind him he raced down the hallway…

”Hang in there Snoop” he said under his breath, ”I’m coming!”