Read The Curse of The House on Cypress Lane: Book 0- The Beginning Page 10
Chapter 5
When Chuck delivered the news to Owen about his son, he sprinted to his van and sped toward Main Street. The ambulance’s flashing lights revealed the doctor’s office, where he also spotted their U-Haul parked at a slanted angle, half on the street and half off, blocking three other cars from leaving. Owen parked in front of it, blocking another two cars himself.
Claire and a team of paramedics were in the examination room, hovering over Matt, when Owen entered. They checked Matt’s blood pressure and lungs, placing their stethoscope over a skin that looked a sickly pale grey.
Owen saw the red stains at the corners of his son’s mouth and didn’t even notice Claire groping his arm until she started speaking.
“Owen, he came back.” Tears lingered in her eyes as she sniffled. “He was gone, but he came back.”
Owen shook his head, trying to make sense of his wife’s hysteria. “Came back from what?”
“Your son flat lined, Mr. Cooley.” An elderly man in a white coat spoke up, and Owen saw the name Dr. Talbert inscribed on the upper right breast of the coat. “He was dead for almost a full minute.”
Owen slowly reached for his son’s hand. It was ice cold. “I-I don’t understand.” He turned back to Claire. “What happened?”
“It was a miracle,” Claire answered, hugging Owen with the same wondered surprise in her voice. “Our boy came back.”
“Mr. and Mrs. Cooley?” The paramedic on Matt’s right side removed the Velcro blood pressure strap from Matt’s arm. “We’d like to take your son over to Southern General and run a few tests to make sure he’s all right. It’s just a precaution.”
“Okay. Sure,” Owen said.
“We’ll give you guys a minute, and then we’ll load your son into the ambulance.”
“Thank you,” Claire said.
With the medics, nurses, and doctor gone, Owen gently placed his calloused palm against Matt’s cheek. “How are you feeling, bud?”
Matt’s eyes were half-closed, and his lips barely moved when he spoke. “I’m okay.” The words were cracked and dry like a desert earth. “Is Chloe all right? I saw the snake coming, but I didn’t know if she got away in time.”
Another wave of tears flooded Claire’s eyes, and Owen smiled proudly. “She’s okay. But you need to rest. Try to sleep, all right?”
Matt nodded, and Claire kept hold of his hand while Owen beckoned the medics to return. They loaded him onto the stretcher, Claire hovering over their boy protectively.
“I’m going to ride with him,” Claire said, then looked to the paramedics. “That’s okay, right?”
“Yeah, but we only have room for one more, so we can only take you.”
“It’s fine,” Owen said, touching Claire’s arm. “I’ll follow with Chloe in the van.”
Claire gasped. “Oh my god. I forgot about Dad. He’s still at home. I didn’t even tell him we left. I just got in the van and—”
“Claire,” Owen said. “It’s fine. I’ll go home and check on him. Do you have your phone?”
She nodded.
“Call me if anything changes,” Owen said, giving Claire a reassuring kiss. “I’ll see you guys in a little bit.” Owen retrieved Chloe from the nurses in front while Claire accompanied the paramedics into the ambulance that loaded Matt inside, then quickly sped away.
Chloe didn’t say much, just wrapped her arms around Owen’s neck and buried her face into his shoulder. Her little body was hot, and she quickly formed a Chloe-sized sweat stain on his shirt in the sixty seconds it took to walk her out to the van. He strapped her in the seat and gave her a kiss. “You all right, bug?”
She shook her head.
“I know it was scary, but everyone is safe now.” Owen gently stroked her fine light-brown hair. “The doctors are going to make your brother better, and then we’re all going home together.”
“But what about Grandpa?” Chloe asked, her voice small with her head tilted down.
Owen raised his left eyebrow but kept his tone kind. “What do you mean?”
“Matt said that he might have to go away,” Chloe said, her chin buried in her chest as she picked at the hem of her shirt with a large rainbow over the front. It was one of her favorites. “He said that Grandpa was sick.” She looked up at him, those curious eyes searching her father’s face for reassurance. “Can the doctors make him better?”
“They’re going to try.” Owen kissed her cheek and then climbed behind the wheel. He started the van and headed back to the house, hoping Roger hadn’t gotten himself into too much trouble while he’d been alone.