Categories > Celebrities > 30 Seconds to Mars > These Immortal Streets
Chapter Seventeen
He woke up before the sun did, having slept no more than a couple of hours. He pulled on his coat, pushed back his hair and left out the door. He darted through the streets, ignoring the faces he passed. A homeless man asked for coins, a young girl crying as she paid the price of life with her body, and a dog chasing it's own starved tail. By the time he reached the hospital the sun had already risen in the sky with an incestuous kiss and the Winter wind had picked up.
He looked up at the tall building where his precious daughter was and tried not to feel fear. Tomislav's words repeated themselves over and over in his mind. He tried to disregard them entirely but they stayed with him like a festering wound he couldn't heal. She was going to be alright though, wasn't she?
He let his torn up shoes take him inside the hospital. How he hated this place with its sterility and sickness. He wanted to hide himself from all of it, pretend that it didn't exist. How could he though when he was in the very midst of it?
He spotted the nurse from the day before and anxiously crossed to her. She looked up at him with surprise and then her face fell sadly.
"What's happened?" He demanded, noting her expression change with panic rising inside.
She let out a small sigh and gently took his arm in her hand. "Would you like to see your daughter?" She asked, compassion dancing in her hazel eyes.
He gave a mute nod and allowed her to lead him down the hall into one of the nearby rooms. She gestured him inside, following behind him.
He looked down at his Miranda. Her eyes darted behind their lids and her petal lips were parted. Her little fists were curled up and her soft skin looked delicate beneath the fluorescent light. Her face was flushed and there was saliva trickling on her chin.
"She was so good last night...I don't know what happened." She was trying to speak delicately but the subject pressed harshly in her voice and she almost couldn't bear it.
"What do you mean?" He shot his gaze to her, a million tears creating a sorrowed glaze in his blue eyes. His jaw tightened as he tried to tell himself to just remain calm.
"Her fever started up again...it happened out of nowhere. Nothing changed in her surveillance, I was with her all night." She knew that she wasn't supposed to let her emotions show but it was just a little baby and this man loved his daughter so much.
He let out a gasp of a breath from between his thin chapped lips and he walked towards the bed. He knelt down beside it, lifting his hand and letting it hover above her little head before he finally touched her. Her skin was ablaze with her fever so much that he had to withdraw his hand. He lowered his head to his folded hands and let out another breath which brought on a trail of tears.
'She won't be Jared...she won't be..' 'She was so good last night...I don't know what happened.' There voices replayed in his head, paining him as he tried to understand everything. He wanted to know why this was happening, why he lost everybody he had ever loved in his life. Why his little girl was suffering. Why couldn't it be him that took on her pain? It wasn't fair, she hadn't even lived yet.
He stood up, taking his tears with his hand and looked at the nurse. "Will you continue to watch her?" He asked, his voice ragged as he did.
She nodded. "Of course."
"Thank you..." He whispered before he left the hospital.
Again he ignored his surroundings, not wanting to know who was out here living while his little girl suffered in a hospital bed. He wanted to cry out, wanted to demand that someone do something. But who would hear his case? Him- a lowly, penniless artist who couldn't make a decent life for his daughter.- who would help him? If he asked for help at all she would be taken from him and placed with another family. He refused to let that happen, that would never happen...unless it would save her life.
He took a deep breath and entered the tavern he had gone to the night before. He had no intention of drinking so he waved away the bartenders offer and went to take the table he had sat at before.
He chipped away at the splintered wood table with his nail and tried not to grow impatient. He knew a couple of hours had passed because the groups occupying the place changed. He wanted to get up and leave. Wanted to go back and see if he couldn't help out in some other way. But he stayed, there had to be a way, a reason this man was here.
Finally after a while footsteps approached the table and Tomislav sat down. He looked at Jared with a small smile, a knowing smile. The bartender came quickly and set down a drink for him - which would no doubt be left untouched- and then scurried away.
"I knew you would come...after what happened with your daughter." His voice was almost menacing in the dim, smoke filled tavern.
Jared wanted to demand how the hell he knew Miranda but he bit it back, knowing that this man was the one with the upper hand. So he leaned forward on the table and looked into Tomislav's dark eyes pleadingly.
"I need your help..."
He woke up before the sun did, having slept no more than a couple of hours. He pulled on his coat, pushed back his hair and left out the door. He darted through the streets, ignoring the faces he passed. A homeless man asked for coins, a young girl crying as she paid the price of life with her body, and a dog chasing it's own starved tail. By the time he reached the hospital the sun had already risen in the sky with an incestuous kiss and the Winter wind had picked up.
He looked up at the tall building where his precious daughter was and tried not to feel fear. Tomislav's words repeated themselves over and over in his mind. He tried to disregard them entirely but they stayed with him like a festering wound he couldn't heal. She was going to be alright though, wasn't she?
He let his torn up shoes take him inside the hospital. How he hated this place with its sterility and sickness. He wanted to hide himself from all of it, pretend that it didn't exist. How could he though when he was in the very midst of it?
He spotted the nurse from the day before and anxiously crossed to her. She looked up at him with surprise and then her face fell sadly.
"What's happened?" He demanded, noting her expression change with panic rising inside.
She let out a small sigh and gently took his arm in her hand. "Would you like to see your daughter?" She asked, compassion dancing in her hazel eyes.
He gave a mute nod and allowed her to lead him down the hall into one of the nearby rooms. She gestured him inside, following behind him.
He looked down at his Miranda. Her eyes darted behind their lids and her petal lips were parted. Her little fists were curled up and her soft skin looked delicate beneath the fluorescent light. Her face was flushed and there was saliva trickling on her chin.
"She was so good last night...I don't know what happened." She was trying to speak delicately but the subject pressed harshly in her voice and she almost couldn't bear it.
"What do you mean?" He shot his gaze to her, a million tears creating a sorrowed glaze in his blue eyes. His jaw tightened as he tried to tell himself to just remain calm.
"Her fever started up again...it happened out of nowhere. Nothing changed in her surveillance, I was with her all night." She knew that she wasn't supposed to let her emotions show but it was just a little baby and this man loved his daughter so much.
He let out a gasp of a breath from between his thin chapped lips and he walked towards the bed. He knelt down beside it, lifting his hand and letting it hover above her little head before he finally touched her. Her skin was ablaze with her fever so much that he had to withdraw his hand. He lowered his head to his folded hands and let out another breath which brought on a trail of tears.
'She won't be Jared...she won't be..' 'She was so good last night...I don't know what happened.' There voices replayed in his head, paining him as he tried to understand everything. He wanted to know why this was happening, why he lost everybody he had ever loved in his life. Why his little girl was suffering. Why couldn't it be him that took on her pain? It wasn't fair, she hadn't even lived yet.
He stood up, taking his tears with his hand and looked at the nurse. "Will you continue to watch her?" He asked, his voice ragged as he did.
She nodded. "Of course."
"Thank you..." He whispered before he left the hospital.
Again he ignored his surroundings, not wanting to know who was out here living while his little girl suffered in a hospital bed. He wanted to cry out, wanted to demand that someone do something. But who would hear his case? Him- a lowly, penniless artist who couldn't make a decent life for his daughter.- who would help him? If he asked for help at all she would be taken from him and placed with another family. He refused to let that happen, that would never happen...unless it would save her life.
He took a deep breath and entered the tavern he had gone to the night before. He had no intention of drinking so he waved away the bartenders offer and went to take the table he had sat at before.
He chipped away at the splintered wood table with his nail and tried not to grow impatient. He knew a couple of hours had passed because the groups occupying the place changed. He wanted to get up and leave. Wanted to go back and see if he couldn't help out in some other way. But he stayed, there had to be a way, a reason this man was here.
Finally after a while footsteps approached the table and Tomislav sat down. He looked at Jared with a small smile, a knowing smile. The bartender came quickly and set down a drink for him - which would no doubt be left untouched- and then scurried away.
"I knew you would come...after what happened with your daughter." His voice was almost menacing in the dim, smoke filled tavern.
Jared wanted to demand how the hell he knew Miranda but he bit it back, knowing that this man was the one with the upper hand. So he leaned forward on the table and looked into Tomislav's dark eyes pleadingly.
"I need your help..."
Sign up to rate and review this story