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[ Ben ]

��������������� From the moment I saw the number and name (Hayes, Darren�?) on my cell phone�s caller I.D., I knew there was trouble. Who could be at Darren�s apartment when he was trapped in the hospital? I answered with an immediate, �Hello? Who is this?�� I know I sounded rather curt and surprised, but I was too puzzled to care about being cordial.

��������������� There was heavy breathing on the other line� and once the voice spoke to me, it was quivering and raspy. Pained� forced. It took another �hello� to get my caller to answer. �Ben�� My heart leapt into my throat, then began to beat at a feverish pace. Daniel? He was at Darren�s? Oh, God� was he hurt? Why hadn�t he come to the hotel room? I tried to slow my thinking down.

��������������� I just sat there for the longest of silences, jaw gaping. What could I say? I closed my mouth, opened it� no sound was leaving my lips. Daniel kept the �conversation� going. �I�m hurt�� He sounded so weak and helpless. Oh God� it�s happening again� not Daniel, too� Had he tried to hurt himself? Had he tried to hurt himself because of *me*? Again, I struggled to speak.

��������������� �Daniel? Daniel, is that you? Are you okay?� He wasn�t responding�.

��������������� �Ben, I�m sorry for yelling at you�� His raspy whisper trailed off, the sentence left to linger in the air. I answered with an immediate, �It doesn�t matter� Daniel, please tell me you�re alright?�

��������������� More silence�

��������������� Fuck� why isn�t he answering?

��������������� �Daniel!� I said into the receiver, my tone rising. I was choking on my breath� my heart was racing� where was he? Oh, no�

��������������� �Daniel, hello? Answer me� Answer me!� I was pleading now, but still he didn�t respond.

��������������� I shouted for a few more moments before hanging up my cell phone, ending the talk with, �Hold on, Danny, I�ll be right over.� And with those words, I shoved the phone into my pocket, grabbed my jacket from the bedside, and sprang out of the hotel room door faster than I ever thought possible.

��������������� The flat�s door loomed up in my vision� humongous and intimidating, it seemed as though it were higher than Mount Everest, and its sole reason to exist was to keep me from reaching Daniel. In all honesty, I was scared of what I might find. What if he wasn�t okay? What if Daniel ended up the same as Darren? Oh, where�s Leonie when you actually *need* her? She always knows what to do when it gets tough� Tentatively, I reached out a fist and knocked on the door.

��������������� No answer.

��������������� Oh, Christ� I turned the knob, and the door swung inwards, unlocked. I stepped into the room, ignoring the sign that cautioned me to remove my shoes. I stepped through the kitchen and living room�. Nothing out of the ordinary� perhaps he�d had to leave in a hurry? But why? There were too many variables. As I passed through the dining room, I noticed that the balcony door was open, though nobody was outside. My eyes narrowed. Come on, Daniel�

��������������� I reached the bedroom.

��������������� I screamed.

��������������� There was blood everywhere� there was blood everywhere. The bed spread and sheets were stained, and there was a dent in the wall� pieces of a broken something littered the floor, and crunched under my shoes as I entered, knees quivering. I felt as though I was going to vomit. But the second my eyes caught sight of Daniel, his body half-crumpled against a night stand, the phone hanging off of the cradle� instead I screamed again. I immediately rushed to his side, kneeling down beside the fallen muse, frantically hoping that he was all right. Hoping beyond all possible. Danny� what happened� oh, please be okay� I won�t be able to stand it if you�re not�

��������������� His arms were horrifying, burnt and pricked with what looked like cigarettes and sewing needles� the gash he received from the accident had been reopened, and there was a new, deeper one above it. His hand felt cold. I knelt down further, leaning my ear close to his mouth to listen for breathing. Yes! There was movement! Or, at least some�no matter how slight and labored his breathing might have been, it was there. Hold on, Daniel� I�m not going to let this happen again� My hand reached out at lightning speed and grabbed the discarded table phone, pressing down on the lock and removing it. Dial tone! My fingers flew to those three, precious buttons�

��������������� One ring� two rings� Answer it already! �This is nine-one-one, emergency.�

��������������� People always say that you lose your breath and voice in times of intense emotion and emergency� I�ve read it in books and seen it in movies, I didn�t really believe it until now. I opened my mouth again and again, mere gasps of whispers escaping. Finally, I blurted out, �This is Ben Carey� I�ve got an emergency! Someone�s bleeding to death!� Smooth. Like your name matters at the moment.

��������������� �Please stay calm and state your location?� Calm? How could I possibly be calm at a moment like this? I was dizzy, sweating, and finally sat down on the edge of the bed to gain some balance. I knew my standing balance would crumble. I took a few, deep breaths and recited Darren�s address, my eyes frantically darting over Daniel's limp form. The dispatcher said that she�d send an ambulance right away, and told me to stay on the line and explain what had happened.

��������������� Screw her.

��������������� I hung up the phone the second the words sounded, and dropped down beside the blood-soaked mess that used to be Daniel Jones. His breathing was becoming shaky. Blood was still pouring from his arms� My mind raced. Hold on just a bit longer� please� I grabbed one of the bed sheets and wrapped it around his right arm, trying to slow the bleeding. It was too big to wrap around� I needed a towel� I removed my jacket, then pulled off my sweatshirt. The sleeves were wrapped about the fabric bundle and tied tightly, creating a makeshift tourniquet. Daniel groaned.

��������������� �I know it hurts.� I said softly, trying to soothe him should he wake. Slowly, his lids drifted open to reveal empty, emotionless eyes. What had once been emerald green was now a helpless grey, fogged and hazed. �Dan�� I choked. I was shocked that he still had the energy to answer.

��������������� �Ben, I screwed up.� Was all he said. �I didn�t mean to� it just sort of happened�� His voice was below a whisper, strained and rasped. Akin to silk scratching a run over rocks. Don�t panic, Don�t panic, Don�t panic�

��������������� �I called the ambulance, Daniel. They�ll be here in seconds. Oh, God, I�m so sorry. I shouldn�t have yelled at you. Forgive me�� He managed a weak smile of sorts� lopsided and hollow, but a smile nonetheless. He didn�t speak. He probably couldn�t.

��������������� Darren�

���������������

��������������� Daniel�

��������������� I can�t let this happen! Daniel�s body fell limp against me, his eyes closed. NO! I snatched him up, whispering into his ear, shouting, trying to wake him with every method I thought possible. He only groaned, lapsing in and out of semi-consciousness. His breathing was steady� he still had a pulse. Other than that, I wasn�t sure� what could I do? Just sit there and pray that the ambulance showed up on time?

��������������� �Hold on, Danny. Don�t you dare leave me.�