The Curfew

Fourteen

I got up the next morning before Alex did. I walked over to the coffee machine to make a fresh pot. I got the machine ready and turned it on. I headed into the bathroom. After I finished doing my business in the bathroom, Alex was sitting on the couch, phone in his hands. He yawned. He looked up at me.

"Hey sleepyhead." I kissed his cheek.

"Morning gorgeous."

"How'd you sleep?"

"I slept alright. When did you get up?"

"About five minutes ago."

"I usually get up before you." I went over to the coffee machine and poured myself a cup of joe. I felt Alex's eyes staring at me.

"What?"

"I imagine you in the kitchen, drinking a warm cup of coffee. I come downstairs to greet you with a kiss on the lips. I'm ready for work and you walk me outside to the car. You kiss me goodbye."

"Really? What else do you see?" I asked.

"I see a little boy, about three or four years old. Also, you're pregnant." I smiled.

"You and I have kids?" He nodded.

"Yeah, you're carrying a little girl. We also get married."

"A boy and a girl?" I smiled again. "What are the names of our kids?"

"I don't know, Love."

~~

We both stayed in because class was cancelled. They didn't tell us why either. I suddenly got a message from my older sister, Ashley. She's freaking out.

"What's wrong?" I asked.

"Mark's in the hospital."

"How?"

"I don't know. Just come to the hospital."

"Okay, I'll be there in a few." she hung up and I hurried to get my shoes on. Alex looked at me.

"Are you okay, love?" he asked.

"My foster dad's in the hospital."

"Want me to go with?"

"If you want to." I headed out and drove to the hospital. As I got there, I asked for Mark's room number. The nurse told me to follow her so I did. As I entered the room, Mark was hooked up to a heart monitor and a few IVs. Mark had a tube coming out of his nose. Ashley was holding his hand, sitting in the chair next to him. I sat in the chair on the other side of him. Alex sat next to me. Ash felt his hand squeeze hers and she looked at me. Mark came to.

"Bree, Ash. What are you two doing here?" he asked.

"Mark, Ashley told me what happened. How did you end up here?" I asked.

"I... I was drinking."

"Mark... You're not supposed to." I said.

"I know." he paused. "But I'm alive, that's all that matters."

"Promise us one thing, Mark."

"What?" he said.

"Don't drink again." Ash said.

"I promise."

"I'm gonna go to the cafeteria." I said and walked out. Alex followed.

"So, What happened to your biological father?" he asked.

"You really wanna know?" I asked, he nodded. "Okay, well, it all started when my dad caught my mom in their bed with another man. He took Ashley and I with him. A few years after that, Ash and I were in school. The principal wanted us to come to the office and he told us that our dad hung himself while we were at school. The neighbors found him and called the police. He passed away before they found him." I held in a sob.

"Oh, Bree..."

"Ash and I spent three years in the orphanage. Mark came and adopted us. Gave us a roof over our heads, food, clothes. He took us under his wings and taught us right from wrong and vice versa." I smiled. "Mark is the only family I have besides Ash." I looked at him.

"You have Calena, and you also have me." he smiled.

"Yeah, I'm glad I do." he held my hand.

We got back to Mark's room. Mark still had a tube going through but they took him off the saline drip. He was talking to the nurse as she was taking the tube out of his nose. Ash was in the bathroom. The nurse smiles as we enter. I got a text from Bob, Mark's friend.

It read:

Bree, what room is Mark in?

I responded:

Floor 7, Room 708

He texted back:

Thanks, I'm heading up. don't tell him.

I put my phone in my pocket.

"Mark, this is my boyfriend, Alex. Alex, this is Mark, my foster dad." I smiled.

"Nice to meet you, Alex."

"Likewise, Mark."

"Mark, I'm staying with you for a couple days." Ash said.

"No, I'll be fine." Then, Bob came into the room.

"Sup fuckers?" Bob said.

"Hey Bob." he hugged Ash and I. He stood at the foot of Mark's bed.

"Why'd you do it?"

"Amy broke up with me and she didn't tell me why. I was so depressed that I started drinking."

"She didn't give you a bloody reason?" Alex said. Mark shook his head. "That's pathetic for her to not tell you why."

"I agree with him. It is pathetic." Bob and Ash agreed.

"Yeah, he is right. Maybe she was cheating on you and the guy was much better." Bob said.

"Bob, do you really think Amy would do that?"

"No, but it is a possibility."

"Guys, can we stop talking about it? It's making Mark upset." I asked.

Everybody was quiet. Rage started burning inside me.

"Bree, can I speak to you in private?"

"Sure." he held my hand as we exited the room.

"I could tell that you were very upset and mad. I can see the burning hate in your eyes."

"And?"

"How about we solve it?"

"How?" I thought about it for a few seconds. "No... Not murder.." I whispered.

"She deserves it. She almost made Mark kill himself. If it were Calena, you'd kill for her, right?"

"Yeah.. Nobody deserves to be killed, Alex. I'm not doing it, but you can."

"We'll talk about this later." he said, and Alex went back inside the room.