He stayed by her as Greg and Lewis immobilized her leg. When they needed to get a backboard under her, he helped by keeping her head and shoulders in line as she was rolled toward the uninjured leg and back again. His fingers were beginning to throb from her clamping grip, but he kept a hand in hers as the team counted off and lifted her onto a gurney. He helped the medics hand the gurney down from the apron of the stage. The theater hummed with purpose. Huddles of police and EMTs in the aisles, working on the injured.
And James’s body still lay in the aisle, covered now with a sheet.
Will’s gurney was handed down from the stage. He was swaddled up in white sheets. Lucky walked by his head, lovingly holding his long, thick ponytail.
A man in a grey suit fell into step by Erik. Reaching into his breast pocket he withdrew a badge. “Detective Nikos Khoury, Philadelphia PD. I need to ask you some questions about what happened today.”
Erik’s heart twisted in his chest. “I can’t,” he said, walking. “I have to go with her.” He felt annoyed and affronted. He was busy keeping cool, staying out of the way and not puking.
“I need to speak with you now, son,” Khoury said, and the entourage stopped.
Erik looked at Lewis, who shook his head. “We gotta go, man.”
Erik felt he would either blow up or burst into tears. Nobody understood. Nothing needed to be asked. Nothing required investigation. No need to search the building or question the witnesses. It was all James’s doing. James and only James and he was a clump of white sheet in the aisle and it was over. Everyone could just move along and let Erik do what he needed to do. Which was stay with Daisy.
“I can’t,” Erik said again, his voice rising. “I go with her.”
“Hey now,” a third voice broke in. It was a campus security guard. He put a hand on Erik’s shoulder. “Listen to me. Listen. She has to go. You stay and talk to the police, while it’s fresh in your mind. You take the time and tell them everything that happened. Believe me, this will be the better way. You’ll get it done. You go to the hospital now and they’ll only make you leave there to go down to the precinct. Am I right, Boss?”
Detective Khoury nodded. “We need to clear this building. We have a command central setup in the health center. You come there, give me the time, and then you can go be with her.”
“Let go, Erik,” Lewis said. “We don’t have time for this. She doesn’t have time.”
Erik willed his fingers to loosen but they wouldn’t. It was Lucky who had the bravery to let go of Will and come to Erik’s side. Swiftly she took his hand out of Daisy’s and into hers. She kissed Daisy’s fingers and tucked them into the sheet. “I got him,” she said to Lewis. “Go.”
“Trust me,” the security guard said, patting Erik’s back. “Cooperate now and then you’re done. We’ll get you over to the hospital as soon as we can. I’ll drive you myself.”
Erik stared as the two gurneys carrying Will and Daisy were wheeled away, up the aisle and out the lobby doors.
At least they were going together. Will always had Daisy’s back.
Lucky squeezed his fingers hard.
“We’ll stay together, Fish,” she whispered, as if she had read his mind. “We’ll go do this together. We won’t leave each other.”
Detective Khoury motioned toward the back of the theater. Holding Lucky’s hand, Erik started up the aisle, David following behind.
Splendid Anguish
He rode across campus in a patrol car, in the back seat with Lucky and David. The streets were lined with emergency vehicles, a sea of flashing red and white lights.
Lucky’s composure cracked as soon as they pulled away from the curb. She sank her face into her hands. A cry broke between her fingers. Erik put his arm around her and let her settle, sobbing, on his chest. There she slumped, dead and exhausted weight, making the keys in his front pocket dig painfully into his hip. He reached in to retrieve them. When he pulled his hand out, the flattened copper penny was wedged between two fingers.