Ficlets

Kristofer

I don’t…I don’t know if there was any one moment when things changed. One moment that this life was chosen. I just…

I was rushed to the hospital last night. I had a heart attack, and my mother called an ambulance.

From what I saw and what I overheard from gossiping nurses, when they came to take me to the emergency room, the EMT had to remove the front door.
We can’t get the kid through! One of them shouted. Neighbors’ lights were turned on, and faces appeared in the window.
Stop it! Stop it! My mother cried, throwing a paper bag over my face. I could see the shame in her eyes. I wished, even through the pain, that I wasn’t the cause of that shame.

The doctor says they don’t have the facilities to treat me here. Even while I sleep, I hear my mother’s tears.