Scott’s oversized corduroy shirt and the t-shirt he wears underneath it are dark with sweat stains under his arms and on his chest. His forehead has beads of sweat that he keeps wiping off with a damp washcloth before squeezing it into the garbage can beside the chair he sits on. Next, he dips the...
Christy’s Short Stories
Between Two Worlds: Scott’s Story Part 14
July 11th, 2021 by Christy Santo
Between Two Worlds: Scott’s Story Part 13
July 4th, 2021 by Christy Santo
The following afternoon. “For a guy who is supposed to be weak, you’re sure crushing me in this hug Scott,” Tyler barely eeks out. “Sorry,” says Scott loosening his grip on his brother. Inside he is not sorry for hugging his brother so tightly. Years ago, Tyler came to the hospital on crutches to ream...
Between Two Worlds: Scott’s Story Part 12
June 27th, 2021 by Christy Santo
While Scott lies still and unresponsive except for his chest rising and falling and his eyes moving under his closed eyes, he can hear his brother speaking to him. The joy he feels at hearing Tyler outweighs the annoyance at being lectured. Scott wishes he could wake up and surprise his brother with a hug,...
Between Two Worlds: Scott’s Story Part 11 – Last Chance
June 21st, 2021 by Christy Santo
Tyler holds his brother Scott’s lower arm in his large hand. And with his free hand, he wipes away tears from his cheeks as he moves the chair he sits on with his legs closer to Scott’s hospital bed. “Darn it, Scott! You sure knew how to time your arrival at my dorm building. Not...
Revised: Between Two Worlds: Scott’s Story Part 11
June 13th, 2021 by Christy Santo
Over ten years after Scott went to Ocean City, New Jersey. An older man with a thick-set body, piercing blue eyes, and wavy gray hair sits in a chair next to a hospital bed where his son lies in a coma. “An hour ago, I saw Molly graduate from eighth grade. I thought it silly...
Between Two Worlds: Scott’s Story Part 10
June 6th, 2021 by Christy Santo
Scott has the straps of his book bag in his right hand, lifts the bag, and loops it over his arm and onto his shoulder and part of his back. He then walks way out of the ER to the sliding doors leading to the parking lot. Once through the doors, he will wind his...
Between Two Worlds: Scott’s Story Part 9
May 30th, 2021 by Christy Santo
Nearby Carla and Jessica’s last patient lies back on the gurney, looking up at the dotted panels. He turns his head at the sound of hurried footsteps and thumps to see his older brother Tyler making his way toward him on crutches with his friend Andy. The stern look tells him he is in for...
Between Two Worlds: Scott’s Story Part 8
May 23rd, 2021 by Christy Santo
Carla pulls the curtain surrounding Mr. Henderson open so she and Jessica can exit his area. The two of them carefully picked out and flushed with water tiny glass fragments and pus from the flesh wound over his ulna and elbow. A couple of days ago, Mr. Henderson got into a drunken fight with his...
Between Two Worlds: Scott’s Story Part 7
May 16th, 2021 by Christy Santo
“Earth to Carla, earth to Carla time to come back from space,” says Jessica a fellow nurse jokingly. Carla blinks breaking, the hypnotic spell from watching the male patient she helped treat. “How many times have Patrick or one of us brought him back from the brink? Ten, eleven times. Today he overdoses again, his...
Between Two Worlds: Scott’s Story Part 6
May 9th, 2021 by Christy Santo
Carla smiles as she watches Scott’s eye and body animated at the table as he continues the bedtime story from last night. Earlier while mixing pancake batter, Jessica rushed into the kitchen in her nightie to tell her Dad was looking at his arm as if something were wrong with it. She stopped mixing the...
