At Last (The Idle Point, Maine Stories)(54)

But that didn't matter anymore now that he had Gracie. She was his family, his home. She made him want to be more than he thought possible, if only to make her half as proud of him as he was of all she had achieved.

He was about to turn off the main road and head toward the docks and Gracie's house when he recognized his father's Town Car angled onto the grass on the opposite side of the street. Simon's head rested against the driver's window. The engine was still running. A knot formed in the pit of Noah's gut.

Screw it. You should be on your way to your wedding right now. You didn't see anything.

Noah made it to the corner before his conscience kicked in. He made a U-turn and pulled to a stop just behind the Lincoln. He beeped the horn. No response. Okay, maybe his old man was napping. Simon was on a lot of medication these days and those things all had side effects that could drop a horse. He'd make sure Simon was okay, then move on. He owed his father that much.

"Dad." He rapped twice on the window. "Dad, are you okay?"

No response.

He rapped again. "Say something, Dad! Open the door."

Still nothing.

"Shit." He tried the door. It was locked. He ran around to the passenger's side, tried that but it was locked as well. Simon looked dead white. A sheen of sweat glistened on his sunken cheeks. "Oh, Jesus..."

There wasn't a soul in sight. No pay phones. Simon's car phone rested on the passenger seat but what good did that do him with the doors and windows locked tight. Gracie's house was less than three minutes away. He could call the cops from there, make sure they brought out an ambulance. He could do that much for his father. Gracie would understand. She would do the same. He knew that. Shit. Her house seemed so far away. What if his father died? Don't think about that. That wasn't going to happen. It couldn't happen. He'd call the cops, the cops would call out the ambulances, they'd make Simon better. It had happened before. It was happening now. They'd deal with it.

But what if Simon died while he was getting help? He had to do something now. He knew CPR. He'd do what he could then get help. There was no time to waste. He glanced around for a rock or heavy branch then opted for a scissor kick that smashed the passenger side window. A second later he was in the car next to his father, unbuttoning the man's shirt, clearing an airway, calling for help. Time slowed down to a crawl as he worked in a vacuum of fear and silence.

"No."

He jumped at the sound of Simon's voice.

"It's okay. I'm here. An ambulance is on its way."

"No!" Louder this time, more frantic. He pushed at Noah with flailing hands.

"They'll help you," Noah said, trying to calm him. "You're going to be okay."

"Graciela..."

"What?" Noah leaned closer so he could hear his father's words. "Say it again."

"Graciela... no... no..."

"Don't talk," Noah said. "Rest." They could argue this ten years from now while the grandchildren were playing outside.

"Gone... finally... gone."

"Listen!" The siren's wail grew closer. "The ambulance will be here any second."

"... her fault... she ruined everything..."

A chill ran up Noah's spine. "Ruined what? Dad, what are you talking about?"

Simon's eyes closed. His breathing stilled.

"Come on, " Noah muttered. "Come on, damn it." Where the hell were the cops? The ambulance should've been there by now. His father was dying right in front of his eyes and there wasn't a damn thing Noah could do to help him.

"Goddamn it, Dad." He pumped his father's chest in a desperate attempt to save him, but it was too late. It had been too late the day Noah was born.

"I'm really sorry, Noah," said Pete Winthrop, son of the old police chief. "The EMT staff said you did everything you could."

Noah felt drained. Beyond tears. Beyond sorrow. The weight of things left unsaid was crushing. He wished Gracie were there with him. He needed her more than he'd ever needed her before. He wanted to see her face, touch her hand, reassure himself that the future they'd dreamed of was still within reach.

"Noah."

Noah started. "Sorry." He forced himself to pay attention. "What did you say?"

"You'll want to tell your mother before she finds out some other way."