Chapter 35 Austin - Under Arrest
Chapter 35
Austin - Under Arrest
W hen I told my mom I was in the hospital, she wanted to jump on a plane immediately. She calmed down after talking to Sydney. Jack, Marcus, and Crissy came to visit me after work. They brought balloons and a milkshake from In-N-Out. I inhaled the drink right away. There’s a reason hospital food gets a bad rap.
“I appreciate y’all coming to see me. You made my day.”
Jack deadpanned, “Venus moved our office here for the rest of the week. I’ll bring my keyboard tomorrow. Say nine a.m.?”
“Say what? Really?” My eyes bugged out of my head.
“I know. I’m not happy about it either,” Marcus grumbled.
“I’m going to call her right now. This is ridiculous!” I picked up my cell phone from my tray table.
All three of them lost it, doubled over, laughing at my expense.
“You’re hilarious. That was a good one.”
“You should have seen your face,” Crissy chimed in. “Priceless.”
The next evening, Derek and Tyler arrived with a deck of cards. They wiped the floor with me in multiple rounds of gin. I didn’t care. It gave me a couple hours away from the TV. Sydney stayed with me until visiting hours ended each day. If she didn’t have to take care of Samson, I think she might’ve stayed overnight as well.
After three days in the hospital, Sydney took me home. I hadn’t been in a hospital since my appendix burst during gym class in high school and was very ready to break out. The food tasted halfway decent, but the coffee did not. I couldn’t stand shitty coffee. The doctor gave me bandages for my head and pain medication. He told me to follow up with my primary care physician in six weeks to get my cast removed. I didn’t tell him I didn’t have a PCP.
It felt good to be home. Samson put his head on my leg when I sat on the couch.
“I’m okay, boy. It’ll take more than a car accident to put me down.” I rubbed his head and scratched behind his ears.
“Do you want to camp out here or in your room?” Sydney asked.
“I think I’ll stay here. Is there any chance you would make me a sandwich while I trade my tight jeans for sweatpants?”
“I think I can manage that.” Sydney disappeared into the kitchen, and I heard her opening the fridge and a couple of cabinets.
“Can I get a beer with it?” I added as I disappeared down to my room.
Sydney didn’t respond. When I came back upstairs, she emerged from the kitchen with a sandwich on a plate and a can of root beer in her hand. She held them out and I took them.
“It’s not quite the beer I hoped for.”
She scowled at me. “I don’t think you should mix alcohol and pain medication. If that’s what you want, you can make your own sandwich next time.”
“Okay, okay.” I chuckled. “I was kidding. Guess I can’t do that anymore.”
She rolled her eyes at me. “How do I know when you are serious or joking? That call from the hospital scared the shit out of me.”
I picked up my sandwich in one hand and took a giant bite. “Delicious,” I uttered around the food in my mouth.
She sat down across from me in the oversized recliner. Samson jumped up next to her and lay across her lap. She scratched his head, and he closed his eyes in pure enjoyment. “I’m going to work tomorrow. Can you manage by yourself?”
“I can go to work tomorrow. There’s nothing wrong with me. ”
In the morning, I got up, showered, and ate breakfast. As I placed my breakfast dishes in the dishwasher, I heard a knock at the door. I trotted to the front door and opened it. Two male police officers stood on the doorstep.
Oh, shit.
“Are you Austin Mitchell?” one of them asked.
“Yes,” I replied hesitantly.
“Turn around and put your hands behind your back. You are under arrest for driving under the influence of alcohol and reckless endangerment. You have the right to remain silent.”
“Sydney!” I bellowed up the stairs while he handcuffed me. “I’m being arrested!”
I’ve never seen her move so fast. The officer held out his arm towards her as she appeared at the bottom of the steps. “Ma’am, step back and let us do our job.”
She stopped short. “Where are you taking him?”
“Central Booking. He will appear before a judge and be remanded from there. He may post bond, depending on the judge.”
She sidestepped around me and grabbed her keys from the bowl by the door. “Don’t say anything. I’ll call Venus and follow you down to Central Booking.”
The officers steered me down the steps towards their squad car. I’d figured I’d get papers in the mail about my DUI, with a summons for a court date. It never occurred to me I would end up in handcuffs, going to jail. The severity of the charges hit me hard, and I tried not to lose my composure.