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THE LOFT
Ricardo sat anxiously by the phone. He had called the Mission earlier in the day and left a message on Antonio’s answering machine to call him right away. He had a question about one of Antonio’s teenage parishioners who had been caught stealing food from a gas station and wanted to know Antonio’s thoughts on how to handle him. Ricardo got up and paced the floor. It wasn’t like his brother not to return his phone call. Ricardo had seen Antonio for a brief moment yesterday. Antonio had just gotten back to the Mission from the airport. He told Ricardo that he was exhausted from his flight and wanted to get some sleep. Ricardo had relented and left Antonio to rest even though he was concerned that he didn’t seem well. Ricardo had never seen his brother look so terrible. His eyes had dark circles underneath them and he looked as if he hadn’t slept in a week. Antonio put him off explaining how difficult his trip had been and that his accommodations hadn’t exactly been conducive to adequate rest. Ricardo lay down on the bed and tried to close his eyes. The heat of the night was uncomfortable and close. His mind jumped to the picnic he and Gabi had shared on the floor of the loft. He smiled as he remembered the water fight they had while cleaning up the dishes. "God, I miss her so much," he thought in desperation. He couldn’t get her off his mind, so he jumped up and threw on a shirt. He grabbed his keys and headed out the door. THE MISSION Ricardo arrived to the Mission around 3:00 a.m. He knew it was late, but he needed to check on Antonio. He had a strange and very bad feeling in his gut...call it cop’s intuition. He headed for Antonio’s small room at the back of the Mission. He quietly opened the door finding his bed empty. "Where the hell could he be?" he said softly. He stopped himself quickly realizing where he was. He looked at the crucifix on the wall. "Sorry," he muttered with repentance. He headed back down the hall towards Antonio’s office. He didn’t remember seeing a light under the door, but he thought he better check. He knew that Antonio sometimes worked during the night when he was unable to sleep. He pushed open the heavy door and peered inside. The office was dark so he started back into the hall. Something made him turn around and reach for the light switch. Flipping it on, his eyes immediately fell to Antonio lying in a heap on the floor, his papers and books lying all around him. "Oh my God. T!" Ricardo yelled out to him. He rushed to Antonio’s side and rolled him onto his back. Antonio was limp and lifeless. His shirt was drenched and his face was a ghostly white. Ricardo tried desperately to keep himself in police mode, but this was his baby brother. He leaned over with his ear to Antonio’s mouth. He heard breaths, very faint shallow breaths, but breaths. He placed his fingers on Antonio’s throat and frantically searched for a pulse. Ricardo cautiously lifted one of Antonio’s eyelids to find his eyes rolled back into his head. He could feel Antonio’s skin was hot with fever. Ricardo’s heart was racing. He grabbed the phone from the floor and punched 911 on the keys. "I need an ambulance, NOW, at the office of St. Joseph’s Mission. Hurry, it’s my brother." Ricardo held Antonio in his arms and waited impatiently for the ambulance to arrive. The wait seemed interminable. He kept begging Antonio to wake up and open his eyes. "Hold on, T. Hold on," he pleaded. "I’m gonna take care of you." Ricardo fought to control his emotions, but as they waited for the ambulance, he felt his strength slipping away.
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