Read Online Against Medical Advice by James Patterson - Free Book Online
Authors: James Patterson
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between, and maybe that’s why I remember them so vividly.
It’s late on a Sunday afternoon in the summer before seventh grade. My father and I are in a race against the sun somewhere in the mountains of northeastern Pennsylvania. We’ve been looking for a lake called Wallenpaupack, but after what is supposed to be a two-hour drive turns into a three-and-a-half-hour drive, we’re about to give up.
The tension in the car is like electricity flowing all around us. Out of anxiousness, I start to touch the steering wheel again, even though we’re going fast.
My father doesn’t mention it at first, but the next time I reach for the wheel, he can’t stop himself.
“You can’t do that, Cory. Do something else,” he says, suddenly very annoyed.
Even though I realize that this urge seems dangerous to someone who’s driving, I have an instant angry reaction to his warning. He knows it will only increase the urge. And he should understand by now that I would never again pull the wheel to one side, as I almost did with Mom right before our accident.
His outburst is especially surprising given that my father and I are getting along very well this summer. When I do something silly or dangerous such as grabbing at the steering wheel or shooting paintballs at our white garage doors, he knows how to handle it. He stays calm and asks me to think about the consequences of my actions, then walks away until I chill out.
My mother almost never gets upset with me, no matter what I do. She simply talks to me until I relax. I just wish she’d stop worrying so much. Sometimes I see a sadness in her eyes that makes me think my problems are never going to end and that they might even make her sick.
I move once more for the steering wheel, but this time I’m able to stop myself from touching it. Then the need goes away.
I still can’t believe my father is taking this long road trip with me. He’s doing it because he wants to spend some time together but also because I have nothing to do at home. My few friends have been going to the town pool and having parties and not inviting me, so my father has again taken over as my friend.
Chapter 24
THE SKY IS GETTING DIMMER. Ever since the idea of Jet Skiing came up, it’s become a thrilling obsession for me. It’s like riding a motorcycle full speed, only on the water. But we’re obviously losing the race against time.
“I’m not sure we’re going to make it,” my father says. “It wasn’t supposed to take this long. Sorry, Cory.”
His words are like a knife sinking very deep into my stomach.
“We
have
to do it, Dad. Will you still try?”
He takes his eyes off the road to look at me. “I’m trying, Cory.”
“It’s okay,” I surprise myself by saying. “It’s okay if we can’t do it. Thanks for trying, Dad.”
My father’s expression suddenly gets more determined.
“I didn’t say we were giving up.”
He sets his eyes back on the road and pushes down on the gas pedal.
A half hour later, it’s getting more apparent that my dream isn’t going to happen today. I’m making a chirping sound to get the tension out of my throat, and my right hand is shooting into the air over the dashboard.
Then a miracle. We see a road sign for a place called Hawley. My heart pounds in my chest. That’s the name of a town near the lake.
“We have a chance,” my father says with new energy, “but they said they only stay open until no one wants to ride.”
That’s a possibility I don’t even want to think about.
Lake Wallenpaupack appears at the end of the road like magic. It’s an endless body of water that looks like motor oil in the dimming light. The evergreen trees on a distant shoreline seem about a thousand miles away.
Two college-age boys in swimsuits are on the dock, one sitting, the other tying up the last of six or seven Jet Skis for the night. No one else is around. No one is on the lake. My heart is sinking faster than the setting sun.
“I know
It’s late on a Sunday afternoon in the summer before seventh grade. My father and I are in a race against the sun somewhere in the mountains of northeastern Pennsylvania. We’ve been looking for a lake called Wallenpaupack, but after what is supposed to be a two-hour drive turns into a three-and-a-half-hour drive, we’re about to give up.
The tension in the car is like electricity flowing all around us. Out of anxiousness, I start to touch the steering wheel again, even though we’re going fast.
My father doesn’t mention it at first, but the next time I reach for the wheel, he can’t stop himself.
“You can’t do that, Cory. Do something else,” he says, suddenly very annoyed.
Even though I realize that this urge seems dangerous to someone who’s driving, I have an instant angry reaction to his warning. He knows it will only increase the urge. And he should understand by now that I would never again pull the wheel to one side, as I almost did with Mom right before our accident.
His outburst is especially surprising given that my father and I are getting along very well this summer. When I do something silly or dangerous such as grabbing at the steering wheel or shooting paintballs at our white garage doors, he knows how to handle it. He stays calm and asks me to think about the consequences of my actions, then walks away until I chill out.
My mother almost never gets upset with me, no matter what I do. She simply talks to me until I relax. I just wish she’d stop worrying so much. Sometimes I see a sadness in her eyes that makes me think my problems are never going to end and that they might even make her sick.
I move once more for the steering wheel, but this time I’m able to stop myself from touching it. Then the need goes away.
I still can’t believe my father is taking this long road trip with me. He’s doing it because he wants to spend some time together but also because I have nothing to do at home. My few friends have been going to the town pool and having parties and not inviting me, so my father has again taken over as my friend.
Chapter 24
THE SKY IS GETTING DIMMER. Ever since the idea of Jet Skiing came up, it’s become a thrilling obsession for me. It’s like riding a motorcycle full speed, only on the water. But we’re obviously losing the race against time.
“I’m not sure we’re going to make it,” my father says. “It wasn’t supposed to take this long. Sorry, Cory.”
His words are like a knife sinking very deep into my stomach.
“We
have
to do it, Dad. Will you still try?”
He takes his eyes off the road to look at me. “I’m trying, Cory.”
“It’s okay,” I surprise myself by saying. “It’s okay if we can’t do it. Thanks for trying, Dad.”
My father’s expression suddenly gets more determined.
“I didn’t say we were giving up.”
He sets his eyes back on the road and pushes down on the gas pedal.
A half hour later, it’s getting more apparent that my dream isn’t going to happen today. I’m making a chirping sound to get the tension out of my throat, and my right hand is shooting into the air over the dashboard.
Then a miracle. We see a road sign for a place called Hawley. My heart pounds in my chest. That’s the name of a town near the lake.
“We have a chance,” my father says with new energy, “but they said they only stay open until no one wants to ride.”
That’s a possibility I don’t even want to think about.
Lake Wallenpaupack appears at the end of the road like magic. It’s an endless body of water that looks like motor oil in the dimming light. The evergreen trees on a distant shoreline seem about a thousand miles away.
Two college-age boys in swimsuits are on the dock, one sitting, the other tying up the last of six or seven Jet Skis for the night. No one else is around. No one is on the lake. My heart is sinking faster than the setting sun.
“I know
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