*NOTE: This is the sixth chapter of my saga "A New Life". If you haven't read my first saga you may not know where these characters are coming from. So you might want to read it, or at least "Meant to Be Parts 5-9". This story takes place 4-5 years before the end of "Meant To Be"
*Anyway, I hope you like this! Please leave reviews!
*In this story there will be several instances where two different paragraphs (or sections of paragraphs) are supposed to occur at the same time, in other words its two perspectives of the same part of the story. Sometimes it will be noted. But the second paragraph will start with the first words in italics, that's how you will know this is happening.
A New Life
-Chapter 6: Something's Coming –
It was a typical day in Malibu. There was nothing out of the ordinary. Kids were playing. People where laughing and having a good time. Lawns were being mowed. Children rode their bicycles down the street. A mother had caught her son kissing his best friend named Alice. There was even a birthday party that had just ended abruptly with one of the people in attendance leaving with her mother to go to the hospital because she had appendicitis. No one expected that in just one short hour devastation would visit their calm, normal lives.
Shouting came from the backyard in which the birthday party was being held. Lilly Oken heard her older son yell to her. "Mom, dad, it's Rose." He said, seriously. It seemed as if her daughter was in trouble. "What about her? What's wrong?" Oliver, her husband asked. "My side hurts really bad." Rose grumbled. "What kind of pain? Is it a sharp pain?" Lilly asked. "Yeah." Rose said, hazily. Lilly felt her forehead. "She's burning up. How long have you been like this?" Lilly asked. "I've been hot all day, but it didn't bother me that much. The pain just started a couple minutes ago." Rose said. "Ok. Oliver, call the doctor, I've seen this in my kids at school. I think she has appendicitis." Lilly said.
Lilly moved very quickly. "Ok, I'm gonna take Rose to the hospital. You take care of everything here Oliver. She doesn't need everyone around her until after she's better." Lilly said. So Lilly lifted Rose into her arms and jogged over to their house. She buckled Rose into the passenger seat of her car and drove off for the hospital. Jackson and Marlene called all of the kids parents and had them picked up promptly.
Oliver looked to Miley for some assistance. "Jackson, can I leave Michael over here for a while? I need to take Jimmy and Alice over to our house and have a talk with them in private." Oliver asked. "Sure thing, he can stay and hang out with Susan and Robbie as long as he wants." Jackson said. "Oh and Miley, could you come with us? I think we might need a female's perspective on this one." Oliver asked. "Uhh, sure." Miley agreed, following them, utterly confused.
So they went over to the Oken house. "What is it you need my help with?" Miley asked Oliver. "Well after Jimmy finished singing, he and Alice here snuck off to the side of the house and got a little personal." Oliver said. "What's that supposed to mean?" Miley asked. "Lilly and I caught them kissing." Oliver told her. "So what? They're thirteen, it happens." Miley said. "It wasn't that they where kissing. It's that they snuck off when they should have been out there with everybody else." Oliver said. "Well, let me talk to Alice." Miley said. She walked off with Alice into another room. "So, Alice do you really like him?" Miley asked her. "Yeah, of course. Why else would I be kissing him?" Alice said, crinkling her forehead. "Well you could just be…Why do you like him anyway?" Miley asked her. "Well I've known him all my life and well lately I've just started really liking him a lot. I don't know. He's really smart." Alice said. "What kind of smart? Cause I remember his dad was a kind of smart, just not really intelligent. He was a smart mouth." Miley said. "Well he's that too, he does know how to be sarcastic. He doesn't really do that with me though. What I meant was he's smart because he's quicker than a lot of people. He is intelligent, really intelligent. And you know how a lot of boys say really stupid stuff? He never does. That's what I really meant when I said he was smart. And, oh yeah, he's really nice. He's always been like that." Alice said.
"Ok, well that's good, cause that means you've given it a lot of thought." Miley said. "Of course I have. I'm thirteen. That doesn't mean I'd go for a guy just cause he's cute. And Jimmy is really really cute!" Alice said, smiling. "I know. I wonder how that happened. Cause Oliver is just so… normal looking. That's one reason I never… well never mind." Miley said. "I really like him a lot so I hope it's not gonna get us into a lot of trouble. I mean we were just kissing, right?" Alice said. "Yeah that's true. But they weren't mad at you for kissing him. It's cause you two snuck out of his brother's party to do it." Miley said. "I get that. So you think we're gonna be in a lot of trouble?" Alice asked. "No, I think Oliver just wants you two to know that there's a time and a place and that wasn't… do you feel that?" Miley asked. There was a rumbling feeling in the floor.
As Alice and Miley walked off into another room, Oliver turned to his son. "So, are you gonna tell me what's going on with you and Alice?" Oliver asked him. "I don't know. We've been hanging out a lot lately and I'm really starting to like her more than just a friend." Jimmy said. "Would you like to explain that? I'd really like to know why we caught you sneaking off and kissing her. What's so great about her that it made you do that?" Oliver asked sternly. He really didn't want to explain it. It was rather embarrassing to explain why he liked a girl to his father. But he did it anyway, because he knew he had to or it would just cause more trouble. Also he did respect his father in that he was rarely disobedient. "I don't know. I just started really liking her lately. She's been my best friend since before I can remember." Jimmy said. "And you just go and kiss your best friend at your brother's birthday party? We didn't raise you that way." Oliver said. "Uhhh dad isn't that how you and mom got together. You where best friends and then you realized you liked each other more than that." Jimmy said matter of factly. "That's true but we're talking about you. Do you want to do everything just like me?" Oliver asked. But the truth was there where many major differences between them in the way they did things at that age. "Umm, I guess not." Jimmy said. "What makes her so special? Other than being your best friend. Why do you think she's any different than other girls you know?" Oliver asked.
"I don't know. I guess it's cause she's really smart, for one thing. She's always been really nice to me, as a friend. She never gets mad when I say stupid stuff. She always seems to really just get me. She just is really special to me." Jimmy said. "And that's why you kissed her?" Oliver asked. "I think I love her dad." Jimmy said with an awkward smile on his face. "You don't love her. You're only thirteen. You don't know what love is. One day you loved cheeseburgers. Now you don't anymore. Now you love being more athletic. You might not feel the same way in a month about her. You're a thirteen year old boy. Your mind changes about things every other day." Oliver told him. "Well I've liked her like this for at least a year. I don't think these feelings are going away dad." Jimmy said. "Ok, tell me about these feelings." Oliver said. Jimmy's level of discomfort was rising, but he continued any way. "Well when I look into her eyes I just feel really good about her. Not turned on or anything. I just feel this feeling like no one else could be as perfect as she is. She's smart. She's beautiful. And she seems like she really likes me. And when I look into her eyes I just want to hold her hand. And then I want to kiss her. I don't know how to explain it at all." Jimmy said, now incredibly embarrassed about opening up that much to his father. "Well I'm not gonna tell you that you can't kiss her. I just don't want you doing it when you should be doing something else." Oliver said. "I know dad. I knew it as soon as you came over to us. Actually I probably knew it before that. I just really wanted to be alone with her." Jimmy said. "You know you're really smart Jimmy. I'm proud of you." Oliver said. "Do you feel something?" Jimmy asked. The floor had started to rumble and things in the house started rattling a little.
As the others walked off Jackson turned to Michael, Susan, and Robbie. "Ok well when your mom calls we'll all take you down to the hospital to see Rose, ok?" Jackson said to Michael. "Alright." He responded. In the mean time they started playing catch. Michael used his new catchers' mitt that Robbie had given him. "Good catch man!" Robbie said. Michael threw the ball back to Robbie. He caught it in his own mitt. "Geez, don't throw so hard man!" Robbie said. "Throw to me!" Susan said with her mitt stretched out. Robbie tossed the ball over to her. She threw to Michael. When he pitched it back he got a similar response from her. "Michael quit throwing so hard!" Susan shouted. "Ok. My legs are starting to get a little tired anyway." Michael said. He headed for a chair. Because his legs where still weak he couldn't stand on them for extended periods of time without tiring himself out.
Marlene came out and smiled. "Would you guys like to come in and cool off?" she asked them. All three of them proceeded inside behind Marlene. Michael found the nearest couch and collapsed onto it. It was a good thing it was close by because his legs where just about to give out. Just then they felt a rumbling and the floor started to shake. Things started to fall off of the tables. "Alright it's an earthquake, everybody into doorways. Michael you stand with me. I'll help you stay standing up." Jackson said. They all got into standing positions in the doorways leading onto the living room.
Lilly and Rose approached the hospital in the car and pulled up to the emergency care entrance. Lilly got out, closed her door, and went over to the other side of the car and opened the back door. She lifted Rose out of the car and started walking up to the entrance. She approached the admissions desk. "I'm Lilly Oken. I think my daughter has appendicitis. Where do I take her?" Lilly asked the admitting nurse. "Take her over there to exam room three. A doctor will be with you momentarily." The nurse said. So they went into the room.
Fifteen minutes later Rose was holding her mother's hand tightly. "Mom it hurts really bad." Rose moaned. Just then a doctor with curly hair walked in. "I'm Doctor Cox. What can I do for you?" He asked. "I think my daughter has appendicitis." Lilly told him. "Ok we'll need to run some tests and if they come back positive than we should be able to get her into an operating room very shortly." Dr. Cox said. He felt her forehead and then took her temperature. "You definitely are running a fever. Mrs. Oken if you'll help me get her onto the gurney I can get her down to the labs for the tests." Dr. Cox said. Lilly walked over and lifted Rose onto the gurney near the door. A nurse came in and pushed Rose off towards an elevator. "If the tests come back positive we will move her to an operating room immediately. But we'll have a nurse keep you informed every step of the way." Dr. Cox told her.
Lilly walked out of the room and sat down in the waiting room. A nurse handed her an electronic clipboard. "We need you to fill out this insurance information." The nurse said. "But I already showed another nurse my insurance card." Lilly said. "Well we still need you to update your information." The nurse said, walking off in a hurry.
Fifteen minutes later a nurse came up to Lilly. "Lilly Oken?" asked the nurse. "Yes, that's me." Lilly responded. "Doctor Cox has informed me that your daughter does indeed have appendicitis and needs to be operated on immediately. She has been taken down to an operating room and they should be beginning the procedure shortly." The nurse said. "How long do you think it should take?" Lilly asked. "About one hour. Don't worry, everything will be fine Mrs. Oken." The nurse said. "So when will I be able to see her?" Lilly asked. "About fifteen minutes after the procedure we will let you into the recovery room. That's when she should be regaining consciousness." The nurse informed her.
A little over an hour later Doctor Cox came out and walked up to Lilly. "The surgeons have told me that your daughter's operation went exactly as planned. You should be able to see her in about ten minutes." Dr. Cox told her. "That's great I…" Lilly began to say. But just then the floor started shaking and security guards began to run. "Lilly don't worry, it seems as though there's an earthquake. But the hospital is built to withstand this kind of thing so it should be alright if you just stay where you are. And Rose will be just fine where she is." Dr. Cox ran off toward the critical care ward.
Back at the Oken house they where scrambling. "It's an earthquake you guys! Get in the doorways!" Miley yelled. Alice had made her way back over towards Jimmy. So they had no choice but to stand in the same doorway. Not that this upset them in any way. Miley ran for the door-less opening onto the kitchen. And Oliver stood in the other opening to the kitchen.
When it really started shacking hard Alice grabbed onto Jimmy around his waist and hugged onto to him tightly. He was very mature about it and put his hand around the back of her head and held her face against his chest. Something fell in the living room. Alice gripped Jimmy even tighter. Oliver let out a high pitched scream. Miley yelled over to him. "Oliver, you spineless donut!"
After several minutes the earthquake stopped and they all began to recover their frayed nerves. Jimmy and Alice didn't move. Alice simply leaned up slightly and whispered to Jimmy. "Thank you so much. You're so brave. You don't know how much it meant to have you there for me." Alice said. "You were really brave too. You didn't scream like my dad or anything. You just needed somebody to hold onto. You know what I mea…" Jimmy started to say. He was cut off by Alice who stretched up a little bit and kissed him on the lips. He put his hands on the back of her neck and began to kiss her too. She moved her hands onto the side of his chest. But just as they were starting to enjoy themselves the ground began to shake again. They pulled apart a split second before it happened.
It was an aftershock. It rocked the floor under them. Jimmy and Alice lost their balance. Jimmy fell onto the floor, flat on his back. Alice toppled over and landed face forward on top of him. Her face impacted with his chest again and her hands broke her fall and so did Jimmy's body. Her right hand hit the floor beside him and her left slammed into his stomach. This winded him and pushed his shirt up to the bottom of his chest. He was now thinner than he had once been, so this didn't embarrass him as much as it would have had he still been chubby.
What did embarrass him was when his father and godmother Miley came in and found them like this. "Umm this is a little awkward. What are you two doing?" Oliver asked, trying to conceal a slightly immature grin. Alice jumped up promptly. Jimmy lay there with his shirt still up past his stomach. He was still too winded to do anything. "Uhh we fell!" Alice exclaimed quickly. "Then why did it look like his shirt was being taken off?" Miley asked. "It came up like that cause my hand pushed it up when I fell on him." Alice said awkwardly. "But I still don't understand why you had your hand on his stomach when we came in." Miley said, accusingly. Alice looked down at Jimmy's somewhat well muscled midsection and blushed. Jimmy had caught his breath. He pulled his shirt down and sat up. "She was checking out my awesome bod!" he said, in a macho voice. "Shut up!" Alice shouted, punching him in the arm. "Gosh. First you fall on me and wind me. Now you're trying to bruise me! I feel threatened." Jimmy said. Alice smacked him in the chest with her open palm.
Meanwhile about five minutes earlier a different situation was occurring at Jackson's house. The floors had begun to shake with great intensity. Jackson and Michael where standing in an opening that led onto the living room. "Are you okay big guy?" Jackson said, looking down at Michael by a little over a foot. "Yeah, but I don't know how much longer I can stand up. My legs are really weak." Michael said. "Don't worry, I've got you. Just say the word." Jackson said.
Marlene was standing in the opening to the kitchen. Robbie Rod and Susan where standing in another opening that led from the kitchen to the living room. As the floor began to shake hard Michael exclaimed "I'm gonna fell!" his legs were about to give out under him. "I got ya!" Jackson said. He had Michael turn around and then he slipped his right arm under Michael's right arm, over his chest, and then out under his left arm. That way he was able to hold him up.
After several minutes the shacking stopped. They all composed themselves. But the aftershock took them by a little surprise. Robbie bumped into the door frame that he and Susan were standing in. "Woops! Did you clunk your head?" Susan asked. "No! I'm fine." Robbie said. "Oh well there was nothing up there anyway!" Susan joked. "Hey!" Robbie whined. "Just kidding!" Susan said, smiling. At that same moment Michael had fallen onto the floor. "Oh, geez. Michael 're you okay?" Jackson said, bending over to help Michael up. "I'm fine. No problem at all." Michael said, as he got up with a little help from Jackson. Marlene walked over. "Are you sure you're alright sweetie?" she said in a concerned voice. "Yeah, I'm sure. Really, I'm fine. It happens all the time. But I just get back up again. No problem." Michael said. "Oh Michael are you okay?" Susan asked as she walked over to him. She was not even nine yet. But she had always liked Michael a little more than just a friend. But she wasn't really aware of it on a conscious level. It was all in the back of her mind at this point.
Ten minutes later the video phone rang. Jackson went over to it and pushed the 'answer' button. "Hey Lilly. How's Rose doing? Is she gonna be alright?" He asked her. Michael was close by listening for news about his sister. "She's fine. They operated on her. They were able to finish right before the whole earthquake started. You guys should come down. She might want some visitors in an hour or so. I'm gonna let Oliver know, so he'll be there." Lilly said. "Okay we'll be there as soon as possible." Jackson said, and then ended the call. "You here that Michael? We're gonna go meet up with your dad and brother. Then we'll go to the hospital and you can see your sister." Jackson told Michael. "Okay!" Michael exclaimed, a little hurriedly. So they walked down the sidewalk toward the Oken house next door.
The destruction on their street wasn't heavy but there was enough to spark some concern. Just as Jackson and the rest approached the front door, Oliver came walking out with Jimmy behind him. "Alice I guess you can come with us, if you want. Call your parents. Cause we really don't have time to stop at your house." Oliver said. Her house was located on the adjoining street and was less than thirty seconds away in the car. But it was in the opposite direction they needed to go in to get to the hospital. Alice got out her video cell phone and told her father what was going on. "Okay Mr. Oken." She said.
"Jackson, Lilly told me that you guys are coming so let's hurry." Oliver said. They headed towards their respective cars. Michael was going with the Stewarts. But before they got to the cars a police officer approached them. "Do any of you know a woman named Gretchen Halverson? She's an elderly woman that lives in that house about seven houses down from here on the other side of the street." The officer asked them. "Of course we know Mrs. Halverson." Jackson responded. "Why do you ask?" Oliver inquired. "Because, as you can see her house collapsed in the front. And unfortunately that's where she was when it collapsed. I'm sorry to say she did not survive." The officer said. "Oh my gosh. That's terrible." Marlene said, in a somber voice. "Also, are any of you related to Robbie Ray Stewart?" asked the officer. "We're his kids." Jackson said pointing at Miley. "Well he was in the basement of his house and the door is stuck. Firemen are trying to get it opened. So there's nothing to worry about." The officer said. "He'll be fine. That's where he has the fridge where he keeps all his pie!" Miley commented.
They all got into their cars and drove off for the hospital. Lilly greeted them in the waiting room. "The nurses told me she's just now waking up. So we can all go see her." Lilly said. They all followed her down a hallway. Jimmy and Alice where holding hands behind Jimmy's back, no one could see it.
They walked into the room and saw Rose. She was partially sitting up in the bed with her head resting firmly against the pillows. "Hey you guys." Rose said in a drowsy voice. "Hey little sis. You doing alright?" Jimmy asked her. "Yeah, I'm pretty tired…I think." Rose said. "Well later they'll let you have something to eat. And tonight you can come home." Lilly said. "Jimmy can you come here?" Rose asked. Jimmy came over to her side, Alice was still directly behind him. "Come a little closer." Rose said. Jimmy leaned in, he and Alice stopped holding hands cause people might see it when he was leaning in. "A little closer." Rose said. Jimmy leaned in so close that he would be the only one to hear what she said. "Why where you holding hands with Alice just now? She's really nice. So if she's you're girlfriend now, then I'm really proud of you big bro." Rose said, in a quiet and groggy voice into Jimmy's ear. "No. Not yet. But maybe soon… let's hope." Jimmy whispered to her so only she could hear. Then he stood back up and said to her "Yeah that's true, you slept through a good earthquake, it was really something." Jimmy said, so no one would want to know what she was asking him. But when he said 'really something' in his mind he was thinking of what had happened between Alice and him. He really did hope that someday she would want to be his girlfriend. Outwardly he had meant that the earthquake was really intense.
Later that night they left with Rose and took her home. Jimmy and Alice sat next to each other on the car ride back. They were holding hands on the seat between them. Again no one could see. "Alice I'll drop you off at your house, okay?" Oliver asked. "No, I'll walk her home and then come right back. Okay dad?" Jimmy insisted. "Ok Jimmy, but remember cause of what happened at the party you don't get to see her after this till next week." Oliver said. They pulled into the driveway. Oliver carried Rose into the house and tucked her into her bed.
In the mean time Alice and Jimmy walked down the street as the sun set. As soon as they passed out of eye line of the Oken house their hands joined at their sides. As they approached the front door of the house Jimmy prepared to say goodbye to her. "Bye Alice. See you next week." He said smiling at her. She came closer to him. He thought maybe she would just hug him this time because of the remark he'd made about her hand on his stomach. But she leaned up and kissed him on the lips. She pulled away, looking into his eyes and said "I can't wait!" She smiled and looked down at his midsection, but she quickly moved her focus back into his piercing blue eyes.
They parted ways and both smiled until they came into contact with their parents. The day had had several unexpected twists to it. Some of which people where delighted with. Others made people think of how lucky they were. Some even realized that they could in fact get sick of pie. Most of all people learned that friendships and togetherness can bring them through anything.
Explanation: I realize that parts of this chapter are a little racy (very mildly graphic). But to be honest things between a boy and a girl at that age, who like each other are a little awkward. And things that are a little colorful sometimes happen. So I didn't want to avoid mentioning those things. I want this story to be realistic, but not too racy.
Notes to the readers:
*Reviews are much appreciated!!
**I hope you enjoyed this sixth chapter of my new saga.
***Again, it might help understanding where the main characters came from if you have read "Meant to Be parts 5-9 or 8-9" or something. Although they are pretty much their own characters, so it might not be that hard to read without knowing where they came from.
****Lilly and Oliver, and Miley and Jackson are in their thirties. Jimmy is 13. Rose is 10, nearly 11. Michael and Susan (Miley's daughter), and Robbie Rod (Jackson's son) are all 8-9.
*****If you want to find my other stories (My first saga) click on my screen name on the top of this page, and you can find my stories on my profile. If you want to stay updated as to when I post new chapters, please subscribe to my username!!
******There will be more in the near future. So I hope you will continue reading. I have no idea how long this saga will last. I have ideas for many more chapters. So it will most likely be at least a little bit longer than "Meant to Be" probably quite a bit longer. Only time will tell.