The next few hours were simply horrible. Mom kept on crying on dad's shoulder and Rebecca looked simply horrified. Her face was so pale; she looked like she just saw a ghost. For me, I moved to the prayer room to get some peace and quiet. I simply refused to speak to anyone. Horrible thoughts kept coming into my head and I tried my hardest to push them away, but some were not budging.
What if she dies?
"Sam"
I can't live without an elder sister.
"Sam?"
I need my best friend.
"Samantha"
I need my sister.
"SAMANTHA!"
My eyes popped open as I was pulled back to reality by a deep, male voice.
"Are you okay Sam? Your parents are dead worried and-"
"I'm fine," I answered all too quickly. I gave him a small smile which turned out totally fake.
"Samantha," Daniel sighed, "if you need to talk… I'm here, all right? Don't even hesitate to ask for help."
"Thanks," I said, shifting my gaze away from his.
Daniel stayed for a little while longer just staring at me as if to convince himself that I really was okay. Every few minutes, he would open his mouth to ask something but decide against it at the last second. When he finally left the room, I took out my phone and decided to text someone I haven't thought of until now.
Hey Cat! It's me, Sam. I'm sorry I haven't been contacting you for a while. Things have been pretty hectic over here. Don't have time to explain but right now I'm in the hospital with my family because Lucy met with an accident. It's pretty serious and I seriously don't know what to do. I need you.
I pressed the 'send' button and flipped my phone shut. I closed my eyes and rested my head back to ease the throbbing pain in my head. Not a minute later, my cell phone started ringing.
"Sam, are you okay?"
I smiled as I realized how much I missed her voice. It has been too long.
"I'm fine. It's just Lucy. I'm so, so scared Cat. What if she doesn't make it?" hot tears stung my eyes as realization finally dawned in. I really could lose her. My sobs became louder and louder but I tried to calm myself down before anyone hears me.
"Shh, shh. It's okay. Lucy's gonna be all right. She's strong, just like you," Catherine said, her voice shaking slightly. Lucy is just as much of an older sister to her as well.
"I try to be positive…. But I can't help but think..-"
"No, Sam! Don't give up! That's not you, who you are now… this is not the Sam I remember," she whispered.
"Well, things have changed, Cat. I've changed."
"Why? You loved who you were before. I loved who you were before.." Catherine said softly.
"I didn't want to change. They changed me." I spat.
"They? They who?" cat asked, confused.
"Where do I even start? Let's see, there's David… then there's Daniel and Marissa-"
"Whoa, whoa, whoa! Slow down, rewind and… PAUSE! David, I know… to hell with whoever Marissa is," I laughed, "but who's Daniel?" she asked.
I took a deep breath and prepared myself for a long conversation. I just hoped Catherine's mom prepared herself for that long bill she will be receiving by the end of the day.
After a good one hour, I finally managed to re-cap my six months of life in England to her.
"Wow," Catherine said.
"Mhmm, tell me about it."
"Gosh Sam, I'm so sorry things turned out so bad. I can't imagine how you're dealing with this."
I shrugged, "I've gotten used to it I guess. You have no idea how much I miss you," more tears began to slip down my cheek.
"Same here Sam. You have no idea how bored I am without you. I have no one to draw pictures for me and life here stinks," she said.
"Maybe I'll come back to visit soon. I'll have to ask dad," I smiled.
"You do that," she chuckled. "Listen Sam, I gotta go now before my mom flips!"
"Okay, okay. Hey Cat…"
"Yeah?" she asked.
"Thanks for calling. I needed this… a lot."
I could feel her smiling, "no problem, Sammy. You take care. I love you, kid."
"Luvyoutoo!" I replied quickly before she hung up.
I closed my eyes and for the first time that night, I gave a sincere smile. Suddenly, there was a knock at the door and Rebecca came walking in. Her face was masked with sorrow and fear. Her eyes were red and puffy and her cheeks were blotchy.
"Rebecca, you all right?" I asked, worried.
No reply.
"Beck… are you feeling okay?" I walked towards her.
No reply.
"Are you feeling sick?" I asked, feeling her forehead with the back of my hand.
She turned her head away from my touch and before I knew it, she started to cry. I have never dealt with a crying Rebecca before, I realized. I thought about how Lucy used to comfort me when I cried and I wrapped my arms around Rebecca instinctively. She returned the gesture by holding on to me so tight.
"It's okay, Beck. Lucy's gonna be fine," I whispered in her ear.
"N-n-no she's not!" she sobbed heavily.
"Rebecca, you have to think positive, she will be fine. We're talking about Lucy here. She's as stubborn as hell and won't give up until she has had her last say!" I said.
"Easy for you to say… you're not the one who called her stupid and dense this morning. I don't even remember saying anything nice to her. I can't remember when was the last time I told her I loved her. I know she hates me and she obviously prefers you compared to me but… she's my eldest sister and I love her so, so much!" Rebecca said quickly.
I smiled at her softly, "we know that, kiddo."
"Yeah, but does she know? I'm so scared Sam!" she started crying again. "Even if things d-d-don't turn o-out well, I j-just want another chance to tell her how m-much she means t-t-to me," she said.
"And you will have time to tell her that while she's making a full recovery!" I said.
"But what if-"
"Rebecca," I cut her off. "She's gonna make it. And don't you think otherwise."
Rebecca nodded and hugged me close.
"Just for the record, you mean a lot to me too, Sam. And I love you so much," she looked up at me.
I smiled at her. "I love you too, Rebecca. And so does Lucy."
"Really?" she smiled.
"Really."
We held on to each other tightly and it gave me sense of warmth to know that Rebecca feels the same way as I do. Before I knew it, we were both fast asleep, our hands entwined with each other's.
-*-
"Rebecca, Sam, wake up love!" mom's voice rang through my ears.
I slowly lifted my head up and opened my eyes. As I was about to stretch my arms, I felt slight pressure on them. I looked down only to find my younger sister curled up beside me, hugging my left arm tightly.
I smiled at her and gently shook her awake.
Rebecca grudgingly woke up and rubbed her eyes, "mum…how's Lucy doing?" she muttered.
"They completed the operation a few hours ago," mum's expression became sad. "Apparently, she might have had a concussion. But nothing's confirmed yet because they can't do a proper biopsy on her until she's awake. They have stopped the bleeding, that's for sure," a tear slipped down mum's cheek.
Rebecca and I were by her side, hugging her senseless within a second.
"She's gonna be fine, mum," I whispered in her hair.
Mom's sobs grew slightly louder but within five minutes, she stopped crying.
"Let's go to her room. She should be waking up any time soon.." mom said.
"Let's go," Rebecca said, taking mum's hand in hers.
When we were out of the prayer room, only dad was still waiting outside Lucy's ward.
"Hey mum, where's Dan?" I asked.
"Oh… I told him to go home and freshen up a little. He stayed throughout the night and kept us company," mom smiled, "-bless that boy."
"Wow…" I muttered.
"Tell me about it! It's not easy to find friends like him!" mum said.
"No, it isn't." I whispered silently to myself.
Our small conversation was interrupted by a doctor.
"Mrs. Maddison?" he asked.
"Yes, t-that's me," mom stuttered.
"My name is Dr. Greene. The operation was a success and we managed to stop the bleeding but Lucy has certainly lost a lot of blood. She is very week and needs a blood donor. Do any of your family members have an O positive blood group?" Dr. Greene asked.
"No, we don't," mom looked worried.
"In that case, you need to find a donor, fast. I'll do whatever I can but I can't guarantee anything. Your daughter's life depends on this, Mrs. Maddison," he said as he walked away.
Mom burst into tears again for the second time that day.
"Where are we gonna find a donor for Lucy? None of our relatives have an O positive blood group!" mom wailed. Actually, it's the first time I have ever heard her wail.
"Don't worry. We'll figure something out," I lied.
"How? I can't just walk up to a total stranger and ask him to donate his blood to my daughter, can I? Where am I gonna find someone with an O positive blood type?" mom yelled.
"I can do it."
My whole family (including dad, who woke up just as the doctor arrived) turned around to see who my sister's potential life savior was.
"I'll do it. I have an O positive blood group."
"What?" I gasped.
"Really? You will?" Rebecca ran towards him and held his arm.
"Yes, I will," he answered back.
"Son, are you sure? This is a serious matter," dad said.
"I'm sure Mr. Maddison."
Without wasting any time, dad informed Dr. Greene about the donor and soon, he heading to a different room to donate his blood. Before he left , I grabbed his arm and hugged him tightly.
"Thanks, Dan." I whispered in his ears. He smiled at me and walked off.
-*-
As soon as Daniel donated the amount of blood needed, the blood transfer took place. After two agonizing hours, we were finally allowed to enter Lucy's ward. Dr. Greene told us that she might have a memory problem which would confirm that she had had a concussion. The possibility of that happening was a fifty-fifty chance.
When we entered the room, the hair at the back of my neck stood up as soon as I laid my eyes on my elder sister. Her whole body was covered with tubes and we could see that the transfer of blood was almost complete.
I sat on a chair beside her bed and took her hand in mine as I quietly said a prayer. Lucy's eyes slowly opened and mum's face looked visibly happier. Even Daniel's face lit up when he saw Lucy's eyes open. She adjusted with the environment of the room and slowly opened her mouth.
The words that escaped her mouth were unclear and rough. I dabbed the moist cotton wool on her lips and let her drink some water. I gave her a warm encouraging smile
She took a deep breath then muttered, "S-S-Sam."
And at that moment, nothing else mattered. My sister remembered my name and from then on, I knew everything would be just fine.
-*-
A/N: *hides behind keyboard* Sorry for the extremely late update, guys! Hopefully this chapter will make up for it :) Don't forget to click that wonderful 'review' button once you're done reading!
p.s.: good news, remember that public exam i sat for in October? The results came out on the 30th of December and i managed to score straight As/7 As! ;) I'm over the moon and I'm hoping that I'll be accepted in the science stream now!
Happy New Year :)
Love,
Dea.