Ok, I think you've waited long enough. to anyone out there reading or soon
to be reading. Well, here's a tad more but it may be a while before
there's another chapter. School's starting in five days so I have to
finish my summer reading assignment. I'll write and post more as soon as
possible.
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Chapter 3:
An Exploding Heart
I sank down by my mother and grasped her wrist, biting my lip, staring out through blurred vision, blinking hard against the tears. I pressed my fingers to her wrist and very faintly felt a pulse.
"She's alive!" I said. "Someone, help! A survivor!!" I now yelled. "Go! We need an ambulance!" I said to Kevin, happiness ebbing through my tears.
He jumped up and left through the gate. I scooped up my mom by the neck and gently rocked back and forth, her head resting on my chest.
"Hang on, Mommy," I whispered weakly into her ear. "You'll be okay." I looked up and saw Aysel sitting watching me. "Come here," I said gently and I sat there, hugging my mom while Aysel hugged my waist.
"She's gonna be fine," I said to Aysel who had begun to cry. I sounded convincing but I knew it was only because they were the words I needed to hear. I kissed Aysel's hair as she held Mommy's hand.
A little while later, Kevin and a man came through with a stretcher. They heaved my mother on it. I walked out of the backyard, stopping once to let Aysel hop onto my back. We got to the ambulance and Aysel climbed in with her. I got in next and Kevin started to but the doctor pushed him out saying, "Only immediate family allowed."
"Please," I said in a voice that was very strong considering this situation. "He's like family... just... please."
The man contemplated for a moment before helping Kevin in. Kevin pulled me into a huge embrace and I nearly cried. But I saw Aysel holding Mom's hand and knew I had to be strong for her... strength beyond what I could muster.
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We all climbed out of the ambulance and watched my mother be wheeled down a hall and take a left. An arrow was pointing in that direction and it read "Intensive Care Unit". I looked at Aysel but she didn't seem to have noticed. Kevin had though.
"Come on," he said, leading me to the Information Desk. "You have to fill out some paperwork."
I grabbed a clipboard from the nurse and then turned to Aysel. "Do you see that phone over there?" I asked gesturing toward the payphone across the lobby. She nodded. "Will you go call Daddy on that and tell him Mommy's hurt?" She nodded again. "What are you gonna say?" To this, she didn't answer, just looked back at me, eyes blank and fearful. Then she looked down and started to cry.
"Kevin," I said turning to him. "Will you please go call my father and tell him that Laramia's in the hospital?"
"Sure. I need money and the number though." I dug through my pockets and pulled out two quarters. Then, with the pen the nurse had given me, I wrote my father's number on his palm. He smiled as I wrote it.
"What? What are you grinning about?"
"Nothing. I'm just remembering the first time you did that."
"I remember that too." I said thoughtfully, thinking back on it. *It had been about a year ago, on my 14th birthday and he had conned me into giving him my number* That's the past! "Well? Go!" I said, snapping back to reality out of a happy memory. "Well? Go!"
Kevin walked across the room and began making the call. I took a seat by Aysel and started the paperwork. By the time Kevin had gotten back, I'd finished it and handed it back to the nurse.
"He said he'd check out of the hotel and Apparate to an alley near here and then come," Kevin said in low tones so as not to be overheard. I nodded and he pulled me into a hug. His warmth and strength surrounded me and I realized how tired I was. He was now holding me out at arms length. He reached up and brushed away a tear on my cheek. "Tears don't suit you. but it's okay to let them out," he said.
"I can't. I have to be strong for Aysel," I responded taking a deep breath.
"Your father can do that. You can't keep it all bottled up like this."
"I can and I will." I pulled out of the embrace and turned to Aysel. "Let's go to the bathroom really quick, okay?" She nodded and I turned to Kevin. "We'll be right back."
We went into the bathrooms and after we'd finished our. ahem. business and had washed our hands, I looked at Aysel. "Aysel," I said, squatting down so I had to look up into her face. "Don't lose hope. God is taking care of Mommy. Pray to Him that she'll be okay. God will do what He thinks is right." She looked at me and nodded slightly. "What would Bookie think if he found out you were giving up?" I asked her, mentioning her imaginary friend. She had long since neglected him but would turn to him when it was a time that she needed comforting. She nodded with a smile. "Well, c'mon. We can't leave Kevin out there all night." She took my hand and I led her out into the lobby to where Kevin stood. I smiled and he smiled back. He's so handsome when he smiles like that, I thought.
We all took seats in the lobby and waited for information; information on whether she'd lived or whether she'd died, information on how much pain she was in and how long she could hang on.
You can't leave now Mom, I pleaded silently. I haven't even apologized yet.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Chapter 3:
An Exploding Heart
I sank down by my mother and grasped her wrist, biting my lip, staring out through blurred vision, blinking hard against the tears. I pressed my fingers to her wrist and very faintly felt a pulse.
"She's alive!" I said. "Someone, help! A survivor!!" I now yelled. "Go! We need an ambulance!" I said to Kevin, happiness ebbing through my tears.
He jumped up and left through the gate. I scooped up my mom by the neck and gently rocked back and forth, her head resting on my chest.
"Hang on, Mommy," I whispered weakly into her ear. "You'll be okay." I looked up and saw Aysel sitting watching me. "Come here," I said gently and I sat there, hugging my mom while Aysel hugged my waist.
"She's gonna be fine," I said to Aysel who had begun to cry. I sounded convincing but I knew it was only because they were the words I needed to hear. I kissed Aysel's hair as she held Mommy's hand.
A little while later, Kevin and a man came through with a stretcher. They heaved my mother on it. I walked out of the backyard, stopping once to let Aysel hop onto my back. We got to the ambulance and Aysel climbed in with her. I got in next and Kevin started to but the doctor pushed him out saying, "Only immediate family allowed."
"Please," I said in a voice that was very strong considering this situation. "He's like family... just... please."
The man contemplated for a moment before helping Kevin in. Kevin pulled me into a huge embrace and I nearly cried. But I saw Aysel holding Mom's hand and knew I had to be strong for her... strength beyond what I could muster.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
We all climbed out of the ambulance and watched my mother be wheeled down a hall and take a left. An arrow was pointing in that direction and it read "Intensive Care Unit". I looked at Aysel but she didn't seem to have noticed. Kevin had though.
"Come on," he said, leading me to the Information Desk. "You have to fill out some paperwork."
I grabbed a clipboard from the nurse and then turned to Aysel. "Do you see that phone over there?" I asked gesturing toward the payphone across the lobby. She nodded. "Will you go call Daddy on that and tell him Mommy's hurt?" She nodded again. "What are you gonna say?" To this, she didn't answer, just looked back at me, eyes blank and fearful. Then she looked down and started to cry.
"Kevin," I said turning to him. "Will you please go call my father and tell him that Laramia's in the hospital?"
"Sure. I need money and the number though." I dug through my pockets and pulled out two quarters. Then, with the pen the nurse had given me, I wrote my father's number on his palm. He smiled as I wrote it.
"What? What are you grinning about?"
"Nothing. I'm just remembering the first time you did that."
"I remember that too." I said thoughtfully, thinking back on it. *It had been about a year ago, on my 14th birthday and he had conned me into giving him my number* That's the past! "Well? Go!" I said, snapping back to reality out of a happy memory. "Well? Go!"
Kevin walked across the room and began making the call. I took a seat by Aysel and started the paperwork. By the time Kevin had gotten back, I'd finished it and handed it back to the nurse.
"He said he'd check out of the hotel and Apparate to an alley near here and then come," Kevin said in low tones so as not to be overheard. I nodded and he pulled me into a hug. His warmth and strength surrounded me and I realized how tired I was. He was now holding me out at arms length. He reached up and brushed away a tear on my cheek. "Tears don't suit you. but it's okay to let them out," he said.
"I can't. I have to be strong for Aysel," I responded taking a deep breath.
"Your father can do that. You can't keep it all bottled up like this."
"I can and I will." I pulled out of the embrace and turned to Aysel. "Let's go to the bathroom really quick, okay?" She nodded and I turned to Kevin. "We'll be right back."
We went into the bathrooms and after we'd finished our. ahem. business and had washed our hands, I looked at Aysel. "Aysel," I said, squatting down so I had to look up into her face. "Don't lose hope. God is taking care of Mommy. Pray to Him that she'll be okay. God will do what He thinks is right." She looked at me and nodded slightly. "What would Bookie think if he found out you were giving up?" I asked her, mentioning her imaginary friend. She had long since neglected him but would turn to him when it was a time that she needed comforting. She nodded with a smile. "Well, c'mon. We can't leave Kevin out there all night." She took my hand and I led her out into the lobby to where Kevin stood. I smiled and he smiled back. He's so handsome when he smiles like that, I thought.
We all took seats in the lobby and waited for information; information on whether she'd lived or whether she'd died, information on how much pain she was in and how long she could hang on.
You can't leave now Mom, I pleaded silently. I haven't even apologized yet.