Chapter 5: Siblings, Answers and Friends
"So you see Ephram, they're going to have to keep you here a little longer, just to be safe." Andrew Brown was finishing up telling Ephram what, exactly, was wrong with him.
"So basically what your disguising under all those medical terms, is that I have a chipped skull and that I have to stay here in case it moves?"
Andy smiled. "Ahh, you catch on quick."
"Any idea of when they'll think its safe to let me go home?" asked Ephram curiously. Unless the chip does move. No, Ephram, don't think that!
"I'd say probably a week or two. If it doesn't move during that then there's a very low chance it will move after, unless of course you hit your head hard. You just have to be careful. It will heal up in no time."
Ephram nodded. He had a feeling his dad wasn't telling him something, but he brushed it aside. "Is Delia here?"
He nodded. "She's in the waiting room with Nina and Sam. Do you want me to go get her?"
"Yeah."
A couple minutes after Dr. Brown left Delia showed up at the doorway of Ephram's hospital room. "Ephram? Are you asleep?"
Ephram opened his eyes. "No, I'm just resting them. How ya doing, kiddo?"
She strayed to his bedside. "I'm okay, I guess. I've been really worried about you, Ephram."
"You don't have anything to be worried about, De. You don't really think I'd leave you, do you? 'Cause I'm not going anywhere."
A smile appeared on Delia's face, a smile that told of reassurance, and hope, but it disappeared with a stifling thought. "I'm not so sure anymore, Ephram. Mom left, and I don't think she wanted to. So why did she have to die? You don't want to, but how can you stop it?"
Ephram was startled by such a deep thought coming from his nine-year-old sister. "I dunno, Delia, but I can promise you that I'm not giving up without a fight. Don't worry about me. It's not over 'til the fat lady sings, right?"
That brought a laugh out of his sister. She had always loved that line. "Okay Ephram, but its hard, you know? Anyway, I'll see you later, k? I think Amy wanted to see you. Want me to get her?"
Ephram nodded and Delia said her good-byes. A few minutes later Amy arrived, flustered and holding something in her hands.
"Hey Ephram, sorry I took so long, but I couldn't find these."
Ephram laughed. "It's not like I'm pressed for time. That's not homework, is it?"
"Of course not! I know better then to bring you school work." She moved from the doorway to the bedside and held up what she had been holding. "It's your favourite manga series and the brand new volume of Ayashi no Ceres! Your father brought them over." Amy handed the stack over to Ephram, who set them on the side of the bed with a grateful look on his face.
"Thanks, I thought I was going to die from boredom!" Ephram watched Amy's face fall at the reference to his demise, and inwardly winced. Nice move, Brown, he thought. "Hey, its okay. Like I said to Delia, I'm not going anywhere."
Amy looked up, but Ephram could tell something was still troubling her. She spoke, but hesitantly. "Ephram. Why did you-"
Ephram cut her off, knowing what she was about to say. "Leap in front of a speeding car to save you, like a super hero?" Amy nodded.
"Amy, I couldn't just stand by and let you get hit. You mean more to me than anything in the world. And I'll never regret it. And don't feel as though its your fault, okay? It was my choice, and even if it was made in a split second, its what I wanted to do." By now, tears were spilling down Amy's pretty face, leaving tracks of salt water.
"I'm sorry, Ephram." Ephram looked deep into Amy's dark eyes, and brought her face down to his, meeting in a shattering kiss. Electricity surged through them, and Ephram felt the warmth of Amy's tears on his cheeks.
They parted reluctantly, and Ephram said, "Nothin' to be sorry about, Amy."
In the following week Amy continued to visit him. Then at the end of his second week in the hospital, he received a surprise visit from Amy, who had brought along Laynie and Bright.
"The nurse said you could go around the hospital in a wheelchair, so that's what you're going to do!" exclaimed Laynie. Ephram looked at her strangely.
"It's a hospital," Ephram said, as if she was the stupidest person in the world. "What's so good about that?"
"Dude, you've been in a hospital bed for, like, more then a week. Isn't anything better then another day of that?"
Ephram conceded. "Yeah, I guess you got a point there."
They helped him into the wheelchair, and then they were off racing around the hospital, disrupting nurses and knocking things over.
"Hey Ephram, are you alright?" Amy asked Ephram, who was looking sort of pale and rubbing his temple.
He shrugged her off. "I just have a little head ache, that's all."
His three friends exchanged worried glances, and Bright said, "Maybe we should go back, it's almost lunch anyway and I'm hungry!"
Ephram nodded and they went back to his room. His trio of friends went down to the hospital's cafeteria to get some lunch, while a nurse brought Ephram's his.
When Amy, Bright and Laynie returned they found Ephram finishing off his bowl of soup and ham sandwich. Amy smiled. "Looks like your appetites back!"
Ephram grinned. "Well, you know you can never really get enough of the fine hospital cuisine!"
"Yeah right. It's gross! I don't know how you stand this crap each day!" Bright retorted.
"Me neither. But you know what they say, stomach of steel."
Amy laughed, sounding like a wind chime twinkling on a breeze. "Oh, so that's why you threw up when you tasted a container of your dads cooking that had been in the fridge for, like, two months?"
"Hey, not even an iron man could swallow that stuff without puking."
A knock on Ephram's opened door turned their heads. "Could I speak to Ephram alone for a minute?" The doctor looked at Ephram's friends, who quickly shuffled out of the room.
"I have some news."
"So you see Ephram, they're going to have to keep you here a little longer, just to be safe." Andrew Brown was finishing up telling Ephram what, exactly, was wrong with him.
"So basically what your disguising under all those medical terms, is that I have a chipped skull and that I have to stay here in case it moves?"
Andy smiled. "Ahh, you catch on quick."
"Any idea of when they'll think its safe to let me go home?" asked Ephram curiously. Unless the chip does move. No, Ephram, don't think that!
"I'd say probably a week or two. If it doesn't move during that then there's a very low chance it will move after, unless of course you hit your head hard. You just have to be careful. It will heal up in no time."
Ephram nodded. He had a feeling his dad wasn't telling him something, but he brushed it aside. "Is Delia here?"
He nodded. "She's in the waiting room with Nina and Sam. Do you want me to go get her?"
"Yeah."
A couple minutes after Dr. Brown left Delia showed up at the doorway of Ephram's hospital room. "Ephram? Are you asleep?"
Ephram opened his eyes. "No, I'm just resting them. How ya doing, kiddo?"
She strayed to his bedside. "I'm okay, I guess. I've been really worried about you, Ephram."
"You don't have anything to be worried about, De. You don't really think I'd leave you, do you? 'Cause I'm not going anywhere."
A smile appeared on Delia's face, a smile that told of reassurance, and hope, but it disappeared with a stifling thought. "I'm not so sure anymore, Ephram. Mom left, and I don't think she wanted to. So why did she have to die? You don't want to, but how can you stop it?"
Ephram was startled by such a deep thought coming from his nine-year-old sister. "I dunno, Delia, but I can promise you that I'm not giving up without a fight. Don't worry about me. It's not over 'til the fat lady sings, right?"
That brought a laugh out of his sister. She had always loved that line. "Okay Ephram, but its hard, you know? Anyway, I'll see you later, k? I think Amy wanted to see you. Want me to get her?"
Ephram nodded and Delia said her good-byes. A few minutes later Amy arrived, flustered and holding something in her hands.
"Hey Ephram, sorry I took so long, but I couldn't find these."
Ephram laughed. "It's not like I'm pressed for time. That's not homework, is it?"
"Of course not! I know better then to bring you school work." She moved from the doorway to the bedside and held up what she had been holding. "It's your favourite manga series and the brand new volume of Ayashi no Ceres! Your father brought them over." Amy handed the stack over to Ephram, who set them on the side of the bed with a grateful look on his face.
"Thanks, I thought I was going to die from boredom!" Ephram watched Amy's face fall at the reference to his demise, and inwardly winced. Nice move, Brown, he thought. "Hey, its okay. Like I said to Delia, I'm not going anywhere."
Amy looked up, but Ephram could tell something was still troubling her. She spoke, but hesitantly. "Ephram. Why did you-"
Ephram cut her off, knowing what she was about to say. "Leap in front of a speeding car to save you, like a super hero?" Amy nodded.
"Amy, I couldn't just stand by and let you get hit. You mean more to me than anything in the world. And I'll never regret it. And don't feel as though its your fault, okay? It was my choice, and even if it was made in a split second, its what I wanted to do." By now, tears were spilling down Amy's pretty face, leaving tracks of salt water.
"I'm sorry, Ephram." Ephram looked deep into Amy's dark eyes, and brought her face down to his, meeting in a shattering kiss. Electricity surged through them, and Ephram felt the warmth of Amy's tears on his cheeks.
They parted reluctantly, and Ephram said, "Nothin' to be sorry about, Amy."
In the following week Amy continued to visit him. Then at the end of his second week in the hospital, he received a surprise visit from Amy, who had brought along Laynie and Bright.
"The nurse said you could go around the hospital in a wheelchair, so that's what you're going to do!" exclaimed Laynie. Ephram looked at her strangely.
"It's a hospital," Ephram said, as if she was the stupidest person in the world. "What's so good about that?"
"Dude, you've been in a hospital bed for, like, more then a week. Isn't anything better then another day of that?"
Ephram conceded. "Yeah, I guess you got a point there."
They helped him into the wheelchair, and then they were off racing around the hospital, disrupting nurses and knocking things over.
"Hey Ephram, are you alright?" Amy asked Ephram, who was looking sort of pale and rubbing his temple.
He shrugged her off. "I just have a little head ache, that's all."
His three friends exchanged worried glances, and Bright said, "Maybe we should go back, it's almost lunch anyway and I'm hungry!"
Ephram nodded and they went back to his room. His trio of friends went down to the hospital's cafeteria to get some lunch, while a nurse brought Ephram's his.
When Amy, Bright and Laynie returned they found Ephram finishing off his bowl of soup and ham sandwich. Amy smiled. "Looks like your appetites back!"
Ephram grinned. "Well, you know you can never really get enough of the fine hospital cuisine!"
"Yeah right. It's gross! I don't know how you stand this crap each day!" Bright retorted.
"Me neither. But you know what they say, stomach of steel."
Amy laughed, sounding like a wind chime twinkling on a breeze. "Oh, so that's why you threw up when you tasted a container of your dads cooking that had been in the fridge for, like, two months?"
"Hey, not even an iron man could swallow that stuff without puking."
A knock on Ephram's opened door turned their heads. "Could I speak to Ephram alone for a minute?" The doctor looked at Ephram's friends, who quickly shuffled out of the room.
"I have some news."