Disclaimer: no one mentioned belongs to me, I guarantee it.
The Worst That Could Happen
Chapter Two: Sunday
~~~~~ ~~~~~ ~~~~~ ~~~~~ ~~~~~
The night was spent restlessly tossing in my bed, kicking the sheets as they clung to me oppressively. Every time I closed my eyes, I was taken to a nightmare world, a Gordo-less world. I would wake up shuddering, cold. I didn't want to bother my parents, so in the middle of the night, I snuck into Matt's room.
He awoke with a yelp and a confused, paranoid look in his eye. "What? What?"
"Matt," I hissed, kneeling at the side of the bed. "Matt, it's me."
He peered at me through heavy eyelids. "Lizzie? What're you doing here?"
"I can't sleep. Did Mom and Dad tell you about Gordo?"
"He's in the hospital," Matt said, the sleep slowly fading from his voice.
"In a coma," I informed him, and sighed. "I'm scared, Matt."
Under normal circumstances, Matt would've rolled over, told me to bug off. But he sat up instead and gave me a one-armed hug around the shoulders. "Everything's going to be okay, Lizzie. Gordo's a fighter. Don't give up on him."
"I'm not..." I muttered, but I knew that the way I was talking, I really was. "I love him, you know," I whispered.
Matt mulled this over. I'd thought that he would've been too young, but comprehension was apparent in his eyes. "You haven't told him, have you," he said, and I was amazed by how quickly he grasped the situation.
"I haven't."
"And you're afraid you might never get the chance."
"Way to hit the nail on the head, little brother," I said, smiling for the first time that day, albeit weakly.
"Trust me, Lizzie, Gordo will pull through."
I hugged him briefly, and was even more surprised when he hugged me back. "Thank you," I whispered, and went to the door. "Get some sleep," I told him, feeling that I had to play the role of big sister at least once in this exchange.
"You too, sis," Matt said, and I couldn't remember the last time he'd called me 'sis'. It felt good.
~~~~~
I spent all day at Gordo's side Sunday. My parents took turns staying at the hospital to make sure that *I* was okay. When Mom was there, she sat with the Gordons and they talked about parental things. When it was Dad's turn, he usually had Matt with him, and having Matt was a job all in itself. Somehow being around all those shiny, expensive toys eliminated all of the maturity I'd seen in my little brother the night before. But that was okay. Having Matt be Matt was normalcy, and I needed as much of that as I could get.
Miranda came by late Sunday afternoon, looking as stunned as I'd felt when I'd gotten the call. She didn't seem surprised to see me there, didn't seem surprised to learn that I'd been there all day, and didn't even seem upset that I'd gotten the call almost immediately after the accident, while she'd been put aside for twenty four hours. Well, if she was upset, she had the good grace to hide it well, which I appreciated. This accident was taking its toll on all of us, making us have to grow up and mature far faster than we'd ever wanted to.
We sat for hours, she and I. We didn't talk much, and when we did, it was just her asking inconsequential questions about the whereabouts of my parents, or the Gordons, or Matt, or the soda machines. Finally she left, and I remained. Throughout the rest of the evening, various parents filtered in the room, sitting, talking to each other, talking to Gordo, never talking to me. I held his hand the entire time. I had to let him know I was here for him.
I got no sleep this time around. Gordo was getting enough sleep for the both of us, and I wanted to be there when he woke up. When, not if. I was forcing myself to think positively.
I stayed until visiting hours were up, then I stayed a bit longer. No one dared stop me this time around, they only sat in the hallway quietly until I involuntarily decided it was time for me to leave. That 'decision' didn't come until nearly one in the morning, when I collapsed against Gordo's bed, having not slept or eaten in more than twenty-four hours. Mom decided there that having the two of us lying unconscious was not the best of plans, so she whisked me off.
The Worst That Could Happen
Chapter Two: Sunday
~~~~~ ~~~~~ ~~~~~ ~~~~~ ~~~~~
The night was spent restlessly tossing in my bed, kicking the sheets as they clung to me oppressively. Every time I closed my eyes, I was taken to a nightmare world, a Gordo-less world. I would wake up shuddering, cold. I didn't want to bother my parents, so in the middle of the night, I snuck into Matt's room.
He awoke with a yelp and a confused, paranoid look in his eye. "What? What?"
"Matt," I hissed, kneeling at the side of the bed. "Matt, it's me."
He peered at me through heavy eyelids. "Lizzie? What're you doing here?"
"I can't sleep. Did Mom and Dad tell you about Gordo?"
"He's in the hospital," Matt said, the sleep slowly fading from his voice.
"In a coma," I informed him, and sighed. "I'm scared, Matt."
Under normal circumstances, Matt would've rolled over, told me to bug off. But he sat up instead and gave me a one-armed hug around the shoulders. "Everything's going to be okay, Lizzie. Gordo's a fighter. Don't give up on him."
"I'm not..." I muttered, but I knew that the way I was talking, I really was. "I love him, you know," I whispered.
Matt mulled this over. I'd thought that he would've been too young, but comprehension was apparent in his eyes. "You haven't told him, have you," he said, and I was amazed by how quickly he grasped the situation.
"I haven't."
"And you're afraid you might never get the chance."
"Way to hit the nail on the head, little brother," I said, smiling for the first time that day, albeit weakly.
"Trust me, Lizzie, Gordo will pull through."
I hugged him briefly, and was even more surprised when he hugged me back. "Thank you," I whispered, and went to the door. "Get some sleep," I told him, feeling that I had to play the role of big sister at least once in this exchange.
"You too, sis," Matt said, and I couldn't remember the last time he'd called me 'sis'. It felt good.
~~~~~
I spent all day at Gordo's side Sunday. My parents took turns staying at the hospital to make sure that *I* was okay. When Mom was there, she sat with the Gordons and they talked about parental things. When it was Dad's turn, he usually had Matt with him, and having Matt was a job all in itself. Somehow being around all those shiny, expensive toys eliminated all of the maturity I'd seen in my little brother the night before. But that was okay. Having Matt be Matt was normalcy, and I needed as much of that as I could get.
Miranda came by late Sunday afternoon, looking as stunned as I'd felt when I'd gotten the call. She didn't seem surprised to see me there, didn't seem surprised to learn that I'd been there all day, and didn't even seem upset that I'd gotten the call almost immediately after the accident, while she'd been put aside for twenty four hours. Well, if she was upset, she had the good grace to hide it well, which I appreciated. This accident was taking its toll on all of us, making us have to grow up and mature far faster than we'd ever wanted to.
We sat for hours, she and I. We didn't talk much, and when we did, it was just her asking inconsequential questions about the whereabouts of my parents, or the Gordons, or Matt, or the soda machines. Finally she left, and I remained. Throughout the rest of the evening, various parents filtered in the room, sitting, talking to each other, talking to Gordo, never talking to me. I held his hand the entire time. I had to let him know I was here for him.
I got no sleep this time around. Gordo was getting enough sleep for the both of us, and I wanted to be there when he woke up. When, not if. I was forcing myself to think positively.
I stayed until visiting hours were up, then I stayed a bit longer. No one dared stop me this time around, they only sat in the hallway quietly until I involuntarily decided it was time for me to leave. That 'decision' didn't come until nearly one in the morning, when I collapsed against Gordo's bed, having not slept or eaten in more than twenty-four hours. Mom decided there that having the two of us lying unconscious was not the best of plans, so she whisked me off.