Chapter 6-
Bethany slowly made her way into her mom's hospital room. She just got dropped off by her dad downstairs and couldn't wait to tell her mom everything that happened. She stopped just outside the curtain dividing the room and smiled to herself. For some reason she felt happy. Safe, and secure. She stepped around the curtain and stopped dead in her tracks. Her mom wasn't in her bed! Bethany almost started crying as she ran from the room and tried to find a nurse. She ran to the nurses station and said, "My mother's not in her room! Where's my mom?!" Bethany was panicking as the nurse asked what room her mom was in. Bethany answered, "Room 240. Please, you have to find her!" The nurse tried to give her some comforting words but Bethany couldn't even hear her. It sounded as if water was roaring around in her ears. So loud she couldn't even hear herself think. The nurse who was calling someone looked up and behin Bethany. She said something and pointed. Bethany turned around and there in front of her was her mom. Bethany started crying her eyes out. Her mom was walking! She was walking around like nothing had happened. She had an IV and was wearing a hospital gown but other then that she looked like she always did. She even had make up on! "Mom!" Bethany cried. She ran over to her mom and wrapped her arms around her, "Mom . . . how . . ."
"Shh." Her mom said, "Let's get a cup of coffee and talk." They walked through the halls with their arms around each other. Bethany was still crying but not nearly as much. The roaring in her ears stopped almost completely and she was happy. She was with her mom, walking to get a cup of coffee. Bethany never thought she's being doing this again. She and her mom would walk to the coffee shop down the street every Saturday night and got a coffee. It was almost like that now. They got their coffee, sat at a table and started talking.
"Mom, you're walking!" Bethany said.
"I noticed." Her mom siad with a smile.
Bethany didn't smile. She was happy, but she didn't smile, "But how?"
"You know I was told I probably wouldn't walk again, right?". Bethany nodded, "Well, today I decided I wasn't going to let that happen. So I got up and started walking."
Bethany smiled now. She couldn't believe her mom was walking! She was right. It was a miracle. The two of them sat around talking and drinking coffee for a while and finally decided to head back to the room Laura was staying in. "Beth, honey, I'm sorry. I completley gorgot. How was your day at your fathers?"
"Oh, it was fun. I met my brothers and sisters . . . some of them. Did you know he has nine kids including me?!"
Laura smiled, "No, I didn't."
"And," Bethany continued, "I think I remember ll of their names. There's Matt, Mary, Lucy . . . Simon. Then me. Ruthie, Sam and David. And there is this other guy living there, too. His name is Martin. I don't really know why he's living there. They may have told me but I forget."
Laura looked shocked, "So there are eleven people living there?! Nine of them being kids?"
"No," Bethany laughed, "Matt and Mary live in New York with their husband and wife. Lucy lives down the street with her husband. Simon lives in a dorm at his college . . . but he's home for the summer. And Ruthie, Sam, and David live there all the time. So there are only six people living there four being kids."
"Oh, okay. And soon there will be five."
Bethany stopepd smiling and laughing, "You . . . you mean I still have to live with them?"
"Of course you do!" Laura smiled now, "Just because I'm walking doesn't mean I'm cured. I'm still very sick."
"But you're getting better. Maybe you could come home and I can take care of you."
Laura put her arm on Bethany's shoulders, "Beth, I'm sorry. I don't want to put that responsibility on you. I'll be just fine staying here and you'll be better off with your father." Bethany nodded hoping her mom would change her moind. Bethnay was starting to love her dad. And she really liked his family, except Annie, but she still loved her mom more.She wanted to stay with her mom and help her get better. She wondered if she would even be allowed to visit her mom the way Annie seemed.
~*~The Next Morning at the Camden's~*~
Walking past her parents bedroom Ruthie Camden heard her mom talking about Bethany again. And how much she hated Bethany and Eric and Bethany's mom. Ruthie didn't understand why Annie hated Bethany. Ruthie thought she was pretty cool. She could understand why her mom was mad at Laura . . . but not Eric. Eric didn't do anything wrong that they hadn't already dealt with. She found all thecourage in her body and walked into her parent's bedroom, "Mom," She asked, "Why do you hate Bethany and Dad?" She said nothing more. Just that one queston.
"Because." Her mom answered viciously, a way she had never spoken to Ruthie before, "Because Bethany is a remindfer of your father's stupid behavior. And your father is just stupid!" Annie stormed out of the room leaving Ruthie and Eric looking slightly confused and shocked.
"She is so infuriating!" Eric said and he, also, stormed out of the room. Ruthie knew what lie ahead. they would soon become a dysfunctional family. She would go from one parent to another . . . both of them alway fighting. Unless . . . unless Bethany dissapeared. But that wasn't going to happen any time soon. Bethany had told her Laura was close to death. Ruthie had to find a way.
Bethany slowly made her way into her mom's hospital room. She just got dropped off by her dad downstairs and couldn't wait to tell her mom everything that happened. She stopped just outside the curtain dividing the room and smiled to herself. For some reason she felt happy. Safe, and secure. She stepped around the curtain and stopped dead in her tracks. Her mom wasn't in her bed! Bethany almost started crying as she ran from the room and tried to find a nurse. She ran to the nurses station and said, "My mother's not in her room! Where's my mom?!" Bethany was panicking as the nurse asked what room her mom was in. Bethany answered, "Room 240. Please, you have to find her!" The nurse tried to give her some comforting words but Bethany couldn't even hear her. It sounded as if water was roaring around in her ears. So loud she couldn't even hear herself think. The nurse who was calling someone looked up and behin Bethany. She said something and pointed. Bethany turned around and there in front of her was her mom. Bethany started crying her eyes out. Her mom was walking! She was walking around like nothing had happened. She had an IV and was wearing a hospital gown but other then that she looked like she always did. She even had make up on! "Mom!" Bethany cried. She ran over to her mom and wrapped her arms around her, "Mom . . . how . . ."
"Shh." Her mom said, "Let's get a cup of coffee and talk." They walked through the halls with their arms around each other. Bethany was still crying but not nearly as much. The roaring in her ears stopped almost completely and she was happy. She was with her mom, walking to get a cup of coffee. Bethany never thought she's being doing this again. She and her mom would walk to the coffee shop down the street every Saturday night and got a coffee. It was almost like that now. They got their coffee, sat at a table and started talking.
"Mom, you're walking!" Bethany said.
"I noticed." Her mom siad with a smile.
Bethany didn't smile. She was happy, but she didn't smile, "But how?"
"You know I was told I probably wouldn't walk again, right?". Bethany nodded, "Well, today I decided I wasn't going to let that happen. So I got up and started walking."
Bethany smiled now. She couldn't believe her mom was walking! She was right. It was a miracle. The two of them sat around talking and drinking coffee for a while and finally decided to head back to the room Laura was staying in. "Beth, honey, I'm sorry. I completley gorgot. How was your day at your fathers?"
"Oh, it was fun. I met my brothers and sisters . . . some of them. Did you know he has nine kids including me?!"
Laura smiled, "No, I didn't."
"And," Bethany continued, "I think I remember ll of their names. There's Matt, Mary, Lucy . . . Simon. Then me. Ruthie, Sam and David. And there is this other guy living there, too. His name is Martin. I don't really know why he's living there. They may have told me but I forget."
Laura looked shocked, "So there are eleven people living there?! Nine of them being kids?"
"No," Bethany laughed, "Matt and Mary live in New York with their husband and wife. Lucy lives down the street with her husband. Simon lives in a dorm at his college . . . but he's home for the summer. And Ruthie, Sam, and David live there all the time. So there are only six people living there four being kids."
"Oh, okay. And soon there will be five."
Bethany stopepd smiling and laughing, "You . . . you mean I still have to live with them?"
"Of course you do!" Laura smiled now, "Just because I'm walking doesn't mean I'm cured. I'm still very sick."
"But you're getting better. Maybe you could come home and I can take care of you."
Laura put her arm on Bethany's shoulders, "Beth, I'm sorry. I don't want to put that responsibility on you. I'll be just fine staying here and you'll be better off with your father." Bethany nodded hoping her mom would change her moind. Bethnay was starting to love her dad. And she really liked his family, except Annie, but she still loved her mom more.She wanted to stay with her mom and help her get better. She wondered if she would even be allowed to visit her mom the way Annie seemed.
~*~The Next Morning at the Camden's~*~
Walking past her parents bedroom Ruthie Camden heard her mom talking about Bethany again. And how much she hated Bethany and Eric and Bethany's mom. Ruthie didn't understand why Annie hated Bethany. Ruthie thought she was pretty cool. She could understand why her mom was mad at Laura . . . but not Eric. Eric didn't do anything wrong that they hadn't already dealt with. She found all thecourage in her body and walked into her parent's bedroom, "Mom," She asked, "Why do you hate Bethany and Dad?" She said nothing more. Just that one queston.
"Because." Her mom answered viciously, a way she had never spoken to Ruthie before, "Because Bethany is a remindfer of your father's stupid behavior. And your father is just stupid!" Annie stormed out of the room leaving Ruthie and Eric looking slightly confused and shocked.
"She is so infuriating!" Eric said and he, also, stormed out of the room. Ruthie knew what lie ahead. they would soon become a dysfunctional family. She would go from one parent to another . . . both of them alway fighting. Unless . . . unless Bethany dissapeared. But that wasn't going to happen any time soon. Bethany had told her Laura was close to death. Ruthie had to find a way.