Please God…if you're out there, please hear me. Please, please save my mother. I don't know what I'm going to do if she doesn't get through surgery. I don't know if I can live without her. I just…I can't imagine life without her by my side. So please save her, God, I beg you. Please, please…I'll be so good if she gets through it alive. I'll do all my chores and if I ever go back to PCA, I'll do my homework right away and…I don't know, God, I'll do anything. Just please…help my mother get through this.
Zoey, Dana, and Quinn watched with sad eyes as Nicole crumpled to her knees and clasped her hands together with her thumbs crossed. She prayed with tears running down her cheeks and her eyes squeezed shut in pain and utter sadness. The people that passed her either gave her sympathetic looks or mumbled something about freaks these days.
"C'mon you guys," Zoey said quietly, tugging on Dana and Quinn's arm. "We have to go help her. I've never seen her so... depressed." She sighed lightly and felt her own tears forming in the corners of her eyes. "We have to go help her."
"How are we going to do that?" Quinn asked. She could barely look at Nicole without having her heart shatter into a million pieces. "She seems beyond sad and we're not professionals. How can we possibly help her?"
"We're her friends," Zoey said. "And we have to comfort her somehow."
Dana snapped her fingers and turned to face Zoey and Quinn with wide eyes. "I know exactly what'll help her. But I have to go back to Nicole's house to get it. Do you have the spare key she gave us?"
Zoey nodded and pulled a copy of Nicole's house key from her pocket. When they had arrived, Nicole had given it to them to use in case of emergencies. And now would be considered an emergency. Dana dug through her bag and pulled out a wad of cash which she explained would get her a taxi. She grabbed the key out of Zoey's hand and said, "I'll be back." Then she rushed away and out the sliding hospital doors.
"Come on, Quinn," Zoey said, pulling on Quinn's arm again. "We have to go help her somehow. Please don't tell me a super genius like you doesn't know how to make someone feel better."
Quinn felt tears slip down her cheeks as she faced Zoey. She trembled all over as she spoke. "I'm afraid I'll make it worse. Look at how fragile she is right now! One wrong word and we could make her collapse."
"I don't want to just stand here and watch her suffer!" Zoey yelled, also starting to cry from the pain she felt. "I have to go help her." She walked away from Quinn and over to Nicole who was still sitting on the ground, praying and crying her heart out. Zoey sat down beside her and grabbed one of her hands, making her open her eyes and see her friend sitting beside her.
"Zoey?" Nicole said, her lower lip trembling with fear.
"It'll be alright, Nicole," Zoey said, smiling comfortingly. "I'm going to be by your side and I'm going to pray with you until your mother is all better, ok? And you can cry on my shoulder any time you want. I'll be here."
"Me too," Quinn said, walking toward them and sitting down on Nicole's other side. She smiled, even as tears ran down her face like a rushing waterfall. She grabbed Nicole's other hand and said again, "Me too."
Nicole smiled a genuine smile of pure gratitude. "Thank you guys," she whispered, squeezing both their hands. "I don't know what I'd do without you."
"Will you please drive faster? This is an emergency!" Dana sat in the back seat of the yellow taxi, tapping her fingers against the glass and letting out loud sighs of utter distress as the taxi driver drove as fast as he could over to Nicole's house.
When they had finally reached her house, Dana threw the car door open and ran out, yelling behind her shoulder, "Stay right there! You have to drive me back to the hospital so don't go anywhere!"
She used the spare key to open the front door. After successfully getting into her house, Dana ran up the stairs and tore into Nicole's bedroom where she flung open her closet and rummaged through for awhile before finding what she was looking for.
"Yes," she breathed, her eyes wide and her heart beating extra fast. She ran out of the house, locked the front door, and practically threw herself back into the taxi. "Step on it!" she yelled. "Back to the hospital as fast as you can!"
Zoey took a minute to open her eyes and wipe her tears away. When she did, she saw Dana running towards them, holding a special something in her hands. Full of excitement, she tapped Nicole and Quinn frantically on the arm and said, "Look! Dana's back!"
They both opened their eyes and turned their heads to see Dana running towards them, out of breath. She halted before them and smiled before presenting to them… the Pants. Zoey, Nicole, and Quinn all sucked in their breath. They had almost forgotten about the Pants. It was still the same with the nail polish stain and the comfortable look it had written all over it.
"The Pants," Nicole breathed, reaching out to touch the tender fabric.
"Wear them," Dana said, holding them out for Nicole to take.
"Me?" Nicole looked at Dana with wide eyes, then over at Zoey and Quinn who both nodded their heads in agreement. "Why me?"
"You need them," Dana said simply, smiling and letting the Pants fall into Nicole's hands.
Nicole held the Pants against herself for a moment, letting its energy flow through her. Then she smiled and said, "Thanks, you guys. For… everything and a half."
"What's the half for?" Quinn asked.
"You guys are my everything and the Pants add a half to that," Nicole explained, drying her tears the best she could. Then she smiled and went to go change into the Pants. Zoey, Dana, and Quinn all exchanged looks of happiness. Maybe things would turn out ok after all. They really, really hoped so.