Chapter One

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"Mom, I think it's time." Max whispers. "It's been a year."

She gasps for breath. "Oh, this has been so hard on me and your father. First you being drafted," She blew her nose. "And now this."

"Mom." Max said. "It's hard on me too. I'm her big brother." He bites his lip, trying not to cry.

"Did you call Jude?" His mother finally says.

Max sat on his chair. "I think its best he doesn't know."

She nods. "I don't know what I am going to do without my Lucy."

Max sat with his hand on his chin. "Lucy's been gone for a whole year, mother." He whispers.

She sniffed. "But this is the real thing, isn't it?"

There was silence.

"Maybe threes a way she'll come back."

"Mom." Max said sternly. "If there was a way, she would be back. The doctors would have found a way. She's breathing, but Lucy's up in heaven."

Silence. "With Daniel." She said, trying to make herself feel better.

"Yes mum. With Daniel."

There was only the sound of breathing, now. Breathing and thinking.

"We have to do this now, mom."

She nods, and then sits next to Lucy. "I don't know if you can hear me, Luce, but if you can, could you show me?" She stroked her hair. She started crying. "Please Lucy? Just show me something to let me know you're here. And then we'll forget about pulling the plug. I promise you. Just show me."

She watched Lucy breathe for a moment. And then turned. "Just do it, Max."

Max hesitated, and then quickly clicked off all the machines.

"So that's it." She whispered. "Lucy's dead."

Max was quiet, and then spoke. "We should leave." He whispered.

She nodded and they both walked to the door.

Max opened the door and let his mother go ahead. He was about to shut the door, when he looked in and shed a single tear for his baby sister. Then he shut the door.

"Max?" Lucy flung out of her bed. "Max!!"

There was nothing. Lucy sprung out of bed and immediately collapsed. "I can't…" She had forgotten how to walk.

She crawled with a lot of effort to the door and then flung it open. "Max!!"

He turned around and stared in disbelief. "Lucy?"

Lucy smiled.

"Lucy!!!" They both yelled together. They ran over to her.

"Lucy, you're alive." Max whispered.

She looked around, confused. "Of course I'm awake."

Max wrapped his arms around her.

"I was so scared." Lucy's mother whispered, bawling.

"Where's Jude?" Lucy asked. Everyone fell silent.

Lucy looked at Max, and he looked at the ground.

"What? What happened?"

Max looked in her eyes, then to his mother, who nodded. He looked back at Lucy.

"Luce, we don't know where Jude is."

Her eyes filled up. "What do you mean, you don't know? You're his best friend!!"

She looked back and forth.

"Jude… moved back to Liverpool, Lucy." Max said finally.

Lucy stared in astonishment. "What?" She looked at her mother, who looked away. "He couldn't have moved away. I just saw him a few hours ago!!" She pointed out the window.

Max closed his eyes. "It wasn't a few hours ago, Lucy."

She breathed angrily. "How long was I asleep for?" She whispered.

"You weren't asleep, Lucy. You were in a persistent coma." She covered her mouth, shocked. "And you were in a persistent coma for twelve months."

She closed her eyes and bit her lips. She shook her head. "No." She whispered.

She saw Jude through her closed eyes. All the times he had come back for her. And now he was gone.

"Lucy..." Max whispered. "We waited so long for you to wake up."

She shook her head. "I can't believe this."

Max looked down. "I know, it's pretty…"

"No, I really can't believe you. Why would I be in a coma?"

Max's mother was crying.

"Lucy, you fell." Max whispered. "You hit your head." He was crying. "By the time the ambulance got you to the hospital, there was nothing they could do."

"But my… my head, it feels fine."

Max sobbed a bit. "You have severe brain damage, Lucy."

She shook her head. "No. You're wrong." She stood up, a bit shaky, but stood.

"Lucy, don't do anything stupid." Max said. "You need to go to rehab to learn to walk." Lucy pushed past him, stumbling on her feet. "Lucy!"

She stumbled for the door, grabbing things around her to hold her up. Her legs felt strange underneath her, almost as she couldn't feel them.

"What the hell…" One of the doctors whispered, and walked quickly up to Lucy. "What are you doing?"

"I need to get out of here. Please, I just need to…"

"You can't walk. Look at yourself. If you aren't careful, you'll fall down. If the shock is big enough, you can go into another…" Lucy tripped and the doctor caught her. "Coma! Get back into bed!"

"I can't! I have to see him!!"

"Luce, you should listen to him." Max said, looking through Lucy's eyes. His blondish hair hung in his eyes. "Just go back to bed."

The doctor hoisted Lucy up and placed her on a wheelchair. Lucy was so shocked on what had happened. She just kept looking through Max's eyes.

The doctor wheeled her into her old room. She looked around. There were flowers on the table, along with a picture frame that was face down. Lucy lifted herself onto the bed herself and picked up the picture.

The picture was blurred, almost so blurred she couldn't see it. She saw two people, sitting together, one with long straight hair and one with short messy hair. Then she realized what it was.

Lucy quickly placed the picture on the desk with her eyes closed, her heart skipping a beat.

"Luce?" Max walked in and sat on the chair. "You wanna talk?"

She shook her head. "No." She whispered.

There was a tense silence.

"He's really gone, isn't he?" Lucy asked, her eyes still closed.

Max stayed silent.

"Why did he leave?" She whispered under her breath.

Max shrugged. "No one really knows, Lucy. There were probably a lot of reasons."

A tear slid down her cheek. "Do you think that… if I was more careful on the stairs…"

"Lucy, don't make this about you." Max said suddenly.

Lucy sighed. "Its my fault he's gone, Max." She whispered. "I know it is."