Chapter 11
The silent vibration in her pocket shook her from her light sleep. The semi sterile smell of the doctor's lounge made her realize where she was. Andrianne glanced at her watch and it had been at least five hours since she had been there with Ryan.
"Hello?" Andrianne asked groggily as she clicked answer on the phone.
"Baby girl, how are you? I'm sorry I could not call you earlier; I just got the message from mom. How's Ryan?" Wyatt's worried voice rushed to fill Andrianne's head as she processed the thought of the confused and worried brother of hers.
Andrianne paused for a few second before she answered. "I'm okay actually. I can't say the same about Ryan or Riley. I haven't seen them yet. Ryder asked me to wait for him in the doctor's lounge and he will call me when they are taken to recovery." Andrianne said calmly.
Wyatt sighed. "Has Chris called? Or mom and dad?" He asked with a little tinge of worry in his voice. Andrianne just kept quiet. "Andy, where is mom and dad?" Wyatt asked.
"I don't know. I left her a message and she didn't reply, but she's okay though. You got the message from her right?" Andrianne said.
"Andrianne. Did mom leave you alone in the house?" Wyatt asked.
"No. Ryan was with me. And he giving his kidney was my fault. Told him what happened before. Mom and dad didn't tell me where they went." Andrianne replied. "Chris has been out of reached for a few hours now."
"I think I might know where mom and dad might be. I'll check it out. Mean while, don't go missing on me as well. Stay there okay princess." Wyatt instructed.
Andrianne let out a laugh as she smiled. "Not going anywhere until Ryan and Riley is out of the operating room." Andrianne replied to her brother. "Wyatt, don't worry, I'm a big girl, I know how to take care of myself."
"The day I stop worrying about my little siblings will be the day that I die." Wyatt said before kissed his little sister good night from the phone line. "I'll call you back real soon." He said before killing the line.
Andrianne sighed as she went to the toilet to splash the cold water make herself more awake. The feel of frustration and aggravation was so thick, that she felt like she could explode with it. Andrianne walked out of the doctor's lounge and went to the hospital chapel where everything was much quieter.
The feel of disappointment and stress was still thick, but there, hope and faith exist. Miracles happen. Andrianne sat on the front row bench as she buried her face in her hands. What would have happened if she did not have opened her big mouth and she had not able to feel or think about other people's feeling or thoughts. Her mind contemplates those questions over and over again.
A warm hand touched the small of her back made her head jerked up to see that it was. "I'm sorry kid." The lady said to her. She was not old, yet she was wearing like something people in the Victorian era would have worn. "I didn't mean to startle you." She spoke. Her voice was soothing just by the ring of it.
"It's fine." Andrianne replied. "I'm just a little jumpy." She smiled. Andrianne turned to look around her and she realized that no one other than the woman, the chapel was totally void of people. "Not many people here at this hour huh?" Andrianne said.
The woman just smiled. "It's always like this. People mostly are getting further than their creator. They belief more on the miracles of medicine rather than miracles. I'm surprised to see someone as young as you come in here." She spoke.
"I'm Andy. Sorry, if I'm rude to ask, but why are you dressed like that?" Andrianne questioned.
"I'm Julia." She said extending her hand. Quickly Andrianne reached to touch it. "It's a little weird isn't it?" She said looking down at herself. "Well, I was at a pre-Halloween party that ended up in a mess." She started.
"What happened? If you don't mind telling." Andrianne asked enthusiastically.
"Well," She started. "My sister and her husband as well as my husband and I were at a party, there was whispers of that bad people were at the party, but we didn't really care. My husband got shot and my sister and her husband was mugged." Julia said. "I probably shouldn't have told you that." She paused. "You look oddly familiar Andy." She added. "Why would such a lovely young girl like yourself be here?"
Andrianne hesitated to answer but she felt that she could trust her new friend. "My friend came to give his kidney to his uncle. His uncle was shot as well. So, I'm here to pray that they will be alright. Don't have to be perfect, just fine. It would be enough for them if they could pull through surgery and survive." She spoke as a pool of stubborn tears formed in her eyes.
"You're here with Ryan Smith?" Julia asked. Andrianne just nodded. "I'm Riley's wife." She said as she embraced the young girl in front of her. Startled and confused, Andrianne just sat there frozen.
A sudden rush into the chapel broke them apart. "There you are little girl. I was looking for you. Both of you actually." Riley said as she saw Andrianne and Julia. "He's stable, but he's still unconscious." Riley said to Julia as he hoisted the seven years old girl in his arms. "And my son is asking for the baby he was sitting for." He smiled. "Don't you ever go missing like that again." He whispered. Andrianne just smiled and nodded.
Andrianne laid her head on Ryder's shoulder and she smiled. "Julia from reader's circle right?" She whispered quietly to Ryder. Ryder held back a laugh and nodded. "You guys don't look far do you?" She chuckled.
Ryder let her down as they approached the recovery room. "Apple does not fall far from the tree." Ryder smiled as he walked both the girls in the recovery ward.
"Your father said you cried like a baby." Andrianne said as soon as she saw Ryan's face. Ryan just smiled at her. Andrianne sat on the bed facing Ryan.
Ryan shook his head. "Were you in any trouble?" He asked. Andrianne just shook her head. "Good. I still want to be in your parent's good side." He smiled.
Andrianne stuck her tongue out at the older boy. "Does that hurt?" She asked pointing at the bandaged wound. Ryan just shook his head as he held both her hand from going to the bandage. "You said it didn't hurt."
"It will hurt if you touch it, genius." Ryan said. Ryder just shook his head as he attended to his brother as he saw the two kids were getting along fine. Quietly, he closed the blinds a little as to give the both of them a little privacy.
"It won't I promise." Andrianne whispered really slowly as her hands hovers on top of the bandage and a soft orange glow hovered it. Ryan smiled, shaking his head. "I don't know if it works, but you'll know once you open the bandage later." She said.
Ryan just nodded at the little girl. "Did you cry with Aunt Julia?" Ryan asked. Andrianne blushed a little but she nodded. "Did you cry for me or Uncle Riley?" He asked. Andrianne just pouted as her answer. "Android bird." He whispered as his eyes were getting heavier. Andrianne just made a face then she laid her head on Ryan's chest.
Andrianne shut her eyes but her hand never parted from Ryan's.
The breeze of the cool mid-October wind was just perfect for their little outing. "This is just a dream right?" Ryan questioned. Andrianne nodded. Ryan shook his head. "It's not fair you know." He smiled.
"Life is never fair." Andrianne replied. "Enjoy what you get while it lasts." Andrianne said as they sat on the park bench. "And it's your dream. I'm just living in it." She added. "Don't do anything funny. I can still remember this when I wake up."
"You're a mean little witch, you know." Ryan said as she laid her head on his shoulder and his arms around her shoulder. Andrianne nodded silently. "But the little mean witch that makes anyone's life worth living." He spoke softly.
"I have to go. Just for a second. I will be back." Andrianne said quickly before she disappeared.
The silent vibration of her phone woke her up yet again. "Hello?" She said quietly.
"Mom and dad are dealing with some stuff that needed the power of three and Chris is having girl trouble that he does not want you to know about. Unless you can block your empathy from him, he would rather text you rather than tell you his emotion." Wyatt said quickly without even saying hello.
Andrianne sighed. "If that's all, I want to go back to sleep. And for dealing with something needing the power of three, mom and dad were really dolled up for it." Andrianne said smiling. Andrianne heard a groan on the other line. "You should have seen, dad. He was awesome." Andrianne added as Wyatt held back a laugh.
"Go to sleep, Andy. And I miss my little Android." Wyatt said softly.
"Bye big brother. I miss you too." Andrianne said as she cut off the line and laid her head back on Ryan's chest. Andrianne took a deep breath. "I'm sorry for hurting you later." She whispered.
Andrianne walked towards the man who was sitting, dressed up in a very fine suit and was reading a simple paperback. Jane Eyre. Andrianne smiled as she approached the man from behind. "You're all dressed up." She said as she wrapped her arms around his shoulder.
"You know you never told me why you could never be my special friend." Ryan started. "I have thought long, when you were gone and when you were dancing with Jeremy, but still I could not find any answer. Uncle Nadim gave you this book for a reason. I want to know." He said.
Andrianne's smile turned into a frown. "You could have just asked me you know." Andrianne spoke. Ryan asked.
"Not without you having a pre-thought answer, to suit my feeling and to calm my emotion. I don't want the age old I'm too old for you crap. I want the truth." Ryan said as he softly pulled Andrianne to sit on him. "Tell me, Drea."
Andrianne looked down on her hands. She could not sense anything from him. It was his dream after all, he can do whatever he wanted. Although telling him the reason would just probably make him too over protective like Chris was. "It's not that I don't want to tell. It's just that I hate self pity and being pitied at." Andrianne said.
His control over his dream was strong. The urge for her to tell him was very much seem like he was going to succeed. "Why are you crying, Drea? Is it that bad?" He question. "Did I hurt you that badly?"
"God no." Andrianne protested. "It's not that." She said. Ryan kept his words to himself and patiently waited for the answer that was going to come out of Andrianne. Andrianne gulped in a deep breath and she took Ryan's hand in her's. "I don't want you to know because I don't want you to be sad. I don't want a relationship just for the simple reason of that I don't want to leave you alone to mend it later." She spoke.
"Did I leave you, did you leave me? What, Drea? What happened?" Ryan demanded as he cupped her face so their eyes meet when she speaks.
Andrianne shook her head. "I left you." She said quietly. "I left you, I left my brothers and I left my parents. I didn't even had the chance to say good bye."
"That was before. You can expect what is going to come. What is there to worry?" Ryan questioned.
"I'll die at the age of ten, Ryan. Unless there is a doctor who can find a cure for cancer in the next three years, I might survive, other than that, I don't think I could." Andrianne finally blurted out. "And because you are too much of a brother to me than a friend. I can't lose that." Andrianne said as she disappeared into thin air.
Andrianne could not tell him more. She did not want to see his reaction even though she could feel it and she certainly did not want to see the tears that were going to pour down as she could see pools of them in his eyes. She looked up only to see the curtain parting Riley from his nephew was opened. Julia was no more in her seat.
"Andrianne." The hoarse voice of the older man came out as a whisper.
"It's Andy." Andrianne said as she hopped down the bed and went to the other one.
"That sounds like a boy's name." He smiled. "I miss you, Dy." He said. "You look shorter and younger than I remember." He said.
"Your memory must be hazy old man." Andrianne quipped. Riley's smile turned into a fake frown. "Kidding. I was ten back then, I'm seven now." She smiled. The memory they shared together, although not very many but they were memorable at least and very much hard to forget. The friendship that was bonded was truly amazing. "I just can't believe she spoke to you." Andrianne teased.
"Not until college. We met in college. I met her sister actually, but she stuck. I do understand that it went way back to reader's circle." Riley said. Andrianne nodded. "You are special Andrianne. Magical."