Chapter Fifteen: Hospital P4-Goodbye Forever

"Since they were shot early on and didn't get any treatment for a while, their wounds have gotten infected. We couldn't figure it out what was wrong with them until they got into their second surgery" Dr. Addisin, Melody and Lucas' doctor, said to the Stewarts, Oakens , Truscotts, and Jake. "Now, only time will tell to see how big of an infection they got. I suggest you all go home and get some sleep."

"Can't we stay here?" Lilly asked.

"Well, you could. But, I wouldn't recommend the cafeteria food. I've been working here for about ten years and I sill don't think it's appetizing" Dr. Addison said with a small smile.

"You kids stay here. We haven't had any dinner yet. We'll go and get you something. What would you like?" Mrs. Truscott asked, getting to her feet.

"Pizza!" Bailey cried jumping to her feet.

"No, Hoagies" Jackson said from where he was sitting. His feet were propped up on the table in front of him. The swelling had gone down. But now, he had a cast on his left ankle and a brace on his right.

"McDonlads" Lilly whined.

"No, Chick-fil-A" Oliver cried.

"Popeyes" Jake complained.

That got all six kids to start yelling and screaming at each other. The parents laughed to themselves and all of them left the building. Everybody fell silent.

"What's the point in arguing?" Jackson asked, leaning his head back and closing his eyes. "It's not going to make everything that's happened to us go away."

"He's right. The most important thing is we're all together and we're all safe" Lilly added as Bailey crawled into her lap.

"Wait a second!" Jake suddenly cried. Everybody turned to look at him. "I'm Jake Ryan, star of the hit Teen show, Zombie High. I remember now."

Everybody exchanged looks and started to laugh. Jake looked at all of them, a smile tugging onto his lips.

"What? The doctor did say I would lose my memory from time to time" Jake said defensively.

"It's all right, Jake. We still love you" Miley said and kissed him on the cheek. Jake smiled and wrapped his arm around her waist.

"How serious can an infection be?" Bailey asked as she laced her fingers with Lilly's.

"Pretty serious. You can get really sick and fell pain all over your body" Lilly replied. "You can die too."

"I hope they make it through this" Oliver said quietly, running a hand through his hair. Lilly leaned her head on his shoulder.

"We all do" Jackson replied as he shifted his position in the chair. "Damn, my leg hurts."

"You're telling me" Miley muttered with a smirk. She made a face and started looking around. "Does anybody have a pencil of a pen."

"What's the matter?" Bailey asked, getting one of a nearby table. She handed it to Miley who started probing the pen into her cast.

"My leg is itchy" she replied, making a face of relief.

"That's my girl" Jake said with a laugh and pulled Miley closer to him.

"Hey, no PDA, all right?" Jackson said, crossing his arms across his chest.

"Whatever, Jackson" Miley said as Jake kissed her on top of the head. But, she smiled at her brother nonetheless.

"Who's hungry?" came Robbie's voice.

All the kids turned and saw the parents had arm fulls of McDonald's and Chik-Fil-A bags and Pizza and Popeye's boxes.

"Sweet. Popeyes" Jake said in a sing song voice as he grabbed one of the boxes.

Everyone grabbed the boxes and bags of the food they wanted. Everyone ate in silence, occasionally breaking the silence by saying 'Please' and 'Thank you' as things were passed around. Bailey was the first to fall asleep. She was halfway through her pizza when she fell over sideways.

Lilly laughed and tugged the pizza slice out of her sister's hands. She wiped the pizza sauce from her face and then let her fall over sideways.

"I think that's a sign saying we should all get to sleep" Oliver said, stretching his arms over his head. He looked around at all of the chairs. "Good luck finding a place to sleep."

"I can't sleep sitting up" Miley and Jackson cried as their dad put blankets over them.

"Well, that's the only place you can sleep right now. Good night guys" he said and kissed each of them on the head.

"I would wipe my forehead, but I think it would take up too much energy and I'm wiped" Jackson muttered. All the other kids got comfortable on the floor or in chairs, falling fast asleep.

-

Miley opened her eyes to the sound of someone talking. She sat up and rubbed her stiff neck listening closely. She heard it softly to her left.

"Where am I?"

"Jake?" Miley asked quietly. The voice gradually got louder and louder.

"Where am I? Where am I? WHERE AM I?"

"Jake. Jake, it's all right" Miley said, searching through the darkness for his hand. She wheeled herself closer to Jake's side and squeezed his hand. "It's all right. We're all here with you."

"Miley?" Jake asked quietly. I turned on a lamp at a nearby table and looked at his face. Streaks lined his face from the tears he cried. He had a scared look in his eyes.

"Yeah, Jake it's me" I replied quietly. "Are you ok?"

"I don't know. I had a bad dream" Jake replied quietly, rubbing at his face.

"About what?" I asked quietly.

"About the shooting. About everything that's been happening" he replied.

"Oh, Jake" I replied quietly. "Everything will be ok. We're all safe."

"Yeah. You're right" Jake replied, taking in a deep shuddering breath. "Everybody's fine. I'm fine. We're all fine."

"Ok, as soon as it's morning I'm asking the doctors if there's any medicine that you can take about your memory" Miley muttered, kissing Jake on the cheek. Jake looked at his watch and smirked.

"Sweetie, it is morning" Jake replied. "It's 8:30. I guess the doctors didn't want to wake us up."

"I don't blame them. I'm beat" Miley replied with a sigh. "But, we have to see if Melody and Lucas are ok."

"Morning" Bailey said, sitting up and stretching. "How is everybody?"

"Fine until you kicked me!" Lilly cried sitting up and rubbing her eyes. "Bailey, please watch our for my head next time."

"Sorry, Lilly" Bailey said as Jackson and Oliver woke up.

"Stop talking. It's too early for me to wake up" Jackson groaned and tilted his head back. "Never mind. My neck hurts like hell."

-

"Dr. Addison, how are their infections?" Lilly asked as she rushed up to the twins' doctor.

"Well, once we figured out they did have an infection, we immediately took them back into surgery" Dr. Addison replied, rubbing his tired eyes. "It turns out, Melody's infection wasn't as bad as Lucas's. But, both of them are cleared up and they're resting. But, we're going to want to keep them in the hospital for a while."

"OK. Thank you, sir" Lilly replied with a big smile. "Are they in their rooms right now?"

"Yes ma'am" Dr. Addison replied with a yawn. "But, I'm not sure if they'll wake up or not."

"OK, thank you, sir" Lilly replied, nodding. She walked back to where Oliver, Bailey, their parents were. The Stewarts went home for a while. "Oliver. Do you want to check on Lucas and Melody with me?"

"Sure. Stay right there, Bailey" he said, stopping in the middle of the card game they were playing.

"But, we're in the middle of a game" Bailey cried.

"Listen, if you let me go with your sister now, I'll give you half of my Halloween candy stash" Oliver said under his breath and gave an exaggerated wink.

"Got it" Bailey replied with an exaggerated wink of her own. She smiled and put the cards back into a pile.

Lilly grabbed Oliver by the arm and pulled him down the hall. "You bribed her?" she demanded.

"Hey, I don't think she would have let me be with my girlfriend" Oliver said with a little laugh. Lilly smiled and kissed him on the cheek.

"Come on. There new rooms are this way" she said with a smile and rushed down the hallway towards Lucas and Melody's room.

Oliver rushed after her. Once they got to the room Oliver lightly knocked on the door and quietly opened it. They poked thier heads inside and saw Melody and Lucas asleep. They stepped into the room and closed the door behind them.

"Hey, Melody. It's me, Oliver" Oliver said quietly, taking her hand and grabbing a chair to sit by her side. "How're you feeling?"

Lilly smiled and went over to Lucas. Her smile turned to a frown when she saw that he was still pale. She looked over at Melody and saw that the rosy color was back in her cheeks, but it wasn't in Lucas' face.

"The doctors said the infection was gone. So, it'll be ok" Lilly said to herself. She grabbed a chair and sat down next to Lucas' bed. She took his hand and let out a sigh.

"Lilly?"

Lilly looked up at Lucas and saw that his eyes were opened slightly. He had a really faint smile on his face.

"Hey" he said quietly.

"How're you feeling?" Lilly asked quietly.

"Sick. I'm sick of staying in the hospital" Lucas replied, shifting in his bed. Lilly laughed a little bit. "Do you know what was wrong with me and Mel?"

"The doctors said you guys had infections in your bullet wounds. But, it's all cleared up" Lilly replied.

"Then, why do I feel so horrible?" Lucas asked, coughing a little bit.

"It'll take you a little bit to recover, that's all" Lilly replied quietly.

"Oh ok" Lucas replied quietly. "Lilly?"

"Hmm?" Lilly asked.

"I love you" Lucas muttered. Lilly stared at him, a slightly confused look on her face.

"But, I already have a boyfriend" Lilly replied quietly. Lucas shook his head.

"No, I mean, I love you like a sister. I love you like I love Mel" he said, opening his eyes wider. "You're like her twin in life. When I saw you in the hallway during the shooting, I thought you were her. That's why I helped you."

"Well, thank you. You saved my life" Lilly replied and gave him a small kiss on the lips. I sat back and smiled.

"Any time" Lucas replied with a nod. "Maybe if I get something to eat I'll feel so much better.

"Maybe. I'll come back every day to visit you while you're in the hospital" Lilly replied.

"That won't be for a about a day. They're tests are proving that they're recovering really fast" Dr. Addison said coming into the room.

"That's great" Lilly said squeezing Lucas' hand. She grabbed a pen and scribbled a number on his arm.

"What's this?" he asked, looking at his arm.

"My cell phone number. Call me once you're at home" Lilly replied.

"Lilly, you're awesome" Lucas said with a smile as Dr. Addison walked over to him.

"I know. Well, I better get going. Come on, Oliver" Lilly said getting up from her chair.

"OK. I'll see you later, Melody. Call me as soon as you get home" Oliver said quietly to the girl. He got up out of his chair and the couple left the hospital room.

"Feeling better?" Oliver asked Lilly.

"To be honest, I don't think I'd ever feel right after the shooting. But, I'm feeling so much better" Lilly replied with a grin.

-

-A WEEK LATER-

"Lilly, what's the matter?" Oliver asked, a slightly impatient tone to his voice.

"I'm just nervous I guess" Lilly admitted.

Oliver, Miley, and Lilly were headed to Melody and Lucas' house. They got out of the hospital a week before, but their parents wouldn't allow them to leave.

During the shooting, their parents were gone to Florida for a business trip. They got back early morning sometime last week. They felt really guilty about not being with their kids.

"Yeah, I know what you mean" Oliver replied, tightening his grip on the handles of Miley's wheel chair. "How're you doing, Miles?"

"Well, I'm going to be really happy once this cast is off. I don't know how I'll be able to get through this summer with this sweaty thing" Miley said, lightly tapping her cast. "I don't know what I'll do about Hannah Montana."

"Speaking of Hannah Montana. Miley, I've got a great idea for your next concert" Lilly cried.

"What is it?" Oliver asked as they turned onto Lucas and Melody's street.

"I'll tell you later" Lilly replied as they headed up the sidewalk to their house.

"Lilly! Oliver!"

Lilly and Oliver smiled as Lucas and Melody rushed up to them, big smiles on their faces. "Miley. How are y'al doing?"

"Better than ever" Miley said through clenched teeth.

"That's a lie" Melody said with a laugh. "So are we going to the mall or what?"

"Yeah are we going?" Lucas repeated, his hand going up to his head and pressing on his temple.

"Is everything ok?" Melody asked him, putting a comforting hand on his back.

"Yeah, it's just. . .a head ache" he muttered, smiling. Lilly tilted her head to the side.

'That smile looks forced. What's wrong?' she thought, running her fingers through her hair.

"We want you to meet our parents before we go" Melody said, grabbing onto Lilly's wrist.

"They've been dying to meet you. We've told them all about how you stayed with us" Lucas added, grabbing onto the handles of Miley's wheelchair. Oliver, Miley, and Lilly exchanged somewhat apprehensive looks as they were led into the home.

"Mom? Dad? We'd like you to meet some friends of ours" Melody called as she walked towards the living room.

A young looking couple turned off the TV and turned towards the group of kids that came into the room. Their mom had long auburn hair and olive green eyes. She had a charming smile on her face. Their dad had somewhat short and spiky hair and piercing green eyes. If they weren't told so, Oliver, Lilly, and Miley would have easily guessed that they were Lucas and Melody's parents.

"It's nice to meet you Mr. and Mrs. Sullivan" Oliver said politely, shaking their hands.

"It's nice to meet you too. . .uh-"

"Oliver. Oliver Oaken. These are my friends Miley Stewart and Lilly Truscott" Oliver supplied with a smile.

For the next half hour, Miley, Lilly, and Oliver talked to Mr. and Mrs. Sullivan about the school shooting and how they were coping.

"We should get going" Melody said looking at her watch.

"Oh, Lucas?" Mr. Sullivan called.

"Yeah, dad?" Lucas asked, turning to look at his dad. Mr. Sullivan got up from the couch and talked quietly in Lucas' ear. Lilly stared at them, reading Mr. Sullivan's lips.

'Take some advil with you just in case. If you feel sick at all, call us and we'll pick you up'

Lilly jumped when Oliver tapped her on the shoulder. He smiled and they headed out the front door of the Sullivan home. "Miley, where's Jake?"

"Oh, he's at home with his parents. They're trying to jog his memory and make sure he doesn't lose it again. The medicine he's taking doesn't always help" Miley replied quietly.

"Ok, let's go guys" Lucas cried as he closed the front door behind him. He tilted his head back and stuck something in his mouth he swallowed thickly and smiled.

'I have a bad feeling about this' Lilly thought as they headed to the mall.

"Lills are you ok?" Oliver asked, putting his arm around her waist.

"Yeah, I'm just thinking" Lilly replied, forcing a smile. The group of kids headed into the mall and immediately started arguing over which stores they go to.

"I have a better idea" Lucas called, a pained expression on his face. "How about we go the stores left to right. We start on the left side of the mall and end up on the right."

"Good idea" Melody said, a smile on his face. She gave her brother a hug. He smiled half-heartedly.

"Lucas, are you sure nothing is wrong? You look pale" Lilly said quietly.

"Oh, I'm fine. It's just because I'm hungry" Lucas replied as everybody looked at him. "Really, I'm fine." Melody had a doubtful look on her face, but shrugged and rushed off to the nearest store.

The group of kids were about halfway through the mall when Miley complained about being hungry. They headed over to the food court to get something from Dairy Queen and continued through the mall.

"Aren't you hungry?" Lilly asked, noticing that Lucas didn't have anything in his hands. He shrugged.

"Not anymore" he replied, slowing down to look at something in a window. Lilly suddenly got very mad.

She was about to yell to at him when she heard a loud thump. She immediately turned around to find Lucas unconscious and Melody at his side.

"Is he going to be alright?" Miley asked, almost teary eyed as Melody lifted his head off the floor.

Melody took one look at Lucas' pale complexion and shallow breathing. "I think so Miley. We'll just get a cold cloth and some water and wait until he wakes up. Hell be fine. This happened before."

-

"Lucas are you ok?" Melody asked later that night. He was sitting at the island in the kitchen, staring at a plate of cookies. A half eaten cookie was in his hand.

"Hm?" he asked, sitting up. "I'm fine." He popped the cookie into his mouth and chewed.

"You're going to have to tell Oliver, Lilly, and Miley eventually" Melody said, hugging him from behind.

"Yeah, I know. I just want to wait a little bit" Lucas replied, kissing Melody on the cheek.

"Don't stay up to late" Melody said with a yawn as she let go of her brother and started towards the stairs.

"I'm coming right now" Lucas replied, pushing his chair away from the island. He got up and followed his sister into their room. He let out a heavy sigh and collapsed onto his bed. "Night, Mel."

"Night, Luke" Melody replied, getting under her covers and turning to face the wall of their room.

Lucas rolled onto his back and stared up at the ceiling as he listened to Melody's steady breathing. Once he knew that she was asleep, he quietly got out of bed and over to his desk. He turned on the lamp and pulled out a sheet of paper. He grabbed a pen and started to write.

Once he was done, he opened the desk drawer and pulled out a Yin-Yang necklace. He pulled it apart, like it's supposed to, and put on the black half. He tapped the white half to the note and turned off the lamp.

Lucas tip toed over to Miley's bedside and watched her for a moment. 'She looks so peaceful' he thought. With a heavy sigh, he shoved the note and necklace underneath Melody's pillow. He kissed her lightly on the forehead and got back into his own bed, falling into a dreamless sleep. . .

-MELODY'S P.O.V-

The next morning, I woke up to a strange gurgling sound. I sat up and rubbed my eyes. I felt so exhausted. I sat up, the gurgling sound getting somewhat louder. I looked over at Lucas and screamed. He was thrashing around in his bed, his arms and legs jerking spastically, his head rolling from side to side.

"Mom! Daddy!" I shrieked, rushing over to Lucas' bedside. "Luke, what's wrong?"

The bedroom door burst open as mom and dad rushed in, fully clothed. Dad rushed over to Lucas' side and looked him over.

"I think he's having a seizure" dad muttered. I let out a cry as tears came to my eyes. "Melody, go call 9-1-1."

I stood there, frozen with fear, as I watched my brother shake. Dad turned and glared at me once he realized I hadn't moved.

"MELODY! CALL 9-1-1! NOW!" dad yelled. I jumped and rushed out of the room. I ran into the kitchen and picked up the phone. I punched in 9-1-1 and waited for someone to pick up.

"9-1-1 operator. How may I help you?" a voice asked.

"Uh, hi. My name is Melody Sullivan. I think my brother is having a seizure" I cried into the phone. "My address is 4821 Locust Grove Drive. Please hurry."

"OK, I have an ambulance going over there right now. Would you like me to stay on the phone with you?" the lady asked.

"Uh. . .yes, please" I replied, biting my thumbnail as tears spilled down my cheeks.

-

The car ride to the hospital was unbearable. I couldn't go in the ambulance. Only my dad could. I was really worried. I mean, Lucas has been getting headaches and feeling sick in the morning for the past week, but I didn't think it would be this serious.

Mom and I got to the hospital a little wile later. We found dad and he told us that Lucas was taken to the emergency room on the sixth floor and the doctors told us to wait there.

So, we rushed up to the sixth floor and sat down waiting. I fell asleep since it was kind of early for me. I kept having dreams about Lucas and I. I would wake up about once every fifteen minutes, crying. The next time I woke up, it was 11:00.

I woke up to Lucas having a seizure about 5 hours ago. "What's wrong with Lucas?" I asked, sitting up in my seat. I was kind of twisted in a pretzel while I slept, so now I was sore all over.

"We don't know. He's not out of surgery yet" mom replied quietly, stroking my cheek. Normally, I would swat her hand away, but this time I didn't. "A little bit before you woke up, the doctors said he should be out in about a half an hour."

"Mel, how did you know something was wrong?" dad asked from the chair in front of me.

"Well, I woke up to this gurgling sound" I replied. "At first I didn't think anything of it. It kind of sounded like a toilet flushing. Then, I looked over at Lucas and saw that he was thrashing around, and yelled for you."

"It's a good thing you did" dad muttered. "One of the paramedics on the way here said that he was having his seizure for about five minutes before anyone noticed."

"But, what caused his seizure?" I asked.

"I don't know. But, once Lucas' seizure stopped, he lay still for a while, then he started shaking. His skin was cold but he had a fever" dad replied. I gasped, slapping my hands over my mouth. A fresh wave of tears came to my eyes.

How will I start
Tomorrow without you here
Who's heart will guide me
When all the answers disappear

"Excuse me, Sullivan family?"

"Dr. Addison" I cried, getting to my feet. "How's my brother? What happened? Will he be ok?"

"Hello, Melody" Dr. Addison acknowledged me with a nod. "Lucas is in his room right now. He's asleep. But, I have some bad news."

"What is it?" mom asked quietly.

"The reason for Lucas' seizure was his infection has returned" Dr. Addison said quietly.

"Oh no" I muttered.

"Is that the bad news?" dad asked.

What will I do
You know I'm only half without you
How will I make it through

"No, sir. The bad news is that the infection has grown twice it's size and is feeding off of Lucas' innards" Dr. Addison replied. My tears started to slide down my cheeks. "Now, we've given Lucas antibiotics and we've surgically removed some of the infection. Only time will tell if he'll recover."

"NO" I yelled and ran out of the room. I heard my parents calling me back, but I didn't listen to them. I wanted to be alone. "This can't be happening."

I dropped to my knees in the middle of the hallway and started to cry. People who walked by me gave me weird looks but I didn't care. I felt a hand on my back and pushed it away.

"Melody, everything will be ok" I heard mom say in my ear.

"No, it won't! Nothing will ever be all right! The last shooting almost took his life! This one will!" I screamed into my hands.

Is it too late
Are you too far gone to stay
This one's forever
Should never have to go away

"You don't know that for sure" mom said quietly.

"Yes, I do. Mom, he was always weaker than me. He got sick so easily. He always had headaches. I could tell something was wrong with him. But, he never wanted to go to the doctor" I cried, turning to look at mom. "He didn't want to play any sports with me anymore."

"Melody, it'll be ok" mom said quietly.

"Mom, I just want to be alone right now" I said quietly, standing up and smoothing my hair. "I'm going for a walk. I have my cell phone. Call me when I can see Lucas."

Without another word, I left the hallway and started walking around, thinking of all the good times I had with Lucas.

-

"Hello?" I said into the phone as I answered it.

"Lucas is asking for you" mom replied.

"Is he awake?" I asked, going to the nearest elevator.

"Not fully awake. But, he keeps muttering your name. He hasn't responded to the rest of us. Maybe he'll respond to you" mom said quietly.

If only tears could bring you back to me
If only love could find a way
What I would do, what I would give
If you returned to me someday
Somehow, someway
If my tears could bring you back to me

"OK, I'm on my way" I replied and snapped my cell phone shut.

The walk to Lucas's room was a long one. I took the elevator up five floors than walked down a long, narrow hallway. The hallway was lined with closed doors. I stopped in front of one of them and Dr. Addison began to speak.

"Even though Lucas is in a deep sleep, he can still hear you. He's responding slightly to pain and sound, so only say positive things to him. When Lucas does experience pain, he may moan and mumble, but that does not necessarily mean that he's waking up" he paused. "Do you think you are ready to see him?"

I nodded and somberly followed Dr. Addison into Lucas' room.

The first thing that I noticed when I entered the room was all of the equipment. Everything looked scary, but I knew that the machines were what were keeping Lucas. I shakily approached the bed.

A mask was covering Lucas's mouth and nose and there was a long, thick tube protruding from it. He was extremely pale. All of the sudden, I got a headache. I hurried out of the room, trying not do draw attention to myself. Once I was in the hallway I hurried over to a bench a few feet away. I pressed my hands against my forehead. It hurt so badly. I felt like I had been run over by a train. . .or hit by a car. . .

I sat there for a few moments, and the pain in my head began to ebb away. Uneasiness in the pit of my stomach replaced it.

'It was horrible seeing Lucas like that,' she thought sadly, 'but I have to go back. I have to be there for him. But how can I be with him if every time I am near him I get that terrible headache?'

I massaged my forehead. I was leaning back against the bench with my eyes closed. I was trying to think of a way to visit Lucas without being crippled by that excruciating headache.

"Melody?" mom asked as she walked over to me. "Is everything okay?"

"When I saw Lucas my head started to hurt really badly" I told her.

I'd cry you an ocean
If you'd sail on home again
Wings of emotion
Will carry you, I know they can

Mom nodded in understanding, "Deeing Lucas like that was difficult for me too, I."

"That's not it," I said, "I mean, yeah it was hard, but my head really started to hurt. It's just starting to feel normal now. It's weird."

"Oh..." she said, confused, "I guess you probably don't want to go back to see him right now then...right?"

"Wrong," I relied, feeling frustrated, "I want to see him."

"Melody, it is okay if it makes you feel scared and—"

"Why aren't you listening to what I'm saying?" I snapped.

Then I hurried back into Lucas's room without waiting for mom to reply. I glanced at Lucas, and almost immediately, the headache was back. I squeezed my eyes shut and silently prayed for the headache to go away. The pain was unbearable, and impossible to ignore.

"Are you okay?" I heard dad ask.

"Yeah," I lied.

Just light will guide you
And your heart will chart the course
Soon you'll be drifting
Into the arms of your true north
Look in my eyes
And you will see a million tears have gone by
And still they're not dry

Lucas moaned softly. My eyes popped open and I stared at Lucas in surprise.

"He's waking up!" I said happily to dad.

Dad sighed and a look of pity crossed his face, "No he isn't, Mel."

If only tears could bring you back to me
If only love could find a way
What I would do, what I would give
If you returned to me someday
Somehow, someway
If my tears could bring you back to me

"Oh," I muttered, hanging my aching head. Dad left the room and I took a hold of Lucas' hand. My headache immediately went away. Shocked, I withdrew my hand. But, the pain didn't come back. I sighed and took Lucas' hand again.

I hold you close
And shout the words I only whispered before
For one more chance, for one last dance
There's nothing that I would not give and more

"I'm right here" I whispered, trying to keep the tears out of my voice. "I'm not going anywhere and neither are you."

I leaned forward and kissed Lucas' cheek. I rested my head on his pillow and whispered, "I love you."

"I. . .love. . .you. . .too" I heard a whispered reply.

I sat up and stared at Lucas. He slowly opened his eyes. The looked around the room and settled on mine.

"Lucas" I said quietly, squeezing his hand.

"Mel. . .I love. . .you" he whispered. He then closed his eyes and sank back into his pillows. It was then I noticed the black half of a Yin-Yang necklace.

"I love you too" I replied, tears coming down my cheeks.

I sat back as a wailing sound filled the room. I looked at the heart monitor and saw the green line go flat.

"No. Please no" I whispered. I ran to the door and threw I open. "SOMEONE HELP ME!"

Dr. Addison and about four other doctors rushed into the room. One was carrying the paddles of a defibrillator.

"I'm going to have to ask you to leave" one of the doctors said quietly.

"No. Wake up, Lucas! Please wake up!" I cried, rushing over to him. One of the doctors wrapped their arms around my waist and pulled me out of the room.

"I'm sorry" the doctor said quietly, setting me down on the floor and going back into the room.

He closed the door and rushed over to Lucas' side. I pressed myself up against the window that looked into the room. Mom and dad joined me. They put comforting hands on my shoulders.

We silently watched as they pressed the paddles to the defibrillator onto his chest. An electric shock went through his body. His back arched as the electric shock coursed through him.

One.

The line stayed flat.

Another electric shock was sent through his body. His back arched off the table.

Two.

The line stayed flat.

Another electric shock was sent through his body. His back arched off the table.

Three.

The line stayed flat.

The doctors all hung their heads. One of the doctors wrote something on a clip board. One of the doctors locked eyes with us and came out of the room.

"I'm sorry. Lucas is gone."

If only tears could bring you back to me
If only love could find a way
What I would do, what I would give
If you returned to me someday
Somehow, someway
If my tears could bring you back to me

-

The drive home was really weird. Lucas wasn't sitting next to me, talking and laughing. Nothing would be the same ever again. When we did get home though, Miley, Oliver, and Lilly were sitting on the front porch.

"Where were you? We were supposed to go to the park today" Oliver cried. "Where's Lucas?"

"He's dead" I replied.

Oliver, Miley, and Lilly's jaws dropped. Their eyes welled up with tears.

"W-What?" Lilly asked quietly.

"He's dead. His infection came back. It spread so much" I said shaking my head sadly. "His last words were 'Mel, I love you.' I don't-"

I broke off and started to sob. Miley, Lilly, and Oliver crowded around me as I sank to my knees and gave me a hug. We stayed like that for about ten minutes, until I pushed away from them.

"If you don't mind, I need some time alone" I said, wiping away my tears and running into the house. I slammed the door shut behind me and ran up the stairs to my room.

I threw myself on the bed and buried my head into the pillow. I felt something under my pillow and pulled it out. It was the white half of the Yin-Yang necklace attached to a note. I put the necklace on and opened the note with shaky fingers. I wiped away my tears and read it:

Mel,

I think my time is up. I constantly feel achy and when we were at the mall, I felt so dizzy. I didn't want to alarm you so I didn't say anything. But, it was too late when I collapsed. I didn't mean to scare any of you guys. I love all of you. Jake, Lilly, Bailey, Oliver, Miley, and especially you. You were always there for me when I needed you. We had great times together. You're asleep while I'm writing this. You look so peaceful. Remember me always. I'll always remember you. I'll always will be looking down on you from heaven. Keep the necklace from me always. When you have it with you, I'll always be right beside you.

Luva ya

Always and Forever

For Eternity

Lucas

PS: Remember, the song we used to love singing. I always sang it for you when you were scared remember?

'She's got high hopes, she's got high hopes, she's got high apple pie in the sky hopes.'

I smiled and put on the necklace. I started to sing the song and I could hear his voice singing right along with me.

T H EE N D