I'm Right Here by Rose Haze
Disclaimer I do not own The Suite Life of Zack and Cody
Author's Note For once, I have nothing to say…
Chapter 16
The Love of Family…
Families are like fudge... mostly sweet with a few nuts. -Unknown
"Excuse me, miss, how much do those candy bars cost? … Miss?"
Maddie looked up, feeling sort of dazed, "I'm sorry," she said, "but what did you say?"
The woman in front of her smiled kindly, "I'd like to buy a chocolate bar for my grandson," she said with a thick English accent. She motioned to the little boy beside her, "How much do they cost?"
"Um… they're…" Maddie's mind went blank. She quickly glanced at the price chart by the cash register.
There, in bold black letters it said 'CANDY BARS…$1.50'
"They're
a dollar fifty," she said, "No wait—" she punched a few
numbers into the calculator, "I forgot sales tax. They're a
dollar and fifty nine cents. No—wait again, let me start over."
She took a deep breath, "Can I help you?"
The lady peered
into Maddie's eyes. She felt sympathetic towards her. She looked
tired and a bit frazzled.
"Just one Hershey Bar, dear," she said patiently.
Maddie grabbed a Hershey Bar off the shelf and handed it to the woman, "That will be one fifty nine," she said quietly.
She felt tears sting her eyes as she watched the lady dig through her Coach handbag. She was not having a good day—or a good week for that matter. She had not been at work that long. She just got there an hour earlier. But she came right after a long day at school. And now that she was at work she kept zoning out and making stupid mistakes.
The lady pulled two crisp dollar bills out of her wallet and handed them to Maddie.
"Thank you," she said after sliding the money into the cash register, "Have a nice day."
"Don't I get change?" the lady asked.
"Oh, yes!" Maddie said, opening the cash register, "I'm so sorry."
She counted out the lady's change and gave it to her.
"Enjoy your stay at the Tipton," she said, trying to keep the exasperation out of her voice.
She watched as the lady and her grandson walked away. Maddie was extremely grateful that they were nice to her. Earlier that day, a woman told her off for giving her a camera when she asked for film.
Maddie took a few deep breaths and tried to calm down. With every mistake she made, she became a little more frustrated with herself. And the more frustrated she got, the more on edge she became. This made her preoccupied with her thoughts, which in turn made her careless. And her carelessness caused more mistakes. It was a huge, endless cycle.
"You doing okay?"
Maddie looked up. Chuck, a waiter at the restaurant in the Tipton, was standing in front of her.
She tried to smile, but it didn't happen. "I didn't get a lot of sleep last night," she told him.
"You baby-sit for Carey's kids, right?" he asked.
"Yeah, Zack and Cody. Cody's the one in…" her voice trailed off.
"The hospital," he finished for her.
Maddie nodded. She was glad he didn't say the dreaded C word.
"I'm really worried about him," she confided, "I went to see him at the hospital yesterday and he looked horrible. I lonely stayed for a few minutes though. I think I'm going to go back after work. I've been going crazy worrying about him so much."
"If you want, I can drive you there."
"That would be great," said Maddie, who dreaded taking cabs at night, "I get off work at eight o'clock."
"I'll see you then."
---
Carey was pacing at the hospital entrance. She was waiting for her parents to arrive. Kurt and Samantha still had not returned, and Zack was still with Cody.
It was cold outside and Carey did not have a jacket with her. She was wearing the thin baby blue blouse and jeans that she had been wearing all day. It was a little windy, and the breeze caused her skin to break out in goose bumps. She couldn't wait for her parents to arrive so she could go back inside the warm hospital.
At last, a red Honda pulled into the parking lot.
Carey watched as her mother and father quickly got out of the car and hurried over to where she was standing.
"Oh, Carey," cried her mother, Lydia, "I'm so sorry we couldn't get here sooner." She threw her arms around her.
Carey closed her eyes and rested her head on Lydia's shoulder. She had forgotten that no matter how old she was, her mother's hug could make her feel safe.
"How's Cody doing?" asked her father, David.
"Not good," said Carey, "The doctors think he might remain in a persistent vegetative state."
David and Lydia exchanged somber glances.
"What about Zack?" asked Lydia, "How is he dealing with this?"
Carey shook her head, "We can't even talk to each other without one of us getting angry with the other."
"This must be hard on him," Lydia told her softly, "Cody's his best friend."
"Come on," Carey said, "I'll take you up to see them."
---
Zack was asleep in Cody's hospital room. He was sitting in his designated chair, with his elbows resting on the edge of Cody's bed. He was holding his head up with his hand.
When his mom and his grandparents walked in, he did not even stir.
David and Lydia stood at the opposite side of Cody's bed.
"Poor child," Lydia whispered. She bent down and kissed his forehead.
Carey walked over to Zack's side of the bed and placed her hands on his shoulders.
"Zack?" she whispered quietly as she shook him awake.
"Hmm?" he mumbled softly. His eyes remained closed.
"Zack, wake up," she said, "Grandma and Grandpa are here."
He sat up in his chair and sleepily rubbed his eyes. He looked at his grandparents and stifled a yawn, "Hi," he said.
"How are you, Zack?" asked David.
Zack shrugged, "I'm okay."
Carey glanced at her watch and saw that it was already past six o'clock, "Oh, Zack, I almost forgot. You need to take your pain killers."
"Pain killers?" Lydia repeated.
"He has a concussion," Carey explained. She told them about what happened the day before when he passed out in the cafeteria."
Lydia stared at them in disbelief, "Carey, how have you been managing this all on your own?"
Carey gave Zack his pills, "Well, Kurt has been helping too."
"And where is Kurt now?" David asked. There was an edge to his voice.
"He went out with his girlfriend. Actually, I thought he would have been back by now."
"Big surprise there," Lydia muttered angrily.
David smirked, "Do you remember what happened last time you said 'I thought he would have been back by now' when you were talking about Kurt, Carey?"
Carey sighed, "Look, I know how you guys feel about him. And to tell you the truth, your opinion of him is not that far off from mine. He hasn't been a good father, or a good husband… or a good ex-husband if there is such a thing. But he's trying now. And he's been there for us for the past few days."
"The past few days, Carey?" Lydia asked incredulously, "What about the past few years? When he acted as though you and the boys did not even exist! Are you just going to forgive and forget?"
"Of course not," Carey said defensively, "But…" she looked at Cody, then at Zack. He was staring at her with a look of sadness in his crystal blue eyes, "Can we talk about this later?"
Lydia sighed, "Yes," she said understandably, "I'm sorry I got all worked up. I just don't want to you guys get hurt again. Your family has already been through so much, Carey."
Carey pulled up some chairs for her parents, and they sat around Cody's bed. They pushed the argument about Kurt out of their minds and silently prayed for Cody to wake up.
---
It was almost six thirty when Kurt and Samantha returned to the hospital. They had been gone for almost five hours. Neither of them meant to stay out for that long. They went to the mall and the art museum, and time flew by. It felt good to get away from the hospital, but once they returned, that feeling of dread had settled back into the pits of their stomachs.
"Carey would have called me if something happened, right?" Kurt asked nervously as they took the elevator to Cody's floor.
"Of course she would have," said Samantha, "Stop worrying. I'm sure nothing happened while we were gone."
"You're right," said Kurt, trying to assure himself, "Everything is fine."
The elevator stopped and they got out. Hand in hand, they walked down the hall to Cody's room.
Kurt took a peek inside before entering. What he saw was almost as bad as what he had been dreading moments before.
"Oh no," he muttered.
"What is it?" asked Samantha.
Kurt looked at her with a sour expression on his face, "It's not Cody… he looks fine," he stammered.
"Then what are you so upset about?"
"It's my ex-mother-in-law."
To Be Continued
A/N Please review : )
Up Next: Chapter 17 … And of Friendship
