I'm Right Here by Rose Haze

Disclaimer I do not own The Suite Life of Zack and Cody

Author's Note: I decided that I am going to re-write the rest of the story. I'm keeping the ending I originally intended it to have, I'm just mixing it up a little bit. I don't know how long it's going to be in the end. I'll try to keep it at thirty chapters like I said, but it might be more or less. We'll see:) On to chapter 20.

Chapter Twenty

Zack Remembers

"To die would be an awfully big adventure" –Peter Pan

Beep! Beep! Beep! Beep! Beep! Beep! Beep! Beep! Beep! Beep! Beep! Beep!

Zack's eyes flew open and he sat up. He looked at the heart monitor and saw that the line was flat.

Carey gasped, "Oh my God, no. Please no."

Zack looked down. He was still holding Cody's hand—his cold, dead hand.

'How is this happening?' Zack thought wildly, 'This can't be happening!'

Before he knew it, a group of doctors ran into the room and rushed to Cody's bed.

Zack and Carey watched in numb disbelief as the doctors crowded around Cody's lifeless body.

Carey was crying silently. Tears ran thickly down her cheeks.

Zack felt detached. The words the doctors said went right through his head. He watched as they re-hooked the respirator and pulled off his hospital gown. They pressed the defibrillator against his chest.

"He's not breathing!"
"No heartbeat—I can't get a pulse!"

"His body is shutting down!"

Zack's heart sank. Cody was virtually dead. His heart was not beating and he wasn't breathing.

'I'm an only child,' Zack thought 'I'm not a twin anymore. Cody, how could you leave me? I need you!'

Zack remembered when he and Cody were four years old. They lived in their old one story, two bedroom flat in Maryland. They had a small terrier named Ruffles. Their mom was a receptionist at a hair salon during the day, and during the night she sang at a local bar. Their dad was a paralegal at the law firm.

One day, when their dad was at work ad their mom was sleeping on the couch, Zack and Cody decided to clean the bathroom to surprise them. They were always upset with each other, and the boys wanted to do something to make them happy.

Cody filled a bucket with bath water, and squirted soap into it. He poured the suddy water across the tiled bathroom floor. The white tiles glistened through the layer of water.

As Zack walked towards the sink, he slipped on the wet floor. He fell down to his knees. It hurt so bad that he began to cry.

Cody looked at him then clutched his knees and he cried too.

Carey heard her sons' cries from the living room. She leapt from the couch and ran into the bathroom.

"What happened?" she asked as she carefully got the boys out of the bathroom.

"I hurt Zack," Cody sobbed, "He needs a band-aid."

After inspecting the twins and determining that they were fine, Carey parked them in front of the TV as she mopped up the water.

Cody gave Zack a hug as they watched Sesame Street, "I won't hurt you again," he promised.

"I won't hurt you either," said Zack as he returned the hug.

The doctors shocked Cody with the defibrillators, trying to get a heartbeat.

Zack watched Cody's body jump. His arms and legs flailed around.

"Again!"

Nothing happened after they shocked Cody for the second time.

Zack felt tears sting his eyes. He couldn't catch his breath. He took deep, staggering breaths, but it didn't help. He felt like he was suffocating—he wished he was.

Zack remembered when his parents got divorced. He and Cody were eight years old. Kurt moved to Ohio and Carey and the twins moved to Middlesex Massachusetts. They were living in a small two bedroom apartment. They had to give Ruffles away because the new apartment did not allow pets.

Cody, who was closer to Carey than he was to Kurt, adjusted to the divorce quicker than Zack.

During the first month Zack cried every night. Cody would sit on the edge of Zack's bed, massaging his shoulders as he cried his eyes out. He seemed to be inconsolable—but he wasn't.

"It's gonna be okay, Zack," Cody would say, "I promise.

Cody's gentle words were the only thing that would comfort him.

"We're losing him!" one of the doctors yelled frantically.

"It looks like we already lost him," another one said in a low voice, but Zack still heard him.

"We need to go again!" the first one said, "Clear!"

They zapped him with the defibrillator. Cody's body twitched then lay limp on the bed.

A sob began to build in the back of Zack's throat. He sniffled and swiped at the tears that leaked out of his eyes.

Then he stopped and thought, 'Who cares? Why should I care whether or not people see me crying? Nothing matters anymore.'

Zack remembered the fight he had with Cody a few nights before the accident. Cody was mad at him because he got them in trouble with Mr. Mosby. Carey sent them to their bedroom and told them that they couldn't come out until dinner.

"This is all your fault!" Cody cried, "You know we're not supposed to bungee jump from the chandelier!"

Zack smirked and a laugh escaped from his lips.

"WHY ARE YOU LAUGHING AT ME?"

"Sorry," Zack said, not sounding like he meant it, "but it sounded funny! 'We're not supposed to bungee jump from the chandelier' that's hilarious."

"It's not funny," said Cody, "I was supposed to meet Kyle and Tapeworm at the park so we could work on our red ant project and now I can't go."

"Oh, how tragic," Zack retorted, "Why are you complaining? I'm sure you'll find something more fun to do here then looking for bugs at the park."

Cody shook his head and stared out the window, "that's not the point. Kyle and Tapeworm are probably at the park already so I can't tell them that I won't be there. They were counting on me to help them, but because of you I let them down. I'm sure you don't care though. The only thing you care about is you."

As Zack looked at Cody's pale face he wished with all his heart that he had a chance to tell Cody that he had been wrong. He didn't only care about himself. He cared about others—especially Cody. He cared more about Cody than he did anybody else in the whole world.

He buried his face in his hands and he sobbed, "Don't leave me Cody."

"Still no pulse! Clear!"

The used the defibrillator for the fourth time

The flat line on the heart monitor curved up slightly, and then began to go up and down in a constant zigzag.

"I got a heartbeat!"

Carey gasped, "Oh my God, thank you," and collapsed into her chair.

Zack looked at the doctors, trying to read their facial expressions. Could it be? Was Cody alive? If Cody was alive…then what just happened?

He took a step closer to the bed. Three of the doctors already left the room. Dr. Harrison was explaining something to Carey. Zack wanted to listen to him too, but his brain was buzzing with questions and so much confusion that he knew he wouldn't be able to pay attention to him. Dr. Roth and one other doctor, a lady, were still fussing over Cody.

There was enough room for Zack to be standing next to the bed without disrupting the doctors. He put his hand on Cody's forehead and pushed his hair back. The stitches tickled the palm of his hand. The next few minutes passed by very quickly.

Dr. Roth and the other doctor exchanged glances. The lady excused herself and walked out of the room. Dr. Roth and Dr. Harrison were the only two left.

"N-now what?" Zack asked tentatively. He didn't like the looks on their faces.

Dr. Harrison sighed. He looked at Carey, "He's very weak," he said slowly, "He probably won't make it through the night."

To Be Continued

A/N: Well, I have to say that the amount of reviews from chapter nineteen was very… overwhelming. It made me very, very happy. I don't know how long it will be until I get the next chapter up, because I haven't written it yet.

Also, thanks to Lil Blondie, Suspension, Dumblidore, sweet-x-paradise, and Asher0918 who are critiquing my story, if anyone else wants to help just pm or e-mail me and I will love you forever!

Please Review

Up Next: Chapter 21 Small Voices