This is the second to last chapter.
Disclaimer: I own nothing.
Stop every clock
Stars are in shock
The river would run to the sea
I won't let you fly
I won't say goodbye
I won't let you slip away from me
Can you hear heaven cry
The tears of an angel
The tears of an angel
The tears of an angel
The tears of an angel
-"Tears of an Angel" by RyanDan
"Finally, she admits it!" An excited yell came from the doorway, and Mollie looked up as Eric laughed.
"Wait," Mollie said. "You knew?"
Eric chuckled. "Everyone did. Heck, Clay figured it out before you and Daniel did. Clay! We don't even hang out with him, and he figured it out!"
"So you guys have known this entire time?" Mollie asked.
"Well, we all figured it out at different times. Clay figured it out early on; Bud followed shortly after. Rohan figured it out when Daniel was in the hospital with his broken arm last year. Louisa figured it out when she saw you a few hours ago. I think Rose has always known, but I really don't know with her. I figured it out when you and Daniel had the fight about the... thing," Eric told her, glancing at Alena.
Mollie nodded. "And you know Daniel feels the same way?"
Eric smiled. "I'm surprised you didn't. It was pretty obvious."
Mollie rolled her eyes. "Well, excuse me for not taking a hint."
"Hey, Daniel couldn't take a hint either. Rohan even mentioned it... upfront... and Daniel still couldn't figure it out. You two are so clueless about romance."
"Says the one who's never had a girlfriend," Mollie pointed out.
"Anyway, we should let the others come in and visit," Alena stated, standing up. "We can come back in later."
Mollie and Eric followed her out of the room (Mollie taking one last glance at the strong boy she knew looking so small in that hospital bed), and they returned to the waiting room.
A bunch of other kids could be found in the waiting room.
Two of them were obviously siblings. The older of the two was a tall, African American boy with short dark hair and chocolate brown eyes. Square glasses perched on the edge of his nose, and a radical hat, splattered with neon paint sat atop his head. His black shirt had several neon green lines painted across it with a splatter design of neon orange. Even his tennis shoes were covered in random spots of paint. He was around seventeen. Mollie liked the kid's style, and he looked so worried for Daniel, Mollie knew they were incredibly close right off the bat.
The girl who was obviously his sister was slightly younger. Their skin tones were identical, and her hair was only a shade lighter than the boy's. Their eye colors couldn't have been more alike, and their builds were so similar, although the girl was a head shorter. The girl didn't wear glasses, but her features matched boys in almost every aspect, although her's were obviously more feminine. Basically, they were close to being twins.
Beside them stood a girl maybe a little older than Rose with creamy brown skin and long, wavy black hair. She wore a blue nightgown with a white jacket and black flats. Her curious brown eyes glanced up from the floor as Mollie, Alena, and Eric entered the room. She pursed her lips and returned her gaze to the floor.
There was a blonde kid slightly taller than Mollie, and they looked to be the same age- thirteen. He wore a white T-shirt and sweatpants with sneakers; his skin was pale, and his eyes were a crystal blue. He was good looking, but he looked like he was on the verge of a panic attack.
There were twins, as well. They both had red hair and green eyes. One of them was wearing a white nightgown, and the other dawned blue sleep pants and a long sleeved white shirt. They were sitting beside each other, and one had her head leaning on the other's shoulder.
There were two guys standing side by side. One was tall and lean with shaggy brown hair and brown eyes while the other was around the same height but burly and muscular. The lean one wore an orange shirt and basketball shirts while the other had on a blue T-shirt and jeans. They didn't look worried in an obvious way, but the way their eyes wandered around the room, darting from face to face and occassionally seeking out the door to Daniel's room, displayed their anxiety.
The siblings Mollie didn't know the name of entered the hospital room, followed by Rohan.
They went in trios, sometimes pairs. Over an hour passed before they got back to Daniel's parents, who entered the room to once against visit their son.
Twenty minutes later, they exited the room, and Mollie, Eric, and Alena entered it.
Nothing had changed. Daniel hadn't even shifted since they last visited.
"I'm used to him looking so strong, so unmovable," Alena murmured. "I've seen him in the hospital, but even then, he looked like he could get back up without even hesitating. I've never seen him like this."
"Neither have we," Eric told her as Mollie took Daniel's hand.
Daniel coughed, and the three visitors jumped a foot in the air as choked sounds forced their way out of Daniel's lips.
"Mmh...oll...eeee," Daniel choked, the tube in his throat wiggling and jostling, as though that was what Daniel was choking on.
A doctor rushed into the room, Eric having gotten him while Mollie hadn't been paying attention. He ushered the three of them out of the room while nurses wormed their way inside to help.
Mollie started sobbing, nearly collapsing to the floor, as she was faced with the horrible truth of this entire situation. She'd been ignoring the question ever since she found Daniel, but now it was loud and clear in her mind.
Could they really be losing Daniel?
No. Mollie couldn't let that happen. She wouldn't.
Hours passed in the waiting room as the family and friends of Daniel Corrigan sat in fearful silence.
The doctor's shoes clacked against the floor, and each footstep sounded like a thundering bellow in the deafening silence.
"Mr. and Mrs. Corrigan," he said as the parents rushed to approach him. "I don't know how to say this..."
Cliffhanger! Thanks for reading!