I am so, so sorry for not updating. And I honestly have no excuses except that for a while I kind of lost my interest for this story, and I also have too many stories going on. But I will go on until it's finished and here is the newest chapter.
You might have noticed the cover picture I had for this have been taken down as well as many of my other cover pictures. This is not a mistake or anything but I decided to take down all of the cover pictures that were of pictures that aren't mine and the one for this was one of them so… Well. The story is still all the same and everything though and it might get a new cover if I can get a good picture of something that would suit.
I have made a Tumblr for the series with secrets revealed, this one and the sequel for them. You've got the link on my profile. And it's got photos of the characters.
"Hello Leah." Carole greeted just as we came inside the door at the Hudmels' "And Hello Ari. Oh hello girl, oh. When will I learn?" Somehow she managed to push Ariel away and stand up to wipe all the dog's saliva from her cheeks. "Still does that. Hi honey." Before I could react Carole had pulled me into one of her hugs. "Come on, you'll get to borrow Kurt's room. Jonah already claimed Finn's." She blinked at me. I chuckled shortly and grabbed Ariel's collar and told her to sit so she wouldn't jump up on Burt as well- not helping of course.
"You do realize…" I started. "That you two might not love Ariel as much when you've had her here for a few days and have white hair everywhere. And I mean- everywhere!" Burt chuckled and barely even cared for the question while he continued to play with Ariel. "Well, Lex…. I guess Mr. Schue said we'd only have the time to go home and change clothes and then he'd be here to pick us up right?" Lex nodded and we both ran upstairs while Burt and Carole were still playing with Ariel as much as they possibly could.
Jonah was walking slowly down the stairs, as he would have to for the rest of the week as he and stairs didn't do very well together. Burt had already said that if Jonah wanted he could put a bed into his office right by the kitchen. I thought it sounded like a great idea as did mum and dad and everybody else, but Jonah refused. He took stairs at school he could do it at home too. And every time he was walking up and down the stairs he was smiling sheepishly.
Then finally we found our way outside. All with black jeans, black sneakers and as colorful shirts as we had been able to find like Mr. Schue had told us to. And coming outside we found that also Mr. Schue, Aiden and Ben were wearing them. And in some way no one ended up wearing the exact same color on their shirts.
"I can't believe I'm getting to do this." Jonah was as good as bouncing on his seat the whole way there. "I can't believe I'm finally getting to give something back. I'm so excited." For a while I was almost afraid he'd get an attack or something, but he hadn't before we reached the hospital at least, so I was happy that at least if he had one now he would be close to people that would know what to do about it.
Aiden grabbed his guitar stepping out. Mr. Schue had an ukulele, Ben had a harmonica and Lex her violin. So at last- even though we had decided to have it all acoustic not to have to worry about the electricity and all of that goes with that. We had a pretty good set up. And of course… Jonah knew where everything was so he walked in the front towards the children's ward and right as we found it someone ran up to him.
As Jonah had turned eighteen- and left the pediatrics just a month ago he was still and would for years from now be well known among the staff and also the children who came here over and over and over again. The first one to jump onto his feet and run over was Howie- a young boy with dark hair and thick frames in his glasses. He also had cystic fibrosis and Jonah had spent loads of time along with him teaching him how living with an illness wasn't so bad after all.
"JoJo" Howie shouted and threw his thin arms around Jonah's waist. "Long time no see. I missed you!" Well… as any seven- year old would Howie just said what he thought and Jonah playfully tousled in Howie's hair and answered him.
"I missed you too Howie. Only I became an adult when I turned eighteen in December so I can't really come here much anymore. But now I could because I and some of my friends are going to sing here and we are also handing out loads of toys and books and games and things to this ward that we will leave here so everyone that are here will get to play with." Jonah grabbed a big (And I mean huge! It was at least twice as big as Ariel who had grown pretty big these last few months) stuffed dog from the things that we had brought and handed it to Howie.
We started handing out the toys and everything to nurses and doctors and children and parents that were all there. While some staff and parents put all of the chairs and mattresses out on the floor so that all the children could have a seat why we put up to start playing our music.
Howie and all the other children's smiles and eyes were shining at the time we started with a song that Moa had known (And wasn't it ironic that Jonah sang the line 'was this close to a heart attack') and the smiles only grew while Lex, Aiden and Ben did a song that we had planned for them so Jonah could get to rest a bit, and then we all stood up and I and Jonah had the main parts on the last song.
It was kind of fun how Jonah had ended up singing this one too since it was about… well… being in love and heartbeats. But Jonah didn't mind, and he had the biggest smile in the room while singing, dancing as well as he could. And finishing the number with doing each silly face.
Going away from the hospital it was quite hard for Jonah to say goodbye to his friends here and leave. Although Mr. Schue had a meeting later and needed him to go. So at last when we reminded him for about the hundredth time that several of these children would be coming to McKinley for our concert on Friday and then they'd meet again and then he finally came walking outside with us.
It wasn't until we came outside and into Mr. Schue's car again that that strange feeling hit me all over again even though I had forgotten about it for a while. I just had the strangest feeling that on Friday and the concert, something would go terribly, terribly wrong
And I should have known my feeling told me right
Sean's pov
"Mama." On Wednesday night Curtis wasn't home and Gordon had gone off to bed so I fixed an evening snack and carried it into the living room where mum sat and watched some bad soap and sat down next to her with the plate. Mama smiled thankfully and started playing with my hair with one hand while she grabbed one of the apple- pieces with the other one and I nervously tried to find the right words.
"Yes Seanie?... Seanie? What is it honey?"
"Mama… you know I talked about that I had been booking times at the school phycologist's to… check if I have… something. And that I kept on getting so nervous I just walked away before she came there?" Mama nodded. "Well… I booked another time tomorrow morning and well… I've decided that whatever happens I will not chicken out this time." I sighed. "I don't even know why I chickened out every time I just" I placed the plate in between us and leaned forward putting my head in my hands. "I just don't know."
"But I know." Mama said calmly. "I know that whatever the conclusion that psychologist comes to might be I will still love you very much." Mama leaned forward and slightly touched my cheek with her lips. "Would it feel better if I came with you?" I shrugged. "Would it." She lifted her hand and started playing with my hair again. "Do you want me there?"
"Mum… I'm twenty years old. I don't need you with me at things like these anymore." I tried to sound strict and sure of it but mama laid her head a bit to the side and raised an eyebrow at me. "Fine I do but… I do okay? But I totally should be able to do these things on my own by now. And I should no longer be in high school and totally not in my freshman year."
"Seanie. Listen to yourself. Look! Do you remember your fourth year, the one you were so happy about not having to take a second time?" I nodded. "Do you remember why you did so well in that grade?" I nodded again. "Miss Rose?" I nodded once again. "So if you- because of a teacher came through one grade. Then it cannot be your fault that you haven't done as good in the others right?" I shrugged. "Come here." Mum hugged me and yawned before she laid a hand towards her belly.
"Are you alright?" I asked worriedly. "Is there something wrong with the babies? Should I call Curtis? Or get you some wat… oh!" Mama reached out, grabbed my hand and carefully held it towards her belly so I could feel the kicking from one of the twins. "I bet one of them are going to be a soccer play the way he or she kicks." I smiled and shoved my hands back into my pockets. "So..."
"I never asked you if you needed me there. I asked you if you wanted me there. Big difference."
"Mama?" The next morning both I and mama sat in the waiting room outside the school psychologist's. "I really appreciate that you came here with me." mama didn't answer. She just smiled and stroke my cheek. "Thanks."
"Sean… More… Mor…"
"Moraiety." I finished for the psychologist Mrs. Steeler who had a bit trouble with my last name. "Coming. Are you alright?" I took a grip of mum's arm and supported her standing up and walking through the waiting room and then shook Mrs. Steeler's hand. "Sean Moraiety Jr. This is my mum Eliza Moraiety and… well" I bit my lip and tried to come up with a quick explanation on to why I had brought my mum.
"Don't worry Mr. Moraiety…"
"Sean."
"Don't worry Sean. You're not the first to bring a parent here and you're certainly not going to be the last one either." Mrs. Steeler closed the door and pressed a button by the door. "That one's just to show outside that I've got someone in here so no one comes running in. Sit." She gestured towards a short couch that stood by the wall in the corner of the long and narrow room and sat down herself into a chair on the opposite side of a small table form the sofa and took a notebook on her lap and a pencil in her hand.
"Can you tell me the most… important things about yourself then?"
"Well…" I hesitated for a moment. "My name is Sean Michael Moraiety Jr. I'm twenty years old. I'm in my freshman year. I was named after my dad, I live together with my mum." I gestured to mama. "And my… well soon- to- be- stepfather, and my half little brother Gordon who's four. I'm in the glee club, and I've got a horse named Teddy. That and school is kind of what my life revolves around."
"Forgive me for asking but with these tests that I do I need to know as much as possible about your home- life. Are there any other relatives that you meet on a regular basis? Father? Grandparents? Aunts and uncles?" Mum took my hand and squeezed it tightly before I explained the rest of my family to Mrs. Steeler.
"My dad's name was Sean Michael Moraiety Sr. He had a little brother named Paul Alexander Moraiety Jr. Who was named after their dad, my grandfather whose name is Paul Alexander Moraiety Sr. So that's all the Junior's and senior's. My grandmother's name was Margaret Moraiety, and she died of a broken heart when she lost both of her sons at the same time. They were both firemen in New York and died in World Trade Center. My grandfather however is still alive. I haven't met him much earlier because he stayed in New York when we moved here to be with my mum's boyfriend. He just moved to Lima though and now I meet him almost every day. And that's my whole family." Mrs. Steeler frowned, but didn't ask much else before she noted something.
"So Sean Michael Moraiety Jr. What brings you here?"
Leah POV
On Friday afternoon it was time for the concert to raise money. During the whole day Jonah walked around all day with a big smile on his face. He was really looking forward to the concert that would raise money for children like him and their families that were like me, mum and dad. But still I couldn't help but notice Jonah seemed tired. Even though he kept on telling me he was fine.
But I couldn't let go of the feeling that something was about to go horribly wrong. Not even while we stood on the stage in the auditorium in the afternoon and took the songs one by one, the same ones we had been doing at the hospital for the three first and then Mr. Schue walked onto the stage and took the microphone.
"So… We have one last song to perform and it's a duet. There haven't been much rehearsing for this song but. Leah, Jonah. How about the song you did for Leah's audition?" I remembered back and smiled- we didn't need to rehearse that. We had been singing it together for as long as we both could remember and your song was somehow… our song.
Jonah's smile didn't fade- more got bigger and bigger while I started singing, and grew even more when he joined in. This was one of the songs that we had been singing for a really, really long time and actually one of the few songs we could sing together without neither Jonah nor me nor our parents would complain about what we sang wasn't a good song.
I didn't really want the song to end. I had a weird feeling and now the feeling I had had for weeks. But now it felt like it was worse and closer than ever and I still couldn't let go of the feeling that something was about to go horribly wrong. Not even through our favorite song or when the rest of the New Directions came out onto the stage and we bowed to the audience. Not even when a few of the other boys lifted Jonah onto their shoulders and he cheered loudly, or at Jonah's stupid jokes afterwards.
"Hey guys." Jonah came into the room and I could tell there was someone small walking behind him. "Have you seen my friend Lily? She was here just a minute ago?" He looked around acting confused and scratched the back of his head just as Lily, who was holding a grip of the back of Jonah's shirt hiding behind him and peeked to the side so we could see her. "Also, Carole." Jonah rubbed the back of his shirt just where Lily's hand was. "I've gotten this stain that I can't get rid of. It's a very big stain too. Do you know how I could get rid of it?" Carole smiled and shook her head, then told Jonah it was time to go home. "Oh no, no just five more minutes."
"I'm sorry honey. I've gotten some very strict rules from your parents about what times you should be home. I know, I know. But I don't want to get on the wrong side with your mum. Come on now Jonah." Jonah pouted, but took his coat when I reached it to him and pulled it on while walking out to the car.
It was in the car on our way back to the Hudmel's house that thing were starting to go wrong. I, him and Lex all got in the back seat and I got in the middle with them on either side by the windows without currently thinking more about that, but so Jonah suddenly seemed tired, and leaned heavier and heavier around the window at his side.
"Jonah, are you alright?" I asked just as Burt turned the car into the right block.
"Yeah. I'm fine." Jonah mumbled, but I could both see and hear he wasn't. He was starting to look more and more pale- and that's paler than what he usually was otherwise. And also when Burt pulled over, Jonah had to fight hard to open the door and even harder to walk through the rest of the driveway and up the porch steps, then into the house until he at last collapsed in the living room sofa. I sat down by him on the edge of the sofa's cushions and reached to the side to feel his forehead in case he had a temperature.
He didn't. But that left me with no explanation to why he suddenly had gone from at his best, to at his worst. And lying on his back towards the cushions of that sofa I heard his breaths getting shorter, heavier, and more and more shallow. And I didn't know what else to do than to just sit with him and try to talk to him and try to comfort.
"It's okay Jonah." I took his hand in mine and tried to talk comforting while doing my best to hide the shakiness in my voice. "It's okay. It's just another one of those… Ehr…. Carole. Jonah's got an inhaler and a spray standing on the bedside table upstairs can you get them for me?" Carole, Burt and Lex all stood in the door to the hallway with worried expressions on their faces. Carole nodded and quickly disappeared upstairs and came back with an inhaler in one hand and a spray in the other. And I couldn't help but that my hand was shaking when I took the inhaler and held it towards Jonah's lips.
It took a while, a few sprays and a few breaths through that inhaler. But at last Jonah's breath were- well almost down at normal again and even though he was exhausted and obviously not well he lifted his head and smiled at the Hudmel's.
"Hey guys, sorry for scaring you like that. I'm fine. Okay?" Jonah sighed and couldn't hold his head up anymore so he just slumped back towards the cushions. "It's quite late so you just go to bed alright?" I looked to them as well and nodded to show that it was okay.
"Ariel go away." I pushed my dog away when she tried to get closer to Jonah to… well I guess so she could give the comfort she could. But I didn't want her here right now. Ariel stayed a bit away, and for what had got to be the first time ever, she was all still and all silent. As if she knew I had been serious this time Burt and Lex went upstairs right away afterwards and brought the dog with them while Carole stroke my cheek, and then went into the kitchen and came back with two trays- one with snacks for me and Jonah. And the other one with the same for herself, Lex and Burt and then disappeared upstairs. Although while we could still see her she stopped and turned around and spoke.
"You know that if something happens you don't need to hesitate to shout or just come and get us. So, if something happens…" I nodded and turned back to Jonah. Trying with a straw to at least get him to drink something and that's about how the rest of the night went. Jonah lied in the sofa, I sat right by, tried to have him drink, he would have another one of those major attacks that occurred closer and closer and so at last… at around two in the morning Jonah suddenly started coughing weakly, but more than before. And he fought to sit up and leaned against the back of the sofa putting a hand over his mouth.
I thought he was only doing it to cover his mouth and clapped his back slightly. But it was when Jonah with still breathing quite heavily looked back at me and showed me his hand that my stomach clenched and suddenly I was scared to death and it was a miracle I managed to stay somewhat calm while I pulled up my phone.
Carole POV
None of us had been able to sleep, we were all too worried about Jonah to fall asleep. So after I got the sandwiches and drinks and got upstairs I, Burt and Lex only sat down on mine and Burt's bed and put the tray between the three of us and then just sat there in silence. It didn't mean she wasn't worried but an hour or two later Lex could barely keep her eyes open and even less move. Burt was starting to have trouble staying awake too so they had both fallen asleep. Not after Burt had told me that I could probably at least rest too, after all- it wouldn't matter to Jonah at this point if I was awake or asleep.
Although lying on top of the covers on my bed, absolutely still so I wouldn't wake up Lex who had rolled over and ended up with her head towards my shoulder. I just couldn't let go off the feeling that something was seriously wrong and still I couldn't sleep.
Not to have her running around Jonah all the time we had brought Ariel with us in here and she lied on the floor sleeping too, but sometime late at night or early in the morning she suddenly lifted her head and whimpered, and right after I could hear Leah's quick steps up the stairs and down the hallway before she knocked on the door and not until then I reacted and flew onto my feet and over the floor.
"Leah? What's going on?"
Standing outside our bedroom door, Lex and Burt just waking up Leah seemed more afraid than ever. And she was stuttering something before she finally found the right words and what she told me made my heart beat so hard with fear I could feel it pounding in my ears.
"Jonah started coughing blood. I called an ambulance, it was just here I managed to help him outside and so. And… And I'm sorry but I need to get to the hospital so I… I need a ride and… It would be great if one of you could call my parents as well. But first I… I just need to get to Jonah." Already before Leah had stopped speaking Burt had started looking for his car keys to remember they were as usual downstairs, I grabbed long- sleeved shirts for me, Burt and Lex and threw them to my husband and daughter. And so out the door we went and to go to the hospital.
I didn't really believe in God, but during the ride to the hospital that felt like it took years, well… I haven't prayed so hard for something in my whole life as of right now praying for that Jonah would be okay.
Playlist
Group song- Overdrive- Ola
Lex/ Aiden/ Ben- Tomorrow- Annie
Jonah/ Leah with group- Heartbeat- Austin and Ally
Jonah/ Leah- Your song- Elton John
Random fact (I'll start putting these in every chapter)
The part with Ariel, that she tried to get closer to Jonah is based on reality. It happened a while ago that I was unconscious (I don't remember this myself of course, mum's told me) Our dog Jippie who is usually very wild and always trying to come closer and always nagging for attention tried to get over to me, mum pushed her away, and even though she wouldn't have done it otherwise, she stayed where she was all quiet as if she knew it was serious.
