✔ DRUNK words, SOBER thoughts ✖ hemmings au

48: Sisters & Stone Walls

ARI.

This setting seemed so familiar, it could've fooled anyone. The quiet room, the cushioned chairs, the large oak desk, and even the books that lined the shelves all comprised a setting meant for a trip to the principal's office. But this wasn't that simple. This was not an office at school, and I was not being reprimanded for talking back to a teacher or getting caught smoking weed behind the baseball field. What this was, was hell contained in a square space. And the man sitting before me with greying hair and a white lab coat was not some measly principal of academia-- he was the grim reaper.

"I've already had this talk with your mother and she wanted me to speak to you both," Dr. Collin Mcallister needed to loosen up. I knew exactly what was going to come out of his mouth and within a few minutes, I predicted a forecast of tears.

"Is there any improvement?" Mia questioned. She had hope etched all over her naive face and I knew this was going to shatter her little heart.

"No," Dr. Mcallister shook his head. He let out a sigh before opening up the brown folder on his desk. "There's no sign of improvement."

"But she's not getting worse," Mia spoke again.

I could see the fire in her eyes; the same fire she had right before our dad passed. She didn't know how to take a hint; she had her head in the clouds and sometimes that was okay. It was okay that Mia was positive and that her blood was made out more faith than all the churches combined - but that was her fatal flaw. She was just as fragile as I, but the difference between us, was the fact that I knew when it was time to face reality.

"Miss Quiroz, there's only a forty percent survival rate for your mother," he finally dropped the bomb, and when it hit, Mia's face drained from all color.

I didn't have to look at her to know that the tears were already trickling down her face. I didn't have to be in the same room to hear her heart pounding against her chest at 200 miles per hour. I didn't have to be her sister to know that this was the last thing that sent her over the edge.

"But there's something more we can do," Mia whimpered, "can't we run more tests? Maybe we missed something."

"We ran every possible test. We've tried different treatments. Your mother is in a great deal of pain and the more we try to keep her alive, the more she suffers. Do you understand that?" Dr. Mcallister's voice was soft, slow, and despite his professional demeanor, there were notes of humility laced within him.

"So what are you trying to say?" Mia let out a painful whimper. "We're going to just give up? Pull the plug? What kind of doctor are you? You're supposed to save lives, not encourage the idea of death!"

Mia was fuming with each word that escaped her lips. My sister rarely got mad, but what she lacked in anger, she made up in zealous passion. She put passion into everything - including into the people she loved the most.

"You're a horrible doctor!" Mia snapped. I gasped, shifting my attention over to my sister.

"Ate, tama na," I tried to pacify the rampage that was building inside of Mia, but my words only seemed to intensify the rage.

(translation: older sister; stop it)

"Don't tell me to stop!" Mia bellowed, shooting me an expression brimming with anarchy. "I can't believe you right now Ari! How are you going to sit there and not even try to defend mom?"

Taken aback by her words, my eyes narrowed in on her. I was tired of arguing with my sister; tired of feeling angry, frustrated, and heartbroken all the time that it was physically weighing me down. But the strength I knew I had was still somewhere inside of me and without fail, I had to stand up for myself.