Chapter Twelve - The Light
Jo leant against the cool hospital wall. Nurses hurried past and patients in drab hospital gowns wandered by. Across from Jo was a room. Inside that room was a girl. The girl was surrounded by her mom, her dad, and her brother. They waited for the girl to wake up.
At that moment, a weary couple emerged from the room.
“Is she...?” Jo started, a pleading look in her eyes. Charlotte shook her exhausted head and Ted put a loving arm around her.
Jo attempted to catch a glimpse through the crack but the door clicked closed.
“You can go in.” Charlotte murmured, recognizing Jo’s silent wish. “Isaac’s in there.”
Jo nodded solemnly. She tried to give a smile but all that showed was a pang of angst. She knew what was at stake. She waited for Charlotte and Ted to leave before she entered. She cast one final look at the exhausted couple walking arm in arm. They clung on to each other, afraid to be alone.
Jo took a deep breath and slipped into the room. The metal door handle felt icy to her touch. The room appeared to be dark as the curtains were drawn.
A young man sat in a chair next to the bed. His elbows leant against his knees and his face was buried in his hands. In the bed, lay a girl Jo barely recognized. She was wrapped in bandages and the little of her skin that was exposed was porcelain white. It seemed it would crack and disintegrate at touch.
Jo made her way to the young man and placed a warm hand upon his shoulder. She hoped she could be of some comfort.
Isaac looked up and beheld the sight above with little expression. Neither of them had slept much recently. Jo hadn’t bothered to do her makeup in days. Her mother had to force her to brush her hair before leaving the house. Neither Isaac nor Jo did much of late. They sat, contemplated, hoped, prayed, and cried.
Isaac stood up and embraced Jo in a hug. After years of taunts and teases, being the brother and the best friend, they stood, hugging. They sought comfort from one another.
They’d connected recently. Jo often wandered over to Claire’s house and settled in Claire’s room, hoping. Isaac often found her in there. The two would just sit in silence. But they grew to understand each other better. The words between them grew and the distance between them shrunk.
When they finally separated, Jo turned to kneel at Claire’s bedside.
“It’s been 6 days.” Jo murmured.
Isaac silently nodded.
“She’d be in New York.”
Isaac sank back into the chair, the truth hitting him like a bomb.
“It’s my fault, you know that?” Jo whispered painfully. “I was such a jerk to her. I got drunk. I forced her to take care of me.”
Isaac moved to kneel beside Jo. He wrapped an arm around Jo’s shoulders, pulling her close.
“How was that fair?” Jo sobbed. “It was her last party with us and we bombed it. We killed her...”
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I'll Be the Light
Teen FictionThis is the story of seventeen year old Claire Samuels, a girl, who after nearly dying, discovers that she can no longer hear. Before she had been the typical teenager, studying for finals and trying to juggle her emotions, social life, and family...
