A Dream, A Destiny 2

Miracle

1 week later.

Serena POV

A long, stressful week passed and Ash was still comatose. Since my mom decided that I wouldn't go back to school until the bruises on my battered face faded, I visited him every day, trying not to let my feelings of despair get the best of me. But it was harder than I thought. Every time I saw Ash lying in the hospital bed, the shallow rise and fall of his chest the only indication that he was alive, memories of our last conversation flooded my mind, filling me with guilt. Why didn't I just hear him out?

Ash's condition was definitely taking its toll on the Ketchum's as well. For instance, Hope couldn't cope being in Ash's room for longer than five minutes. Her excuse was that she couldn't handle seeing Ash so pale and still. Every time she did force herself to enter Ash's room, her eyes filled with tears and she wouldn't look at him. She spent most of her time at the hospital outside Ash's temporary home in the Neuroscience Intensive Care Unit, curled up on the comfy armchair in the family waiting room, skimming through the magazines that the hospital provided.

Delia, on the other hand, spent every second she could by her son's side. It seemed that she was making up for lost time, which was so bittersweet, in my opinion. She hadn't been able to be with Ash for years, had missed out on crucial parts of his life, and now she was here and he had no idea. My heart constricted with sadness whenever I peered into the curtains shielding Ash's bed from public view and saw Delia gently stroking Ash's raven spiked hair, or telling him a story about his childhood. She always had an optimistic air around her, which is why I was crushed by what happened when I accompanied her to the bathroom after a long, uneventful day. Standing at the sink and washing her hands as she stared into the mirror, her face crumpled all of a sudden and she burst into tears.

"It's not fair," she sobbed as I hugged her, my cheeks wet from tears of my own. "I'm trying to stay strong for everyone's sake, but it's not fair!"

Mr. Ketchum was always at the hospital, walking through the hallways talking earnestly to Dr. Brock, snapping at somebody on his cellphone or just sitting, slumped, in a chair in the waiting room, waiting for news. He still insisted on arguing with the many doctors who were caring for Ash, but Delia's calmness seemed to have had a positive effect on him. He no longer bullied Dr. Brock, at any rate.

Leaf couldn't understand why her brother wasn't waking up. After being so sure that Ash would get better in record time, she seemed to be giving up hope, slowly but surely. She was quieter and more introspective, crying constantly and asking Hope why Ash was still asleep.

"I miss him," she whispered softly to me once, her little soft hand reaching out to find mine as she blinked back tears.

So I decided to ask Hope's permission to take Leaf down to the daycare. God knows I needed some time away from Ash's sick bed. Tempers were starting to fray, most noticeably Mr. Ketchum's and Leaf was starting to jump whenever she heard her father yell.

"Daycare?" Hope asked, a doubtful look on her face as she glanced at Leaf, who was solemnly engrossed in a jigsaw puzzle that she had done countless times before. "I don't know. Do you think it's a good idea?"

I nodded, hugging my knees as I leaned forward in the chair I was sitting in. "I think it would do Leaf good to be around kids her own age for a while," I said delicately. Although she was six, Leaf didn't go to daycare. She was so rich and pretty much didn't need daycare, but there was no substitute for being around people your own age, people who understood you. I wondered if Leaf ever came into contact with anyone other than her direct family and family friends and felt a pang of sorrow for her. Continuing, I added "She's been spending so much time in here that she's probably going stir crazy."