Not Even Once//PT2 of Just Once Series

Chapter 7// Sickness and Health

Alice sat in her room, knees pulled in closely to her chest. She hasn't let anyone in in days. No sleep, no food, no social media, nothing. She couldn't even look at herself in the mirror.

She'd spent the past month staring out the window, watching life go on without her.

Alice watched as the boys climbed in their cars and left. Simon, Josh, and JJ all looked lost as they caught a glimpse of the broken girl in the window. They had given up on trying to save her.

Vik, on the other hand, had left weeks ago. Cal, Harry, and Freezy all flew with him to Sheffield on Josh's orders. He'd wanted Vik as far away as possible from Alice. He thought eventually it would help her out of this mindset, but that was weeks ago, and nothing's changed.

Alice's phone sat on her desk a few feet away from her, constantly blowing up with messages and Twitter mentions. Everyone was so worried. Her dad, both of her sisters, even all of the Pack members. She knew none of them would ever give up. They loved her, and she loved them. But she just couldn't talk to anyone right now.

"Alice?"

Alice was knocked out of her thoughts. She glanced away from her window for a moment, only to look back.

"Alice Zerker?" Joshua. He'd always come to her door around this time, 10:30 AM, to tell her what the plans were and leave her a snack. She'd never eaten any of them. They all piled up under her door.

"Anyway, Alice, today the boys and I are headed to Thorpe Park. Simon was wondering if you would like to come? But, uh, we-we knew that you wouldn't come anywa-"

"Josh." Alice blinked a few times, it was strange to see how frail and fragile her voice sounded.

"A-Alice?" Josh asked, hope filling his voice. But Alice fell silent, she was to afraid to speak again.

"Alice, please come out. Come see me. I want to see your face." Josh sighed.

Again, silence.

"Goodbye. Alice."

"Goodbye, Joshua." She whispered.

Maybe it was his hopelessness, or his pleading to see her face, but something inside her changed. She shifted her legs off the bed, standing.

Alice stumbled, but eventually began to walk again. She walked over to her desk, picking up her phone.

A sharp pain wrapped around her heart, causing her to scream out in pain. Her phone flew out of her hand and shattered onto the floor.

"JOSH!" She screamed out, as she collapsed to the floor.

Everything went black.

"Ali." Someone whispered. "Ali-Ali-" it was her mother.

"Mom?"

"Alice. It's time you come home."

"Home?" Alice rubbed her eyes. She was in a bright white room, her mother was standing against the wall. Eventually the scene was set. She was in her room back home.

"Heaven, Ali. Come join me. It's nice here."

"Nice? Heaven? What's happening to me?" Alice looked down at her chest. A whole was cut where her heart was supposed to be. She gasped.

"Your having a heart attack, sweetie. It's very unlikely that you'll survive this."

"Mom..."

"Come on, sweetheart. Come with me."

"No-no-I-I need to fix things... I'm-I'm not done! I'm not done with my life!" Alice cried out.

"Yes you are, Ali... Please, please come with your mother." Alice's mom cried, taking a few steps toward her.

"JOSHUA, PLEASE. SAVE ME." Alice called. Even if nothing would happen, somehow Josh would save her life, again.

"Alic-"

The scene around her blurred into blackness, and for a second, she saw her own headstone. She blinked, and it was gone.

"Alice. Listen, if you can hear me, I don't want you to leave me. I-I really need you... And I'm sorry about what I did to your door back at the house. I promise if you wake up I'll get you a new door..." The boy-Alice had decided-giggled. The voice wasn't quite loud enough for her to understand. "Just, wake up. Please." It was Josh.

Alice began to feel light, as if she was floating. She felt happy, then sad, then mad... Everything she felt when she was alone in her room. Ending in peace. Peaceful. She felt peaceful.

Beeping, then light, then she saw him. A smile crept across the boys face when he realized she was waking up.

"Josh." She whispered, smiling. Sudden pain fell across her chest. The smile fell, replacing it was a grimace.

"Alice, careful. You've just had a heart attack." Josh giggled.

"I know, Joshua."

"How do you know?"

"Mom-mom told me... In heaven."

"Heaven?"

"That's where I was... How long was I out?"

"A week. Everyone's been worried about you, especially Vi-" Josh stopped. He didn't know how Alice would react.

"Vik. I figured. Have you allowed him home?"

"How did you know I sent him away?" Josh look curious, he placed a hand on Alice's arm.

"I saw it happen. The tears streaming down his face as he looked up at me in the window." Alice sighed.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to have you witness that..." Josh shrugged.

"It's fine, really. Not the reason I locked myself away for months."

"Speaking of, you've been diagnosed with depression, anorexia, and your no longer allowed to live with us." He giggled, "But the anorexia part is a lie. Went along with your depression."

"Depression, really?" Alice looked out the hospital window. Depression hadn't even crossed her mind as a possible mental disorder she could have had. It all made sense now.

"Yep. And rightfully so." Josh played with the pen on her bedside table.

"I guess."

Alice saw a glimpse of light from across the room, it was her rings. She remembered how she hadn't ever taken them off. It meant nothing, though. She'd just never though of it.

"You've lost a lot, Alice."

"I guess I'll just have to start at the bottom." Alice sighed, looking around. Her life was a mess, and she was going to fix it.