Met His Match ✓

Chapter 39 - Hope

Hey guys! Short chapter, but an important one. Please vote/comment if you enjoy it, I appreciate every one! :)

Photo: Lily

Song: Nothing's real but love, by Rebecca Ferguson

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A week had gone by and Noah had shown no signs of improvement. Even with my Aunt arriving, along with Jackie and Rich, it hadn't been enough to stop me from breaking down. I asked Noah everyday to open his eyes and look at me, but he never did. Maybe it was too much, so I'd started asking him to just squeeze my hand, but he never did that either. It was like he was an empty shell. And I was starting to become one too.

It was late in the afternoon and everyone was sat around his bedside, all nine of us. There was hardly any room but we were too scared to leave. He could never be left on his own. I sat forward in my chair and held on to his hand. I had barely gotten any sleep and neither had anyone else, especially his father. Pierce was looking haggard, his grey hair limp and his eyes bloodshot. He hadn't left Noah's side since he'd arrived, so I'd spent a lot of time with him.

A small smile came to my face as I remembered all the stories he'd shared about Noah. Everytime he told one, I could see that he was barely holding it together. Tears would form in his eyes and he'd look at me, as if he couldn't understand. There was one story he told me everyday, that caused his tears to flow, one's he had been trying hard to stop.

It was a simple story, one of insignificance to everyone else but to him it was one of his proudest moments as a father. Something as simple as teaching his son to ride his first bike, and the day he graduated from high school.

And hearing the stories about the boy I loved, I wept with him too. We cried together.

His mother had barely said a word, and I couldn't blame her. Every time I looked at Noah, my heart shattered just a little more. If he didn't wake up soon, I wouldn't have anything left. Glancing around the room, I saw Dean and Jen huddled up on the floor, distant looks in both of their eyes. It had been that way for the past week, and it had slowly gotten worse. We all knew that with each passing day, Noah's chances at waking up lowered.

I smiled as JJ looked up at me from Jackie's lap, who was sitting on the opposite side of Noah's bed. Rich was holding her hand, trying to give her some comfort but she was like me; her eyes looked empty, hopeless.

Come on Lily, I thought, Get a hold of yourself. He will wake up. I know he will.

Dropping my eyes to the bed absent mindedly, I continued to hold Noah's hand. For the past week, I hadn't been able to let it go. Taking a deep breath and closing my eyes, I rested my head on the bed, feeling the tiredness consuming me. The nightmares were still happening and sleep avoided me, and the only place I felt safe was with Noah. That was the only place I had ever felt safe.

"Come on Noah," I begged, "Just squeeze my hand."

I felt everyone's eyes on me but I didn't look up. I just waited, silently begging him to do something. But there was nothing. It was just the same as it always was; useless. Tears pooled in my eyes and I started to cry quietly, using the bed to muffle my sobs. Suddenly, I felt movement on the bed and I raised my head, almost too afraid of what I would find.

But then he did it. He squeezed my hand. I barely felt it, but it was there. Crying out, I jumped out of my chair and it fell to the floor in my haste. "He just squeezed my hand," I said frantically, moving forward and stroking the hair away from his forehead. "I swear he did. He just squeezed it. Someone go and get the doctor now. NOW!"