Until We Meet Again

Part 3

   I wasn't alone. I was aware of that. The feeling of knowing that made my skin crawl, and my blood curdle.

      My phone was charging so crying was the only thing I could do to make me feel safe. My heart was pounding so fast that the stress it caused made me feel nervous. I didn't want to draw any attention to my house so I turned all of the lights off. The living room was nearly pitch black except for the little sunlight from outside. Dusk was setting, and I welcomed it. I couldn't push myself into finishing my drawing. All I could do was sit on the couch with a blanket wrapped over my body.

Somehow, I must have fallen asleep because the next thing I remember was my sister yelling my name. Her voice urgent, and devastated.
My eyes opened slowly. My sister was kneeled beside my body. Her naturally black hair was dyed platinum blond, but you could tell her original hair color because of her roots which had grown. Her hair was messily held up in a bun, tears streaming down her eyes causing her mascara to run.

I scratched my eyes with my wrist to clear up my blurry vision. "What is it?" My body perked up. I was sat down, my posture hunched. Disbelief shone in my eyes. "Why are you crying?"

        "It's mom!" Her voice cracked as she grasped my wrist in an attempt to yank me off the couch. "We have to go to the hospital, now. Go put your shoes on." I obliged. The digital clock beside the television read two o'clock A.M.

    ~~~~~

The drive to the hospital was long and exhausting. No matter how hard I tried, it was impossible to sleep. All I could think about was my stalker. What had I done to trigger vexation in them? The thought troubled me. Now I had to worry about my mother and her condition.

My sister was mostly focused on the road, but I could see it in her expression that she was thinking hard.

"How do you think-"

"Tess, look., I know you're trying to come up with conversation but I'm too worried to think. I'm sorry for snapping at you, but I'm really stressed. The anxiety this is putting on me is astounding."

I curled myself in a ball and rocked myself back and fourth in the back seat. The car swerved on the hospital's road.

"My mother's name is Jana Durand. She just got in a collision." My sister's words sounded like gibberish. She was speaking too fast and her pauses made everything sound unrecognizable.

The man at the front desk smiled, a weird reaction, and told her that we should wait patiently until the doctor comes to tell us about how she's coping.
My sister nodded but I could tell she wasn't down to wait. I followed behind her as she made her way to the long row of chairs. It seemed like every minute she kept changing position in her chair.

Then she would start tapping her foot loudly. Her anxiety was obvious. What took me by surprise was when she broke out in loud tears. She cupped her face in her hands and hunched over so her knuckles touched her knees. I patted her back, hoping that it would make her feel better.

The doctor entered the room. Her coat waved in the breeze behind her. She adjusted her square framed glasses that sat comfortably on the bridge of her nose. "Lauren and Tess Durand?" Her face looked stricken.

"What's her status?" My sister blurted.

"Unfortunately, I'm afraid that your mother is in a coma." The doctor frowned at us. Her freckles stood out. "I don't know if, or when she'll wake up. I would love to tell you that your mother is in perfect condition and that you'll get to see her tomorrow, but unfortunately, I would be lying. Whether she'll live or not is beyond my prior knowledge. All I can do is take care of her and pray with you guys."

How I was expecting my sister to react? I don't know. Maybe I expected silence, or even more sobs. No, she started laughing hysterically. Her laugh then turned into loud uneven sobs. I looked around the room, people were staring at us. Then I saw a hooded figure. Once my attention caught them, and they knew, they disappeared around the corner. It was so fast I almost doubted myself. That was when I knew for sure.

"Let's go." I grabbed her by her arm. I had to get out of there as quick as I could. Who knew what else was waiting? "Thank you. Call us if she shows any responsive behavior."

         Lauren pulled herself together, then we made our way outside, the opposite direction the stranger went. The kind doctor waved at us goodbye before we left.

When we both shut our side of the car door, Lauren started bursting out into laughter again. It was her way of making the pain hurt less. She put her hand to her head and sank back into her chair. "Did I hear her correctly? Did she say coma?"

I nodded. I had to be strong now. For her, myself, and our mother. It was obvious my sister's emotions were unstable. She was trying to come up with a way to make the new information bearable.

"We can always go over to grandma and grandpa's?" I negotiated.

We sat in silence for five good minutes until Lauren put the key in ignition. I wondered how I would tell her about the letter. I was itching to tell her. I was just waiting for the right time.

              Until we meet again, XXXX XXXX