Freefall | Devin Booker

4

        

Destin opened her eyes and looked out , seeing all the ones she loved made her smile but their expressions were so tired , grim. She wished she could make them smile or hug them but she didn't have the strength to, or so she thought.

Her aunt Kaia was sitting by her bedside, tears were falling down her cheeks.

"I need you to be okay baby girl."

Kaia whispered and Destin promised she would be. However her aunt didn't seem to hear her. She sat up and rested her hand on top of Kaia's but she found that her touch went straight through , almost as if it wasn't real.

She moved her legs and arms, painless, no cast. This puzzled her, what was going on? She got up and walked with no issue then looked back at the bed and stood stunned.

She was there still , cast on her arm , light bruise on her arm , IV strapped to her , weak and in desperate need of blood and Aunt Kaia was still crying.

Where was she? What was going on?

She wanted her mother , so that's where she went , searching for her. She passed her other aunts Zolee and Yara, her uncles Amari and Lucas and ventured further , her mother couldn't be far. She noticed that no one seemed to see her , that her touch didn't seem to grasp anything, she didn't appear in reflective surfaces.

"Look Devin , I wanted to tell you, it's just we didn't have that relationship and you were doing so well. I didn't want to look like one of those gold digging groupies because that's the furthest thing from the truth."

Her mother's voice came from a corner on the right and she followed it , not knowing who this Devin person was that her mother was addressing.

She observed him , a stranger , tall and light skinned, muscular and handsome. He towered over her mother and his eyes read remorse, confusion , inner conflict, her mother's were just sad.

"Aya that doesn't make it better , I deserved to know about my daughter, you should've known that I wouldn't have thought that of you. I'm the one who didn't check the condom, you didn't make her alone, I've missed four years of her life."

Her mother sighed and sat back.

"I'm sorry Devin , look I can't express that enough or my gratitude, thanks for donating your blood, their prepping for the transfusion right now."

"Aya , she's my blood it was nothing. I want to be apart of her life."

She watched as the man kneeled in front of her mother.

"I know the paternity test will prove everything , the only reason I'm doing it is because I want to sign as her father on her birth certificate. I know she's my daughter. I feel it, she'll pull through."

A tear rolled down Aya's face as she nodded while Destin , who always hated seeing her mother cry sat by her side and hugged her. She looked up at Aya just in time to see Aya looking directly in her eyes , someone finally saw her.

"Destin?"

Aya queried, and not five seconds later a crowd of nurses and doctors ran down the hall and both of her parents' heads snapped up as they heard the recurring announcement.

"Emergency Room 6 Hypovolemic Shock , Pediatric Hypovolemic Shock."

"No."

Aya shook as she looked at Devin whose expression was also one of fear and concern. Then she looked back at Destin , through her and Destin knew she was no longer visible to her mother. Both of her parents seemed to be shocked still before they both bolted down the hall.