How Everything Began

Part Four

I woke up early the next morning and looked over to see I was still sitting next to Maddie. She was obviously still asleep and I sighed last night was horrible. I mean, it was great that she knew that I was there and everything, but now it would be hard to leave her this morning.

I stood up and kissed her hand before heading out of her room to talk to Paul, her father.

"Jackson, it's good to see you. I went in to say goodnight last night, but you were already asleep. I figured I'd just let you stay with her. How'd it go?" Paul said, as I walked up to him and my parents.

"Well I told her more about my brother. Oh and by the way. She spoke to me."

"What!? What did she say?" My mom said.

"She told me that the story I told her was depressing and she also squeezed my hand."

"That's good. That's good, right?" Paul asked my parents.

"Yes. Yes. It's very good, but she is probably really weak and needs some rest. We should go back home." My mother, suggested.

"Yeah we really should." My dad said, as he put his hand on my shoulder.

"You guys go. I will stay longer with Maddie and let you know if anything changes. Would one of you be able to pick up Maddie's little sister from the boardwalk?"

"I would be happy to. Do you want me to take her back to your house?" My mother stated.

"Yes and thank you, I will tell her that you are coming to get her."

"Not a problem."

"Wait! You can't do that to Maddie's little sister!" I cut in.

"Jackson, what are you talking about?"

"I missed saying goodbye to my brother, but she-wait what is her name?"

"Ella."

"Okay, well I don't think that Ella would want to miss this. It's her sister and this may be the last time that she can see her sister alive and trust me she needs to be here for that."

"Jackson, this isn't your place to be butting in-"

"But dad-"

"No, Arthur, Jackson is right. Ella should be able to say goodbye to her only sister. Could you bring her here?"

"Well I will probably be coming back anyway so I could bring her to talk to Maddie." I stuttered.

"That sounds good. I know that Maddie has been having some problems with her boyfriend, Jason, so I didn't call him. Do you think I should call him now?"

"You should be with your daughter right now. What's his number? I'm sure that Jackson would gladly call him for you. Isn't that right, Jackson?"

"Sure. What's the number?" I asked, even though I really didn't want to have to talk to Maddie's boyfriend about her being in the hospital and her dad not calling to inform him.

"Here." Paul said, as he wrote the number on a post-it note and handed it to me. "Thank you so much, you guys are lifesavers."

"No problem, now go in there with your daughter."

"Right." He said before he rushed off to go into Maddie's hospital room.

"That man is so strong. No tears or anything." My mother said. She wiped a tear from her eye and then put her arm around my shoulder and led me out of the building where my first friend here was dying.

"Yes he is sweetie." My dad said, walking around me and taking my mother's hand in his own.

Soon I was alone in my car driving back to the boardwalk to pick up Ella. I guess she was with one of her friends and the friends mom shopping or something like that.