The Turtles and Me [IN PROGRESS OF REWRITING]

TCRI

"Thank you."

Jewel snatched Rowan's wrist and led her to the hall that the secretary directed them to and they found Jewel's father, Akio King, waiting for the two girls. Jewel ran up to her father wrapped her arms around him, and he wounded an arm around her before letting go. He placed a comforting hand on Rowan's shoulder as the girl looked up at him with tears gathering in her eyes; one fell and rolled down to her cheek, her eyes fearful and sad, "My parents? James? How are they? How did this happened?" the questions tumbled and rushed out of her tongue as her voice cracked.

Akio's serious expression faltered and he looked down at the girl with crestfallen eyes. "All I know is that the car somehow exploded. Your father and mother have sustained a couple of minor fractures along the skull but their spines are severely fractured. I wish I could say that they have a high chance of making it but I think you're old enough to know that unfortunately is not the case here. As for James, he has a couple of minor injuries but gained some heavy and internal bleeding along the hole in his lung." Rowan's eyes had widened to the size of dinner plates and she back away from him a couple of feet, collapsing on a chair as the tears fell down and slithered down to her chin.

Jewel immediately sat next to her and placed a hand on her best friend's back. "An explosion? Are you sure Dr. King?" Rowan asked. Akio nodded and Jewel rapidly thought of what could've gone wrong with the vehicle, her brain coming up with too many variables and theories on what could've started this whole thing.. The engine? Gas? Ugh, cars were difficult to understand. for the young girl despite her superior intelligence and made a mental note to do more research on the subject. Akio sighed heavily, glancing at the double doors as the nurses awaited for him to perform the surgery. He looked back to the two girls, "I should get going. Wish me luck." Akio said and quickly rushed into the E.R., leaving the two girls waiting in the uncomfortable chair as Jewel attempted to comfort Rowan.

The surgery took hours to finish but to Rowan it felt like it had been more than just twenty hours. It felt like months-years until the two girls had finally woken up. The previously blackened skies faded and turned to a pomegranate along the bottom of the puffy clouds, the sliver of sunlight shimmering through the rising clouds as dawn took place of night. A sliver of an orangey golden cracked through the curtains near the chairs the two girls were currently sleeping on, right near where the doors of the E.R. led to.

The double doors were flung opened, revealing an exhausted Akio with heavy bags under his eyes. His chestnut eyes were heavy with exhaustion and laced with a forlorn gleam, and Jewel immediately awoken from her slumber, and she observed her father's eyes and the bags underneath his usually bright eyes. Her brows furrowed in confusion at the look of his face as he walked closer, hinting that surgery might've not gone well...

"Daddy?"

His gaze immediately fell on his now awake daughter who was looking him with a raised eyebrow. "Morning, baby doll." he said softly with a forced smile before he looked at the sleeping Rowan next to Jewel. Her pale cheeks were slicked with tear tracks and he concluded that the poor girl was crying the whole night. "You look terrible." Jewel bluntly observed, noticing the bags under her father's eyes. Akio couldn't help that genuine laugh that rumbled warmly throughout his chest, the corners of his eyes crinkling, and he gave his daughter a smile. She reminded him so much of his deceased wife. She always had something to say and she was incredibly observant, watching everything like a hawk. Nothing escaped her watch. "I do, don't I?" he jested softly and Jewel smirked in agreement.