Life Like Reality

10 - Hold on I still need you

Jesse pov:
I broke nearly every traffic law that ever existed but the security guard in front of me with headlights also did. Sophia was sitting with Nika in the backseat. My sister fell unconscious when I picked her up. "Jesse she is seizing!" Sophia suddenly screamed. I looked back. Her whole body was shaking. "One minute and we're there!" I yelled. My jaw clenched. She wouldn't die. Not under my watch.
We reached the emergency entrance of the hospital. I rushed out of the car and with Sophia's help I brought Nika into the ED. As soon as we came in and I had yelled "Help!" two nurses came with a strecher where I laid Nika down. "She has epilepsy!" I told them right before they ran off and someone hold me back before I could follow her.

Sophia's raspy voice snapped me back to reality. "She's going to be okay." I nodded. We were sitting in the waiting room for the last three hours and we haven't spoke very much. "Hey look." my girlfriend said and I looked up hoping to see a doctor but it was Paddy who came into the room. He saw us and came over. "Soph called me. How is she?" He asked as he hugged me. I wasn't able to say a word because of a big lump in my throat so my girlfriend did it for me. "We don't know yet. She's still in there..." the moment she said that a doctor came in and called out "Family of Nika B-A-C-H-E-R or however you pronounce it." The three of us went with him into an office. I couldn't read his face. Everything was possible. After we sat down he started to explain. "The attack was extrem. We don't know anything about her medical history but we assume she never had an attack as bad as this one. You know epilepsy is sometimes called a 'thunderstorm in your brain'. Attacks happen when the brain cells are overloaded and then they short circuit. She had that in her brain for over fifteen minutes." The doctors voice showed deep impression. "How is she?" I was finally able to ask. "I have never seen someone surviving this but your daughter did." "She is my sister not daughter." I interrupted him. "Anyways" he continued "At first we thought she was brain dead because her brain was cut off oxygen for like five minutes but then sats were coming down and she started to normalise. We put her in a coma so she couls rest. We don't know if there is any brain damage and if yes how massive. I'm sorry." Silence. No one was able to say a word. "Can we see her?" I asked after what felt like years. The doctor nodded and showed us her room.

She laid there. Pale, fragile and hooked up on a ton of machines. I walked slowly towards her, grabbing her hand. "Why does something so bad have to happen someone so good? That's unfair." I whispered, knowing she couldn't hear me. A tear fell down my cheek. Sophia came uo behind me and laid her hand on my shoulder. "She is strong. She is your sister." I just nodded. "Hold on Nika. I still need you."

Nika pov:
Everything around me was white. I heard screams and sirens and beeping sounds. There were voices shouting in fear. I wanted to scream with them because I didn't know what they were afraid of. "I want to go back to my brother!" I yelled into the white. Then I heard a long and steady, high sound. A flash of bright light and I found myself at a lake. I immediately recognized it. It was a lake in the mountains where my parents and I used to go. I inhaled the scent of the mountain grass, wondering why it was summer. "Nika!" I heard a voice. I turned around. "Mom! Dad!" I yelled excited as I saw them. How was this possible? I ran towards them and hugged them tight. "Oh my god! I love you! I love you so much!" I let go of my parents. "We love you too but you shouldn't be here!" they said. "It's not your time yet. You are not ready to leave and your brother is not ready to let you go. Seeing you two together is amazing." My mom said and I started crying. "BUT I DON'T WANT TO LIVE WITHOUT YOU!" I said with tears on my cheeks. "Jesse needs you and we couldn't watch our daughter hurting him. You have your whole life ahead." My dad said with a calming voice. I looked at my parents. They seemed happy. Suddenly I felt someone taking my hand but no one was there. Then a small tear dropped on my fingers. Wind was swooshing through some trees and brought a whispering voice with it. "Hold on Nika. I still need you." It said. "It's your brother. Please choose to live. For us." My mom told me. In this moment I understood. "I'm dying right now?" I asked with a cracking voice. My parents nodded. I looked around, enjoying the view. I could have a life. I mean I could really have a life. With my brother. Maybe I could stay in Chicago. Maybe I could build myself a home here. A new family. Sophia could be the woman in my life and something like a big sister. THEY could be my family. I didn't care if I was here only for four days. These four days changed my life and suddenly I realized that.
I turned back to face my parents. This time my voice was strong and confident. "How do I get out of here?"