Ross and I didn't speak the whole way to the hospital. The radio was blaring but neither of us was compelled to sing along. About half way there, Ross suddenly asked, "Hey, can we stop at my house quick? I wanna grab a few things for Rydel before we get there." I turned at the next stop light and continued toward his house.
Once we got there, Ross ran up the stairs but I didn't have the energy to follow him. I sat down at the beautiful Grand Piano that was displayed in the front room, right where we walked in. Unthinkingly, my fingers found the keys. Pressing them in the smoothest, most rhythmic way I knew, I played every note I could feel inside me. It wasn't even a song, just my feelings roaring through a mess of white and black. The keys on the piano unlocked feelings I'd burried deep in my heart since my mom left and right then, with my hands spread out on the board, I felt at home, peace.
"Wow, you're getting so good!" I heard from behind me. I turned to see Ross walking into the room with a bag slung over his left shoulder. "What song was that?"
"Umm, I don't know. I just kinda made it up. It made me feel better, weird. Huh?" I said, stopping my fingers mid-chord. I stood up fast, not wanting to talk about it any longer and headed for the door. "Ready?" I asked with one hand on the chrome handle.
"Yep," he replied as we walked out the door.
We got to the hospital and asked the lady behind the desk where to find Rydel Lynch. "Room 136. Just down that hall." She informed us with a smile on her face. Down the hall I watched the numbers on the left side getting higher. 126 128....132 134.
"136. You ready?" Ross read my mind, opening the door. He didn't wait for my answer which made me wonder if the question was even meant for me. "Ry!" He shouted once he'd stepped in. It wasn't a happy shout. No reunited siblings.
I walked in a few seconds after Ross to see Rydel laying in the bed, unconscious. "Ross, she's just asleep. No need to be frightened." I tried to comfort him. It didn't work, though. I mean seeing your sister in a hospital bed unconscious is hard and a few words from his girlfriend wouldn't ease the pain any. With my arms around him, I felt the first deep breathes of the oncoming sobs. Not my own, Ross'.
The rest of our day was spent in room 136. Rydel eventually woke up and told us what happened. "I was on my way to the mall when some guy in this huge truck crashed into me." I remembered the huge dent in my dad's truck that I saw earlier but didn't think anything of it at the time. "I cant really remember anything else."
The nurse finally came in so we could find out what exactly was wrong with her. "She's got 4 broken ribs, a concussion, broken left leg, and lots of bumps and bruises. She'll be okay but it'll take a while."
"How long is a while?! We have shows! What about R5?!" Rydel freaked out.
"Ry, we'll figure something out! You need rest!" Ross told her and he took her hand, trying to calm her down. "Rachel knows most the songs on piano now, anyway. If we have to, you'd take Rydel's place...right?" He turned to me and his eyes pressed into mine, waiting for an answer that I couldn't give at this moment.
"You seem to be doing fine, are you feeling any pain Ms. Lynch?" The nurse asked as she tinkered with the bags and tubes next to Rydel's bed.
"Yeah kinda..." Rydel answered. The nurse gave her more pain killers and Rydel was out cold.
"She wont be awake for a while, now. You can come see her tomorrow if you'd like." The nurse stepped out of the room and Ross and I were alone...kind of.
"Rachel, you have to play until Rydel gets better. We have a few shows locally next week and then we leave for a few weeks. I didn't want to tell you because I cant bare to leave you, but now you can come with! And you'll get away from your dad! I'll explain everything to my parents...about what happened to you...and they already love you...it'll be perfect." Ross was talking so fast I don't even think he stopped to breathe.
"Ross...I...I don't know." My thoughts were like thick maple syrup, moving slowly and in to particularly productive direction. The idea of spending a few weeks on the road with Ross and his family, all of us side-by-side, made my insides twist with excitement. But any chance of telling my dad was out of the question.
