[2] FAR FROM HIM // t.stark

Chapter Nine

Before my eyes fluttered open, my ears caught people talking in hush voices. They talk like they're afraid that I might hear something terrible and hard to swallow the truth. Well, do you want to know truth? The truth is, there barely anything in this world that hurts me.

I then opened my eyes. Slowly, but I was sure that I'm alive, not in a comatose anymore. I looked around the room and saw Mom sitting beside me while typing on my on-the-go laptop. Morgan was at the long sofa playing with her doll. I opened my mouth, felt my voice croaked as I called my mother, but nothing came out. It's like I'm mute and Mom was unaware that I awoke. I tried to move to attract Mom's attention, and even though I made my hospital bed noisy, she wouldn't turn and so was Morgan.

What am I, a ghost?

I cried. I cried so hard that I lost my breath. Then my heart monitor made that dangerous noise again and Mom panicked. She turned to me with her worried expression meanwhile Morgan froze at the sofa hugging her favorite doll as if her life depended on it. She called Mom but in the midst of our current situation, she was ignored.

Doctors came to attend me again and Mom and Morgan were asked to leave the room while the doctors attended me. How I wish this is over just as soon as it happened. I remember when Dad got in terrible accidents and he was fast to heal because of those amazing Shield doctors and medical equipment. While they tried hard to make me calm, I suddenly heard my hospital room doors open and closed. Strange enough that no one in the room seemed to notice.

Slowly, the person who just came in, appeared behind the doctors.

'Dad!' I cried. 'Dad, help me!'

Dad smiled. 'Wake up, honey,' his voice was soothing. 'Your mom and Morgan need you.'

'I don't know what's happening to me.'

'You've got complications from that accident.' Dad chuckled to himself. 'Still not bored of getting into trouble, are you? So much like you Dad, huh?' Dad pointed at himself and continued to smile. Something in that smile told me that he is proud with me for getting into so much trouble. But there's also something in his smile that I began to hate because, you see, I'm hurting and he's fine.

'What complications? Dad, don't leave me! Please!'

'Fight it, Terri. You're strong. Fight it. I can't protect you, your mom and Morgan now. It's your turn to protect yourself and them.'

What is he talking about? I'm hurt. I'm dying. How can I protect them?

'Dad, please. Make this stop. It hurts!' I cried my eyes out, but still. It was havoc in the hospital room and nobody still noticed Dad.

Dad didn't say anything else then. He just smiled and slowly disappeared into thin air.

***

Both of my hands are injured from the accident, but luckily the right one wasn't as severe as the left one so I can use it though slowly. I carefully move my hand as I eat, not comfortable to ask anyone to do it for me. And as I fill up my stomach, Happy stood at the end of my hospital bed with his arms crossed on his chest, watching me.

There were so many things Happy wanted to know, I can confirm that. I mean, who wouldn't? One moment I go to school fine, then the next moment I fell into comatose. I don't how long have I been asleep, but long enough to make Mom and Happy worry.

The night after I woke up, I asked Mom about Harley. She was pretty tense when I asked her about him. She stuttered to answer me, but I told her that I can handle if it's bad news. Mom trusted me so she told me the truth.

Harley's condition was pretty bad. When I go asleep, then wake up, then fell back into sleep, then wake up again the next few days, Harley hadn't waken up until today. He is still sleeping and God knows what he's dreaming.