~
"As brother and sister we could
not be more different
but we will always share a special bond
that ties us together"
~
"Mom! What happened!" I cry out as the three of us come rushing through the hospital doors.
Both of my parents were standing there, but my dad had my mom in his arms, and his face looked grim. He sighs in relief when he sees me.
"What happened? Where's Jake? Is he okay?" I ask in a hurry.
"Honey...Jake and Austin got into a bad accident." My dad says and I shake my head.
"B-but they'll be okay right?" I ask, trembling, looking at them for confirmation.
My dad doesn't answer, a single tear rolling down his face as he takes a deep breath.
"The truck flipped multiple times, and the doctors are worried that Jake might have brain damage from how hard he hit his head. Austin is in really bad shape as well, as the car hit his side."
I feel like I can't breathe.
"No, no, no this isn't happening. I told Jake I would meet him back at the house. We were gonna watch a movie." Kara mumbles beside me, in shock. As I glace over at her, I see that all color has left her face. I wrap an arm around her for support that we both need right now.
Next thing we know, the Miller's are running in. Mrs. Emily is freaking out and when she sees us, she relaxes just a bit.
"Where's my baby? Where's Austin?" She calls out, searching everywhere for him.
"He's in surgery, Emily." My dad tells her, somehow still put together.
"What's happening?" Mr. David asks.
I tune them out and feel myself lean against the wall behind me for support.
I stare ahead blankly, everything around me turning into a blur of noise.
Jake is my brother, he's my twin.
The other half of me.
He can't go.
"Em–Emma?" My mom says, both hands on my shoulders, a concerned look on her face.
I meet her eyes and I feel like I have the same expression on my face too.
Fear is written all over her face and the tears just won't stop coming.
"I-I can't mom. Not h-him." I try to get out through my tears.
"Oh honey–" She says, her voice cracking. She drags me into a fierce hug and I don't even have enough energy in me to reciprocate it.
I just look up to see the families of two people I love feeling so lost.
I didn't catch him earlier, but Chase was sitting down on the ground, his head in his knees. Sierra was by his side, rubbing his back while wiping away her tears too.
He looks up and our eyes meet and mine probably mirrored his. They were bloodshot from crying and he looked pale.
He shakes his head and I try and fail to muster up a smile.
More than anyone we both know exactly what the other is feeling.
Our other twin is fighting for their life right now, and all we can do is wait and try not to picture the worst.
Dwight and Travis come rushing through the doors and Dwight immediately comes over to me when he sees me and pulls me in for a tight hug, Travis going to Chase.
"He's a fighter Em, it's gonna be okay." Dwight says softly, holding me tight.
"He better be Dwight. I can't lose him." I say through my tears.
"I know." He says, holding me for a few minutes before he let's go and moves on to hug Kara tight.
"Come here Em." Travis says softly, pulling me in for a hug.
He hugs me for a few minutes before letting go and moving on to everyone else who needs a hug.
"D-did they say how long they're going to be in surgery?" I ask shakily.
"No honey, they didn't." My mom says.
I just nod and take a seat next to Caleb. He grabs my hand and I can tell that he's worried.
"Jordan and Trevor are booking the next flights out, and Madison should be here soon." My dad says, sitting on the other side of me.
I don't even have it in me to respond, a numb feeling coming over me.
I can't lose my best friend.
I just can't.
I'm not sure how much time blurs by before my dad answers a call, pulling me from my thoughts.
"Emma, do you think you could go to the airport to pick up your brothers? Jordan has landed and Trevor should be landing in another twenty minutes or so." My dad asks and I start shaking my head.
"I can't leave him dad...I can't. He needs me here. He didn't leave me, I can't leave him." I say, tears breaking through again.
"I can do it. What airlines are they in?" Dwight says before my dad has time to react to me.
I send him a grateful smile, and he just rubs my shoulder.
"Southwest." My dad says, and Dwight nods before grabbing his keys.
"I'm sorry dear, I didn't even think when I asked you." My dad says, wrapping an arm around me.
I just nod and lean my head back, hoping we get answers soon.
'~'
"I'm here to speak to the family of Jake Richardson." A voice says, pulling me from my sleep hours later.
An arm nudges my side and I open my eyes, lifting my head from Dwight's shoulder.
"Here." My dad says, standing up as the rest of us follow suit.
"Hello, I'm Dr. Hill, the doctor in charge of Jake's case." He says, shaking hands with my parents.
"How is he?" My mom asks.
"As you know, the truck flipped multiple times after the other car hit them. Jake suffered tremendous head trauma, broke his left arm, and fractured three ribs. There was also glass stuck in him that punctured his abdomen causing internal bleeding.
"We just performed surgery to remove the shard, and we were successful. We stopped the internal bleeding, so that's no longer a concern. However, Jake has slipped into a coma and we are not sure when he will wake up at this point." He finishes and my mom chokes out a sob as my dad wraps an arm around her.
"So he isn't okay?" Jordan asks.
"Jake will live, however we can't say the condition that he will wake up in. We are unsure if the damage in his brain will be permanent. Only time will tell." Dr. Hill says.
Oh my God.
"Can we see him?" My dad asks, his voice thick.
"Yes, he's in ICU so only a few people at a time can visit. Be aware that he can probably hear you, he just can't respond." He says.
He bids goodbye before he leaves and while everyone around me begins to cry or show their emotions, I can't seem to do anything.
This just doesn't seem real.
"Emma, do you want to go first?" My mom asks me, pulling me from my blank stare.
"Yes." I say, my heart feeling heavy.
My mom and I begin walking towards the hallway where my brother is.
We find his room and I take a deep breath before opening the door. Almost as soon as I see him, my emotions seem to take over.
Jake is lying on the bed covered in cuts and bruises, a cast on his arm, and white gauze around his head. His body is attached to multiple tubes and machines, and he looks almost lifeless.
I feel my mom's hand grab mine, but I can't seem to focus on anything other than Jake.
I move towards the bed, pulling one of the chairs up to the bed and I grab his hand.
"I'm gonna take a second." My mom says, quickly fleeing the room.
The silence is overwhelming the second she leaves the room, and tears fall in a steady stream down my face.
"Jake..." I start, the lump in my throat cutting me off.
"You have to wake up okay? You can't leave me. We have a deal. I can't leave and neither can you. So you have to wake up Jake, please just wake up.
"This world is too big and too hard without you in it. You're my twin brother and my best friend. I can't live without you Jake, please. What am I going to do if you leave? Who will I go to in the middle of the night when I need someone to talk to? What about college? We were just talking about our hopes and dreams for the future. How can you do that if you don't wake up? Please Jake."
My sobs cut me off again and I bring my forehead to our hands.
"I'm finally getting better, something you promised would happen. And I need you to see it, I need you to be here with me. Please Jake...please just wake up." I plead.
But all I get is a limp hand in mine and deafening silence.
'~'
"Hey." I say softly, taking a seat next to Chase a few hours later.
"Hey." He says back, grabbing my hand.
"Any news about Austin?" I ask. I've been with my family in Jake's room for most of the day, so I haven't gotten any updates on Austin.
Chase nods his head and sighs. "Austin was driving and the hit happened on his side, so it was pretty damaging. The doctor said that he cracked two ribs and had a collapsed lung. He also had internal bleeding, but they fixed all of that in surgery."
He grips my hand harder as he talks about it, and I don't blame him. If I was standing next to someone when I learned about Jake's injuries, I would have done the same thing.
We don't have our rocks to get us through this.
"I guess the steering column fell from impact, and it landed on Austin's leg, completely breaking it. They aren't sure the full damage on that yet, that's what they're working on now. They are slightly concerned he might have brain damage, but not as much as Jake because he apparently didn't hit his head as much. They had to remove his spleen as well."
"Chase, I'm so sorry. Have you been able to see him at all yet?" I ask and he shakes his head.
"They have him in surgery again to work on his leg, and they mentioned that they're going to put him in a medically induced coma to help his brain rest before assessing the damage. But, as soon as they give me the okay I'm not leaving his side."
"I hear you, I'm only out here because my brothers went in." I tell him.
We sit in silence for a little while longer, and it's not until I hear sniffles that I look up. Chase has a few tears running down his face, and I don't say a thing. I just pull his head down to my shoulder and hold him tight.
"Listen, Austin is a fighter Chase. He's not gonna leave us, and he's definitely not gonna leave you. He's gonna get through this."
"What if he doesn't?" Chase asks, his voice breaking. "I should've been a better brother. All those times I disregarded him because I thought he was acting stupid, I should've just...loved him more Em. What if it's too late? I can't even remember the last thing I said to him. Did I tell him I love him?"
Chase completely breaks down after that and I feel more tears stream down my face.
"Chase, we can't think about the what if. And you are an awesome brother to Austin, he knows that you love him. You can't beat yourself over the natural relationship you two have." I tell him through my tears.
Chase just nods and we sit there for a while longer, crying together.
I'm not sure how much time goes by before I feel a hand on my shoulder. I look up to see Kara standing next to me, eyes swollen.
Sierra is next to Chase and he moves his head to her shoulder, and she holds him tight while fighting back tears.
"Wanna go for a walk?" I ask Kara, needing to get out of the hospital for a second. I can't see Jake right now anyways.
She just nods and we head towards the doors.
We don't go on a walk though, we just sit on one of the benches outside.
"How are you doing?" I ask her, wrapping an arm around her.
"How am I doing? Emma, don't be concerned about me right now okay? This is your time to be selfish. That's your other half in there." She says.
"He's also your other half. Just because I'm hurting doesn't mean it takes away your hurt Kar." I say softly, and that gets her. Tears start streaming down her face.
I pull her closer to me and she rests her head on my shoulder.
"What am I gonna do if he's not okay Em? He's my everything."
"I don't have an answer to that because I don't know what I'm gonna do either. But, Jake is strong. He's not gonna go down without a fight, we just have to trust that he'll be okay."
She nods and we sit there a little bit longer before she wipes her tears and looks at me.
"Now, stop putting up your strong act and talk to me. You are exactly like Jake in that aspect, and you can't do it all by yourself Em." She says and I sigh.
"I'm scared Kar." I say softly. "I know he's going to live, but I'm scared about his head trauma. What if he doesn't remember us? What if he can't talk properly? There's so many things that can be wrong and I'm so scared."
This time she puts her arm around me.
"He has to be okay. He just has to." Kara says.
But what if he isn't?
'~'
"Emma for the last time, please go and eat something. Get some rest." My mom says to me softly.
I shake my head, still staring at Jake's slow breathing.
It's been four days since the accident, and there's been no change with Jake. The doctors say that it's a good thing that he's still in the coma, as it helps his brain rest. I know they're doctors, but I call bullshit. He should be awake.
There hasn't really been any change in Austin's state either. Travis goes back and forth to keep us all updated on the status of the other. Kara has practically moved into the room as well, but she leaves a lot more than I do.
The rest of the gang stays in the waiting room mostly. We continue to hope that each day is going to bring a different result, but every day is the same. And I'm starting to give up hope that Jake is really going to be okay.
We still don't know who caused the accident, or what really happened. All we know is that it wasn't their fault and the other person fled the scene immediately. There were some eyewitnesses, but so far we haven't gotten any updates.
"Em, please eat something at least." My mom says again, bringing me out of my thoughts.
"I'm not hungry." I mumble as I rub my eyes.
I've only gotten a few hours of sleep since we got the news, and I feel myself slowly shutting down. But I can't sleep without knowing he's going to be okay.
"Honey, you need to keep your energy up for when he does wake up. Please, he'll be right here when you get back. At least eat something small."
I keep looking at Jake hoping for any signs of change, but he still continues to breathe slowly.
I reply and stay exactly where I am. I know that if the roles were reversed, Jake would never leave my side and I'm not about to do the same.
I hear my mom sigh and leave the room, the door shutting on her way out. I pick up Jake's hand in mine and kiss it lightly.
"It's okay, I'm still here. I'm not leaving you."
A soft knock on the door causes me to look over as it opens, Travis coming in.
"Hey." He says softly, coming over towards me. "I know you said you aren't hungry, but you need to eat. So, I brought you some Chick-Fil-A."
I thank him and he sits down on the other side of Jake, that's when I really take in his appearance.
He didn't look good at all. His eyes were swollen and there were bags under his eyes, probably replicating mine.
We are all close to each other in our group, but regardless of how much Austin and Travis argue with each other, they're really close too. I mean, the twins consider him their adopted triplet. He's probably feeling almost the same as us.
"How's Austin?" I ask softly.
Travis takes in a shaky breath.
"I don't know Em. He's looking pretty banged up and I–" He cuts himself off as he inhales sharply. "There's nothing I can do to make it better. I just feel so useless." He says.
"And then there's Jake too." Travis says, picking up Jake's other hand. "I feel like I'm losing them both at once, and I don't know what to do to stop it."
I sit quietly, trying to take it all in again.
Where did it all go wrong?
"Have they still found nothing?" I ask.
Travis shakes his head and I see his hand tighten into a fist
"They're still saying the same thing. A hit and run, the police said they'll be able to get more once they wake up." Travis says, looking back at Jake. "And they will wake up."
They have to.
You have to Jake.
I give his hand another squeeze, hoping that he would somehow feel it and give me one back so that I know that he's okay.
But I still get nothing.
'~'
Whew, that was a rough chapter.
Thoughts on the chapter?
We already have the next chapter written, so it should be coming in the next few days as a bonus for y'all being patient!
As always, we appreciate your support!
Comment and Vote!
~Marie Black :)