I can’t believe this was happening. Wait, have I already mentioned that before? Well, whatever. I still can’t believe this was happening.
Percy’s room was a little messy, but at least it wasn’t so messy that I had the sudden urge to clean it up. There were a few clothing items strewn on the floor, and the bed wasn’t made, but otherwise, it looked pretty clean. There were various posters and pictures hung on the wall, and if I were to describe the room in one word, I would say: blue. The walls were blue, most of the posters were blue, the picture frames were blue, most of the clothes on the ground were blue, the bed was blue, and most of the things on his desk were blue. At least everything wasn’t blue, or I would’ve gotten a massive headache from all the blue. Or, I probably would’ve walked out of this room seeing everything in blue forever.
“Wow,” was the only coherent thing I could comment.
Percy chuckled. “I know what you’re thinking. Everything here is blue.”
“Yes actually, that was exactly what I was thinking,” I answered with a smile. My lips tilted downward once I realized I was smiling. Shit, I totally forgot that I told Percy I would tell him everything. Shit, shit shit. I didn’t want to do it, but Percy just seemed so sad about it and…I will never be able to keep a secret from my secret lover again.
Percy frowned at me. “Nico…” he started to say.
I shook my head. “You…want to know the story, right?”
“Nico, you don’t…you don’t have to.”
I shook my head once again. “You wanted to know, right? And anyway, you keep worrying about me, and I hate that.” My next sentence was only a mere murmur. “And, I’m not someone worth worrying over.”
Percy’s expression was sorrowful. “Nico, if you don’t want to, I won’t force you. I’m just curious. If it makes you feel bad, then I won’t force you into doing it.”
I sighed. “I’m still going to tell it to you. I’ve made up my mind already.”
You’re probably wondering: why didn’t I deny his offer? Well, first of all, I did make up my mind that I was going to tell him no matter what. Secondly, whenever I stopped smiling, I hated seeing that look for forlorn clouding his face, like it has his fault or something. And thirdly, I hated the thought of him not knowing, like I was keeping a secret from him. And, I wanted to share everything with Percy, not counting the crush on him.
Percy still looked unsure of the decision I made, but he obliged. “If you want…” Percy led me to his very blue bed before I started my story. We sat down on the edge, while Percy slung his right arm around my shoulder, most likely for comfort. But, I couldn’t help feeling nervous about what Percy would think about the story. Would he think I was lying about it? Would he think I left something out? And secondly, I was really nervous about being so close to Percy. I mean, I did have this huge crush on him and all. But right now, that wasn’t important.
I took a deep breath, trying to calm my mind, and began my story.
[[Flashback]]
“Bye, Mommy! Bye, Sis!” I waved goodbye to the white car backing out of the driveway, and disappearing around a corner.
My father set his hand on my shoulder. “Let’s go inside now, alright? I’ll be in my office working if you need anything.”
I nodded excitedly. “Okay, Daddy!” I grinned at him, and he kindly returned a smile.
He led me inside, shut the door, and locked it. “If someone rings the doorbell, don’t answer the door. Get me instead. Got that, Nico?”
I nodded. “Got it!”
He smiled warmly at me. “Okay. Don’t be too loud while you’re playing around. I don’t want you disturbing the neighbors. They can be rude if they wanted to be.”
I nodded once more. “Okay!”
He nodded, a smile still gracing his face, before he strode out of the living room and up the stairs of our house.
My father was downstairs in the kitchen when the phone suddenly rang throughout the house. I was watching television while playing Mythomagic—a card game I was seriously obsessed with. And when I say “seriously obsessed with”, I am not joking. I had almost every single pack, even the super rare and special packs and cards.
The phone stopped ringing, and I inferred that my father picked up the phone. I was staring off in the direction of the kitchen, wondering what the phone call was for. I shrugged it off. My father and my mother usually got phone calls from their work place, so I didn’t think the phone call was all that important.
And, well, I was totally wrong.
My father calmly walked into the living room, his footsteps tapping against the wood flooring of our house. I glanced up at him from my Mythomagic cards with a puzzled expression across my face, silently asking him what the phone call was about. But, my father didn’t budge. I could see in his eyes that he was angry—furious even—but he seemed to be attempting to control his anger, and not explode.
“Nico, get in the car,” my father quietly—but dangerously—commanded me.
I set my cards down onto the ground and pressed the power button on the TV remote, turning off the TV. I pushed myself off the ground and dusted my clothes off. “What’s wrong, Daddy? Where are we going?”
“Nico, just get in the car,” he repeated, his voice sounding angrier than before.
“But—”
He wasn’t very patient today, even though he was always a calm and patient man. Today, I didn’t know what was up with him though. He took me by the waist and threw me over my shoulders. My eyes widened and I attempted to wiggle out his grasp, but his grip on my waist only tightened the more I struggled. He stomped to the car and threw me into the back seat, shutting the door very loudly. He got into the front seat of the black car, slammed the door shut, backed out of the driveway, and sped away at top speed to somewhere I didn’t know of. I was getting dragged to an unknown destination. What was up with today?
We arrived at the hospital. The whole car ride, I was staring at my daddy with both a pleading and perplexed expression. I wanted to know what was happening, and I hated being left out in the dark.
Well, at that time, I didn’t know I would have to get used to being left out in the dark.
My daddy got out of the car and slammed his door shut. He dangerously stalked over to my side of the car, gently opening the car door, and offering me a hand. I stared at him with a bewildered expression this time, but I took the hand because I didn’t want to be carried over the shoulder into the hospital this time. He shut the door and led me over to the hospital building.
The doors were glass, but automatic, so the opened automatically when my daddy and I stepped up to it. When we stepped inside, the hospital was pretty empty, but there were still a few people in there. My daddy stepped up to the front desk, and the receptionist glanced up at us from a really thick book—not as thick as the Bible though, I could tell you that for sure.
The receptionist had striking red hair, with eyes as silver as mist. She was wearing a doctor’s coat, so I guessed she was a receptionist and a doctor. She was also pretty tall, and had thin black glasses perched upon the bridge of her nose. Her name tag read “Lupa Amulius”.
“Hello,” she put on a strained smile, so I could tell she was obviously bored. Well, I would be too, if I was just sitting there at the front desk with barely and business. “How may I help you gentlemen?”
“I’m here to visit my wife and my daughter: Maria and Bianca di Angelo,” my daddy requested. Wait, we were here to see Mother and Sis? Why? What happened?
I glanced at my daddy, but he was avoiding my face, and instead, staring right at the receptionist for a reply.
Lupa nodded, glancing up from a few sheets of paper scrambled on her desk. “Oh, alright. It says that Bianca di Angelo is in Room 307, and Maria di Angelo is in Room 308. Only family members are allowed at this time.” She glanced and pointed at me. “So, is this your son?” The receptionist directed at my daddy.
My daddy nodded. “Yes, and thank you.”
Lupa only nodded in response as she watched my daddy grasp my wrist, lead me toward the elevator, and board it. She had unsettling eyes as she stared at me, like she knew my future and what was going to happen to me.
I never saw Lupa again.
When the elevator door opened up to a new floor, my daddy walked out of the silver doors, not sparing a glanced towards my direction to make sure I was still there. He walked along in the hallway, scanning the golden numbers on the doors, most likely looking for “307” and “308”. I was just looking around the hospital, admiring the scene.
The hospital was mostly white, and it was perfectly white as if it were newly built. The doors were white, with golden numbers inscribed into the door. The doorknobs of the doors were also golden—perfectly polished. The floor was white tile with a tint of blue in them, and the hallway seemed to go on forever. A few doctors and nurses rushed by, but otherwise, I didn’t see anyone else in the hallway.
My daddy halted in front of a door: Room 307. As I recall, my sis was in this room. But the question was: why was she in this room that belonged to the hospital?
My daddy pushed open the door and stepped inside. I timidly walked behind him, half cowering behind my daddy, and half looking into the hospital room that apparently inhabited my sis, Bianca, or Bia.
The hospital room was also mostly white, matching the hallway. The room was split so that it could inhabit two people in the room, with a thick, blue curtain in the middle of the room. The half that we could currently see inhabited Bia. She was in a white bed with a white dress with faint blue, vertical, and thin stripes on that people usually wore at the hospital. The bed was queen size, with a silver bed frame. EEG wires with “stickers” at the end were connected to her head—for any signs of a concussion. Her right leg was held up by a supporter that hung from the ceiling, and Bia’s right leg was wrapped in a blue cast. She was conscious, and when we stepped in, she carefully turned her head towards us and smiled.
“Dad! N-Nico!” She exclaimed, though she couldn’t move out of her position on the bed.
Daddy immediately rushed over to her, with me at his heels. “Bianca…what happened?!” He demanded.
“When Mom and I were on our way back to the house, this truck drove out from a place full of stores, and started driving on the wrong street. Mom and I were the first to crash into him, and a few more as well. Policemen came in and told me the truck driver was drunk. I’m pretty sure they told Mom too, but she…” Bia’s voice faltered. A tear found its way down her cheek. “Mom tried to protect me before we crashed. She knew we wouldn’t be able to escape or dodge the crash, so she jumped in front of me before we crashed.” Tears were now rushing down. “I couldn’t…she was so…I just—”
“Calm down, Bianca.” Daddy placed his hands on her shoulders. “Tell me, are you okay?”
“I’m…” She sniffled, “fine…but Mom—”
“We’ll worry about her later, alright?” Daddy’s hands grasped more firmly on Bia’s shoulders.
She sniffled once more, letting the tears run down her cheeks, but she nodded silently.
Daddy let go of her shoulders, and he glanced at me.
No tears were running down my cheeks, but I felt horrible. My teeth were gritted, and I was more furious than sad. My hands were clenched tightly into fists, and I was visibly shaking. That horrible truck driver. Why did he have to do such a thing? I was feeling so horrible, like this was my entire fault, even though it wasn’t. A wave of warmth washed over me from my sadness, but I was still feeling more furious than ever in my ten years of life. If Bia looked like this…then…what did Mommy look like?
“Can we...see Mommy?” I hesitantly asked my daddy.
He nodded quietly. He walked over to me and put his hand on my shoulder. Without turning around, he told Bia, “Make sure it doesn’t happen, promise me, Bianca.”
I glanced over my shoulder at Sis, and saw Bia nod. “I promise, Dad.”
He led me out the door, with his hand on my right shoulder. I never knew what “it” was, but the next day, “it” actually happened.
We went to the next room: Room 308. I was hesitant and scared about seeing Mommy. What did she look like? How much did she suffer? How much pain was she currently enduring? But, Daddy was anxious to see her. He pushed open the door without a glance at the room number. He waltzed straight into the room and towards the bed that currently held my mommy.
Mommy was wearing the same thing as Sis, but her right leg wasn’t supported and held up by a cast. Both of her legs were supported and held up, but instead of a blue cast, they were thick, white casts. There were many stitches all over her skin—from her chin, cheeks, forehead, and arms. EEG wires with “stickers” at the end were connected to her forehead where there weren’t any stitches A blood bag hung from a gray stander sat next to her bedside, with a wire running from the end of the blood bag that connected to her left forearm. She looked so weak and frail, and I hated it. She was barely conscious, not looking as well as Bia.
“Maria…” Daddy rushed over to Maria’s bedside and knelt down, gently caressing her face.
“Honey…I…I’m sorry,” Mommy managed to make out. Her voice sounded weak as well, like her throat was crushed into a tight fist—a fist as tightly clenched as mine were. It sounded as she hadn’t talked in years, which made it all the more worse because she talked to me perfectly fine this morning.
“Don’t speak, it’ll make you worse,” Daddy informed, wiping a tear that was making its way down Mommy’s face.
She managed a nod, closing her eyes and letting the tears fall, not even making an attempt to wipe them away. Daddy just knelt there, examining every part of her face as if it would make her feel better again like this morning. It was eerily quiet in the hospital room, and it looked exactly the same as Bia’s hospital room.
After what seemed like a few moments, I realized my face was wet. I slowly released one of my tightly clenched fists and gently touched my face, as if it were extremely wounded like Mommy’s. I examined my fingers once the contact between my fingers and my face was lost, and I realized I was crying. The tears were running down nonstop, and I couldn’t stop them no matter how much I tried to wipe them away. So I just stood there, letting the tears drip down my chin, as I watched Mommy’s and Daddy’s silent scene.
Mommy’s eyes flickered over to me. “Ni—Nico…come here to Mommy.”
My eyes widened as the sight of Mommy’s expression. It looked so broken, like she’s seen Hell itself. Her face was full of stitches and bandages, and her eyes were full of pain and sorrow. Her lips were tilted down, but I could see she was trying to make an effort to smile at me, to make me feel better and not cry. But, it wasn’t working. I cried more just by seeing her like this. Neither Bia nor Mommy deserved this. What did they do in life to make this happen? They’ve never done anything wrong, so why was this happening to them?
I stumbled over next to my daddy, and knelt beside her. She tried to reach up and caress my cheek, but Daddy’s other hand found hers, and he held it there in place.
“Mommy…are you…are you going to be…okay?” I asked her with wide eyes.
“I will, sweetie. Everything will be okay,” She replied with a tiny smile—probably the biggest smile she could even make. I knew she was lying, she surely didn’t look okay. I knew she was just saying that to make me feel better, but I couldn’t help but feeling my heart shatter from hearing my mommy lie. She never lied. She always had this warm and tender smile to her gorgeous face. I knew it was so she could make me feel better, but I couldn’t help feeling bad about how Mommy lied just to make me feel better. I didn’t need any comforting, my mommy needed it more.
Mommy glanced at Daddy. “Honey, please, take care of Bianca and Nico. I don’t want them…to have the same fate as me. Please, for me. They’re my children—our children. I hate to…put this all on you…to take care of them. I’m so…so sorry—”
Daddy silenced her with a tender kiss to her lips. A light, but passionate, kiss. I felt like intruding by staring at them, so I looked away and instead, stared at the blank, white ground. The ground that expressed absolutely nothing—no feeling, just stories full of sorrow from recent patients at the hospital. The life that I would soon have. But at the time, I never knew.
When I glanced back at my parents, my eyes widened so much, I thought they would bulge out. Daddy was tucking a strand of hair that fell over my mommy’s face behind her ear, but my mommy’s eyes were nowhere to be seen. Her eyelids were closed, and the only breathing I heard came from my daddy and me. Her whole body was relaxed—yet, limp. And, I was old enough to know what this meant when in a hospital.
“Daddy—”
“Don’t, Nico. Don’t.”