Chapter Thirteen
Grace's P.O.V
"Thank you, Ma'am. Have a nice day."
My automatic response made it seem like I was cheerful. I've learned that if I'm in a "good" mood, generally the customers are easier to deal with.
"You doing alright there, Helen?"
Tony, a young man with light ginger hair and lots of freckles, grinned cheerily at me from the opposite checkout. I smiled back.
"I'm okay. Tired though, it's been a long day."
He nodded.
"Sure has, good thing it's almost the end of our shift. You want to grab something to eat after?"
"Sounds good to me."
We finished the last fifteen minutes of our shift before packing up and heading out to our usual place. Once there, we ordered our food and sat down at a small table in the corner of the cafe.
"So, tough week aye?"
I shrugged.
"I guess you could say that. I haven't really been sleeping all that well recently."
Tony frowned.
"Oh yeah? Why's that?"
"Bad dreams, mostly."
I wasn't lying. I'd been having some pretty awful nightmares. The worst part was that none of them made any sort of sense. One second I'd be reliving my time with Michael, the next I'd be running through the park near Esther's house with Mitch and the other's, laughing as we did so. And both were equally terrifying.
I missed them all horribly. But I knew I couldn't go back. It was for the best if I just stayed here. My life was simple and quiet. I spent most of my time working, either in my job at the supermarket or volunteering at the second-hand shop down the road from my little one room apartment.
Our food arrived then. We ate, chatting casually. After we finished, Tony offered me a ride home. I accepted, glad to not be taking the bus.
We stopped at a small music store on the way.
"Just wait here, I need to get some more picks."
Remembering he played guitar in a small punk-rock band, I nodded.
While I waited I started humming. It took me a while to realise that I was singing 'Run To You'. I stopped and the world suddenly felt very quiet.
Just then, my phone started ringing. I picked it up with out checking, thinking it would be Tony asking me to bring in his wallet, which he had left on the seat beside me.
"Hello?"
"Hey Grace, we have something to tell you. Is this a good time?"
I almost dropped my phone. I've only ever known one person with a voice that deep.
"Avi? Is that you?"
I heard him chuckle softly.
"Well, yeah, and the others."
"Hi Grace!"
Kirstie.
"Hey there, Gracie!"
Scott.
"Hey little fruit!"
Kevin.
There was a pause. I hesitated and then decided to ask.
"Is Mitch there?"
Another pause.
"That's what we have to tell you. The thing is..." Kirstie's voice trailed off and I heard a small noise that sounded like a sob. My heart started to beat faster.
"What is it? Is he okay?"
Avi took back the phone.
"Grace, today when we were out on a walk around town, a little girl ran out into the road. A car was coming a long really fast and it would have hit her. Mitch got there just in time to push her out of the way but he got hit himself. He-"
I had never heard Avi cry like this before. He seemed to compose himself but his voice shook as he continued.
"He's in hospital now. The doctor has just been to see us. He says that Mitch is in a coma and-"
He couldn't continue. I heard Kirstie comforting him. Then Scott took the phone.
"Grace, the doctor says that Mitch has a very slim chance of survival. Almost none."
I bit my lip.
"So you're saying... Mitch could..." I couldn't say it.
"Yes Grace. Mitch could die anytime soon."
My heart froze. I could barely breathe.
"Grace?" It was Kevin now. His voice sounded oddly far away. "Grace are you okay?"
I was breathing hard, ragged and uneven breaths. My head hurt. I could barely talk.
"W-where are you guys?"
"We're in Boston. Just finished touring."
I swallowed hard.
"I'll be there soon."
"You don't have to, Gracie. We just wanted to let you know."
"Kev, whether he survives this or not, I want to be there. Not just for me, but for you you guys and for him. For Mitch."
The was a small silence.
"You're the bravest person I know Grace. Thank you. Text us when you get here."
And with that he hung up.
When Tony came back I quickly told him the news.
"I have to go to Boston."
He looked at me like I had just grown another head.
"What? Why? Are you okay? Why are you crying?"
I hadn't even noticed the tears leaking out of my eyes. I wiped them away.
"I'm fine. What's the fastest route to Boston?
"Helen, what's going on?"
I took a deep breath to calm myself.
"A really good friend of mine has been hit by a car and is in a coma. There's a very high chance that he could die soon. I want to be there. For him."
Tony seemed stunned.
"Oh, shoot Helen. I'm sorry. Are you alright?"
"I told you, I'm fine. Now, what's the quickest route to Boston?"
"Probably a plane. You could book one for next week or-"
"No! I can't wait that long. Can you take me home?"
He looked a little sad.
"Yeah, sure."
We drove in silence. When we arrived at my apartment I asked him to wait for me. I then went inside. I packed a small suitcase and grabbed my jar of savings. I had been planning to use them to get a better apartment, but now I didn't care about that. After making sure I had everything, I locked the door and went back down to where Tony was waiting.
"Can you take me to the airport?"
He nodded and we set off.
When we arrived I went to the front desk and asked when the next flight to Boston was. The woman at the desk looked a little surprised, but told me that the next flight was in two hours and would I like to purchase a ticket? I said yes and did just that. I turned around after getting my ticket and found myself face to face with Tony.
"So that's it then? You're just going to leave?"
He looked so sad, and I wasn't really sure why.
I smiled at him and hugged him.
"Thanks for everything Tony."
He gave me a soft and sad smile. Then out of nowhere, he kissed me. It was a very gentle kiss and very sweet. He pulled away and squeezed my hand.
"Look after yourself Grace."
Then he walked away and disappeared before I even relised that he had called me Grace instead of Helen.
I stood there, stunned, for about a minute. Then I remembered where I was and what I was here to do. I went and checked in and before I knew it I was sitting on the plane, on my way to Boston.
Even though I had never been to Boston before, I couldn't stop myself from thinking
I'm going home. Finally, I'm going home.
Kevin's P.O.V
I let the others know that Grace was coming, and after that there was nothing to do but wait.
Eventually we were allowed to go and see Mitch. If it weren't for the tubes running in and out of him, he could have just been sleeping. He looked so peaceful, but the atmosphere in the room was awful. It had that hospital feeling mixed with something much, much worse.
After a while Kirstie and Avi fell asleep leaning on each other. I smiled at the sleeping couple. My eyes trailed down to the ring on Kirstie's finger. I remembered the day that Avi had proposed, It had been about two months ago...
*Flashback*
Avi was pacing up and down the hallway nervously. I watched him as he fiddled with the small box in his pocket.
"Dude, calm down! You're geting panicked over nothing." I couldn't help but chuckle at the look on his face.
He stopped pacing and turned to me.
"What if she says no? I mean, we've barely even talked about the future at all and-"
The doorbell rang, cutting Avi off mid-rant. I grinned.
"I wonder who that is..?"
KIrstie looked amazing. Well she always looked amazing but today even more so. Although, why wouldn't she? It was her and Avi's one year anniversary of being together.
"Hey Avi, ready to go?" She gave him a kiss on the cheek.
"Uh.. Yeah, yeah I'm ready. Let's go."
He gave me one final backwards glance before leaving and I gave him a quick thumbs up.
"Good luck, buddy."
An hour and a half later, Avi burst through the door. He quickly walked over to the couch and lay face down on it. I waited for about thirty seconds but no movement.
"Uh... Avi? You okay?"
The next thing I know he'd bounced across the room and pulled me into the tightest hug ever.
"Avi... Can't... Breathe..." I choked out my words.
"She said yes!"
He let go of me, danced around for a bit and then sat down on the couch opposite me. I was still processing what he had just said.
"Uh, wait what?"
"Kirstie said yes! We're engaged! We're gonna live together happily ever after and have lots of adorable babies!"
I suddenly recognised this side of him and laughed.
"Avi are you drunk?"
He shook his head.
"Noooo. I'm cone sold stober!"
I patted him on the back.
"Of course you are. Now let's get you to bed."
After Avi was snoring away in his bed, I texted Kirstie.
Hey congrats! Avi told me :)
In no time at all she messaged back.
Thanks Kev! I'm literally so happy right now!
I smiled and put my phone away. I was so happy for them. They're two of the nicest people I know and they deserve this more than anything.
*End of Flashback*
I smiled fondly at the memory. Just then Kirstie's phone buzzed on the table beside her. I picked it up and read the message. It was from Grace.
I'm at the airport. Could you send someone to pick me up?
Sure thing. Welcome back Little Fruit :)
I stood and stretched. Scott looked up at me.
"Grace?"
I nodded.
"She's at the airport. I'm gonna go pick her up now."
"I'll come with you."
I sighed.
"Fine. But leave a note for when they wake up."
As Scott scribbled down a quick note explaining where we were going, I put Grace's number into my own phone. We then left the hospital and realised a problem.
"Uh... We came here by ambulance. How are we gonna get home?"
Scott pulled out his phone.
"I'll call a taxi back to our apartment. We can take the car from there."
"Good plan."
Soon enough we were on our way to the airport. I sent Grace a message.
On our way to get you now :) btw this is Kev
She answered almost immediately.
Okie doke :) I'm waiting by the information desk and wearing a grey hoodie.
We arrived and eventually found a parking place. Scott and I entered the building and looked around.
"You see her?" He asked.
"Nope. She said she was by the information desk and wearing a grey hoodie."
We headed over to the information desk. No sign of Grace. I walked up to the lady at the desk.
"Excuse me, have you seen a young woman, quite short, with wavy brown hair and a grey hoodie?"
The lady frowned slightly.
"No sorry, but I've only just arrived here. I thought I saw someone with that description heading towards the bathrooms. You could check there if you like."
I nodded and thanked the woman for her help. Then I turned to Scott.
"What do you reckon, wait here incase she comes back? Or try to figure out which bathroom she went to?"
Scott looked around as if trying to make up his mind. Then he froze. I followed his gaze and gasped.
"Grace."
She was walking towards us, trailing a small blue suitcase behind her. He eyes were trained on the floor so she didn't see us until Scott shouted out her name.
"Grace!"
Her head snapped up and her eyes met mine. They were still as green as ever. She stopped for a moment when she saw us. Then a smile lit up her face and she broke into a run.
When she reached us, she dropped her suitcase and pulled us both into a hug. We hugged her back and suddenly I realised how much I'd missed her.
After a few minutes of hugging and tears, Grace grabbed her suitcase and we made our way out of the airport.
As we drove to the hospital, Grace caught us up with what had been going on with her life over the past year.
"...I didn't really want to make friends at first, thinking it would be better to just focus on work, but Tony was so persistent that eventually I had to agree to go out for a coffee. I'm glad I did, it was nice to have someone to talk to."
She paused and frowned.
"It's odd though..."
When she trailed off, Scott prompted her.
"What was odd?"
"Just before I left to come here, he kissed me and said 'look after yourself Grace'. How would he have known my real name? I never told him."
Scott and I exchanged a look.
"This guy... was he kinda tall with ginger hair and freckles?"
"Yeah, wait, how do you guys know that?"
She looked at us suspiciously.
I grinned.
"Kirstie..."
"What about her?"
"Tony is her cousin, I'm guessing she set him up to it after she dropped you at the airport and saw where you were going."
Grace laughed.
"That sneaky Kirstie, even when I leave, she still finds a way to look after me."
We all laughed at that. When our laughter subsided, a silence settled in the car. I glanced at Grace in the seat beside me. The smile had left her face and she was staring out of the window. Scott and I looked at each other in the rearview mirror. It was obvious what she was thinking about.
"Can I ask you guys something?"
"You just did, but sure."
A smile flickered on her lips at my attempt at humor.
"When I left, was Mitch... was he-" She stopped and squeezed her eyes shut.
"After a couple of months he was put on anti-depressants and sleeping pills. He found it very hard to even be in the room if you were mentioned. Someone once sent him a picture that Esther had taken of him with you in the background, asking who you were. He stared at it for ages before saying that you were a friend. They responded saying that you were pretty and he replied, 'no, she's not pretty, she's beautiful'. Then he went to his room and wouldn't come out for ages."
Scott paused and turned around. We had arrived at the hospital.
"He missed you more than any of us. I saw the note that you gave him by the way, and I know what happened that time in the forest. Mitch may be really camp and openly gay, but something about you has caused him to fall for you Grace. He might struggle to say it but he really does love you."
By the time Scott finished, Grace was crying.
"I-I'm so sorry. I just..."
She trailed off.
Scott leaned back and wiped her eyes with a tissue that he found in his pocket.
"Why did you really leave Gracie? Because you know as well as I do that it wasn't to get away from the memories."
She sniffed and fiddled with her sleeves.
"There's something I never told you guys. When I was a child, I lived with my uncle and my cousin. In my uncle's eyes, I was the worst thing that had ever happened to him. He would beat me, force me to do all of the house work, and practically starve me. My cousin Josh was probably the only reason why he didn't kill me. Josh taught me everything I know. My uncle never allowed me to even go to school, so at night, after my uncle went to bed, Josh would teach me how to read and write. We were the same age so he would just teach me what he had learned at school that day. My uncle basically thought that Josh could do no wrong, so he was never in danger. Josh was actually the one who helped me get out of there and into university. But before I left, my uncle told me something."
"What did he say?" I asked.
"He said, 'you may be leaving, but you'll never find love out there. It doesn't exist'. He had overheard the conversation that I'd had with Josh, saying that one day I wanted to fall in love and get married, like the girls in the stories that he read me when I was little."
She sighed.
"After Michael died, I had this overwhelming fear that he was right. That falling in love was an impossible thing."
A sad smile crossed her lips.
"But of course, he was wrong. I did fall in love. I fell in love with you guys, with the way that you're so fun and full of life. I fell in love with your songs and your music. I fell in love with the way you make me laugh and the way you make me cry. But most of all I fell in love with the way that you loved me back. Even as friends your love was so clear and pure that I was almost scared to go to sleep, thinking that when I woke up it would just have been a dream."
She was close to sobbing by now, but a smile still rested on her face.
"You're right, I didn't leave to get away from the memories. I know by now that memories follow you, no matter what. But unfortunately memories are what made me leave. You guys, your kindness and your caring nature after everything I put you through, it felt too good to be true. Everyday my uncle's words would echo in my head, and everyday I would convince myself that I would be better off if I started a new life. Beacuse I was afraid. Afraid that for the first time in my life, someone loved me and I didn't know how to love them back."
Grace wiped at her eyes with her sleeve.
"Thank you... For showing me how to love."
Scott and I grinned at her reference. I opened the door.
"C'mon Little Fruit. Let's go share the love."
Kirstie's P.O.V
My eyes fluttered open. My head rose and fell slowly due to the fact that I was resting it on Avi's chest. I glanced up at him and smiled. Then I sat up and stretched. Yawning, I cast my gaze around the room to notice that Kevin and Scott were gone. A piece of paper on the table caught my eye. I picked it up and scanned over it.
Kev and I gone to get Grace from airport. Be back soonish.
~Scott
I sighed and smiled. It would be good to see Grace again.
Just then the door creaked open and Kevin's head poked through. He grinned.
"Just checking we've got the right room."
He swung the door fully open to reveal a very tired looking Grace.
"Gracie!"
I couldn't help but squeal as she walked into the room. My excitement woke up Avi, who took a bit to wake up but then was able to join in on the joy of seeing our friend after so long.
"Welcome back Grace."
He and I pulled her into a hug which she happily returned.
However even this excitement couldn't last forever. It soon died down and the bleakness and dread of the hospital filled the room once again.
I saw Grace glance over at Mitch's bed several times. She looked at me as if the say 'can I?'
I nodded and she gingerly shuffled over to stand beside Mitch's unconscious form. She bit her lip and reached out a shaky hand to gently touch his face. Her lower lip quivered slightly as she knelt down beside him and took his hand in hers. She leaned forwards and kissed him softly on the cheek.
"I'm sorry," She muttered. "I'm so sorry."
She rested her head beside him. Her shoulders began to shake and it didn't take a genius to realise that she was crying.
Avi gripped my hand and I leaned into him. I couldn't even begin to imagine what I would do if the same thing happened to him.
Just then there was a knock on the door. The same doctor from before poked his head through. He smiled sadly at Grace's quivering form. Then he turned to us.
"Are any of you family of Mr. Grassi?"
We shook our heads and he sighed.
"Well, I suppose it would be best to tell you all at once. Can I ask you to come into the hallway for a moment please?"
We all started towards the door. Except for Grace who appeared to have fallen asleep. Scott moved towards her but I grabbed his arm.
"Leave her. She's probably exhausted."
He nodded and we silently filed out into the hallway.
The doctor (whose name tag said Dr. Raven) glanced around at us before speaking.
"When your friend was first brought in we did a couple of tests on him. We've been analysing the information and I'm afraid Mr. Grassi has a very small chance of making it through tomorrow."
My throat felt dry but I couldn't swallow. My heart was racing. No...
"H-how much of a chance does he have?"
Scott's voice was shaking as much as his hands.
Dr. Raven looked at him and shook his head.
"About a five percent chance. I'm sorry"
I coughed out a sob and Avi wrapped his arm around me. I felt something warm and damp fall onto my head and I knew that I wasn't the only one crying.
There was nothing else to be said. We went back into the room and while the dread had disappeared, replaced with a numbness that felt heavy enough to crush us. Scott offered to call Mitch's parents and quickly went back outside. Less than a minute later we could hear him sobbing into the phone. My heart wrenched at the sound of him breaking down.
Memories of our highschool days began to flash through my head. When I first met them, that time that Mitch and I dated, singing as a trio, meeting Avi and Kevin, the Sing-Off, going on tour for the first time, travelling around the world, meeting Grace...
Grace...
I glanced down at the younger girl. She stirred in her sleep for a bit before her eyes fluttered open and met mine. I gulped, walked over and knelt down beside her.
"Grace..." My voice was slightly rough from crying.
"He's not going to make it, is he?"
I opened my mouth to answer her, but found that I couldn't. I dropped my gaze to the floor and shook my head. She sighed and went and sat in one of the chairs. Avi, Kevin and I joined her. Scott came back into the room, eyes red and tears staining his cheeks. He sat in the remaining chair and stared at the floor.
No one spoke. We barely moved.
It was only as the first light of dawn entered the room when Grace finally stood and walked over to the end of Mitch's hospital bed. At first we had no idea what she was going to do, until she opened her mouth and began to sing.
"A light in the room
It was you who was standing there..."
Her voice trailed off, and there was silence once again until Kevin went and stood beside her. She smiled at him and they sang together in harmony.
"Tried it was true
As your glance met my stare."
Avi joined in as he stood.
"But your heart drifted off
Like the land split by sea."
Scott and I glanced at each other before going to stand with our friends.
"I tried to go to follow,
To kneel down at your feet."
"I'll run,"
I grabbed Avi's hand.
"I'll run,"
Then Scott's.
"I'll run, run to you."
Scott took Grace's hand.
"I'll run,"
Avi grabbed Kevin's hand.
"I'll run,"
Grace and Kevin both took one of Mitch's hands.
"I'll run, run to you."
There was a pause, and then we continued.
"I've been settling scores
I've been fighting so long
But I've lost your war
And our kingdom is gone.
How shall I win back
Your heart which was mine
I have broken bones and tattered clothes
I've run out of time."
The door creaked open. Dr. Raven entered along with Esther and Mitch's parents. He smiled and nodded for us to keep going.
"i'll run,
I'll run,
I'll run. run to you.
I'll run,
I'll run,
I'll run, run to you.
I will break down the gates of heaven
A thousand angels stand waiting for me.
Oh, take my heart and I lay down my weapons
Break my shackles to set me free."
Tears were now streaming freely from everyone's eyes, including Dr. Raven's.
"I'll run,
I'll run,
I'll run, run to you.
I'll run (I'll run),
I'll run (I'll run),
I'll run, run to you.
Hmm-hmmm,
Hmm-hmmm,
Hmm-hmmm, hmm hm-hmmm..."
I closed my eyes as the song finished, enjoying the tranquility that it had brought.
I should have known it wouldn't last.
No more than ten seconds after we finished, a high pitched beep filled the room. Mitch's heart rate monitor, which up until then had been giving off regular beeps to let us know that his heart was still going, screamed out a harsh flatline and for a moment no one moved. Then Dr. Raven jumped into action.
He called for several nurses who amazingly arrived within seconds. They took one look at what was going on before diving right in. One of them, a youngish woman who introduced herself as Valerie, took us to a room filled with chairs where she asked us to wait. Grace began to hyperventilate so Valerie took her to a separate room to try to calm her down.
The rest of us (including Mitch's parents and Esther) sat down on the chairs and once again we waited.
And waited.
And waited.