"DON'T LEAVE ME, MARA."
Brian was beside his sister's hospital bed, holding her hand. Mara had been in coma for three days now, and she was still not showing any signs of waking.
But Brian still didn’t lose hope. He knew she would wake up. He knew she would never leave him. At least, he hoped so.
Brian felt like he was being stabbed every time he looked at his sister. She looked so weak and fragile. Where was his sister that punched him and kicked him when he called her “klutz”, “monster”, or “tomboy”? Where was the girl that told him to be strong when he was almost willing to give up? Where was the schoolgirl that smiled like there’s no tomorrow? Where was the young lady that stood up for what she believed in even though no one was at her side? Where?
Brian hadn’t slept for days. He refused to leave his sister, even for a moment. He wanted to be there when she wakes up.
"It’s my entire fault. My entire fault. I'm sorry Mara. I'm so so sorry."
He blamed himself for what happened. He should have been by his sister's side; he should have fetched her from school. He should have been there when she needed him most. Yet, where was he? At home, watching T.V. Some kind of brother he was.
Brian became the father figure for Mara when their father, Laurence Evans, died in a plane crash nine years ago. Mara was only five at that time, and he was only thirteen. Their mother, Aimee, refused to tell Mara the truth. She was afraid that it will be too much for a five-year-old kid. The death of their father was never mentioned to her sister. Even though Mara did not know, she still had nightmares every night after their father’s death. She was crying and screaming out ‘Daddy!’ over and over again. In those nights Brian stayed by his sister’s side until she fell asleep.
Brian was the one who took care of Mara while she was growing up. He taught Mara her lessons and made sure that she did her best. Brian was proud to say that he was the one who contributed most to Mara’s discipline and intelligence. He made sure that she was advanced in her lessons, and that her grades are only As. He taught her to value her education the most. Their mother was always working, so she barely had time to teach her daughter, even though Aimee was a university professor. But Mara still loved Aimee just the same as any daughter would love their mother, possibly even more.
Aimee trusted Brian with Mara, because she believed in him. And what did he do? He let his sister alone at night and make herself a shield against a truck. How pathetic.
That night still haunted him.
It was half past seven in the evening. Brian was waiting for his sister to come home. It was her turn to cook dinner, so he could just sit around and watch T.V. Minutes later, the phone rang.
Must be Mara. If she's going to tell me that she can't cook dinner again, I won't let her!
"Hello, Evans Residence. Who's this?"
"Is this Mr. Brian Evans, Mara Evans' brother?"
"Yes it is. Who is this? What happened to my sister?"
"Your sister is in
"I'll be right there."
Brian was terrified. The hospital was ten blocks away from their house, not more than a twenty minute ride in a car. In those twenty minutes, Brian never felt more afraid and helpless in his whole life.
Mara hit her head?! Oh my God, is she dead? My God, NO!!! This can’t be happening! No, no, no, this isn’t happening. This can’t be true. My God, No, I just, I can’t, my God! No, I have to be strong. Wait for me Mara, I’m coming.
When Brian finally reached the hospital, he was informed that his sister was in the Operating Room. He felt weak. He started trembling. Brian felt like his deepest fear was coming true. All of this years he was trying to protect his sister from being hurt in any way, and here he was, in front of the operating room where his sister was surrounded by doctors with surgical knives. The thought made Brian sick.
This is just a horrible nightmare. I'll wake up and I'll find my sister in her bed, safely tucked in.
But Brian did not believe a word of this.
How was he going to tell his mother about this? She would have a heart attack. Their mother, Aimee, was away for a week because of a seminar, and she entrusted Mara to him. This was his entire fault. All his. Tears started to fall.
How could he let this happen to his sister? His only sister, the one he loved more than anyone else in the world, she and his mother were his life and his happiness. If she ever died, Brian didn’t know what he would do.
"We're sorry this happened."
He looked up and saw a brunet boy, with pale skin and a pair of glasses. He was with a girl of about four or five years old, with silvery-blond hair and blue eyes. They were standing in front of him.
"Who are you?"
"I'm Ezra FitzGerald, and this is Violetta, a cousin of mine. She's the girl Mara saved from the truck."
Brian stared at the girl. This girl's life, in exchange for his sister's? No, it’s unfair. This girl couldn’t pay for her sister's life. Mara was full of hopes and dreams. Everybody loved Mara. No, this was not a fair exchange.
"We want to express our deepest gratitude to your sister. Of course, the cost of the surgery, the hospital fees and the medicine will be paid by Violetta's family. We know it is not enough, but we hope that it helps."
"If something happens to my sister, I swear to God, I’ll do anything to give her justice, whatever it takes."
Brian tried to sound threatening, but Ezra didn't show any signs of being affected by it.
"Don't worry, Brian. She'll make it. I assure you that."
That was three days ago. The surgery turned out fine, but she still hasn't showed any signs of improvement.
Mara's best friend, Cornelia, heard about the news and she never failed to visit since Mara's accident. She also brought her schoolmates along. They were all sincerely worried. Brian could see it in their eyes. Cornelia even cried when she first visited, and her in last visit, she looked like she was close to crying.
Mara and Cornelia had been best friends since they were toddlers. Brian always thought it ran in the family, since their great-grandparents had been the best of friends. He and Ethen, Cornelia’s older brother, were also best buddies. Like him, Ethen was protective of his little sister, but he never would be as protective as Brian. He never lost someone he loved. His family was still complete.
"See, Mara? Everybody loves you. Don't leave them. Don't leave me, Mara. Please."
Mara was admitted to the presidential room in the hospital. That was two bedrooms, two bathrooms, and a living room. It was even bigger than the whole first floor of their house. The girl was filthy rich. But it didn’t really matter. He slept beside his sister. There was no use for the rooms.
Brian called their mom as soon as Mara got out of the operating room. As expected, their mother was hysterical. She called almost at least fifty times this past three days to ask if Mara showed any signs of waking up. Their mother, Aimee, was a university professor, and as of now, she's in the plane from
He was dreading the idea of seeing his mother. Not that he didn’t love his mother, of course not. It was just that he was afraid that when he looked into his mother's eyes all he would see was disappointment for him, who couldn’t even take good care of his own sister.
**********
Aimee had never had a longer flight than this one.
It took her a long time before she managed to book a flight. There was a storm at that time, so all the flights have been canceled.
"Hold on, Baby, Mommy's coming."
If Aimee knew that this was going to happen, she would have never left. To hell with that seminar! It was her baby that mattered.
Brian told her on the phone that Mara hit her head because she saved a little girl from being hit by a truck. In a way, she was proud of her daughter. She always knew that Mara had a kindred spirit. But she was also angry! Didn’t she know that everyone will miss her?
Aimee sighed. She looked at her watch for the thirtieth time this hour. They couldn’t expect her to just sit in here while her daughter was in a coma! She had to be there!
She remembered the time her daughter was hailed Valedictorian. How proud she felt! Mara, her daughter, the smartest and most beautiful girl in her school! Anyone who would object to that would have a piece of her mind.
Then she remembered her smile. The sweet smile she always wore. You see, her daughter had only one kind of smile, fit for all occasions. You would see her true emotions in her eyes. Yes, her beautiful chocolate brown eyes. You would see everything there. Her eyes lighted up when she was happy, especially when she just bought a book. Her daughter was a very wide reader. A certified bookworm. She got it from her father. Her thirst of knowledge and information shown since she was a child. She used to read everything with letters in it.
Of course, her eyes dim when she couldn’t buy a book. She tried to hide her disappointment as hard as she could, but she couldn’t fool her own mother. They weren't very rich, so Aimee could not afford all the books she wanted, but she tried her best to provide for her needs and wants.
A tear escaped Aimee's eyes. All of Mara's memories came crashing into her like a tidal wave. Her smile, her laughter, her tears. everything. Aimee was overwhelmed with grief. She'll give anything to see those again.
"Don't take her Laurence. I need her. We need her."
**********
Aimee was in front of her daughter's hospital room.
She was suddenly scared. She was afraid of what she would find inside. She might not recognize her own daughter at all.
Aimee gathered up all her courage and walked inside the room. She was greeted by her son, whom she hugged earnestly. One look at the boy and you would know that he hadn't slept for days. She also noticed that he lost weight. She was immediately worried about her son. She couldn’t afford to have him way from her too.
"Brian, I know you're blaming yourself for what happened, so let me tell you that this is not your fault. You did the best you could. No one could have stopped it from happening. So please, take care of yourself. Eat, and sleep. I'll take care of your sister."
Brian just nodded. Aimee could see that her talk didn't get through her son. He still blamed himself for what happened. But at least he was following her.
Aimee looked at her daughter for the first time since she got in the room. She was very careful to not look at her daughter while her son was still here. She had to be the strong one now. For her children.
She now let her eyes wander to her daughter. She was afraid of this. She barely recognized her daughter. Her Own Daughter.
Aimee let the tears fall as she stared at her daughter. She was as pale and fragile as paper. The rose tinge of her cheeks that was always there was gone. The once red lips were as pale as snow. Tubes were all over her. Monitors surrounded her little girl. Everything about her seemed to scream ‘vulnerable’.
She looked like an abandoned shell, where her once lively and spirited daughter used to be.
Aimee fell down to her knees and cried until there were no tears left.
On the other side of the room, Brian was leaning at the wall for support, crying as hard as his mother.
1 comments:
well good for you! :D
Keep up the good work!
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