The Butterfly Effect

Chapter 30

Saturday

The ICU waiting room had become Sean's weekly place to spend his weekend for the last two weeks. Some of his friends had already gone home for winter holidays while he decided to stay in New Jersey and look after Allison and her Nana. When he had told his parents about his decision and the reason, he was grateful that they fully supported him and also said they would come visit them for Christmas.

It had been an hour he was sitting there with Allison's sketch book in his lap and a pencil in his grip, but there was still no single scratch on it. She used to say that his doodle was quite good for someone who said had no talent. And now, since the owner of this sketch book hadn't drawn anything for a while, he wanted to pick up where she had left off.

Actually, Sean intended to pour his feelings down on paper in the form of doodles, but he didn't know where to begin. There were too many emotions he was feeling right now and he was unable to describe them. With this sketch book, he wished to dig the memories of her within it.

During two years of their relationship, this book had always been anywhere with them and it was the connection that had tied them up together. So, big hope upon this book, he wanted to pass his apology to Allison in whichever universe she was in right now and prayed it could wake her up.

The first time Sean had seen her with this sketch book was October during freshman year when he was at the library searching a recommendation book for one of his classes. And there she was, sitting at her favorite spot at the corner of the library while busy sketching something on this very book.

The first thing about Allison that had bewitched him was the way she absentmindedly smiled with a truly happy look on her face doing something she was passionate about. It seemed like she was drawn into her own world and somehow, he wanted to be a part of it. Just like that, she became the reason for his visit to the library every day, even for only a minute to just stare at her that could make his day. Sometimes, he would sit at a table and watch her from afar.

After four months of being heartbroken because of Jessica, Sean had finally found a new love. Two weeks afterwards, he had encouraged himself to come up to her.

"Laura, isn't it?"

"Huh, excuse me?"

"You're Laura, right?"

"No, wrong person."

"So, you are...?"

"Allison."

"Hi, Allison. I'm Sean. Nice to meet you."

Later on, his days with her around had gone by wonderfully. Day by day, they got closer and closer and Allison didn't seem to mind having him around at the library, too. A deep sorrow slashed his heart to hear the truth about her past. How her father had left her and her mother with nothing when she was only seven years old. How her supermom had died two years after battling stage-four cancer when she was seventeen. How all she had left was her grandparents until her Pops passed away last year and now her Nana was her only family.

That was why Allison had decided to live with her Nana since this junior year to reduce college expenses of her scholarship fund and also to keep an eye on her old, poor Nana. But never even once had she ever cried over spilt milk. She was the strongest person Sean had ever met. Since then, he confidentially promised with all his heart that he would never leave her behind and ruin her life like her father had done to her.

"Your parents should teach you some manners."

"Did you forget my dad ran off and my mom's dead?"