-Michael-
"No, no, no," I whispered, clutching Leah's hand. "Don't wish that."
"Buy why shouldn't I?" she questioned, gazing up at the ceiling.
"Because I'd miss you. Casey would miss you. Lots of people would miss you."
"I don't even remember most of those people, Michael. I don't remember my own mother." The sadness in her heartbroken voice killed me. "Would it make a difference to a world I don't remember if one little girl was gone?"
"Leah. Of course it would make a difference. You're scaring me. Do I have to call a nurse?" I asked, genuinely freaked out.
"No, no, I'm fine," she said. "I'm just kinda tired."
"Do you want me to visit later so you can sleep?"
"Yeah. If you don't mind," she whispered, closing her eyes.
"I don't. It's okay. I'll be back later, all right?" I grinned, sitting up and climbing off of the hospital bed. Before I left, I leaned down to kiss her forehead. My lips had barely touched her before she pushed herself away from me.
"Nope nope nope," she said, looking panicked. She pulled her knees up to her chest and rocked back and forth, starting to cry. At the same time, she began breathing harder, faster.
"Katie!" I yelled, and the nurse came running in.
"Out, out," she said, pushing me outside of the room before going back to Leah. I waited outside for a good ten minutes before Katie came back.
"If you don't mind me asking, what was that?" I questioned, and Katie sighed.
"Her mother didn't tell you?" I shook my head, no. Katie sighed again. "Panic attacks. Side effect of the brain damage that caused her memory loss."
"Are there any other...side effects?"
"Most likely social anxiety. Depression, too." At the mention of the thing that had sent me through hell, I stumbled backwards. I could not let Leah go through that. I pulled down my sleeves (a nervous habit, the scars weren't that noticeable anymore) and turned away, muttering a "thank you" to the nurse. I got out of the hospital as soon as I could, and went for a long drive.
YOU ARE READING
One More Summer
Fanfiction"I'm so afraid to lose you that I can't love you." Also: this was crappy 13 year old me trying to write this is not good and I'm just un-privating it so that people can read it and think "wow okay I'm not actually so bad at writing"
