The Warriors

Chapter Fifteen

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

"Don't die, please Jane, don't die," I hear in a deep voice. I can't open my eyes, it's like they are sewn shut and they won't budge a bit.  I want to say that I am not dead, but nothing in my body works, except maybe my piece of mind.  "I love you," sobs a girl's voice, that sounds a lot like Lisa's.  Before I know it, the darkness starts to cloud over in my mind again.

                The sun is shining, and I am in a beautiful white gown barefoot with my hair flowing wildly around me.  "Hey baby," my father says, coming out from the woods.  He looks young, and happy, as he too is barefoot and wearing nothing but a long white shirt and brown tights.  "HI daddy," I whisper, running to him.  He gathers me in his arms and holds me tightly.  "I miss you," I sigh, burying my face in his neck, sniffing his familiar smell. "I know you do. But you don't have to anymore.  Why don't you come with me?  You can see mommy again!" he exclaims, leading me towards the woods. I so desperately want to go with him.  I want to be surrounded by love in the beautiful place, with my mother and father, and I don't see why I have to go back to the other world with bad things always happening to me and Lisa.  "Is Lisa coming too?" I ask, wondering about her, knowing I can never be with my family truly when she isn't there.  "You can see her in a little while," he says, pulling me from reality.  "But I want to see her now," I say, planting my feet in the fresh, cool grass, sounding like a petulant child who always gets their way.  "Lisa isn't here now.  If you want to see her, then you have to stay here and wait all alone, but if you come with me you can be with mom and me," he says tugging at my hand.  "No daddy, I want to wait for Lisa," I say, letting go of his hand.  His face looks sad, but he nods.  "Okay, well then your mom and I will wait here for you, whenever you decide to come back," he sighs, then pulls me into a quick hug, and leaves.

                I lie down on the refreshing grass, and stare up at the clouds that are forming familiar shapes. One of them looks like a boy that I knew, and he starts talking to me.  Since when have clouds talked? I ask myself.  "Jane, Jane," the cloud calmly says, like it is calling me.  "Yes?" I ask the cloud.  "Come on," it says, holding out a big, white fluffy hand.  I climb onto the hand, and it picks me up, so that I can see the meadow I was in.  "Wow, that is beautiful," I sigh, wanting to touch the trees that looked like little figurines.  "Come on Jane, time for you to go back to reality," the deep, breathy voice says, picking me up even higher in the air till all that I see is blue and white.

                I open my eyes to the most beautiful sight in the world.  There by my bedside, is Shang, looking as fabulous as ever.  "Shang," I croak, moving my hand to get closer to him.  He looks up from the book he was reading.  "Jane?" he inquires, as if checking to see if I am real.  "Shang," I sigh, as he grabs my hand and starts massaging it with his thumb.  "Oh Jane," he murmurs, burying his head in my hair.

                It turns out I had been in a coma for two months.  In my mind I started freaking out, because I was only in the meadow for a day or so.  I also can't help but think that if I had gone with my dad, I wouldn't be here now, with my loving family of misfits.  When everyone is gone, and only Lisa and I are in the room, I grab her into a tight hug, knowing the only reason I came back was for her.  If I hadn't loved her so much, I might've gone with mom and dad.  "I love you so much little sister," I murmur, in her hair.  She holds me tighter, and I add "If it weren't for you, I wouldn't be here."

                I get let out of the hospital three days after waking up.  Shang told me that he broke it off with his fiancé, and that he would be coming back to New York with us, if that was okay with me? 

                On the plane ride home, I am snuggled into Shang's side, the arm rest pushed up so I could be closer to him.  "You know, those Shopaholic books are pretty good," he says with his mouth resting against forehead.  "Why do you think I read them?" I question, smiling.  "I just thought you read them because it includes shopping," he articulates.  "Thanks for believing in my smartness," I scowl playfully.  "Is smartness even a word?" he asks, chuckling.  "IN my book it is," I fake growl, punching his chest. "You are just THE cutest thing," he snorts, pinching my cheeks.  I stick my tongue out at him, and settle back to relaxing against his chest.