My Promised Lie

Chapter seventeen

Chapter seventeen

It was 3 in the morning, my phone vibration woke me up. It was that call, the one I hoped would never come.

“Alice?” Mums crying voice, asked as I answered.

“Yeah mum?”

“Get here now” I knew what this meant, I hoped I was wrong.

I ran through the hospital to dad’s room. I reached the door and held my breath. Inside was mum, just mum and dad. Mum was holding dads hand, crying into a tissue.

“Why isn’t anyone else here?”

“Aunty Jess and the others are in the waiting room, we’ve been here for hours. The doctors said that there isn’t much time left”

“Why didn’t you call me earlier?” I yelled it in my head but out loud it was just a whisper.

“Did you find the letter?” She didn’t hear my question.

“yeah, I did” She gestured for me to hug her, I did. I sat on the seat next to her watching dads rest.

An hour pasted. Mum told me to get a drink or something from the canteen and sit in the waiting room with the family, or have a nap. I got a drink and walked into a waiting room to see my two aunties, one uncle, two cousins crying and one cousin sleeping on the only couch.

“There’s some blankets in the cupboard if you want to have a nap” Uncle Rob blurted out.

“Thanks” I said trying to smile. I opened the cupboard and pulled out two blankets. One I folded and used as a pillow and the other I threw over me.   I stared blankly at the TV nailed to the corner and soon fell asleep.

I woke up to my aunties tugging at my blanket.

“Come on, it’s happened” I stood up and walked through the hall without saying anything. I walked into the room, mum was still crying into her tissue and holding dads hand. My cousin, Jamie was holding his other also crying into a bunch of tissues. I slowly moved closer to the end of the bed. Dads eyes were closed and body not moving, at all. His skin was pale with a tint of yellow. The longer I stared the harder it got to keep in the tears and soon I just broke down. I pulled my sleeves down and covered half my face. I sniffed as tears fell from my eyes. I fell into one of the chairs sounding the room, I tried not to look at dad, this wasn’t him. His usual light brown hair, pushed back was messed up and in the light looked dark brown. His usual upbeat and lively personality was always my favourite thing about him but watching him lay there made me feel differently about it. 

I had thoughts rushing through my head. ‘My child won’t have a grandfather. I have no one to walk me down the aisle when I get married. Mum has lost her soul mate. I’ve lost my dad.’ I couldn’t help more tears falling down my face and onto my bare legs. My jumper sleeve now soaked in tears. One last thought ‘I will keep my promise’. I looked up at mum, dads fingers locked with hers and tears streaming off her face and onto the hospital bed. I couldn’t stand it anymore, I ran out of the room and out of the building. I slowed down as I reached the hospital main doors, I turned around a few times, looking where to go. I ran out the doors and around the closet corner. I leaned against the wall, slid down it and cried into my jumper.

 I felt a hand on my shoulder, it was Jake.

“Are you okay babe?” He said sliding down the wall.  All I did was lean on his shoulder and cry. I watched as tears fell onto his t-shirt. He put his arms around me and rubbed my back. I think he knew what happened.