Blandview High Musical

63. Stronger Than You Think

We waited in that waiting area for hours it seemed like. Long enough for us to share a meal together and for Tommy to explain the finite amounts of guitar chords. Just then, a doctor came walking down the hall. I jumped up from where I was sitting, going over to him. "How is he?" I asked. "He's very sick, Ms. Demofonte. We don't know what it is. We're running some blood tests." "Can we see him?" Jade asked. He sighed. "No. Not until we know if it's contagious or not." He said. "I need to see him." I said, sternly. Jade grabbed my hand. "Gill, we need to tell his mother." She said. I squeezed my eyes shut and from there, it felt like the floor was breaking away from under me. My frame was crumbling in on itself. I was remembering all the wrong things I had said. All the wrong things I did. All the times I wasn't honest. All the times I couldn't just say I love you.

            I don't remember getting home. I don't remember how they got me out of the hospital. My mother met me at the door. She reached out to me and I fell into her arms, crumbling once more in these broken sobs that I didn't even know I harbored. Jade waited for just a moment and watched as they went inside. She drove herself home. "Stress isn't good for the baby. Stress isn't good for the baby." The mantra was repeated out loud and internally as she drove through the empty neighborhood streets. She pulled into a driveway. She choked on the mantra as she sat there with the car parked and turned on. She turned the engine off and got out, going up to the front door. It opened and on the other side was Javi. His smile faded as he saw her. "What's wrong?" He asked. "I just need you to hold me." She sobbed.

            Olivia had gone to the hospital. She was not allowed to see him, but they offered her a chair outside his room. She could at least be close to him. She simply sat out there in silence, every so often sobbing softly.

            I didn't sleep that night. I stayed awake all night, wondering if there would be a tomorrow. Would the world just end? Would I just be lost and never find my way back? Would Shayne just...disappear? Would I not get to see him again? The questions rolled around in my mind. Why was this happening...why now?

            In the morning, there was a knock at the door. I was coming down the stairs and opened it. Tommy was standing on the outside. "Hey, are you...I was just coming to check on you." He said. I stood there, frozen still. "Something smells good. I didn't eat breakfast." He said, stepping into the house. I shut the door behind him. Breakfast was silent. I couldn't bring myself to speak. My mother and Frank respected it. You could tell the silence made Tommy nervous. "This is so good, Mrs. Hammer." He said. She smiled. "Gilly loves these sandwiches. Always has." She said. My food remained untouched. "When did you say you moved here?" She asked Tommy. "Just a few weeks ago. We had to get settled before I could get into the school system. I still can't believe they let me in." He said. I couldn't take it. I threw my napkin down on the plate and got up, leaving the room.

            "Tommy...if you don't mind me asking...what happened?" "Dunno. He just...he just collapsed right there." "I hope he's going to be alright." She said. "Do you mind if I uh...excuse myself?" He asked, pointing to the staircase. "Go ahead. Maybe you can get her to talk." She said. Tommy wiped his mouth, getting up from the table and heading for the stairs. I was in my room on the bed. I heard a knock at the door. "Tommy, go away." I said. The knocking persisted. "Go away!" I shouted. "Gill, you don't mean that." He said. His voice was muffled by the pressed wood. I heard him shift around, sitting down on the carpet outside the door. "You can't hide from this." He said. I remained quiet. "I'm not saying you can't be scared. But you can't shut everyone out because you're scared." He said. I walked over to the door and sat down. "How would you know? You don't know any of us. You just dropped in here." "From the moment I looked at you in that class...I knew we were gonna be friends. When we all sat together at lunch and there was so much happiness traded between all of us, me included, I knew we'd be friends. I might not know any of you, but I do know what you're doing." He said. I swallowed thickly, the tears streaming down my cheeks.