Just Friends?

Chapter XXIII

Authors Note: this is written in third person, thank you all so much for reading it means a lot to me, keep favoriting, commenting, and reading for more. xx
"She has severe brain trauma," the doctor looked them straight in the eyes.
"Will she be alright?" Sage looked up to Charlie as she asked the question they both wanted to know.
The doctor looked at them with a troubled and all-knowing look then disappeared behind the swinging doors of the ER.
Charlie and Sage both sat down. Sage was still in her wetsuit from surfing earlier that morning, it was now almost 6:00 in the morning, the next day. They had been waiting for official news for so long she was worried she wouldn't get any. Charlie had flown in as soon as he got a phone call from Sage. Everyone else was waiting to here news at home. Cuddling in front of a television watching the Leonardo DiCaprio version of "Romeo and Juliet," most of them crying.
Sage laid her head down onto Charlie's shoulder. Over the past year everything had happened between the group of friends. Pulling them all closer but specifically the three, Sammie, Sage, and Charlie, the closest. They told each other everything and no matter what they were there for each-other.
The doctor emerged from the doors of the emergency room where they had been monitoring Sammie.
"You two should follow me," his eyes drifted from theirs and back to the door.
The two bolted upwards like their life depended on it. Charlie thundered through the doors, Sage's hand was tight in his as she followed close behind.
The doctor stopped outside a room with dimmed lights.
"This isn't going to be easy for you two to understand," he warned, "but you need to try."
Sage and Charlie nodded.
"She's an orphan, she has been for all of her life according to her medical records," the doctor said, "she never stayed in a foster home for very long and unfortunately became eighteen without parents or any close family."
They nodded again.
"Her first close group of friends must have been you guys and your group."
"Why does this have anything to do with her right now?" Charlie interrupted.
"I need you both to understand her before I can discuss anything more with you," the doctor simply stated, "okay, now, what I tell you about her is not something you can spread around like a rumor-"
"We know that," the two friends said in unison.
"Okay. I was making sure, she is alive," the doctor swallowed, "she is doing better than expected actually."
They smiled at one another, perhaps their friend would live they both thought to themselves. Charlie squeezed Sage's hand, she squeezed back. Their clammy hands were still holding onto one another for comfort in the coming news of their friend.
"But," the doctor started, "I'm so sorry to say this-"
Sage'a eyes burned into the doctor's.
"Just say it," she pleaded.
"Samantha is in a coma."