The Music Of Loving You

9. Even If It Kills Me

"You're in big trouble" a voice said from the doorway. My mother stood there with Skylar by her side. I gulped nervously, standing up. I'd been at Jackson's side for the last twenty minutes without moving. "You disobeyed me, you snuck out, you broke into a hospital computer, got chased by guards, and then came here. To the same boy that hurt you and made you come here!" My mother screamed.

"He saved my life! He's the only reason I'm alive!" I wanted to yell. I opened my mouth but no words came out. Instead I clenched my right hand into a fist so tight that my knuckles turned white, and bared my teeth, growling in anger before stomping out.

"I don't want you anywhere near him again" my mother demanded. I froze, stomping my foot on the ground.

"No!" I mouthed, racing down the hall. My bare feet slapped the tile floor as I ran. I slid around a corner and took off again, skidding around a hospital cart.

"Millie! Get back here" my mother yelled. I spotted some bathrooms and ran inside. I hid in second to last stall and stood up on the seat so my feet were out of view. The door opened again and footsteps came in. "Millie" my mother called softly. I watched her feet walk in front of the stalls. Finally, she sighed.

After the door closed, I jumped down. "The other nurses will be looking for me" I thought.

I slipped down the hall, hiding under the hood of Jackson's swaeter. I was pushing the janitor cart in front of me and staying away from video cameras. As I came to Jackson's room, I saw a guard standing in front of the door. "What now?" I wondered.

When I came to another hall that crossed Jackson's, I hid behind the corner and pushed the cart ahead. The cart rolled right in front of the guard. I ducked into a broom closet and waited. After a few minutes, I popped my head back out the broom closet. The guard was pushing the cart down the hall, trying to find its owner. I laughed to myself and slipped into Jackson's room.

"What are you doing here?" Skylar asked with a scowl. I looked at her before picking up a notepad off the bedside table. "What are you doing?" She grumbled.

"I can't speak, my voice box is injured" I wrote. I turned the paper around and she read it. She frowned.

"You were hurt too? Then why'd you try to hurt my brother?" She asked quietly.

"I didn't, we got into a car accident" I wrote.

"But... But someone told me that you crashed the car on purpose." She whispered.

"Who?" I wrote. I was stunned. Why would anyone say that I tried to hurt Jackson.

"Her name was... Wave? No. River? No..." Skylar bit her lip, deep in thought.

"Ocean" I wrote.

"Yeah! That's it!" Skylar nodded.

"Ocean told everyone that I tried to kill Jackson? Why?" I wondered.

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I sat by Jackson's side, wishing that he would wake up. I would do any thing to trade places with him. Anything. Now that he's gone I wanted nothing more than for him to be back. Why hadn't I treasured every moment? We'd only known each other for a short time. Why wasn't it longer? Why wasn't it me? Why couldn't I have stopped time and waited with him forever? Why couldn't we have an infinity?

I'd cried all my tears out, to the point where all I could do bow my head and hope that he got better, that he woke up.

Skylar had sat by my side for the whole time, she's been there for me. We cried together and whispered what we would have done so Jackson to make better.

"Why was it him?" Skylar whispered.

She lay her head on my shoulder. I'd learned that she's only twelve. This must be breaking her heart, ripping her apart.

"Why would Ocean do this?" I wrote.

"I don't know. She's always loved Jackson but there has to be more to it than that. Her family is important, she wouldn't risk her reputation on jealousy." Skylar explained.

"Important?" I wrote.

"Yeah. Her father owns a huge company. But rumor has it that it's underwater. They put all their money into a deal and it fell through." Skylar explained.

"So her family needs money. That doesn't explain why she tried to frame me for killing Jackson" I thought. "There must be more going on. And I'm going to find out what." Even if it kills me.