The (Bill)ionaire

Chapter 1: The Accident

Note: be aware that this chapter contains some talk about an accident which might be triggering for some people, therefore trigger warning!

Clarke stared at the monitor that showed her father's vital signs. The steady beep of the heart rate was the only sound that filled the room. She reached out and touched his hand, feeling the coldness of his skin. Every time she visited her father she wished he would squeeze back, open his eyes, or show any other form of life, but he didn't. He hadn't for over 2 years now and yet she still gets disappointed by the cold of her father's body and the emptiness in his eyes.

Two years ago, Clarke and her father were driving home from an art exhibition. They were laughing and singing along to the radio when a driver ran a red light and crashed into their car. Clarke woke up in the hospital a few days later, with a broken arm and a concussion. Her mother walked into the room a few minutes later and immediately started crying and began hugging her. "Where's dad?" Clarke had asked confused. Abby's face crumpled. "Honey, why don't you eat something and have a drink first, you just woke up." She said, but Clarke didn't respond and it was clear to Abby that she had to tell her daughter what had happened. "Do you remember anything, honey?". She asked. "I... we were in the car driving home and then everything went black," Clarke answers. "That's right.. you got into an accident, someone drove a red light and crashed into your car Luckily you got out with only a broken arm and a concussion but your father wasn't that lucky..." Abby said with a trembling voice and tears running down her face. Clarke instantly assumed the worst. "He.. he didn't make it?" she asked her mother, barely able to speak. "He's... he's in a coma, honey. He suffered a severe brain injury. The doctors don't know if he will ever wake up."

Clarke felt a surge of anger and disbelief. How could this happen? How could someone take away her father from her? He was her best friend, her hero, her everything.

Since that moment Clarke visited him every day, talking to him, reading to him, and playing his favorite music. She refused to give up hope and kept praying for a miracle, or at least a sign that he was still there, that there was still hope. But nothing changed. After the first year, Clarke and her mother started struggling financially due to the high medical costs of keeping Jake alive. They soon sold their house and moved into a small apartment, barely big enough for the two of them. They had to cut down on their expenses and Abby had to work extra hours. Clarke had wanted to drop out of college and start working full-time instead of only working the shitty part-time job at a coffee shop, but her mother forced her to stay in college because she didn't want her daughter the give up her entire future for something that would probably be a waste of money anyway (not that Jake was a waste, but unlike Clarke, Abby as a doctor was convinced Jake would never wake up).

Abby had even mentioned giving up on Jake a few times but Clarke was quick to show her disagreement and Abby decided to drop it because she wasn't strong enough to make the hard decision without Clarke's permission, not yet.
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Note:
Short first chapter, hope you enjoyed it! Sorry if there are any mistakes in English, as I'm not a native speaker. Also I apologize for my bad writing haha, I'm not a writer but enjoy doing it.