ROTBFTD : Broken & Beautiful

17

Jack pov

The fluorescent lights of the hospital seemed to mock the heavy silence that hung in the air. Everyone was gathered in the waiting room, faces etched with worry and sadness. Anna, Elsa's younger sister, sat slumped in a chair, her normally bright eyes dulled with despair. Time ticked by in agonizingly slow increments, each minute feeling like an eternity.

Finally, the doctor appeared, his face solemn. 'We have some news,' he began, his voice carefully measured. 'Elsa has slipped into a coma. We're not sure how long she will be in this state. It's impossible to say for certain. But, she is... alive. For now, at least.' He scribbled down a room number on a piece of paper, 'She's in 35J. Please, be careful.'

My legs felt like lead as I rushed towards the room, the doctor's words echoing in my head. The air in the room was thick with the scent of antiseptic and medical equipment. Elsa lay on the bed, a tangled web of tubes and bandages clinging to her. I swallowed hard, the sight bringing a fresh wave of anguish. I pulled up a chair and sank into it, unable to stop the tears from flowing.

Merida, slipped into the room and gently took my hand, her touch a comforting presence in the gloom. She leaned in and spoke softly, her voice a balm to my raw nerves. "It's going to be alright, Jack. She's strong. She'll fight through this."

Just then, Anna entered the room, her face pale and drawn. She choked back a sob as she saw Elsa, her own pain mirroring my own. The sight of her sister, so vulnerable and helpless, was too much to bear. I reached out to her, attempting to offer a word of comfort, but the words seemed to stick in my throat.

I couldn't do anything. I couldn't fix this. I could only sit here, watch, and hope. Hope that Elsa would wake up. Hope that she would open her eyes and we'd hear her laugh again.

"Come on, Elsa," I whispered, my voice choked with emotion. "We need you back with us. My girlfriend, your sister, all our friends... we're all counting on you."

The silence returned, broken only by the steady beeping of the machines monitoring Elsa's vitals. I stared at her, hoping, praying, that somehow, some way, she'd hear my words, my plea. We needed her, all of us. The world felt incomplete without her vibrant energy, her infectious laughter, her kind heart. We needed her back.

Anna pov

The air in Jack's room felt thick with a suffocating unease. I was supposed to be at peace here, a guest in a safe haven, but my mind was a battlefield. My sister, Elsa, was in a coma, a victim of her own despair, and I was drowning in the guilt of my neglect.

The last time I saw her, she was laughing on the beach, the sun glinting off her hair. Then, at the election, her smile was strained, barely a flicker amidst the tension. But I had brushed it off, choosing to focus on my own world, the world of teenage drama and self-absorbed anxieties.

The truth was, I had always blamed Dad for Elsa's pain. His endless scrutiny, his relentless expectations, had driven her to the edge. I had told myself I would forget about it, be like other teenagers, but it had only made me selfish, blind to her silent struggle.

Two weeks had passed, and Elsa remained in the same state, a whisper of life trapped within a fragile body. Frustration gnawed at me, and I knew I couldn't wait any longer. I had to find out what had happened, what had led her to this point.

Fae. Elsa would always talk about her, the friend she had reconnected with after years of distance. I grabbed my phone, my fingers trembling as I dialed. The call went straight to voicemail. I tried again, and again, each unanswered ring echoing my growing despair. Finally, after what felt like an eternity, her voice jolted me back to reality.

'Hello?'

'Fae,' I choked out, my voice strained, 'Where are you?'

'I'm at school,' she replied, her tone casual, unfazed by my urgency.

'What did you do to my sister?' I erupted, the words raw and painful. 'Did you know what happened to her? She's in the hospital, in a coma, because of an overdose. I need to know, where did she get those pills? I know you were the one she was with. Tell me, Fae, did you give them to her?'

Silence. Then, the click of the call ending. I threw my phone against the wall, the sharp crack echoing the shattering of my own composure. Tears streamed down my face, a sob escaping my lips.

'Anna?'

Jack and his mother, Mrs. Miller, were at the door, their faces etched with concern. Jack's expression was unreadable, a blank canvas that mirrored my own emotional turmoil. Mrs. Miller led me out of the room, down the hallway where the rest of the family was gathered, their faces mirroring the sorrow I felt.

Then, Lucy, Jack's younger sister, came towards me, her arms enfolding me in a warm embrace. It was a silent promise, a shared grief, a bond forged in the face of tragedy. In that moment, I felt a flicker of hope amidst the darkness. Maybe, just maybe, together, we could find a way to help Elsa.