Stay Strong, For Me

Chapter 7: Dany

I paced outside my fathers door. My heart beating fast. I looked into the window, the nurse stuck a needle into my fathers arm. I just about threw up at the site of blood. I backed away quickly and threw out my phone.

I scrolled through my contacts:

August

Blah

Blah

Blah

Mom

Blah

Blah

Blah

Dany

I stopped on Dany's name. Trying to decide to call him or not.

The calling tone rang through my phone as I called Dany.

"Hello?" Dany answered.

I stood there in silence.

"Heeellllooooo?" Dany said again.

Still, I said nothing.

"Rain, speak. I can't read minds." He said through the phone.

"How did you know it was me?"

"Caller ID..." He said slowly.

"Oh..." I trailed off. "Uhm Dany?"

"Yea?"

"Can you uhm... Pick me up from the hospital? I-I don't want a ride from my mother or grandma. Pl-"

"Yes. Wait by the door. See you in 5." He cut me off.

I waited silently by the door, looking out. I needed fresh air, so I stepped outside. Dany's car rolled up and stopped in front of me. It startled me for a second, then I got in the passenger seat.

Dany said nothing as he drove. Suddenly, I noticed that we weren't going to my house. "Uhm... Dany... Where are we going?" I asked, scared.

"Away, for the day. You need to get away from all this for a while." He explained. I just nodded my head and looked back at the road in front of us.

Dany just kept driving. I had lost track of how long we've been on the road. The car stopped abruptly and my soda Dany gave me flew into the windshield. "Fuck! Dany! Why did you do that?" I yelled, angry cause of my soda.

He just sat there next me, staring at the road. Tears started to form in his eyes. "Dany... Are you ok?" I asked worried. "No, I'm not." He choked out. He started to cry right there in front of me. A guy, Dany, crying. This was serious. Why would Dany cry? I scooted closer to him.

"Dany... What's wrong? Please stop crying. You'll make me cry." I pleaded. He took his head out of his hands and looked at me. Dany leaned in and kissed me. My heart throbbed in pain of seeing him broken like this.

"Rain, it hurts me. It hurts me to see you like this. Being so strong, acting like nothing is wrong! I can see sadness in your eyes. I've known you too long to not know what's wrong. I... I can't handle seeing you so happy, yet so sad. I love you." He threw the words at me.

I couldn't take it anymore. I opened the car door and ran out. Ran and ran and ran. Tears started to flow down my burning red cheeks. I ignored Dany yelling my name. My heart pumped blood throughout me faster and faster. Suddenly, I fell to me knees. Crying. I clenched my stomach. My heart felt as if it had shattered right there and then. I started to scream. I screamed and yelled and cried until I had no more energy. I stayed lying on the ground, and prayed.

"God, I can't take this. I can't take this pain." I sobbed, "I want my already screwed up life back on track. I can't lose my father. My life would be too different. Everything I look at reminds me of him. EVERYTHING!" I sat in silence crying. A wolf cried in mourning loneliness. "You never throw anything at anyone if they can't take it. But why this? Why my FATHER?! I just want him to be ok. Help my mother be strong. She can't quit on us. Please help my sister... I don't know. Just help her." "Rain!" I stopped praying when I heard Dany yell my name. "Please God, I love you." And I ended the prayer with the sign of the cross and laid in silence.

I listened to Dany's feet thump as he ran to her. He stopped abruptly about five feet away from me. "Rain..." "Shut up. Just shut up, Dany. I don't want to talk," I said into the grass below me. He kneeled down and put his hand on my shoulder. "Don't touch me!" I yelled, he took his hand of me quickly.

"Rain..." He started. I got up abruptly. "Dany! I told you to shut up!" He flinched. "I'm sorry, Dany. I know hearing that hurts. But I've already heard it all! I just want to sit here or lay down and die! Dany I'm sorry but... You should go back to the car and wait for me." I looked up, storm clouds. Yes.

"But, Rain, it's gonna uh... rain..." He reached back and scratched his neck, unsure that's how he wanted to say that. "I dot give a shit. Go away."

His head sunk low in defeat and walked away. My whole body was telling me to get up and run after him. But I my brain said no. I can't go to him. He doesn't understand.

I felt as if I had thrown away the only thing that would care for me forever. Poor Dany. He has been so nice to me. I admit it, seeing him cry scared the living shit out of me. He didn't need to cry for me, it was unreasonable. I was just fine until he cried. Stupid Dany. Ugh.

For the first time in my life, I just wanted to lay down and die. Just lay there for the wild to take me away. I wanted to be free from the boney clutches of pain.