As Good As It Gets

Chapter 15

PARKER'S POV
I guess at some point a nurse came and tapped my shoulder. I hadn't noticed until she called my name.
"Parker?" The nurse called out.
"Yes?" I sighed rubbing my eyes.
"You can see Layla now Sir." She smiled. I darted up so quickly, the nurse didn't know what happened until she replayed it in her head again.

"Which room?" I asked.

"Room 2A." She smiled at me. I ran down the hall and stopped when I came to room 2A. I frantically creeked open the door.

"Layla?" I whispered softly.

No Answer. I opened the door wider and laying there was Layla. I starred at my girlfriend and at what one Clara Jones did to my girlfriend.

"Layla?" I called her name again. No answer. The doctor had said that she would be in and out thanks to the posion. They couldn't do anything for her. She had to be the strong girl I knew she was and she had to fight this one her own. I wanted her to wake up so badly and to see that I was fighting with her too. I was here for her no matter what. I wanted her to see me and fight even more.

"Layla." I cried her name. Tears filled the corners of my eyes. Stop crying, I told myself.

You can't cry in front of her even if she isn't waking up right now.

Stop crying Parker.

Stop it.

Stop.

No!

And then I couldn't stop crying. It was uncontollable. I couldn't stop. And so I sat down on the rock hard chair the hospital places in every single non-changing room. And maybe that's what borthered me the most. That nobody else in this world saw how wonderful I thought Layla was. Maybe it was because they had wonderful people in their lives too. It still made me upset. Maybe it was because of everything else that was going. Clara Jones and her murders. She could kill Layla even though she didn't mean to. We really had to go to New York now.

*****************

I woke up to someone nudging me.
"Huh?" I mumbled my eyes slowly blinking themselves awake.
"P-p-a-rk." She whispered.
"No don't fade away stay awake. Layla you have to fight this. Babe please fight it. I'm here with you fighting with you. Come on babe you can do this. I love you and we are going to have so much fun when you are well again." I smiled tears coming to my eyes.
"I-I'm t-tir-ed. P-P-ar-k I- wan-na g-go h-ho-me." She whispered years slipping themselves down her face.
"I know babe. I know," I whispered back catching the tears with my thumb.
"But you have to keep fighting. I know that it hurts and that you want to give up but don't give up on me. Please Layla. Fight for me and Ariel and your father. We love you so much. Come on Layla you can do this. I'm right here and I'm not going to leave. You are going to get through this." I grasped her hands, kissing her forehead multiple times.
"I-lo-ve-you-so-mu-ch. -Tell my f-father I lo-ve h-him a-and -my -sis-ter." Layla gasped her chest inflating and deflating quickly.
"Don't give up." I wiped another tear away from her face as she faded out again and I was left, once again, by myself.
***************
A WEEK LATER
Layla was still at the hospital slightly getting better. I couldn't stay there all the time now. I had to get back to school and stuff. So as soon as I took care of that stuff, I went straight to Layla. Most of my time was spent at the hospital with Layla. Updating her on what was happening would be my favorite part of going there. Somehow, it made me feel more connected with her. And I felt like she was listening somewhere. She woke up frequently and would talk more often. She was getting better. Anybody with a brain could tell. The doctors thought that she would make it.
******************
2 WEEKS LATER
Layla was put on bed rest but came home. She was awake and talking fully but she would have no energy to get up and walk around.
I mostly took care of her besides her dad being there for her when I couldn't be. Ariel was so worried about her sister.
"Sebastian you think that Flounder is going to be okay?" She asked me one day as I was standing in Ariel's room.
"Of course she is going to be okay Ariel. She is so strong." I smiled at her. Ariel had tears in her eyes.
"Hey...." I whispered picking Ariel up. She put her face into my neck as I sat down on the edge of her bed.
"I want my sister back." Ariel weeped into my shoulder.
"She is back. She's just slightly run down. She will be good as new soon. Don't worry Muffin. It's going to be okay." I kissed her small little head that fit in between my neck and shoulder. She sniffled and stopped crying.
"I'm-"
"Take a nap." I smiled rocking her slightly.
"Yea..." She whispered. She softly fell asleep. I laid her down on her bed and put the covers over her. I kissed her forehead and turned around. There in the doorway was Layla smiling at us.
"What are you doing standing? The doctor said bed rest!" I whisper-screamed. I scooped her up in my arms bridal style and she giggled as I placed her softly on her bed and tucked her in.
She patted the spot next to her. I climbed in bed with her and put my legs under the covers. She wrapped her leg around me snuggling up close to my body. Her hand on my chest, she whispered,
"Even if the kids aren't mine, you are going to make a great father one day."
"The kids will definitely be yours. I wouldn't want to give anybody else my babies." I kissed the side of her head as she tittered.
She looked up at me and said, "How do you do it?"
"Do what?" I smirked.
"Make me fall in love with you over and over again." She kissed me and it caught me off guard but I kissed her back. She rolled on top of me. Oh God Layla.
"Layla..." I whispered.
"Ugh yes...." She whispered back. Layla Reynolds.
I pushed her off.
"Layla we can't." I shuttered holding her back.
"Why not? Come on Parker." She pushed against me.
"Layla....babe stop....you know you can't...it will weaken you even more...I...shit Layla stop making this so hard for me. You know how much I want to-"
She kissed me when I let go of her. I grasped her shoulders.
"Layla." I held her back. I stood off the bed letting go of her.
"What are you getting at here Layla?" I put my head against the wall. She wrapped her arms around my waist.
"Nothing I-"
"No you want something." I said knowing her.
"I don't-"
"God just tell me what you want or why you are upset. I hate being in the dark." I hit the wall.
"I want to have kids." Layla bursted out.
"Layla-"
"No Parker I want kids. Plain and simple. I want to have them before-" she cut herself off.
"Before what?" I turned facing her.
"Before nothing. I just want kids." She smiled.
"Layla before what? I know you too well to know that's it." I grinded my teeth together.
"Before I die." She whispered.
I hit the wall so hard I thought I had broke my hand.
"Parker!" She cried out trying to grab my fist.
"You can't say stuff to that like me Layla. You know I love you and you know I wish it was me instead so why do you even think like that? I-.......Layla you aren't going to die. You are going to live." I pleaded with her.
"Parker I feel my body giving up. I can feel myself slowly fade every second. You think I enjoy it? Watching you live and grow and have a life? No. I think it's shit that I sit on this fucking bed all day and have my body fight a poison that I don't even know how to pronounce. I think it's bullshit that I'm never going to see what could have been. My kids. Im never going to have kids. I'm never even going to see my sister grow up. I'm never even going to meet my mother and show her how fucking great I turned out and all that she missed. And I'll never get to hear my dad says for the millionth time I'm so proud of you. It sucks Parker. I-....I don't want this... I don't want it at all." She cried tears streaming so fast out of her eyes that you couldn't count them. Her breathing got uneven and she put her hand on her chest to steady it.
"Layla calm down. Crying as hard as you are isn't going to keep you living. We are going to make it through this and we are going to have kids and your dad is going to say I'm so proud of you again and again. Your sister is going to graduate from Harvard and you are going to be there for it. Or wherever she ends up going. You aren't alone in this. And I don't have a life. At least not without Layla Reynolds. And don't worry....we are going to have so many kids that you are going to thank me for not starting now." I held her close and picked her up.
"Take a nap." I told her as she closed her eyes and went to sleep on my shoulder. I placed her on the bed and tucked her in just like I did her sister.
"Goodnight." I said as I kissed her forehead and grasped her hands as I slept beside her. Her wrists were in my hands. My fingers made themselves to her wrists.
Waiting for a pulse
.....................................................................................................................................................................................................................................
But one never came.