Skinny Love

Chapter 44

I woke up to 13 missed calls over the last thirty minutes. It rang again. The sound so loud it made me jump. 

"Hello?" I said groggily. 

"Oh Noelle!" I could barely understand her "You have to-"My mother was crying hysterically. "have to." she couldn't even talk. 

"What's wrong? Mom!" I sat up. "Mom? Mom are you okay? Where are you?"

"At"she sniffled. "the hospital."she burst into tears. "Get here fast."she cried. 

"What? Why? What? Mom, what hospital. What hospital?" I was throwing on my bra and dress. 

"Regional."was all she said. 

"I'm coming. I'm coming, right now. I promise." she hung up. I was trying to zip these stupid stupid boots but they kept getting stuck. My hands were shaking. My whole body was shaking. What was going on?

"Who was that?"Nat asked groggily. 

"We have to go. Get up we need to leave. We have to go now. Right now." 

"What?" he sounded serious. 

"I don't know. I don't know. Somethings wrong. We, we, we have to go to the hospital. My mom called I didn't hear it, I -" he grabbed my hand. 

"It's okay, it's okay." he pulled me tight in his arms. I pulled away. 

"We, we have to go." I cried. He pulled his clothes on fast and we were out the door. I hated the hospital now, I was always up there. After the pregnancy and all, then there's August's appointments and I was just tired of them. I thought the worst as we drove on the highway to the hospital. Who was hurt? What was wrong. Was it my dad? I started to cry harder and then I realized I hadn't checked in with Mark. I just called him without thinking.  I didn't realize I even had until the last ring when he answered. 

"Hello?"he must have just woken up. 

"Hh, hi. It's me. It's, it's Noelle-" Nat had his arm on my back. 

"What's wrong?"

"I- I don't know yet, my, my, mom called me crying, she's at the hospital. She- she didn't say. We're going now."I stopped,  I was choked up. "Are- Are you okay? How, how's August?"

"She's okay, I'm okay. You're going to the hospital right now?"

"Y-yeah. We're in the, car." I leaned over onto Nat. 

"Well get off the phone with me and go see what's wrong, keep me updated. I'm so sorry Noelle. I'm so sorry. Oh my god. "

"I- I will. I'll call you later. W-when I find out something. Tell August we love her."

"I will, I promise. You go find out what's wrong."

I thought the worst and not even my worst case scenario could have prepared me for what was about to change my life forever. 

I called my mom as soon as we arrived, she came out into the lobby to find us. She didn't say a word until we were upstairs. That waiting room was much smaller and there in a new room was my dad in one of the blue chairs. Then she told me as much as she could while crying. Nat already holding me around the waist, pulled me even closer. My sister was in a car accident, she'd had a few drinks at a bar after dropping me off. Her blood alcohol level was .178 and she was driving. Why? Why would she do that? She wasn't thinking, I suppose. I didn't even tell her goodbye. I was kind of annoyed with her for making me go and do all of that stuff yesterday. I mean I told her thank you but I never told her I loved her. I never said goodbye. It was bad. Mom couldn't sit down. She was pacing. I called Mark and told him. I wasn't crying. I was worried. I didn't want to cry anymore. It wouldn't do a thing. I supposed I was in shock, I didn't hear the nurses as they typed on their computers or wheelchairs pass and the tv which was set to a game show that no one had any interest in. I didn't feel Nat's touch. I nodded even though I didn't hear what he'd said, he repeated it to me.

"I'm going to grab us something from the cafeteria, you need to eat something. You look pale." I wanted to scream. Of course I looked pale! My sister is dying! I nodded again and then squeezed my eyes shut. I looked up to the ceiling. I could feel the tears in my throat. I looked over at my parents and then back to the ceiling. 

"Can you give me a minute. Please, mom, dad." my voice broke. They nodded. Their hearts shattered. I walked up to Sam in the bed. I couldn't even look at her. It hurt too much. But I did anyway. 

"Sam, remember when we were kids? Remember, I told you that you were my best friend, always? It's true. It always will be. Remember how you were gonna be my maid of honor if I ever got married? Well it's gonna happen. You have to wake up, you have to be at my wedding. You can't. You just can't go. Please.  Please wake up for me. For me and August, and Nat and mom and dad. For Parker and Lindi and Ledger. Sam. Sam please. I held her hand, it was cold. But she always had cold hands. it didn't mean anything. It couldn't. I walked out to see mom and dad. They  came back in. 

"Where's Parker and Lindi?"

"They're on their way right now." mom said quietly. 

"Good."