When Time Stands Still

9.

After they all left, my mother suggested I call a taxi to come pick me up and take me straight to the hospital. He arrived at my house within ten minutes. I tipped him for is speed and he left me at the door of the hospital.

I rushed inside and over to the first desk I saw and asked where Sarah Evans was.

The lady there responded with,"Straight down the hall then take a left, it's the second door to your right." She was reading a series of papers to find this information.

"Thanks." I said. Then I speed walked down the hall and into the room where there were three doctors.

Justin's body lay motionless with his eyes shut, and Sarah drowning in a river of tears. She hugged me as soon as I stepped in the room.

"He's dead, he's dead", she murmured because the tears couldn't let her speak correctly.

Tears dripped down my face when I heard her say those words. I had to stay strong for her so that she could calm down and not cry as much. Yes, surely what had happened right now was devastating but there was nothing we could do now unfortunately.

"Hey, look at me." I told her softly.

She looked up with her beautiful eyes. The sparkle in them was a bit dimmer.

"I love you."

She bawled as she stuffed her head into my chest.

"I love you too." She blubbered through sobs.

***

We fell asleep in the chairs outside of his door.

I had suggested we leave last night and just calm down at my house but she wanted so badly to stay with him for one more night. They don't usually allow things like that when a patient is already dead but she was young, afraid, and frankly, she had been the only one to request it at this hospital.

I was woken up early with the bustling of employees. I looked over at her as she leaned onto my shoulder. Streams of dried tears covered her face.

I didn't want to wake her just yet.
I wanted her to stay calm and relaxed for the longest time possible. I couldn't stand seeing her sad. In the outside I acted like everything would be okay, but in the inside I was just as torn and devastated as her and maybe even a little more.

She means everything to me.

I was shaken by a gentle hand on my shoulder. I looked up and saw Sarah's mother, tears in her eyes.

Still not wanting to wake Sarah, I mouthed the words, "I'm sorry."

She just nodded slowly with an empty smile. "Me too."

She held out her other hand to me and I noticed a black card. I took it hesitantly and opened it up. It was an invitation to his funeral.

She had already made them.

I began to cry silently. She bent down and hugged me, careful of Sarah's head.

"Thank you." She whispered in my ear. "He always wanted an older brother."