Finish Line

Chapter 5

Sydney 

I call Peter and ask him when I could stop by and visit them.

I didn’t know Luke was picking me up until he called me that he was on his way. He was happy I was done with finals. There was no traffic so we arrived early.

Madison hugged me when we arrived. Luke helped Dad in the kitchen while Maddie entertained me in the living room. She’s just adorable.

During dinner my headaches start to bother me. Luke sees me massaging my temples.

“You okay, Syd?” he frowns at me

“Yeah, I just got a headache. I think I need glasses already”

“You’re going to look like a nerd” he chuckles

“She’s not a nerd, she’s pretty” Aww! I can’t help smile when Maddie defends me.

“I know, sis. But she’s going to be a pretty nerd with glasses” he winks at me and Maddie giggles. Peter just continues to look at me with a concerned frown. I smile to assure him I’m okay.

After supper we clean up and Luke brings out the monopoly board game and sets it on the table. Luke wins both games now. My head ache starts to get worse that my eyes begin to twitch.

“Hey guys, I think I'll get home early. I’m getting a migraine” I tell them

“Getting worse?” Peter asks

“Yeah, I want to sleep it off. It’ll go away tomorrow” I stand up and sway.

I blink and hear someone call out my name before I fall into darkness.

Jake 

I’m fixing my gear in the locker room when my phone rings. Dad’s name flashes on the screen. i wonder why he’s calling.

“Hey dad, miss me already?” I answer

“We’re at the Rose Garden Hospital. It’s Sydney” he says.

I stop breathing then run out to get to my car. I’m at a daze. I don’t know how I get to the hospital but I do. My head is spinning. What happened to Sydney?

I run through the doors. I don’t know where I’m going but I see Luke ahead and reach for him. I gasp for air when I come to a stop.

“What happened?” I ask taking deep breathes.

“We don’t know. She fainted but she isn’t waking up” dad comes beside me and grabs my shoulder.

“What? Why? Did she hit her head?” I ask them

“No. I got to her before she could hit the floor” Luke answers

“All she said earlier was that she was having headaches”

We all head to the waiting room where Madison is sitting with her blanket.

“Is Syd okay now?” She asks dad and she tries to hold her tears from falling. Brave girl.

“The doctors are checking up on her, sweetie” dad answers her.

Madison crawls on my lap and lays her head on my chest while she closes her eyes. I rub her back.

Sydney 

My head doesn’t hurt. I open my eyes and look around. I notice I’m not in my dorm. So where am I? I smell antiseptics and hear a beeping sound near me. I blink and start to remember. I was playing monopoly and having a migraine. Where am I? I look down and see I’m wearing a night gown. Who brought me here? What am I doing here? Am I in the hospital?

Someone comes in. I turn to check who it is and it’s a nurse.

“Oh good, you’re awake. Let me get the doctor” she leaves before I can get a chance to ask her.

There’s a knock on the door. A man enters wearing a white gown with colorful pens on his breast pocket. He’s carrying a clipboard and an envelope. He introduces himself. Doctor Richard Miller. Okay.

“Why am I here?” I ask him

“Your father brought you here after you fainted” he says

I frown at him. I was about to ask who he was talking about when the door suddenly opens.

“Sorry doc, we couldn’t stop him” the nurse says

Peter hugs me and I don’t know why I start to cry.

“Why am I at the hospital? What happened?” I ask him

“You weren’t waking up, we started to panic” Peter clears his throat

“Your father tells me you were having a migraine before you fainted?” Doctor Miller asks me

“Yeah, I just wanted to go home to sleep” I inform him

“Well we had scans made just to make sure” Doctor Miller reads something on his clipboard.

“Scans for what? Did I break my arm or something?” I look down my body to check because I wasn’t feeling any pain in my whole body. I look at Doctor Miller and he looks at me with sad eyes.

“The scan showed a mass in your brain” my jaw drops open and I stare at him. What did he just say?

Jake

I rock Madison on my lap as she begins to fall asleep. It’s late. Dad just went into Sydney’s room. How was she doing? It’s been four hours.

Dad comes out and approaches us. His face doesn’t give anything away. I hold my breath.

“You boys go home and take Maddie with you. I'll stay here to watch Sydney for tonight”

“Is she okay? What did the doctor say?” Luke asks

“She’s fine. Doctor wants her to get some sleep for now. So you can go home and rest”

I carry Madison to my car.

“Let me get dad some food first then I'll head home” Luke says before he leaves.