Finish Line

Chapter 8

Sydney 

I hear distant voices. I recognize some of them but the others are foreign to me. Are they talking to me? Why can’t I open my eyes? They feel so heavy. I try to listen to the voices but they start to fade away.

Jake 

It’s been a week since the surgery. The doctors have removed the mass and tested it. It was benign but they decided to remove the whole thing at once before it affected her brain. Her recovery was taking time. The doctors informed us that the blood she was coughing out was due to the pressure in her brain. They had to drain the excess liquid out before her surgery.

Dad and Maddie visits at night while Luke comes in during the day before his classes. Stacy stopped by school to inform our school directors about Sydney. We were both excused from graduation practices.

Luke brought Stacy and I food everyday and dad packed me a bag and bought Stacy a few clothes and toiletries. Stacy slept in the extra bed while I took the couch. When the nurses would give Sydney a sponge bath I’d wander around the hospital.

She hasn’t woken up yet and it’s starting to scare me. Doctor Miller assured me that her brain just needed time to heal by itself. Nurse Molly would sometimes keep me company while she checks Sydney’s vitals. She’d tell me about Sydney during her first visit here, how polite and kind she was and even though she was scared when they delivered the news she still managed to smile a little. That was the Sydney I knew and miss. I miss that smile.

Sydney 

Grandpa carries my suitcase and backpack and grandma leads me to my room at the end of the hall. It’s got a bed with lavender pillows and daisies printed on the sheets. I had a side table with a pink flower lamp and a alarm clock. I had a white closet on the right next to the window and a desk and chair beside it. On the left side was a cute yellow book shelf with books on them. There were notebooks and paper and lots of colored pencils and pens. They gave me the best room in the house.

After lunch I sit in the front porch stairs. I watch all the people passing by our house. We live in a small subdivision and the houses are all pretty. I see a boy coming out of the house next to us. He’s carrying a ball with a weird shape. I watch him as he tosses it through the air and catching it. I think he felt me watching him because he turns and looks at me. He smiles and I can’t help but smile back at him.

He approaches me and hands me the weird-shaped ball

“You want to play?” he asks

I smile and nod at him. I follow him back to his yard. He teaches me how to throw the ball properly and how to catch it. We toss it a few times when I hear his front door open and a tall man comes out. It’s probably his father. He looks at me and I don’t know if he’s mad so I drop the ball and start to walk back to my house. The boy grabs my hand. No one ever held my hand, even mom didn’t. He drags me to the tall man.

“Dad, this is my best friend” he tells his father. I smile at him. He just called me his best friend. I never had friends before. His father squats down to face me and smiles.

“I’m Jake’s father. My name is Peter but you can call me dad if you’d like” he says. That was strange. I never called anyone dad. Maybe he can be my dad.

“I’m Sydney” I smile at him and he smiles back.

“So, you’re friends with my son?” he asks.

“No, I’m not his friend, I’m his best friend” I frown at him. He laughs and goes back in the house. Jake pulls me back to the yard and we continue to throw the ball back and forth until grandpa calls me for supper.

He waves goodbye but I grab his hand and bring him to my house. I lead him to the kitchen and introduce him to grandpa and grandma.

“This is my best friend” they both smile and invite Jake for supper. We both wash our hands before we eat. Jake’s really quiet. He doesn’t say much but he keeps staring at me. When I look at him he just smiles and continues eating. When we’re done Jake says goodbye to me and my grandparents but before he leaves he made me promise that we would play again tomorrow. That’s how Jake and I became best friends.

Jake 

My head snaps up to the sound of Sydney’s monitor. The sound begins to get louder. I grab her hands and look at her. Her eyes are moving under her eyelids but she isn’t waking up. It’s like she’s dreaming.

“Stacy, call the nurse” I shout and Stacy flies out the room.

“Sydney, can you hear me?” I whisper close to her ear. Her eyes continue to flutter but nothing else.

“Syd, it’s me, Jake. If you can hear me squeeze my hand” nothing happens. The nurses arrive and check her monitors.

“Sydney, baby, please open your eyes” I beg her. For a long minute I wait until her eyes finally open. She squints and frowns. She closes her eyes and opens them again, they seem clearer. She’s looking right at me. I start to panic.