The Cliff That Changed Everything

Chapter 15

"The prettiest smiles hide the deepest secrets. The prettiest eyes have cried the most tears. And the kindest hearts have felt the most pain."

As I walked through the corridors of the hospital I felt so embarrassed, every ounce of me wanted to curl into a little ball and start to scream, but I couldn't, not here, not now, not ever. The hardest part was that when I left, Dean made no attempt to come after me. How could he lead me on? How could he humiliate me? I thought he was my friend. I thought he loved me back.

I was in this hospital, almost crying about something completely irrelevant. I didn't know where I was, or where I planned to go. Then it struck me... Dolly. I exited out of the winding corridor I had followed and I was shortly at the main office, it seemed to be quiet and not that many people were waiting in the seats. I went up to the man at the reception. "Hello young lady, what can I do for you?" He politely asked. "Hi, I'm looking for my little sister Dolly Hailford, I need to see her as soon  as possible." I hurriedly said. The receptionist, with a few taps on the keyboard found out the room she was in and gave me directions to it.

Shortly after I faced the door to the secluded room she lay in, I took a deep breath and walked in. "Holly!" Steve said, as he got up off of his chair and gave me a warm embrace. I pushed him away though. Does he think that just cuz I know dad's dead, I'll want a new one? "I'm not here to hug you," I snarled, "I'm only here for Dolly." I said as I pushed past him.

There behind him lay Dolly, my sweet, innocent, little sister. It was my fault she was in this position in the first place, if I had handled the truth better, none of us would be in this situation. "The Doctor's just gone off to get the scan results." Steve said as he ruffled his hands through his hair, you could tell he was stressed. "Scan results for what?" I asked, worried.

"Well, she has a broken wrist, a fractured shoulder, and now they're checking..." He paused for a moment before he continued, "now they're checking if she's damaged her brain or skull."

The amount of guilt that ran through my veins and rushed rapidly around my mind was immense. I sat down and looked at my sister. Why is it her in the hospital bed? It should've been me. I wanted to scream, scream about everything: Steve, George, Dean and Dolly. But I didn't, I stayed strong and continued to stare at my almost-lifeless sister.

She was ghostly pale, her hair was all tangled and her cheeks flushed. I shuffled my chair close to her bed and laid my head right next to hers before I whispered, "Dolly, I'm so, so, sorry." Before I had the chance to say anything else, Mum, Bax, Ella and Dean all bustled in. Bax looked so sad, so did mum, even Ella did too. "Everyone," Mum said as she pulled the biggest grin she could manage at this point in time, "It's been a tough couple of days... for all of us, and right now I think we need time just to relax. It's unhealthy for me to be put under such stress at this point of time in my pregnancy, and it's unhealthy for you all to see your sister in such a state, therefore I have decided that some of us are better off going home."

"No." I murmured.

"Pardon Holly?" Mum replied.

"No." I said louder before I continued, "this is my fault. I need to stay with my sister." Mum shook her head as she spoke, "no Holly, we're doing what's best as a family, and what's best is that you, Ella, and Steve all go back home to England together." She exclaimed.

I grimaced, "not with Steve." I glared at him but just as I was about to continue I was interrupted. "Stop it Holly." Steve said, anger burned across his face. I raised my eyebrows before I continued, "nothing's changed, just because you saved her, nothing's changed, I still hate you and I always will."

"You're a little bitch Holly, that's what you are. Ever since I set foot in the house, you have treated me with disrespect. You know what? I've tried so hard to be kind and keep my patience, but I've had enough. You're a spoilt little brat, and guess what? I hate you! I hate you! It's your fault Dolly's in this situation in the first place! You will do as your mother says, whether I have to drag you back to England or chain you to the top of the car you're leaving." Steve screamed.

I was stung by his words, not because of what he said or how he said them, but because they were actually true, and I hated the fact that they were. I thought Steve was done, but he wasn't, he thought about what he was saying strategically, he said hurtful things, things that no one else would even dream of saying, so that I would never be hurtful to him again. But the next thing he said raged towards my heart, "It's your fault Dolly might die. It's you fault your dad committed suicide."

Anger rushed through me, mum's eyes widened, even Dean looked stunned. I ran up to Steve and pushed him against the wall. He was too shocked at what I was doing to even think. I hit him round the face until I felt Dean's hand on my shoulders as he urged me back, I still swung at Steve though, I wanted to make him feel pain.

Dean shoved me out of the room and we stood in the hallway alone, I'd be taking a lot of anger management classes after this.