The Quiet Voice | Complete

Chapter 4

Chelsea packed her bags and Teddy sat neatly on her bed. Her tiny frame perched quietly on a chair right next to Angela's bed.

Knowing that she would soon have to leave Angela's bedside was killing her. It took all the strength she had to not break down into a crumbling mess in the chair.

She held Angela's little hand so tightly in her own, extremely careful not to hurt the area where the drip was situated for she could already see the bruising forming around the area where the needle entered the skin.

The doctor was at the nurse's station with Chelsea's parents, giving them final instructions regarding caring for her on their arrival back home.

Angela's parents could see that Chelsea was struggling to say goodbye and excused themselves from the room, so that the two peas could have a few moments together in their pod.

Chelsea quietly stood up and moved closer to Angela's bedside, she had to be close to her, just one last time.

She released the railing and carefully slid it all the way down. She bent over, untied her shoelaces, took her sneakers off and climbed in bed behind Angela.

"Hello Little Sis," whispered Chelsea into Angela's hair, as she became the big spoon one last time. "It looks like the time has come for me to go home, but I have a huge problem." Chelsea squeezed her eye shut so tightly, wishing and praying that this was all a very bad dream. Wishing that she would soon wake up and find herself in Angela's beautiful lilac tulip and butterfly room. Anywhere else but here... now.

"How am I supposed to go home without you, Sis?" wondered Chelsea with her arm wrapped tightly around Angela's tiny waist and her knees snuggled in flush behind hers. "Do I even know who I am? There is no me without you. It's always been us against the world. We've never been a single, always a double-deal. I can't bear to leave here without you. I don't know how I'm going to go on without you. Please get better... please, please, please," Chelsea pleaded, looking at her Little Sis laying so pale and quiet in that white, big hospital bed.

Chelsea broke down into quiet sobs behind Angela. What she wouldn't give to hear her voice, hear her giggle, feel her hugs and kisses just now.

Chelsea heard footsteps enter the room and looked up to see her mother standing next to the bed. She slowly bent down and kissed both girls on their foreheads as tears rolled down her cheeks.

"Chelsea, My Love, it's time to leave now." She could see the pain the words were causing her mother.

Her body physically hurt at the thought of taking her arm away from Angela's waist. Sharp pains shot into her chest and it felt like fire burning in her throat.

"I can't leave her Mommy." Were the only words that Chelsea could string together. It was as if her body wouldn't react to instructions, as if it had a mind of its own.

"Please don't make me" begged Chelsea struggling to think of something to say that would change the situation. "She'll be so scared without me here. Who'll cuddle with her at night when she's scared and alone in her bed?"

"Don't worry Princess, you can come and visit her again tomorrow," promised her mother, as she prayed that Angela would keep fighting.

Chelsea knew that it was time to go, there was no way to prolong the inevitable.

Chelsea took a deep breath, sat up behind Angela, kissed her on the cheek and gave her the biggest hug she could without hurting her. "Be brave, Little Sis. Know that I love you more than anything and anyone in this world. Thank you for being the best little sister ever. I'm so blessed that you are in my life."

Chelsea's mother helped her out of the bed, helped her tie her shoelaces and carried her bags for her. It took all of the strength that Chelsea could muster, holding tightly onto her teddy, to walk out of the room with her mother. When she turned the corner and saw her father waiting for her at the nurse's station, she ran straight into his arms and broke down into giant sized sobs.

"Hold me Daddy, I'm scared." Chelsea's father didn't let go until they got to their car in the parking lot, nearly 5 minutes later. Even though he'd let go, Chelsea's arms were still glued to his neck with no hint of ever coming loose.

Only on closer inspection did he see that Chelsea had in fact sobbed herself to sleep. The pain of saying goodbye taxing her to such an extent that she didn't know how to handle it any longer, finally giving in to exhaustion and passing out.