The hospital smelled of what all hospitals do- strange, unheard-of smells like cleanliness and sickness. Not like Raye noticed. As soon as the doors opened before her automatically, she was at the front desk, breathlessly telling the secrectary her name and who she was there to see. But when she finally reached the door that lead to her father's deathbed, she suddenly wasn't in such a hurry anymore.
Raye reluctantly pushed it open anyways, flipping her red ringlets out of her face. Niall was already there, looking at her anxiously. But she wasn't looking back at him; the limp shape of her father was in the small hospital bed of the plain room. "Dad," she whispered, eyes filling with tears.
She took the plastic chair next to her blond haired brother, who was looking at her anxiously. "Raye..." Her bright blue eyes were already hidden behind her hands. Niall took his own hands out of his coats pockets to wrap his arms around his sister. "You knew this was going to happen."
Raye's hands shot away from her prominent cheek bones and pushed him back. "What!?"
"But it's true. Don't deny it."
"Don't say that! How could you?"
"And how couldn't you have known? Everyone saw it coming."
"Niall, STOP IT!" She jumped up out of the flimsy chair, knocking it across the room. "He's your father too!"
"It's not like I ever saw him much," Niall glared bitterly at his hands while Raye stared at him. "He's more of a father to you than he'll ever be to me. Or, was to me." Raye continued to stare incredulously until her rage took over. She turned around, fists clenched, and walked out of the room, tears pooling in her eyes, not for the first time because of her brother.
