If Only You Knew (#Wattys2016)

Chapter Seventeen

                The girl above is Amanda, Stephanie's sister!  

                  Sorry for that cliffhanger last chapter..... It was met with dramatic results from certain readers... I'm looking at you Llama ;)

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                 Once I got started, I couldn't stop. I talked more with Dylan than I had with anybody since Avery died. I poured out the whole story about my dad. How he had been driving home and had been hit. How the driver who hit him had been falling asleep and was unaware of my dad in the next lane. How the driver had hit my dad with such force that my dad's car swerved and spun out of control. And how horribly my dad had been injured. The fear that I felt in the hospital, seeing my father the way he was. The hours I had sat with him, holding his bandaged hand and praying harder than I had ever prayed before. I told Dylan everything, tears streaming down my face. He listened quietly, sorrow filling his eyes as the story unfolded. After I was done Dylan drew me into a comforting hug.

                  "Should we pray for him now?" Dylan asked me quietly.

                    I nodded and we prayed. We prayed for God to heal my dad, and for our family to be comforted. We huddled together and prayed for a good hour until we were interrupted by my phone ringing. I apologized to Dylan for the interruption and took my phone out of my pocket. It was my mom. My heart thudded in my chest as I picked up. 

                    "Mom? Hello?" I asked worriedly.

                   "Honey, your sister is coming to pick you up right now. There's been a big change." She said. Her voice was heavy with emotion.

                     My stomach dropped. 

                     "I'll go out there right now." I answered. "Hanging up now."

                      I turned off my phone and looked at Dylan with tears in my eyes.

                      "I need to go." I said helplessly.

                      He nodded, understanding. He gave me a big hug and we walked out of the house together. I locked the door and turned to him.

                       "I'm really sorry about this." I said.

                       "No problem at all." He said understandingly. 

                       My sister's grey car pulled into the driveway. I ran towards her car then turned and looked at him.

                        "We can get together... sometime." I said slowly.

                         "Go!" He said. "Its okay Steph."

                         I smiled at him thankfully and opened the car door. I slid into the passenger's seat and looked expectantly at my sister.

                          "I see you had a friend over." She said with a faint trace of a smile, though her eyes were red and tired.

                          I nodded, it wasn't worth getting into.

                          "Drive Amanda."I said.

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                           We arrived at the hospital fifteen minutes later. A nurse rushed us down to my dad's room. I approached the door and hesitated. Was I ready to see what was on the other side? My sister gave me a gentle nudge and I turned the knob and pushed the door open. There was my mom at my father's side. She looked up at me, tears streaming down her face. I ran over to my father's side and stopped abruptly.  

                            "H-his eyes...?" I faltered.

My father's eyes were open, and he had a faint trace of a smile on his face.

                             It took me a moment to register that he was going to live. That my mother's tears were tears of joy. 

                             "He's going to make it." My mom said softly.

                             I sank into a chair near the side of the hospital bed. I started at my dad for a moment, then put my head in my hands, letting the tears come.

And they came.

                            I trembled with relief at the new of my dad. Never before had I felt so free of fear and emotions. A huge weight was lifted off of me. 

                            "Steph, honey, don't cry." Amanda said, putting her arms around me.

                            "I was so scared." I sniffed, wiping away tears.

                            "We all were. Terrified, even." My mom added. 

                            "But its all okay now." My sister finished. "We're all together and its gonna be okay."

                             We all sat in a contented, joyful silence. It was the first relief, the first real peace I had felt since Avery died. I rubbed my red, exhausted eyes and sighed. Sure, it would take a while for things to be back to normal. My father would have a long time until he was well enough to work again, my sister would have to fly across the country back to college, and I would have to go back to school with another traumatic story on my chest. It wouldn't be easy, but I knew right then and there that God wouldn't abandon us.

Ever.

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Well that was a dramatic roller coaster ride of emotions, wasn't it friends?