I look over to Jerome's shaking leg, beating rapidly to no tempo. We were waiting for the doctor to tell us what was going on.
"Hughes?" The nurse said.
"Yes?" Jerome looked up.
"The doctor is ready, I'll lead you to the room." She said gesturing us towards her. We follow her until we enter a room that had a whiteboard reading Madeline & Mitchell Hughes
We walk in to see Mitch lying up and talking to the doctor with a cast around his leg, and Maddy hooked up to several Machines, and out cold.
"Jerome and Sarah Aceti?" The doctor notices us.
"Yes." I respond.
"Alright. Well I was just explaining to Mitchell what was going on with the both of them." He said, motioning to Mitch and Maddy. "Mitchell here had a severe cut in his leg from his cell phone shattering in his pocket. He also broke it from the impact."
"And Maddy....?" I ask, seeing a look of distress come across Mitch's face.
"Maddy is severely injured. The glass from the car hit her the most, since she was on the side of impact, and she broke almost all of the bones in the right side of her body. There was one specific cut in her though that is extremely concerning..." He gestured towards the right side of her body. "A shard of glass punctured her about 4 inches away from her heart, and cut deep. The surgery that she must undergo is extremely risky and may result in...."
I knew what he meant. I started to cry a bit and Jerome held me.
"I'm very sorry. Mitchell will be in the hospital for about a month and Maddy will be out, if the surgery is successful, in three." He said, grabbing his clipboard and holding the door open.
"Thank you. When do visiting hours start?" Jerome asked.
"12:00 pm tomorrow, and they end at 6:00" He said kindly.
"Thank you." I struggled to say as we walked away, waving at Mitch, who hesitantly waved back.
~~~~~At Home~~~~~
I walk in to the house, creating about 30 minutes without talking.
"This is...so much to take in..." Jerome says slowly taking a seat on the couch. I stay silent and sit down too, looking down at my feet. I feel the hot tears rush up to my eyes.
"How did this even happen...." I respond, my voice cracking as a tear fell down my face. Jerome moves over to me and puts his arms around mind as I curl up in his arms, sobbing.
"It's alright...She'll be fine..." He whispered.
"But....she may not..." I sob.
"Don't give up." He says, kissing the top of my head. "I never gave up on you until it was determined." he smiles sadly.
"I don't know...how am I gonna make it without Maddy...she was my only friend growing up..." I said, feeling the tears come down faster.
I feel two fingers lift up my chin and I find myself looking at Jerome. He studies my eyes and I see his eyes become glassy and red as well.
"I never want to see you sad...and seeing you like this...I can't stand it..." He says, holding back tears. "So I'll do anything to get Maddy better...and you back to happy..." he takes a shaking breath.
"Anything."
And there it was. The worst sound I could ever hear. The voice crack before a person cries. Tears began spilling out of his eyes, but he kept his sympathetic face. I loosen my arms from his grip and put them around him. He looks down at me.
"No matter what, I love you, and if anything happens, promise to stay with me..."
"Promise..."
