Breaking the Chains

Chapter Thirty Nine

The hospital smelt like cleaning products, medicine, and sick people, but Riley could care less as she curled herself on the guest chair that was pulled out for her beside her father's bed. Matt was on his other side, but Nona and Eli weren't allowed in since they weren't family. Riley tried to convince the nurse to let them in too, but they didn't change their decision. The girl gripped her father's hand tightly in her own as her eyes coated in tears. "Hi daddy," she whispered, and when his lips twitched into the briefest of smiles, Riley curled her lips just in the slightest into a gentle smile.

"Hi baby girl," he said weakly. Riley nodded slowly once as she stared at him. "M-Matt?" He asked worriedly. Riley smiled tiredly as she looked away from her father to her little brother who had tears streaming down his cheeks. She wanted to smile but her heart felt like it was beating too much for her to feel much of anything. Riley looked back to her father after a moment and let out the softest breath she could.

"I'm here, papa," Matt said with quivering lips. Riley clenched her jaw before she let a shaky breath sweep into her mouth. Her father slowly rotated his head toward his son, and though Riley wanted to hug her father to make him feel better, she knew it wouldn't work. Not even in the slightest. "Are you," Matt struggled as he looked down from his father before he continued. "Are you feeling better?"

Her father's lips twitched again before a small string of breath slowly blew out of his partially open mouth. Riley could see him struggle to open his eyes, and after a second of trying his hardest to open them, he decided to keep them closed. "Of course," his father said slurred through his lips. Her father looked as if his face were numb, but that was most likely from the exhaustion and the surgery. "Are you," their father took a breath slowly before continuing, "both okay?" Riley closed her eyes for a moment and let a single tear fall down before she opened them again.

"I'm fine," Riley said quietly as she looked back toward her father's face, which had a small smile twisted on his lips.

"So am I," Matt said in the same voice as he grabbed his father's other hand. Her father squeezed both of their hands at the same time in the lightest way possible before he shifted slightly on the hospital bed. Riley had assumed that he wouldn't want to move a lot because of the stab wound on his side, which was understandable. When he turned her head toward her slowly, she smiled at him in a way that showed that her eyes smiling along. It was a weird way to describe it but it was the best she could think of. "I wish that never happened," Matt murmured under his breath as he looked away from their father and toward Riley. The girl nodded hesitantly before she looked up toward her brother with a small frown.

"At least he's okay," Riley said quietly. She took in a breath as she closed her eyes. They hadn't heard anything about their mother and a weird feeling in the pit of her stomach made her feel like whatever was going on, she didn't want to know. There had to be a good reason for the doctors not to have said anything yet. It wouldn't be right if they just kept it a secret that Riley would never know.  Riley was desperate to see her mother but she knew that it had been a long shot to even see her father. All she could do was be thankful to feel his grip and see his smile before one of the nurses had to escort the two children out of the room. Though Riley was around eighteen, she still felt like she was sixteen or so.

Once the nurse was out in the hall, which was surprisingly not busy, she turned to the two kids and frowned. "The doctor will be meeting you two in the waiting room in a little while. It's important." Riley gulped but she nodded nevertheless. "I hope you enjoy the rest of your day," the nurse said with a tired smile before scurrying off down the hall toward another room before Riley and Matt made their way back to the waiting room. The first thing she saw was Nona wearing a blanket as her head rested against the wall. How long had Riley and Matt talked to their father?

"How was it?" Eli asked as he stood up and looked at both Matt and Riley. His face looked worried, but was mixed with hope.

"It was good," Riley exhausted from her lungs. "He's weak but he's okay," she added after a second of thinking about it. Matt sat down on the chair beside Eli's, though Eli wasn't sitting down. "It's going to take some time, though." Eli nodded sympathetically before wrapping his arms around her waist so that he could look at her closer. 

"He's going to be perfectly fine," Eli said quietly as he carefully put his forehead against her's. Riley smiled tiredly before she lightly kissed his lips. "Have you heard anything about your mom yet?" Eli asked, staying in his position. Riley shook her head gently before taking her head away from his.

"The nurse said that the doctor would come see us shortly." Eli frowned a little bit but nodded anyway. "I'm hoping she will be okay," she took in a breath and wrapped her arms around his sides.

Eli opened his mouth to reply but he thought against it. In some way, Riley was thankful he didn't have an answer for that. It was almost as if she had an idea for what was happening but she didn't want to admit it to herself. Not yet, not ever. She sat on a chair after a few more seconds of standing with Eli. Riley brought her thin, fragile legs toward her chest and hugged then with her arms carefully. She tucked head into her knees until she heard footsteps. Her eyes opened very slowly and when she brought her head up to see who was coming, she wanted to let out a long sigh. It was the doctor.

"Riley," the doctor greeted and took in a deep breath. His face looked almost unreadable, which made Riley freeze. If even the man didn't have a sympathetic look, that meant something was going on. "Your father's vitals are getting better and his side is healing very well. The medicine we are giving him is helping a lot." Then came the hard part, and Riley mentally prepared herself before she grabbed onto Eli's hand, who had stood up as she did, though she didn't remember ever getting up. "However," he said, and Riley saw his eyes darken, "your mother hasn't woken up yet and her body isn't responding as well as your father was to the medicine and procedures." Riley gulped and stared at the doctor with what she felt was a mixture of fear, guilt and sadness. There was no way her mother was going to die. It was impossible. "We are still running tests on her and trying everything we can to help her regain her normal heart beat, but right now, it's hard." Riley wanted to nod, or to say something, but she couldn't. 

"Mom isn't okay?" Matt asked from his chair tiredly. His eyelids were half shut and when Riley looked at him, she frowned a bit.  He must have not gotten much sleep.

"We are hoping she will be," the doctor replied a little to quickly. He took in a slow breath before returning his gaze to Riley and Eli. "The knife hit a different spot in her side than the knife that hit your father." Riley clenched her jaw and felt like shaking her head, as if it would have like some sort of plea to make them save her, but she couldn't move. "She's on life support," the doctor added after another little bit of silence, as if he had to remind himself of the things he needed to tell them. 

"So she might not survive?" Riley asked with a tilt of her head. She wanted to have an emotionless face but she couldn't help but bite her bottom lip as she looked at the doctor. It was as if she knew the answer. And in a way, she had known it for a little while.

"At this point, I can't promise anything." Riley took in a breath and realized what exactly was happening. 

Her mom could die.

_______________________________________

Hey guys!

So it's a bit of a cliffhanger, I guess, but not major. 

And I absolutely hate to admit this, but this book is near it's end.

I hope you all enjoyed this chapter! If you did, please vote....

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Peace out Secrets and God bless you all!

-S