Why My Family?

Chapter Two

One Month Later
     "Alissa. I have good news and bad. Which do you want to hear first?" Adam asked walking into my room without knocking.
    
"Adam, how many times do I have to tell you? Knock first and then wait for me to get the door." I said.
    
"Do you want to hear what I have to say or not?" Adam asked me.
    
"Fine. Bad news first." I said pointing to the foot of the bed. He sat.
    
"Dad is getting worse. The doctors have given up hope for him. We have a choice when he goes on oxygen. We can leave himself hooked up to it or we can pull the plug. And when or if he passes if we need to donate his organs." Adam said looking as if he had given up all hope.
    
"Adam. Let's talk about this when the time comes. Now. What's your good news?" I ask changing the subject.
    
"I got the job." Adam said in a brighter tone.
    
"Which one? McDonald's? Wal-Mart? Kmart?" I asked earning a glare from him.
    
"Wal-Mart. And you don't have to be a nasty little bitch to me!!" Adam shouted at me.
    
"Adam!" I shouted shocked. I watched as his  eyes widened in shock once he realized what he had said.
    
"I'm sorry Alissa. I'm just so stressed. I have to support you as well as my self. And that's more than most of the people in my class has to do. I hope dad wakes up soon. Hey. Maybe you can see if you can get the Sheriff to help you find a part time job around or at the office." Adam suggested.
    
"I'll see what I can do. Though I can't promise anything. But I'll give if a try." I said picking up the phone and dialing Bella's number. She answered on the second ring.
   
"Alissa! You haven't called me in a long time. How is your Dad? Are you and Adam doing okay?" Bella asked really fast.
   
"Dad shouted no improvement. Adam and I are doing okay. That's actually why I called. May I speak to your father real quick? Then we can talk just like we used to." I said with a laugh.
    
"Sure. DAD!!! Alissa wants to talk to you!!!!" Bella shouted into the phone. A minute later get Dad answered.
    
"Hiya, Alissa. What do you need, sweetheart?" The Sheriff asked.
    
"Hi. One I need you to stop calling me sweetheart and two to ask you if you can get me a part time job? Adam and I need any money we can get. Adam has a job at Wal-Mart but we don't believe that will be enough." I said in response you Adam's glare.
    
"Okay. I'll see what I can do sweetheart." He said.
    
"I told you not to-" I shouted into the phone.
    
"What are you shouting about, Ali?" Bella asked cutting me off and I could hear the Show laughing in the background.
    
"Nothing. So- hang on. Adam he said he would see what he could do. Now can you leave?" I asked and waited until he left the room before asking, "So, do you still have the hot's for Jared?" I asked with a smile.
    
"YES!!! I mean he's just so hot!! And he's only 15. But I don't have a chance with him." She said and I started laughing. "What are you laughing about!!?" She demanded.
    
"Nothing, really. It's just like the old days. I still feel as if Mom's downstairs cooking dinner and Dad is on his way home from work. If still just doesn't feel real." I said just as Adam burst into my room with a very worried expression on his face. "Bells. I've got to go. Sorry. I'll call you tomorrow. Promise. Bye." I said hanging up the phone. "What's happened?" I asked him.
    
"We need to go to the hospital now." Adam said and I grabbed my overnight bag and met him in the car.
    
"What's happened?" I asked as Adam speed toward the hospital.
    
"Dad had a complication. It appears that his appendix has burst. They think that he will be fine but I figured that we should be there just in case. You do feel the same right?" Adam asked as he pulled into the parking spot.
   
"I do." I answered as we ran into the hospital and to Dad's ICU room. We sat in the somewhat comfortable chairs and waited. Half an hour later just after Adam fell asleep they brought Dad back in. "Is he going to be alright?" I ask the doctor.
   
"He's fine for now. He's still in the coma. We extracted all the poison from him. I personally believe that he will be okay until he wakes up."  The doctor said with a gentle smile.
   
"Thanks. I really appreciate what you have done for my Dad." I said he nodded his response and left. I reached out and took my Dads hand. It was like ice. "I'm here Daddy. Daddy, please wake up." I said squeeze his hand gently. I laid my head on our hands and fell asleep.
    
When I woke up it was to Adam's soft voice. Since I didn't feel like raising my head I didn't. But I could easily hear what he was saying. "Dad. Please wake up. We need you more now that Mom is gone. You are all we have left. Please Dad just wake up. We want you to be there for our high school graduation. We want you there when we graduate college. We want mom there to but the good Lord had other plans. It was her time to go. I understand that but you are still here for a reason. I think that's because you are needed here on earth with us." Adam said his voice a little choked up.
     
I have never heard or seen Adam cry. He has always hid his feelings. He was the one that was always held together. I thought about comforting him but thought better of it. If he wants to hide his feelings then I guess he should be able to. So I closed my eyes and went back to sleep.
    
"Alissa. Come on wake up. You don't need to be late for school." Adam said waking me up. I stood and stretched trying to ignore my brothers bloodshot eyes. I walked to the closest and grabbed my overnight night bag and went into the bathroom to change.
    
As I pulled on my white blouse and my blue jeans I began to wonder. I hadn't seen Adam at school since the accident. I always wrote it off as he was somewhere else. But now I think that he has stopped going to school to work. So after I put on my tennis shoes I went to talk to him.
    
"Adam! Hey, wait up." I called following him to the parking lot.
    
"What's up?" He asked when I caught up.
   
"I wanted to ask you a question. I know that you drop me off at school and pick me up. But do you actually stay at school?" I asked as we got into the car.
    
"I was wondering when you would ask me that question. But no I don't stay at school. I haven't since the accident. There is no reason. I work all day because we need the money. How did you think I make at least 300 dollars a week? It's not of the afternoon." Adam said kind of mad.
    
"I'm sorry for asking. It's just that you always had big plans for the future. Did you just throw them away?" I ask not able to hold the question back.
    
"No. I just put them on hold for a while. When you graduate ill get my GED. But until then you just worry about yourself. Not me. Ill be fine." Adam said parking the car in the spot and waited for me to get out. Once I did he drove away. I turned and started walking towards the door.
   
"Ali! Wait up!" Bella shouted getting off the bus and running toward me. I stopped and waited for her. "Hey. I wanted to know if you were going to the dance tomorrow." Bella asked.
    
"Um. I actually didn't know about the dance. And nobody has asked me to go. So probably not." I answered watching her face fall.
    
"Oh. Well nobody asked me either but I thought maybe we could go. But I understand if you are needed somewhere else. I also have the perfect dress for you." Bella said.
    
"So you want to play dress up your best friend? Because that's what I'm getting from this conversation. Okay just one question. Does this cost money?" I asked knowing that if it did I wouldn't be able to go.
    
"No. I was given two tickets and that is the way we get in and how we get the food." Bella said as we put our stuff on our table and making our way to breakfast.
    
"Fine. I'll go if I can get off of work. But that is a big if." I said even though I knew if I asked my boss- Bella's dad- he would let me take off.
     
"Good it is all taken care of. Come to my house tomorrow at about five the dance starts at eight." Bella said as the bell rang and we went our separate ways for the day.

-The Dance-
    
At four-thirty I went to Bella's house. As I knocked on the door I thought that I was probably making a big mistake. Just as I started to turn to leave the front door was pulled open. "Ali!" Bella screamed grabbing my arm and pulling through her house up the stairs and into her room.
    
"Bells. I'm going to set a few ground rules. First-" I started but she interrupted me.
    
"Ali. Don't you remember the only rule for this room? Well in case you don't it is under no circumstances will there be other rules. You do remember that right?" Bella asked in a tone that could mostly describe her personality-  icy. I nodded and just closed my eyes as she handed me a dress that I didn't want to see.
    
I stripped out of my shirt and jeans. I kept my eyes closed even as I pulled on the very soft dress. "Ali. You look amazing. Maybe you would let me do your makeup?" She half asked me. I opened my eyes and looked at her hopeful face and gave a short nod. She squealed and ran into her bathroom to get the makeup. "Hang on. I'm going to get dressed." Bella said and shooed me out of the room.
     
By the time we were ready to go it was almost eight. Bella had coated my face with makeup as well as her own. "Um. Bella? Why is everyone staring at us?" I asked.
    
"Because we look amazing." Bella said as we made our way to the food table on the other end of the gym.
   
Once we ate, Jared asked Bella to dance so I just went and stood in the sidelines. "Hi. I don't believe that we have met. I'm Daniel. I thought that maybe you would like to dance." Daniel said holding out his hand.
    
"Why not? I'm Alissa by the way." I said placing my hand in his. I allowed him to lead me through the dance. "You're a nice dancer." I commented.
    
"Thanks. You aren't to bad yourself. By the way you look amazing." He said as the song came to an end and my cell rang.
   
"I'm sorry I have to take this." I said when I recognized the hospitals number. But then the phone stopped ringing but there was a voicemail. I opened it.
    
"Alissa it's Adam. Don't worry dad is fine. I just wanted to let you know that I would be here tonight. If it is okay with Bella could you have her bring you here?" Then there was the beep signaling the end of the message. Then Bella approached me.
    
"Ali. It's time to go." She said pulling me toward the door. Once outside she got in the car and drive me straight to the hospital. I looked at her curiously. "Adam called." Was her explanation. I got out of the car and waved.