Only Time Will Tell

Via Text

It's Jade again. It's truly amazes me how quickly a day can turn from perfectly normal to not being able to stop my hands from shaking and tears from rolling down my cheeks. In just seconds, my day was flipped upside down, and for the worse reasons.

I was laying in bed after completing my homework, I stared at the birds chirping outside in my backyard and felt relieved that I completed my science and history projects with ease. Usually projects that came from science had directions impossible to follow and steps that even the straight A student fails miserably. But today Mr. Augustine took it easy on us, too easy in my opinion. Maybe he finally found a wife and knew what feelings were. I thought as I stared off into space, the world around me melting away as I thought about Jake kissing me...

I came back to the real world when I heard a soft ding coming from inside the house. I knew it was my phone, and remembered I had left it in the small pocket of my backpack. I headed to the corner of my room and carefully unzipped the pocket. I retrieved my phone and almost dropped it when I read the notification.

Jake and Emily got in a car crash. Freaking out. Come to nearest hospital, NOW!

Mia had texted me and told me the details, my hand began quivering and I was paralyzed with shock. I just stared at the text, not replying, not moving from the spot on my carpeting. Just then my knock slowly opened and my mom saw my state.

"Honey, what's wrong?" She asked me with a worried voice.

I stood up and hugged her, right then I needed her embrace more than anything. She slowly wrapped her arms around me and whispered soft words of encouragement.

"You'll be alright sweety," My mom's soft voice reached my left ear.

"I know I will, but what about Jake?!!"
"What are you talking about?" My mother sounded alarmed. I wasn't the only one who liked Jake. My mother adored the fact that I was friends with a boy, and she agreed that Jake was perfect for me.

"H-he got in a car crash," My voice was barely audible.

"Oh my god, is he alright?" My mom stopped hugging me and stared into the wide eyes desperate for a reply.

"I don't know!" I yelled at her. "If he was okay I wouldn't be crying!"

"Okay!" My mother sounded hurt, but deep in her heart she knew what I was going through and forgave me. "Let's go visit him."

***

The ride was short and after we entered the lobby, I found Mia, Kendra, Jasper, and a few other classmates sitting in the waiting chairs, shocked and depressed looks on their faces. It seemed everyone knew way before I did. I walked over to Jasper assuming he would know the most about the accident. He looked up and I noticed a tear rolling down his cheek and Kendra held his hand for comfort.

"How is he?" I asked, my voice shaking.

Jasper only looked down and his face became more full of tears. He was in a much worse condition than I was. I thought as I looked up to Kendra for a reply.

"I don't know, he hasn't woken up yet," Kendra said in a low voice. She sounded really sad at the fact but not as hurt as everyone else.

The waiting room was silent, and tension filled the air. Everyone looked down or looked up, praying that Jake and Emily would be alright. Everyone's heads turned a different direction when they heard slow, heavy footsteps coming from the hallway leading to the hospital beds.

"Is it the doctor?" Someone I did not recognize asked.
"Maybe he's walking so slow because he's reluctant to tell such a big crowd bad news," A classmate in my third period said, her head drooping once more.

"Don't think that way Alice. He'll be alright. I know Jake's strengths. He will pull through." Tyler told the girl, something that was not common in this room was in his voice, hope.

I turned once more to the thin hallway and saw a long shadow cast in the waiting room. It was the shadow of a man. Some students murmured in confusion.

"I thought the doctor was a girl," Kendra said casting a worried glance at the hallway then back to our faces.

"It must not be the doctor," I said, chiming into the worryful conversation.

Just then someone came into view, someone who no one expected to have his eyes open let alone walk. His face covered in bruises and dried blood, a lightly stained blue gown covering his body, Jake walked into the room.
"W-where is she?" He asked us expectantly, shock in his expression.

"Sir, you shouldn't be up, I'll guide you back to your room," A nurse filed through the anxious students and took Jake's arm, pulling him away. I bet any other day Jake would have enough strength to escape her grasp, but now it looked as if it took a tremendous amount of effort to take one step let alone fight off a full grown woman.

"NO!" Jake wailed as he disappeared from view. "PLEASE, I NEED TO KNOW ABOUT EMILY!" His yelling grew softer as he reluctantly walked down the hallway back to where he had first awoken.

The room was filled once again with shocked expressions, then an awkward silence as the doctor stood by the doorway, glancing back and forth, probably not expecting such a big crowd this early.

"Everyone, Emily is okay. You may go visit her when you feel comfortable to," She said in a calm assertive voice.

"What about Jake?" Jasper asked, troubled.

"We put him back to sleep," The doctor replied. "He didn't get enough rest to heal properly," After that the doctor walked down the hallway, her heels clickety clacking; interrupting the stillness that came in waves, washed over us, making me drown.