Downpour - sequel to Dark Storms

13

13

I woke up in another hospital bed. Man, you'd think I'd remember that I'd always end up back here. "Erika?" I turned my head to see my brother sat in a damp red shirt. "Dan... What are you doing here?" "Natalia told me what was happening and I thought you'd need someone to cry on. But instead I found you at the bottom of a pool. " I thought for a minute before speaking again. "You saved me?" "I wasn't going to just let my sister die." "But you can't swim?" "I've learned. Mom made me after we heard what happened to you miss." I stayed quiet and started looking out the window. I looked down at the paved streets as Daniel spoke. "Are you even listening?" I slowly turned my head to him. I shook my head no and turned to the window again. "Erika. When I found out about what you've been going through I drove up. And when I saw you at the bottom of that pool... it took me back." "Back to when?" He sighed and sat down in a chair next to me. "To when I was depressed." "Wait.. you were depressed? When?" "Around our birthday last year. When I realized that I just might lose my sister. It was actually when you were going in for surgery. Around that time I was really depressed. I was about to lose the only person who really understood me. At least that's what my mind kept telling me. I had thoughts of suicide, Er. When I saw you at the pool I knew what was going through your mind. I had almost lost you once, I'm not losing you. Ever." I smiled at him sniffing since he'd got me crying. "We're gonna get you through all of this. Okay?" I nodded and sighed.

S h a w n

I laid in my bunk on the bus scrolling through my timeline when I saw my indirects pick up. This wasn't normal.

"An 17 year old graduate was addmitted to a Ontario hospital after being saved by her twin brother. She had attempted to drown herself in the neighborhood pool. Reports are coming in that it is a role model for teen girls and a dilema has been sparked because of this attempt. '@ShawnMendes SHAWN I THINK ITS ERIKA'"

I kept scrolling down reading reports from an Ontario source until I got to the local station. I watched the video on the story.

"Last night an emergency call was made by a 17 year old boy regarding his twin sister. 'Hi, my sister, she just tried to commit suicide by drowining herself.' 'Okay, where are you located honey?' " They bleeped out the personal information which didn't help. " 'I'm pretty sure she's unconsious, but she's barely breathing.' 'Okay, I'm sending help now, stay on the phone, alright? Don't hang up. Are you familiar with the area?' 'No I drove up to come visit her and my dad I have not a real clue where we are.' 'Okay, just stay put help is on the way.' Both seventeen year olds where taken to an Onatario hospital where the victim is getting treatment. She is currently being treated for depression and is recovering slowly."

I sighed as the video ended and checked my messages. I had gotten a text from Erika. I jumped and sat up reading it.

"Don't get too excited. This is Daniel. I'm currently sat in my sister's room watching her stare blankly out a window. It's really damn scary to see this Shawn. She's not herself. I know that she might hate me for this but I need to you to come up. She tried to commit suicide and I feel like she needs you. None of us are helping but when she's sleeping she starts crying. She wakes up half asleep crying and I am always stuck comforting her and holding her. She always mumbles the same thing though, "I need him. I need him. I need him so much." I always ask her who and she looks up at me. "Shawn?" I ask. She nods. Every. Single. Night. She falls asleep and forgets about it the next morning. Or chooses to forget about it. She's depressed Shawn. She needs you."

I was crying. Hell, I'm pretty emotional but this got me full on crying. She didn't want to live anymore. But everyone else did. I slid off my mattress of my bunk and headed to Ed's bunk. He was asleep and I opened the curtain. "What the hell Shawn?" "I need to get to Canada. Now."

E r i k a

I woke up the next morning, still in the hospital, and picked up my phone. I unlocked it and opened twitter. I quickly tweeted, "I can't go anywhere, I can't do anything, I can't close my eyes without you being in my dreams. Baby I see you." I locked my phone and set it back down and culed under the covers looking at the floor. I quickly saw the familiar lettering and title. I picked the book up and looked at the contents. "When you just want to give up." I opened the book to that page and started reading.

"Don't give up. Erika I know you probably want to and think there's nothing else to go for. Whatever is going on I promise you it's going to pass. If I've fucked up just know that I'm sorry. I fuck up. I'm human. You fuck up. You're human. Everyone fucks up. We're human. Most of us at least. It's just like shitting. Everyone does it. But not everyone wants to accept it. I'm accepting what I've done and I'm sorry. It probably is something small but means a lot to you and I'm so sorry baby. But do me one favor before you go and do what you are planning. Look down at your left hand, your ring finger. You made a promise to me. And that promise is broken if you're gone. Don't do this to me. Don't do this to Daniel. Your mom and dad and Natalia and Adam and Destiny and Frankie and everyone. Your doctors. You've fought through fucking cancer (I hope.) you can fight through this. I'm going to fight by you no matter our position. Because Erika Wheeler I am in love with you. I am in love with you and there's no fucking way I could lie about that. I'm not Ansel Elgort, or Luke Hemmings or some hot guy. I'm me. And you're you. And I am in love with you. And you've taken it upon yourself to give me the chance to love you when you know that you have numbered days. You are taking a risk with me. And I couldn't be any happier. But just listen to me. I love you. No matter what. I'm not bullshitting you on this Erika. I'm not like that. You can do what you want about me but hear me on this. I. Hold. On. And I'm never letting go of you. No matter what you do. I'm going to be so upset if you leave me but I made a promise to you and I intend on keeping it. No matter what. Damn I say that a lot. So coming back to the original reason this exists. Don't give up.

We love you.

I love you."

"So you're finally reading it?" My eyes widened at the sound. I looked up and saw brown eyes looking back at me. Brown hair covered by a reversed baseball cap, a familiar maroon OBEY hoodie, jeans, and sneakers. And the smile that would fix my broken heart. "Shawn."