Paradise [HIATUS]

chapter thirty-seven

- Aaliyah -

"He's my brother! What else am I meant to fucking do!"

Matt just shook his head and screamed back, "He's a fucking dick! THAT'S WHY SHE'S IN A COMA! THAT'S WHY KAREN'S DEAD. THAT'S WHY WE'RE FIGHTING RIGHT NOW!"

I shook slightly and his mood changes immediately, he wraps his arms around me, "I'm sorry, Aali."

"It's okay, it's fine." A 6th sense type of thing floods through me, "he's hurting, he's hurting, Matt."

I began to panic, "Sh, shh, come on. Let's go find him, we'll help him."

- Shawn -

I watch her body, thousands of wires attached to her. At this point, I feel nothing. I'm being forced to go back on tour, I can't leave her though, what if she goes whilst I'm away? I sob, but stopping as I hear a soft voice, "Shawn?" I look at Echo. But she's still asleep.

I turn and see my mom, "Mom?"

"Hey," she smiles, "come here, you're hurting. Don't worry about me, I'm not going anywhere."

I stand up and touch her, she's solid. She's not part of my imagination. "What happened? How are you here?"

She sighs, "This is what I was worried about. Shawn, when I died. I passed out, my heart stopped and they said I was dead. But I was still breathing, technically."

I then hear soft breathing noises, and panicked whimpers, I turn and see Echo with her eyes open and she's shaking, lots.

"Echo," I whisper, suddenly bursting out into tears, "darling... you're.... alive."

Doctors and nurses run in, I walk up to one of them, "Is she okay? What's gonna happen to her?"

"She's fine, the coma has worn off and the chemo and radiotherapy has worked well, her hair is gonna start growing back in the next few days. We've received a wig donation from a girl called Sabrina, you know her?"

"Yes, she's my sister-in-law."

"Great, we'll call her now so she can get here as soon as possible."