Soul Song

Epilogue

They all sat in the hospital room, waiting for her to wake. Her mother, Laurel, was a little beat up, but they were hit on the passenger side. Someone ran a red light and hit them, or at least that's what they were told by the police on their way to the hospital. Laurel couldn't remember, she just knew that she had to hold on to Allie that, somehow, she could keep her in this world, grasping onto her, not letting her get away.

When all of the rest of them made it to the hospital, Ace broke down. She couldn't stand to see her best friend like this. John couldn't come in the room. After all he'd seen his sister go through, now this? Everything seemed to be hitting them all like a train, but especially Allie. Everything was happening to her and there was nothing that they could do about it.

Jackson was one who always had to fix everything. No matter what was going on, he always felt like there was some way he could fix it and it was killing him that this wasn't the same.

Hunter was in a state of shock and regret. He realized that he was always picking around with everybody, but did he ever really get to know Allie? Were all his jokes just blocking out his friends and how they truly were? In this moment, that is what haunted him the most. The truth was, Allie always loved that he made a joke of everything, especially through all this mess she'd been through. When he joked with her, it made her feel like she was still healthy and normal. When Hunter wasn't joking, something was terribly wrong. This was one of those times.

Keaton loved Allie and wanted her to come back to them but not only because she was his friend. He wanted her to come back for Ace. He wasn't sure he knew how to take care of Ace without Allie there. Once they all got John in the room with them, they sat around her bed, each with one hand laid on her, and hoped, prayed, that she would make it. They were all terrified in their own way of what life would be like without her.

They all silently told each other, through glances, that she was going to come out of the coma and she'd be fine. Yes, she would still be sick, but at least they would have her longer. While they were sitting there, Hunter noticed how Allie looked. She was so thin from being sick but she was also beat all to pieces by the wreck. He had to look down. He couldn't look at her like this. This wasn't how he wanted to remember her. As he thought that, he wanted to kick himself for thinking this would be the last time he'd see her. Even as he was angry with himself for thinking it though, he knew he couldn't be the only one.

They all sat in the circle, wishing they could each have her for one more second but knowing that soon she'd be gone from either the wreck or the illness. It was only a matter of time. In the stillness of the room, they all felt the silence bearing down on them, suffocating them, watching her leave from under their hands. Then, it was over.

She breathed her last breath.

The heart monitor flat lined.