Collide

CHAPTER TWENTY SIX - EMERGENCY

I held onto my mother's lifeless body with all the strength I had left in my body. I didn't want to let go, for I knew that letting go meant accepting that she was no longer in there. Everything went incredibly fast, and it was impossible for me to wrap my mind around the fact that someone killed my mother, one of the purest human beings on this planet.

"I love you so much mom, please live," I cried, as I hugged her unresponsive body. The tears never ceased to fall from my eyes, I was completely helpless, there was nothing that could bring my mother back. "I love you," I repeated once again, rocking her back and forth as I kept on crying in the crook of her neck.

"H—honey," I heard my dad's voice, and looked in his direction. "I—I need h—help," he whimpered, and his face was paler than the last time I looked at him.

"Dad," I whispered looking in his direction. I quickly looked down, one last time, to my mother's face. I laid a kiss on her forehead, and delicately put her down. My whole body was shaking, but I found the strength to run back to my father, certainly thanks to the adrenaline. I put his head on my lap, and helped him apply pressure on his wound. He winced in pain, "I'm s—so sorry, dad. This is all my fault," I sobbed. With the back of my hand, I wiped my wet face, not realizing that my hands and arms were covered in blood. My parents'.

"It's n—not your fault," my father said, and gulped painfully.

"I saw everything! I—I saw what would happen! I could have saved you!" I yelled in frustration, still applying pressure on my dad's wound. "If I didn't say a damn thing, you w—would have stayed home and t—they wouldn't have come in the house!" I stammered, I was in an obvious state of shock.

"W—we don't know that," he said in a barely audible voice. "You wanted t—to save us, y—you," he stopped as he started to cough violently, "you tried. Sometimes you c—can't go against fate."

"This is not your time, this can't be your fate! Mom can't be gone! And you—you're gonna be alright, okay? You're going to live! The ambulance is on its way here, hold on, dad, please!"

"Hayley, l—listen to me," my father asked me, and took my hand in his bloody one. His glassy eyes looked deep into mine, as a tear fell from his left one. "You are the best thing that's e—ever happened to m—me and your m—mother," he broke down crying at the mention of my mother, and I cried along with him, to the last tear I could shed.

"Don't say goodbye to me, please dad, I—I need you," I begged him, but he was having a hard time to stay awake. His eyes closed frequently, but the sound of my voice seemed to be the thing he held on to. "You're a f—fighter! You're the one who taught me to fight, so you need to fight for your life, to stay alive, for me, okay? I can't loose you too, p—please dad, please," I applied more pressure on his bloody wound. The blood wouldn't stop flowing from it, no matter how hard I pushed.

"Promise me," he whimpered, as he squeezed my hand, "p—promise me you'll graduate from s—school, and—" he coughed again, but this time he had blood in his mouth, which made me shed even more tears, as I was witnessing my dad's final moments, "—and that you'll be c—careful. T—take care of Grams."

"Why does this sound like you're saying goodbye to me? The ambulance is on it's way, t—they're coming!"

"I don't hurt anymore. It's time to say goodbye, s—sweetie," he whispered, his breathing becoming more shallow. "I love you, p—please love me f—forever. Promise me."

"I promise you," I murmured, as I took him in my arms and hugged him tightly. I broke down crying, as I laid a kiss on my father's forehead. "You'll always be my hero. I love you so much."