In This Moment

Chapter 12: Endings

I woke up the next morning in my pajamas and in my own bed. I had a pounding headache and I was crazy thirsty. I went downstairs to grab some water and an Advil. The house was quiet, almost too quiet. Daddy Nick and Daddy Will should have been there since neither of them had work or a workout to do today.

            I ran upstairs to see if Collin was home, but he was nowhere to be seen. I began to get really worried, so I went outside to my car and drove to the one place where I thought my family might be. The hospital.

            As I sprinted into the hospital, I was given many strange looks, for I was still in my pajamas. I ran to my brother’s room and saw Amber sitting outside, with tears streaming down her face. Liam sat next to her holding her hand looking as innocent as possible. I noticed he had a black eye and a bruised lip, and when his gaze met mine, he looked down at the ground immediately.

            I pushed through the door trying to ignore the want to slap Liam and saw my family gathered around Sawyer. All of them were crying. Even Collin was in hysterics. Everything all sort of happened in slow motion. I heard a few voices, and saw my family begin to leave the room. It was just my little brother and I in the cold room

            “Q, you have got to listen to me,” he strained to say as he reached to hold my hand.

            “You’re going to die aren’t you?” I croaked as tears began to stream down my face.

            He nodded his head slightly. He said, “It has to be this way, Q. I just want to tell you something. In the past month, I have fallen in love with the beautiful girl who is sitting outside my room. The doctors told me I was going to die the week before I met her. Once I started to be with her, I finally realized that I had been dead and was just beginning to be alive. Love has a way of doing that to you. What I’m trying to say here is, I that I want you to be as happy as I was. Go find Elliot and be with him. You can’t deny yourself love, Quinn. I don’t want you be sad when I go. I love you so much little Q, and I will be looking over you. Can you keep an eye out for Collin for me? I have a feeling he’s going to get into a lot of trouble. Don’t you dare cry, Quinn Annabeth Dailey. You were the best thing that ever happened to me. When you and the dads adopted me, it was the happiest day of my life. I will be forever grateful. Maybe I will get to see my real parents in heaven! I can’t wait to tell them all about you, Quinn. Don’t spend your time being sad about me, and go get your prince charming, like the beautiful bitch I know you are. Make good choices.”

            His speech had me laughing and crying at the same time as I said, “You were the best thing that ever happened to me too, Little Man.”

            He smiled, and the grip he had on my hand became a little harder. I heard his heart beat getting slower and slower as a signal for the nurses to come into the room began to ring.

            “Make good choices. I love…” I was interrupted as a long beep sound came from the machine that he was hooked up too.

            “Sawyer? Little Man? Sawyer! Just one more time! Tell me to make good choices or make a funny joke,” I screamed and shook his body.

            The dads rushed into the room along with Collin and Amber. I felt two strong hands rip my sobbing body off of Sawyers lifeless one. I was carried out of the room kicking and screaming.

            “Quinn! Calm down,” the owner of the strong hands said.

            “Don’t touch me!” I screamed. The rough hands felt all too familiar.