Crystal Clear Lake

Chapter 9

Hi guys! So so so sorry for not updating in a while. I have been really busy with school and homework. I also had exams a while ago, so I've been really busy. And to make things a whole lot better... My wifi cut off at home. So I couldn't publish at home. So sorry guys. But yay! Now it's published. Enjoy. :)

I hate hospitals. I hate walking through the plain, pale corridors, walking past all the rooms of slowly dying people, people who cough and cough till they cough up blood, and women with their newly born, screaming babies, or sitting on those uncomfortable rough plastic chairs, waiting, waiting, waiting anxiously for the news about wether or not your brother broke his leg, or if your aunt has cancer of if the little girl who you hit accidentally when you were driving is 'ok.' A young nurse walks through the doors of the waiting room and whispers to a woman sitting anxiously with her son. She bursts into tears and follows the nurse out the door, holding her son tightly in her arms.
I stare at the clock, wishing that time would go faster.
Jack's mother creeps through the door, holding Angie's hand behind her. Angie lets go and runs to me, I bend down and pick her up in my arms, cradling her shaking body.
"Is Jack... ok?" She asks in between her sobs.
"He's going to be alright." The words fall out before I could think about it.
A nurse comes in and leads Sally, Jack's mother out the two blue doors leading to all the patient's rooms.
"How do you know?" Angie asks, looking into my eyes.
"Because, your mom didn't cry when the nurse spoke to her."
Angie hugs me again, squeezing tight, clinging on my neck.
I walk over to a seat and sit down with Angie still clinging onto me.
Ten minutes pass and Angie has been through all the kids books and sits on the ground, galloping a white horse along the blue carpet. A door opens and I jerk my head to the door to see Stella walk in. Her eyes lock with mine for a few seconds, seeing pain in her eyes. She leads in a frail looking woman with ragged black hair and dark creases under her eyes. The woman shares so many similarities with Stella, except, Stella's nose is smaller and Stella's hair is straight, whereas the woman has thick curls. The woman falls and Stella struggles to catch her, nurses running to her, helping her up. Stella talks to a nurse while the others take the woman through the dark, blue doors. A tear escapes her eye when the nurse walks away, but she quickly wipes it away. She looks in my direction but I quickly look away. Half of me wants to storm over to her, questioning her about how she always seems to be wherever I am and how she vanishes so quickly, but then the other half of me wants to go over there and talk about other stuff, avert her attention from the frail woman.
"Nick?" A soft voice appears beside me, "I'm sorry." Stella says softly. "I truly am."
"Sorry for what?" I ask, confused.
"You're friend."
"How do you know?" I ask, how does she know?
"Well, she-" she points at Angie "- is obviously not your sister, because I see no similarities, but yet, you are looking after her, and holding her in your arms like she's your sister, so I realized it is obviously your friend's sister." She says avoiding her eyes from reaching mine.
"Oh. Well, I'm sorry too."
"Why?"
"Because, that woman you were with looks like your mother. Why aren't you with her?" I ask.
The blue doors open, and I jerk my head towards it to see Jack's mother standing at the door. She waves her hand towards her, and waits.
"Sorry. I got to go."
"See you around" she says.
"Yea, see you around." I say, standing up with Angie in my arms.
"Uh.. Nick?" Stella says.
"Yea?" I say, turning around.
"She dropped this." She says, holding up the white horse.
"Oh.. Uh.. It's not hers." I say.
"She can have it. It used to be mine. I left it here long ago by accident... So.. She can have it!" She grabs my hand it shoves it in my palm.
"Nick!? Come on!" Jacks mother calls.
"Thanks."I say as I walk to the dark, blue doors.