MY NAME WAS RAYNE GREER

1: It's okay. Even the sky cries.

It has been 2 minutes 17 seconds...18...19.

It has been 6 minutes 31 seconds since the phone rang first.

It has been 31 minutes 2 seconds since my dad left work,

an hour since I came home from school,

16 hours since I turned 17,

3 days since I had a big fight with my dad,

4 weeks since I broke up with my boyfriend,

7 months since school started,

11 years since my mother left,

It has been 3 minutes since I found out my dad had been in an accident.

It has been 3 minutes since I moved.

It has been 3 minutes since I collapsed to the floor

3 minutes since I started crying

3 minutes since my world had come crumbling down.

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Is this how it feels to have your heart break? The indescribable pain radiating from my chest, the huge lump in my throat, salty tears stinging at my lip, Is this how it's supposed to feel?

My hands find themselves tangled in my hair, pulling, trying to yank myself out of this torn state. It's too real, I hate it, the pain, it makes things too real. My stomach feels heavy as I stand, my stomach empties all over the wooden clad hallway floor.
A voice coming from the phone lying on the floor breaks me from my trance.

"Miss Greer, are you there? Miss Greer?" My shaking hand reaches for the phone that had skidded to the front door. "Miss Greer?" I put the phone to my ear slowly with deep breaths, knowing that I need to calm down.
"Y-Yes" My voice sounds pathetic and quiet, I'm surprised the nurse can hear me.
"Miss Greer, your father was in a car accident, you are the emergency contact on his phone, is there anyone we can call for you" With those words, my mind flashes to images of my mother, a clear reminder that my dad is the only family I have.
"No, no, how is he? which hospital is he in?" I'm panicked and worried, I can't be without him.
" He has been taken into surgery at St Lewis' hospital, can you get here?" I almost breathed a sigh in relief when I heard her, St Lewis' was the main hospital in our little town, only 2 miles away from my house, I knew I could get there fast enough.
"I'll be there soon" I quickly hung up the phone and threw it back on the floor, I didn't have time to clean up my mess or even put my shoes on as I sprinted out of the door down the pavement. I didn't take time to look for cars as I ran across the roads. The bitter, cold winds of March bit at my skin, it only pushed me faster. I'm sure I looked hysterical to anyone watching from their houses or cars, running barefoot with a tear-streaked face but I really didn't care, I needed to get to him.
Running was easy for me, I enjoyed it; sprinting, cross country, competitions, I had always run with my dad in the mornings, '5k every day' he always said. I'm extremely grateful for it now though because I made it to the hospital in less than 8 minutes, I would be ecstatic if not for the circumstances.
As soon as I was hit by the warm blast of air, the fear that running seemed to wash away, flooded back at full force. My heavy breathing and dishevelled appearance seemed to have gained the attention of the women at the desk. I could feel the people in the waiting room staring at me, some with confusion, some with sad understanding. One of the nurses at the front desk seemed to know who I was as she jogged to me and started leading me down the hall.
"Miss Greer," she said with pity laced in her voice, "Your father is still in surgery, he has a cracked skull, several broken bones and a punctured lung," I choked out a sob" I know this must be a difficult time, but while I get you some clothes to change into, I need you to think of someone to call for you, Is that okay?" I nodded, not really listening, he was going to die, my Papi was going to die.
I don't know how long I sat there, staring into space, I couldn't tell you what I thought about, I was locked in place watching the white walls, oblivious to the doctors and patients walking past with broken arms or bleeding heads.

This morning, I couldn't have imagined that I would be spending my seventeenth birthday sitting on a hard blue chair outside of a hospital surgery room, waiting on news of my father. My mind wandered through memories of today. Waking up at 5 am this morning to get ready for our run before school, slipping on my trainers and waiting for my dad. He came downstairs with the widest grin on his face, with open arms he pulled me to his chest, whispering " Happy Birthday Princess". We hadn's spoken for 3 days because he wouldn't let me go to a party saying 'Rayne, it's a school night and I don't trust those kids'. I walked up to my room and slammed the door, I never told him that he was right, that the party was busted by the police and most were arrested for drinking, I would never admit to him how many times he saved me from getting in trouble or giving up.

I didn't realise how much I loved talking to him until those three days had passed and he hugged me this morning.

I never realised how much I loved our runs together,

how much I loved seeing his proud eyes when I beat him home,

I never realised how much I loved him until a man dressed in splattered blue scrubs came out of the surgery room, looked me straight in the eyes and said: "I'm sorry Miss Greer, there was nothing else we could do."

I tried to hold back the tears that were threatening to spill because that would make all of this real. It would mean that I was alone. It was only when one of the nurses came out of the dreaded room and knelt in front of me that I even acknowledged anyone since I got here. She wiped a stray tear from my cheek and whispered, "It's okay Rayne, Even the sky cries". After that, I let the tears for my father run free.

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A/N
Okay, so this is the first book that I'm writing. So I'm sorry if there are any mistakes, please let me know because this is all unedited.
I really hope that anyone who reads this enjoys and let me know what you think, it would be really appreciated.

-El