Before You Know It

Chapter 27

"Hey Anne?"

I heard her voice whisper and I slowly looked to meet Jan's face. She finally stopped crying but her eyes were still wide and spacing off.

"I have to go get the boys. John is gonna stay here with you."

"No, it's okay. John can go with you. I don't need to be watched."

I feel like she heard the underlying reason of what I was saying. I wanted to be alone with her.

"Okay. We'll be back in no more than an hour." She ruffled my hair and walked out the door.

I sat in the chair for minutes in silence. My body aches when I moved because I've been in the same position for awhile. Unmoving.

Taking her hand in mine felt weird. Hers usually held so much strength to be able to hold the both of us. Her hair was flat against her head and when I brushed the stray hairs away she didn't move. Her eyes weren't open and shining. Her smile wasn't wide and bright.

"Mom?" I whispered.

But who am I kidding? She can't hear me.

I sigh and let go of her hand. When I walked out the door I almost didn't notice the person sitting out there.

"Jake?"

He peeked his head up off his knuckles and looked at me.

"What are you doing here?" I questioned.

He stood up and faced me. Gently, he placed his hand on my cheek and I leaned into the warmth and tenderness of it.

"I couldn't leave you." Jake slowly leaned down and placed a tender kiss on my forehead. "And Soph and Sean didn't leave either. They just swung by your house to grab you some clothes and they're picking up dinner."

I stared up into his eyes, "What did I do to deserve all of you guys?" I whispered.

His eyes softened as he looked at me, as if that was even possible.

"Oh, Anne." He pushes a strand of my hair behind my ear, "we are the luckiest people to have you."

"But it's not the same."

"And how exactly is it not the same?" He inched up an eyebrow at me.

"I feel like you guys are always there for me. I don't deserve it."

"And you think you aren't here for us?" He paused and stared at me. "In case you forgot your best friend, Sophie, lives with you because she left home. You punched her bully in the face in front of the whole school. You took care of her when she needed it the most."

"You were there for Sean when you were kids. You led him to Sophie and you taught him to love himself so he can love her."

"And with me, you taught me how to love. You taught me that I could be myself with someone and not have to hide behind a facade. You, Anne, made me realize I wasn't truly living until I had you in my life. Because now since you came into my life I got rid of toxic friends who wouldn't have accepted me for me, and now I can say I have two more friends that see the real me and like it."

He rubbed his thumb over my cheek.

"So please don't say you aren't there for us. Because you're there for me everyday when I get to look into your eyes that I love so much. And hearing your laugh brings me joy. Having you around keeps my heart beating. You are what I live for."

I stared at him, it's all I could seem to do. That is until I felt the wet warmth fall from my eyes and spill down my cheeks one by one.

Jake instantly pushes my face into his chest and rubbed my back gently. I sat like that for a couple of minutes as the quiet sobs escaped me.

I don't understand what's happening. I'm so confused. What did she do to deserve this?

Soph and Sean showed up about ten minutes later with a bag in hand full of clothes and necessities and another full of food.

"We brought Taco Bell." Sean said with a wide smile.

"Aw you do love me." I said with a small smile.

"Nothing less for you, Annie." He plopped down in the chair next to me as Sophie followed behind him.

"Two for you m'lady." He smacked two Doritos locos tacos in my hand and I felt my mouth water. "And two for you my other lady." Sean handed her the burritos.

"And three for you Jakey-poo." He had a huge smirk on his face when he said that as he placed Jake's tacos in his hand.

"Dude, you did not just call me that."

"Oh yes I did." Sean's grin widened.

I looked over at Jake's look of disgust at the nickname, "It'll be okay. You'll learn to deal with it because he will never stop."

Hours later and that sweet moment in the halls of the hospital with my friends and boyfriend seemed like years ago. I was sitting on the couch with my legs stretched across it as Jace's body was curled up onto my lap. His red hair rested on my chest and I could head his light breathing.

My butt was beginning to become numb at the pressure I was putting on it in this uncomfortable couch. But I wouldn't dare move, moving meant waking up Jace and I'd never do that.

I leaned my head down into his hair and looked out the window. The stars were high and bright above us. Somethings that appear so small and yet they're ginormous.

We're just a small fragment of existence. Just a little speck on the huge map. But the weird thing is, it felt like my whole world was falling apart right here, right now in front of my eyes.