Dream Haunters(NaNoWriMo2014)

Chapter 3: Eloise

Mum came. She was very, very late. She arrived at the hospital at 10:00 PM, when Lacey was brought to the hospital at nearly 11:00 AM. She felt so bad about being late. She said she went out shopping, but you could tell she was lying. One, when does a shopping trip take 11 hours? And two, Mum is a terrible liar. So, I question her, "Mum, where were you really?" she starts nervously playing with her fingers. "Mum?" 

"Uh...er...I was babysitting our...neighbours! Yes! Our neighbours kids!" says Mum. I raised my eyebrows. 

"You mean the neighbours kid." I correct her.

"Oh...um, yes." she says.

"Whats this kid's name?" I ask. My Mum bites her lip, so I let this one slip. Where Mum went, I don't know. Why Mum was lying, I have no idea. We stand in silence outside of Lacey's room. Mum stares down the long hallway, blinking back tears. The hospital brings back memories for both of us. Terrible ones. "Oh, Brad," she whispers. Suddenly, something in my mind clicks. "Mum," I mumble, thinking my idea through, trying to decide if this will break Mum's heart, or heal something insides Mum's hearrt. "Why don't we visit Dad!" Mum's face goes as pale as snow, and I think I broke something in her heart, which is definitely not what I was aiming for. "Only if you want to." I add quickly. My Mum stays still without saying a word. 

"Mum?"

"But-but he's in a co-coma," mutters Mum. Now she's just making excuses not to see Dad! But the question is, why wouldn't she want to see Dad.

"Mum, do you know what we could do? We could visit Dad! We see Dad! We could be near Dad," I say. "please, Mum. I want to see Daddy." I'm pleading now, but I don't care. I really want to see my Dad. My Daddy. It would make my day! It would make my life!

Mum is now a sickly green, now. Well, I guess if she's gonna get sick, I guess this is the right place to do it.

"I guess." whispers Mum.

"Pardon?" I say, just for fun. 

"I guess." says Mum a bit more louder and firmer.

"Say it a bit louder, please." I smile. This is actually quite cruel of me. SHe's under so much stress. Trying to keep calm- for me- and to deal with Lacey's injury. Me causing trouble is just adding more stress to her already mountain of stress.

"I. Guess." she shouts. 

"Really? Why didn't you say so?" I say, pulling her arm as she sighs and put her hand to her forehead. "Come on!"

I literlally drag her down the stairs. I really need to see Dad. And if Mum knows whats good for her, she needs to see Dad more than me. When we reach the front desk, the Lady there is glances at me disgustingly. "Is she sick?" She rudely asks, staring in to her computer screen.

I shake my head. "No. Just extremely depressed."

The Lady nodded her head slowly, still a disgusted look on her face. "Hmm, right." She continues to look in to her computer screen. 

"Uh, I need your help." I say, annoyed at this Ladies behaviour. The Lady snorts.

"What do you need?"

"I want to visit Brad Williams."

"He's in a coma."

"I know."

"No friends are aloud to visit."

"I'm not a friend."

"Then what are you?"

"Family." The Lady checks a piece of paper beside her, and stands herself up. She's quite tall, towering above me and Mum. Well, maybe not towering above Mum, but towering above me.

"It doesn't say anything about family, I guess," sighs The Lady. "Come on, this way." I am surprised she let us see Dad, because she's being so grumpy. 

The Lady leads us down a twisty, turny hallway. Mumm lays her head on my shoulder, moaning and limping. And walking very, very slowly. Whatever's wrong with Mum right now, it is definitely effecting her legs. The Lady sends us up some spiraling stairs. When we reach the top of the stairs, she stops. There's a door and on it there's a sign that says "West Wing. Do Not Enter." Mum turns to look at the Lady, and for the first time in this whole entire half an hour trip, speaks loud and clear. "It says "Do Not Enter." Why?" The Lady turns to Mum with a small smirk on her face. "This is where all the people with that are very sick stay," she says. "or have been in the hospital for longer than a year. There's barely anyone here since it rarely happens." Dad definitely belongs here. He's been here longer than anybody in any of the rooms, I bet. The Lady pulls out a key, out of her pocket, and gently places it in the key hole on the door. When the door opens, I find that the West Wing is nothing like the others. There's no nurses hurrying around, pushing patients in wheelchairs. In fact there is no patients. The Lady walks forward then turns to look at us. She brushes a bit of blond hair out of her eyes. She gestures for us to follow her, and Mum and I do. I don't have to hold Mum up anymore, which is a relief. A huge relief for my back especially. So, since I don't have to support Mum, I rush up to The Lady. I realize there's a question nagging me. "Whats your name?" I realize that I should stop calling The Lady, "The Lady." "Mine?" she asks. I nod. "My name is Eloise." Eloise smiles. We come to a halt at door "199," that is literally at the end og the hall. Eloise looks at me. "You ready?" She asks. "This is not goning to be the prettiest sight to you." I look in to her eyes, confused. "What do you mean?" I ask. 

"You'll see," she says. "You'll see if you want to come in."

"I do."

"Brace yourself." Eloise says, opening the door.

On the hospital bed lays Dad.