heartbeat 4 u

9. ready or not

A week passed, and Leo and Maddi haven't seen each other since that last day. Leo and his family have been busy packing and making arrangements for moving, while all Maddi could do was text him and listen to the music necklace he left her.

"This whole thing just feels like a dream that I could wake up to at any moment. Now the dream's over." Maddi thought for the next few days. She started thinking that when Leo leaves, that they'll forget each other and just have the memories they have together left with each other. For the first week, she lived in a fairytale and believed that they could last in all the years he'd be gone. Then the last week, she woke up to reality and realized that she was daydreaming too much. He was leaving. Yet even though her negativity got the best of her that last week, she still had a little bit of hope left. She decided she wanted to see him once more before he left.

Leo was seriously thinking about Maddi. He didn't want to forget her, so he wanted to see her in person one last time. They were leaving tomorrow, so he immediately got on the next bus towards her area. He couldn't wait to see her.

Her house was just a few blocks away. He started running, excited to see her again. He bought a bouquet of blue roses and white daises on the way. Those were her favorite flowers. He anxiously knocked in the door, hiding the bouquet behind his back. Her mom opened the door.

"Leo!" she said, surprised, "Are you here for Maddi?"

Leo was smiling so big, looking inside to see if she would come down to see him.

"Yes, is she here?"

Her mom looked down a bit.

"I'm sorry she's not here," she said, worried, "she went to see you."

His smile quickly turned to a worried look as he looked down and couldn't believe what happened.

"Thank you, Mrs. Emerson!" he said as he turned around and headed for the bus stop, "I'm gonna try to catch up with her! Bye!" he started running as fast as he could hoping he'd be able to see her.

He couldn't sit still in the bus. He was hoping she was still at his house, so he could see her.

"Mom? Mom!" he called as he entered his house.

Mrs. Davis looked out from the kitchen. "Leo? There you are! Maddi was just here looking for you!"

"Where is she??"

"She left a little while ago. Hurry up so you can catch up to her!"

Leo quickly left and ran to the bus stop to see if she was there. But there weren't any buses driving out anymore.

He took out his phone and tried to call her, but she wasn't answering.

He ran around, looking to see if she was around, but she wasn't.

Then his phone started ringing. He quickly answered it.

"Hello, Maddi??"

"Leo. It's mom. It's getting late, you should come home now."

"But I haven't found Maddi yet!"

"I'm pretty sure she went home already. Leo, we're leaving early tomorrow. You need to get some sleep."

"She's not answering her phone, mom. I think something happened to her." he said as if he was about to cry.

"I'll call Mrs. Emerson to she if she got home. You can look out for her a little while longer. I'll call you back."

"Okay, thanks, mom."

He ran around some more, keeping a sharp eye out for Maddi. He was really worried that something happened to her.

"Maddi!" he called, "Maddi!"

After a while, his mom called him back.

"Leo." she said worriedly, "Maddi's not home. You need to find her."

Now Leo was even more worried. Tears started streaming down his face as he ran everywhere looking for Maddi.

"Maddi, where are you?!"

He felt weakened. He went beside a tree and cried his eyes out. He couldn't find her.

Then, in the silence, he heard a groan. He quickly looked around to see who was there. He was next to a small park, so he checked it out. Maddi was lying on the sand, as if she were dead.

"Maddi!!!" Leo yelled as he rushed to her side. He couldn't help but cry. He tried shaking her to wake her up, but she laid still. In fear, he lifted her up and carried her all the way to his house.

"Maddi..." he said as he looked at her pale face, "Please, wake up."

When he reached his house he yelled for his parents.

"Mom! Dad! I found her! Help me! Something happened to her!"

His parents rushed downstairs and called the ambulance.

When they came, they took her away to the hospital. Leo rode in the car with her. He sat there, never wanting to leave her side. He looked at her, hoping she'd wake up.

"Wake up, Maddi..." He said as tears fell down his face. "Please, wake up."

Her eyes started to slowly open a bit.

His eyes widened when he saw her opening her eyes.

"Maddi? Maddi! You're alive!" He hugged her. "What happened? Are you okay? Do you need water?" he asked in a worried way.

She spake slowly and very softly. "Where..am..I?"

"You're on the way to the hospital. But don't worry, I'm right here."

"Leo..." she smiled at him weakly, "I..I came to..see you."

"I know, I went all the way to your house to see you before I leave, then your parents told me that you left to see me."

She laughed weakly. Leo chuckled a bit then looked at her with sad eyes as they watered up.

She looked up at him. "Don't worry, Leo. I'll be okay." she tried to assure him.
"Oh yeah," he said softly as he remembered something. I bought a bouquet of your favorite flowers," she smiled at him as he tried to look for it. "I must have left them at the park. I'm sorry." he said as he looked down.
"It's alright." she said, still smiling.
He looked deep into her eyes and dropped his head by her shoulder as he held her hand tightly, and silently cried until they reached the hospital.