Forever & Always?

Chapter Sixteen

"Come on let's go," Daniel said, smiling.

"Where are we going?" We ran up a flight of stairs. We walked into a room. The room was huge and one wall consisted of only a large window. Near the window was a tiny bed. Too tiny. However, we managed. We scooted onto the bed and cuddled up to each other, watching the city beneath us.

Beep

Beep

Beep

My alarm sounded. It was a dream. My smile faded. That would have been amazing. I slipped into my jeans and threw a plaid flannel onto my shoulders. I pulled a navy blue sweater over my head and tucked out the collar of the pink and navy blue plaid shirt. I straightened my long red hair and put on as much mascara as I could and quite a bit of foundation. I put on my oversized glasses and my black vans and walked out the door, throwing my bag over my shoulder.

"Come on, slow poke! You're makin' me late. My God, you take forever!" Daniel jokingly yelled to me, his voice cracking on the word forever.

"Shut up!" I yelled back, smiling. I slipped into his car and we drove to school.

At the end of the day Daniel drove me home.

"Wait, stop at my mail box." I had eagerly been waiting for the arrival of my acceptance or denied letter from Stanford. He turned to my curb and stopped in front of the mail box. I got out and opened the mailbox. I shuffled through the multiple bills and flyers.

Marie Canepa

Stanford University

"AHHHHH," I screached. I jumped back into the car, avoiding the snow that was beginning to fall.

"Do you want to do this with your dad?" He asked, as I stared at the sealed envelope.

"No. No I want to do this now."

"Okay," he smiled, waiting for me to open the letter. I ripped it open and pulled out the single sheet of paper.

Marie Canepa,

We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted into Stanford University.

I stopped reading.

"AHHHH! I GOT IN!" I squealed, looking to him with wide eyes. He smiled wide and leaned over, wrapping me in his arms. He kissed my forehead.

"Congrats, baby. I'm proud of you," he said with his lips on my head. His voice got quieter with each word.

"Come inside with me so I can tell my dad!" I said, excitedly.

"Nah, you know, I have to uhh- I gotta go," he smiled.

"Daniel, you okay?"

"Yeah no just some family thing I gotta get to," he said, looking around and rolling his eyes.

"Well okay," I said, suspicious. I got out of the car and ran inside.

"Dad, I got in!!! I did it! I made it!" I stopped. My smile faded. A frown grew across my damp face from the snow. I dropped the letter and panicked. Laying, sprawled out across the kitchen tile, was my father. I quickly called 911, running to him. I began to cry. I put my fingers to his neck to see if his heart was beating.

"911, what is your emergency?"

"My dad. He's down! I just came in and saw him on the ground." I was now bawling. My ears began to ring. All sounds were muffled. I could barely make out what the operator was saying.

"Address?" Was all I could hear.

"55-" I paused. The words could not come out. I swallowed.

"4-" I felt as though my vocal chords were being cut out of my throat.

"83. Holmer Drive." I dropped the phone. I could not speak. My vision became blurry. It was only a matter of seconds before I could only see shapes. My mother stood in front of me, everything around her faded to the point of the objects around being unrecognizable.

"Baby, this is important." She walked up to me and grabbed my shoulders with her gentle touch.

"I need you to wake up. You are not awake and that is not okay. Your father is dying, the ambulance is on its way. Stay focused. Stay strong. I'm sorry, darling. I love you. Fight. Fight for me." She hugged me. I had not held her embrace for almost five years. I did not want to do what she said. I did not want to wake up because that would mean leaving her arms. I did not know if I would ever get to hold her again. I smelled her, felt her, listened to her soothing tone. I Focused on her gentle hands which stroked through my hair. Then nothing. No mother. No faded objects. Just darkness. I felt someone touch me. I woke up. The ambulance had come.

"Honey, honey can you tell me what happened here?" Asked a man as another man examined my body. I looked to my father being raised onto a gurnie. I looked back to the paramedic.

"Wh-? huh?" I asked.

"She's in shock," said another man. Although, at the time, I could not process his words. I rubbed my head.

"What's going on?"

"Where's your mother, sweetie?" The man asked.

"Uhh I-I." I did not know. My mother had just been there. Where was she? How did she just disappear? A gurnie appeared in my peripheral vision. However, my father was already in the ambulance so there was no need for one. They raised me up, being cautious. I let them. I was so confused that I did not even care. All I could remember was my mother and her warm embrace.

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I wrote this Author's note the day I published this part (so today). I wrote these parts a long time ago, so I find it quite coincidental the way it all went down. I would like to dedicate this part to my Mama. She has been in the hospital (much like Marie's father) because she has something unknown going on in her brain. So this chapter and basically this entire book goes out to her; praying everyday that she gets healed.

remember to read, comment, and vote.

#wattys2015