no expression on her face.
"I don't know. It's just before I hated you, and well, now I don't."
She smiled. "I guess I was just trying to impress you and your father."
"Well, it worked on one of us," I said.
"But he doesn't know the real me."
"What do you mean?"
"He fell in love with who I was pretending to be," she said sadly.
"Well, I don't think he'd love you any less if he knew who you really were. Actually, I think he'd love you more."
At that moment the heart monitor beside my father's bed banished it's steady pace. It began to beep frantically, setting me into a fit of panic. But nurses and doctors were already flooding the room. Suddenly I was terrified. I couldn't lose my dad too.
"Daddy! Daddy don't die!" I heard someone scream. It took me a moment to realize it was me. A wave of commotion swept across the hospital room. It was loud from my piercing screams, and the doctors tried to shoo Jasmine and I away. They shocked his heart several times.
"Daddy don't leave me! Please don't leave me!" I began to sob. I suddenly felt the hold of strong arms around me. I looked up to see Cael's face.
"It's okay Nevaeh. It's okay," he consoled. Tears continued to sting my eyes.
"Please don't die," I whispered.
The doctors shocked his heart one more time, but to know avail. "We lost him," one of the doctors said. The sound of the heart monitor had turn to one slow beep.
"No!" I cried. "No, no, no!" I doubled over, practically sinking to the ground. But Cael tightened his hold on me and kept me standing. What would I do without my dad? It didn't matter that we didn't always see eye to eye, that the majority of the time he wasn't around. He was still my father, and without him, I was truly alone.
"I'm sorry," said the doctor. "We did all we could." But suddenly the heart monitor began to beep again, quickly at first, but then it slowed to its same steady pace. The doctors and nurses surrounded his bed again, looks of astonishment etched on their faces. They listened to his heart and checked his blood pressure. He was alive again. Something had brought him back.
"It's a miracle," Cael whispered from where he still stood behind me.
"It sure is," I replied. Cael and I left Jasmine alone with my father and headed back to my room "So why are you still here?" I asked him. "I know how much you hate hospitals."
He grinned. "I just couldn't stay away."
"Cael what are you doing to me?" I asked, feeling an incredible surge of sadness. "Why do you say things like that?"
"Because I mean them," he said looking hurt.
"But how can you? We're just friends. Why do you talk like there's something more?"
He hesitated. "I don't know. I guess I've always felt that there's been something more." His answer shocked me. I stared at him, trying to find the words to say. "But I guess I was wrong." He dropped his gaze to the floor, then turned around and walked away. I didn't try to stop him. I just let him go.
* * *
At 7 o'clock that night the nurse told me that I could go home. Jasmine wasn't there so I called her and asked her to come get me. I took a change of clothes from the suitcase that had been sitting by my bed. I didn't want to wear the clothes I had come in with, not ever again.
The ride back to my house with Jasmine was completely silent. When I got inside it felt strange being there, almost foreign. Jasmine went upstairs to her and my dad's room, leaving me alone on the couch. Minutes later someone began knocking on the door, and I reluctantly stood up to answer it.
"Hi, Nevaeh." It was Kyla.
"Oh, hi," I said, shocked to see her. She looked slightly uncomfortable. "Do you want to come in?"
"Sure," she replied. "But just for a minute." She came inside and I closed the door behind her. I returned to my spot on the couch, and she sat down beside me.
"So, what's up?" I asked.
"I just wanted to see how you
"I don't know. It's just before I hated you, and well, now I don't."
She smiled. "I guess I was just trying to impress you and your father."
"Well, it worked on one of us," I said.
"But he doesn't know the real me."
"What do you mean?"
"He fell in love with who I was pretending to be," she said sadly.
"Well, I don't think he'd love you any less if he knew who you really were. Actually, I think he'd love you more."
At that moment the heart monitor beside my father's bed banished it's steady pace. It began to beep frantically, setting me into a fit of panic. But nurses and doctors were already flooding the room. Suddenly I was terrified. I couldn't lose my dad too.
"Daddy! Daddy don't die!" I heard someone scream. It took me a moment to realize it was me. A wave of commotion swept across the hospital room. It was loud from my piercing screams, and the doctors tried to shoo Jasmine and I away. They shocked his heart several times.
"Daddy don't leave me! Please don't leave me!" I began to sob. I suddenly felt the hold of strong arms around me. I looked up to see Cael's face.
"It's okay Nevaeh. It's okay," he consoled. Tears continued to sting my eyes.
"Please don't die," I whispered.
The doctors shocked his heart one more time, but to know avail. "We lost him," one of the doctors said. The sound of the heart monitor had turn to one slow beep.
"No!" I cried. "No, no, no!" I doubled over, practically sinking to the ground. But Cael tightened his hold on me and kept me standing. What would I do without my dad? It didn't matter that we didn't always see eye to eye, that the majority of the time he wasn't around. He was still my father, and without him, I was truly alone.
"I'm sorry," said the doctor. "We did all we could." But suddenly the heart monitor began to beep again, quickly at first, but then it slowed to its same steady pace. The doctors and nurses surrounded his bed again, looks of astonishment etched on their faces. They listened to his heart and checked his blood pressure. He was alive again. Something had brought him back.
"It's a miracle," Cael whispered from where he still stood behind me.
"It sure is," I replied. Cael and I left Jasmine alone with my father and headed back to my room "So why are you still here?" I asked him. "I know how much you hate hospitals."
He grinned. "I just couldn't stay away."
"Cael what are you doing to me?" I asked, feeling an incredible surge of sadness. "Why do you say things like that?"
"Because I mean them," he said looking hurt.
"But how can you? We're just friends. Why do you talk like there's something more?"
He hesitated. "I don't know. I guess I've always felt that there's been something more." His answer shocked me. I stared at him, trying to find the words to say. "But I guess I was wrong." He dropped his gaze to the floor, then turned around and walked away. I didn't try to stop him. I just let him go.
* * *
At 7 o'clock that night the nurse told me that I could go home. Jasmine wasn't there so I called her and asked her to come get me. I took a change of clothes from the suitcase that had been sitting by my bed. I didn't want to wear the clothes I had come in with, not ever again.
The ride back to my house with Jasmine was completely silent. When I got inside it felt strange being there, almost foreign. Jasmine went upstairs to her and my dad's room, leaving me alone on the couch. Minutes later someone began knocking on the door, and I reluctantly stood up to answer it.
"Hi, Nevaeh." It was Kyla.
"Oh, hi," I said, shocked to see her. She looked slightly uncomfortable. "Do you want to come in?"
"Sure," she replied. "But just for a minute." She came inside and I closed the door behind her. I returned to my spot on the couch, and she sat down beside me.
"So, what's up?" I asked.
"I just wanted to see how you
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