Prince Tennyson by Jenni James Page B

always.”
    My eyes got teary again. I wanted him by me always.
    â€œWhenever you need me, just ask and I’ll come. I love you. And I promise I’ll be there for all the important things that happen to you, okay?”
    I nodded and bit my lip. I didn’t like it, but I didn’t think I got to choose whether he stayed or not. Dad smiled a sad smile and then ruffled my hair again. “Now, how about I give you that piggyback ride I promised?”
    I grinned and nodded.
    He got off his knees and crouched down so I could climb up. Without hesitating, I jumped and held on tight as I felt myself being lifted into the air. Dad did a couple of bounces to adjust me and get a good grip on my legs before he began to walk, and then run.
    I laughed and clung onto his uniform. It was like I was a little kid all over again. It felt so amazing and free.
    I was so happy.
    When Dad was done racing me around the bright room all by ourselves—just me and him—he lowered me down and gave me one last hug. Then he whispered, “Remember to give Mom and Hannah and Cameron a hug from me, okay?”
    Okay. I nodded into his shoulder and squeezed hard.
    â€œI love you, Chelsea,” he mumbled above my head and then pulled back. “Goodbye.” Dad leaned in and kissed my forehead. “My determined girl.”
    He turned around and started to walk away.
    Dad was leaving me all alone in the bright room.
    No.
    I didn’t want him to go. I didn’t want to be left alone again.
    I tried to run to follow him, but my feet stayed still. They wouldn’t budge.
    Dad! Dad! Wait, Dad! I tried to shout, but my mouth wouldn’t open. Nothing was working right.
    I was determined, and it wasn’t working. Why wasn’t it working? I frantically heaved in a huge gulp of air and forced it out through my mouth just as my dad walked through the doorway. “Dad!” I gasped out.
    It worked! I spoke.
    Dad turned around. He looked surprised. “Yeah?’
    â€œI love you.”

Chapter Twenty-two
    I BECAME AWAKE SLOWLY. The fuzziness around me started to become sounds. At first, they were far away, and then they started to become crisper and more firm and much closer.
    â€œYes, this is my daughter. I’m Tiffany Tennyson, that’s correct.”
    More muffled sounds, and then I heard my mom say, “How much longer do you think it will be?”
    Someone answered her, much closer this time. “At least three more days, maybe four. It’ll be hard to tell until after she wakes up. But her burns are minor, so we’ll see. Our main concern, and the reason she’s been transferred here, is because of the damage to her lungs. Until we know for certain how her lungs are doing, then she could be staying even longer.”
    â€œThank you.”
    I drifted back to sleep. I was with Mom again.
    When I woke up later, my eyelashes tried to blink open. They had a really hard time because they wanted to stay asleep. Someone must’ve noticed, because the next thing I knew, I felt my shoulder being touched and heard someone saying, “Chelsea? Chelsea? Are you awake?”
    I fell back asleep. I couldn’t get my eyelashes to open anyway.
    When I finally woke up for good, it was dark, so I knew it was during the night. My eyes fluttered open and I would’ve thought they were still closed except for a bright glow to the left of me. I turned my head toward the glow, expecting to see someone standing there. It was an open door leading into a brightly lit tiled hallway.
    Where was I? The room was all dark. I turned my head the other way and realized that something was on my mouth. When I reached up to touch it, I saw that my hand was bandaged and there was a long tube coming from somewhere inside the bandage. I followed the tube to a small hanging bag with some water-looking stuff in it.
    Just when I was about to get scared, I saw my mom. She was sitting in a chair and