My Life: Congrats, You Lost Me

Chapter 22 - Together

****August 15th****

"Mommy, what's going to happen with us and dad," I ask, tears threatening my eyes.

"We're going to have to move into an apartment, Jessie. You, me, dad, and Becca," my mother said, choking back a sob. "We'll all still be together though, Jess, don't you worry about us." She held a 2 year-old, sleeping Rebecca in her arms, making room for me to sit with her. "We'll make it through this and you won't even miss the way things used to be. We'll always be happy and together. Nothing could tear us apart, and you know that."

"I love you mommy," I whisper, burying my wet face in her chest.

"I love you too, Jessie, and don't you forget it." Becca stirred in her arms, causing me to jump and pull myself away. "Shh, go back to sleep Becks, it's alright, go back to sleep," my mother coos, running a hand over her hair. 

I look over at my father, lying in the hospital bed. He looks so peaceful. "Mommy," I say. "When will daddy come home with us?" 

"I don't know, sweetie, but he will."

"Pinky promise," I ask, holding out my little finger towards her. 

"Pinky promise." She links her little finger with mine and plants a soft kiss on the top of my head. "Now get some sleep, you'll need to be awake when daddy wakes up."

****

"Jessie," a voice calls, breaking me out of my thoughts. "Jessie, are you alright?" Things clear up as I see Eliza and Allan kneeling in front of me. I was sitting on the hallway floor, against the wall.

"Eliza," I whisper. "What's going to happen with us and Becca?"

"Well, you know we're moving already, we don't know where yet. But it will still be all of us- Me, you, Allan and Becca-," I instantly think back to the conversation with my mother all those years ago. "We'll always be together so you really shouldn't worry."

"Stop, please stop," I say, burying my face in my hands.

"What's wrong, Jessie," Eliza asks, putting a hand on my knee.

"I just need some air," I reply, pushing myself up onto the ground. I take a couple shaky steps but end up falling back onto my knees again. "My cane... Where is my cane, Allan?"

"Here, hold on just a second." I hear him walk into Becca's room which was being cleaned by about 3 people. Soon enough he walks back out with my cane, helping me to my feet before giving it to me.

"Jessie, where are you going?" I shake my head and walk down the hallway towards the elevator when I hear Allan hurrying behind me. "Jessie wait," he says, grabbing me by the back of my elbow. "Don't go down there. At least tell me what's going on, Jess."

"Fine, but I think I'm going to keep walking, so if you want to hear it you're going to have to come with me. I can't sit in this hospital anymore." 

After several minutes we are outside of the hospital. "Allan," I say. "Get in the car and start driving. Drive away from here and go wherever you want, just away. I was going to walk, but this'll work better." He unlocks the car door and climbs into the driver's seat.

"What is going on?"

"Just drive, then I'll start telling you what's going on. I can't do that here. I can't." He shoots me an odd look, but starts the engine anyway, pulling out of the parking space and driving out of the garage.

We drive about a block down the road when he opens his mouth to speak again. I hold up a hand to silence him and start talking myself. "I don't know what happened between when Becca got sick, and when you pulled me out of my thoughts. Just thought I should put that out there. But all I could think about was when I talked to my mom for one of the last times. We were in that hospital room and my dad was in a forced sleep, about to go up for surgery again.