Broken Ice

Chapter Forty-Two

Hello lovely angels, I apologize for the sadness that may have been created after reading the previous chapter. I'm trying to make this book as realistic as possible, so that means there will be some upsetting times along with the joyous ones. Life's a rollercoaster, what can you do? Please support my story by voting and commenting. Enjoy. :)
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"Dark times lie ahead of us, and there will be a time when we must choose between what is easy and what is right." ~Albus Dumbledore
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Thea's P.O.V

"Nicolai, we're at the hospital," I announced for the third time. He didn't seem to be listening. His vacant eyes just stared out the window, remembering something I couldn't imagine.

I held back the tears and worry and leaned in to touch his shoulder lightly.

He jumped at my feather-touch, his face shining with fear for a brief second before being masked over with a face of unnerving indifference.

"Let's go," he croaked, his voice scratchy and raspy from all the raw crying he had endured up until now.

I slipped out of the driver's seat, meeting Nicolai at the front of the car.

I grabbed his hand, interlocking our fingers. I didn't say anything when he looked over at me, but simply gave him an encouraging smile.

A spark lit up in his watery, emerald eyes. A little ember, barely there, but at least something.

We walked briskly into the hospital, heading straight for the information desk. A petite, dark-haired woman sat there, flicking through various documents. Hearing our approaching anxious footsteps, she looked up, her incredibly dark eyes softening.

Maybe it was the look of complete fear and anxiety on our faces that made her tell us the room to find Nicolai's grandmother. Maybe that's why before we even made it to the room, a nurse was waiting on standby down the hallway, prepared with information on his grandmother's condition. The nurse was probably paged by the lady at the information desk.

Whatever the reason was, people around here just seemed to step aside and let us through, no questions asked.

Maybe it was because the news was worse than what they said over the phone.

Or maybe it was a mixture of that and the fact that some recognized me from the last time I was here. I did leave the hospital with quite the exist last time.

Whatever the reason was, it led us here: facing a tall, middle-aged woman, her dirty blonde, graying hair bound tightly in a strict ponytail. The expression on her face was still and calm, like the eye of a storm.

But that was the thing about being in the eye of the storm. You only have a little time of that unnatural peace before everything goes into a chaotic rubble.

All I could think about was what kind of tornado were we about to encounter.

"Hi, I'm Nurse Wills," she greeted us politely, flashing a gentle smile. "I assume you're here to check up on your grandmother?"

Nicolai's face stilled, carved in stone.

"How is she?" He whispered tentatively, as if talking any louder would cause someone distress.

Nurse Wills flipped through the patient's chart, studying up on its contents before relaying it to us. Her practiced smile made me want to throw up.

It was just like last time. Except with him lying on the hospital bed.

I tightened my grip on Nicolai's hand, more to steady myself rather than him.

Get a hold of yourself, Thea. Focus on Nicolai, he needs you right now.