Jumbled Thoughts

HeartBeat

Warning: I wrote this story 3 years ago so apologies if it's bad :/ N.T xox

The raindrops trickled down the windowpane, tears on a cold glass cheek. The grey world outside only broken by the intense yellow of the flowering wattle outside my bedroom window.

I sat there still and silent, letting my mind wander and my thoughts drift. The last few days have been a whirlwind of destruction tearing our family apart.

"Jasmine." My mothers voice echoed, but was pushed to the back of my mind.

"Jasmine!" She called, more loudly this time breaking me free from my train of thought.

"Yes." I reply as I turned to face her, my voice soft.

"Sweetheart you've been sitting here for the last half an hour." Her voice filled with concern. "And we have to get ready to visit your sister soon." She forced a smile although I could tell she was exhausted.

I stood up slowly and walked over to my wardrobe pulling out a white cotton dress, the dress my sister was so fond of, the dress I would one day pass on to her. 

I slipped into it, grabbing my half finished letter off my desk as I skipped briskly out of my room, not because I was happy, but because I didn't want to be late to visit my sister.

The hospital doors slid open and I was suddenly intoxicated with the smell of hand sanitiser and lemon scented floor cleaner.

"We're here to visit Milly Tyler." My mothers voice was clear and gentle.

"End of the second floor." The women behind the desk said, her face expressionless. She looked down at her watch, "You have 20 minutes."

We took the steep flight of sickly green painted stairs. My mother refused to take the lift as it made her feel dizzy. We finally reached the second floor.

"I'm here to visit my daughter Milly." Mum puffed, breathless from the stairs.

"Along the corridor and to your left." The nurse smiled pointing us in the right direction.

"Milly!" I exclaimed "how are you?" My face fell as she shifted in her bed. She looked so pale and fragile, like a delicate china doll that might break at even the slightest touch.

"I'm okay." She whispered,the oxygen mask making it hard to hear her at all. My father was already there kneeling beside her. His face was grey and tears sparkled in his bright blue eyes.

"Oh sweetie, I love you." My mum leaned in and gently kissed my sister on the forehead, before turning to my father.

"What's wrong?" My father took my mum's hand and lead her out of the room.

I sat on the edge of my sisters hospital bed, we talked and laughed but I could tell from her voice that something was horribly wrong. She's eleven, only three years younger than me, but I felt as if it was my duty to look after her, to care for her, as if it was somehow my fault that something was wrong with her heart.

My parents walked back into the room together, their bloodshot eyes revealed they'd been crying even if my mother's smile was an attempt to mislead.

As we drove home, the rain pelted down tapping a rhythm on the car roof. We pulled up and my mother finally broke the silence.

"Jasmine." She paused, "your sister is really unwell, the doctor said that," she stammered, her voice shaking. "she needs a blood transfusion. If she doesn't get one she's going to die." She blurted out. I gasped.

"Dad!" I yelled. "Can't they use your blood?" The tears  I'd been holding back streamed out. I knew my sister shared the same extremely rare blood type as my father.

"I'm going to." My fathers voice was calm. "But you must understand, the amount she needs means that by saving her life I may be taking my own." He looked straight into my eyes but I couldn't hold his stare.

I jumped out of the car and ran. I ran as fast and as hard as my little legs would carry me.

I ran into the lush green forest, fern fronds brushing against my bare legs. My hair tangled into wet brown strands, tears streaming down my face, mixing with the rain. I screamed as loudly as I could, why was this happening? Why? Why? Why?

I collapsed onto the damp forest floor and closed my eyes hoping to block out the horrible truth.

It felt like I'd been lying there for hours, I was cold wet and shivering but I didn't care.

I felt a pair of warm strong arms embrace me, scooping me off the ground. I blinked away my tears to see my fathers smiling face.

"It's okay Jas." He whispered. "We got a phone call from the hospital. Sadly a man died in a car accident, but luckily he has the same blood type as Milly. Everything is going to be okay."

THE END