True Identities - (ON HOLD)

Chapter 15: Why me?

Chapter 15:

I sit there. Frozen. Unable to move a muscle or to blink. It was even difficult to breathe.

I just witnessed my dad die.

It was all too soon; he didn't meet Mere all grown up yet, he didn't tell me why my mom was upset with him or why he kept having cancer a secret.

But most importantly, he didn't get to hear me say 'i love you'. 

I sprint out of the room, running in no particular direction to find the nearest bathroom. 

I finally spot a girl's restroom at the corner of the hallway and swing the door open to find an empty bathroom stall.

I find one, and slam the door locked and start crying uncontrollably. I burried my hands in my hair in frustration while my heart was ready to pound out of my chest. 

I allow myself a minute to calm down. Two minutes. Three. But no time in the world could get me to calm down. 

I ultimetly give up, and exit the woman's restrooms. 

Why me? Why must I be the girl with a series of unfortanate events. 

Before I exit, I accidentally bump into someone who was blocking my way out. I look up to find Harry standing right in front of me.

"We keep meeting like this" he chuckles referring to the first time I met him while walking out of the bathroom at Stop and Shop.

I don't say anything. He realizes my red eyes and puffed up face from crying and concern fills up his eyes.

"What happened?" He asks

I couldn't answer. I knew what happened, but I couldn't say it outloud. I couldn't admit it even though I just saw it happen.

Harry understood by reading my expression. His eyes were now filled with sympathy and he opened his arms to give me another one of his comforting hugs. 

I bury my face into his t-shirt completely soaking his entire right shoulder sleeve. 

"It's okay, Hope" he says. But now they have no meaning anymore. Before, he said the same thing - that it was going to be okay but it wasn't. 

I couldn't blame him for trying to be comforting, but those three words were not promising anymore. 

"It's not okay..." I say quietly. 

"I can't say I know how you feel right now because it never happened to me, but"

He took a pause, now looking at me deep into my teary eyes.

"I'll be there for you" he smiles weakly.

"Thanks" I say. 

We started walking down towards the hall back to the front desk of the emergency room department. 

As we were walking, we passed by my dad's room again. His body wasn't there; just an empty bed. It was probably taken for funeral home services. 

On the door of the room had a taped slip that read "strip patient charts", which was what they did for patients who d-

Trying not to think about this was one of the hardest things I had to do.

My phone started to vibrate in my pocket. 

"Hello?" I answered. 

"Hope, dear! Are you okay sweetie?" It was my mom. The hospital must have contacted the family relatives already.