The Feet Of Jesus

Chapter Seven

                Sydney still sat beside her father. This was killing her. She knew he had started to wake up, but the doctors said he wasn't. They said he probably wouldn't. Three of her friends came, trying to convince her to go home and get some sleep. Natalie, Jilny, and Antonieo. Antoneio was actually one of her youth leaders, and he knew the struggles she'd had with her feelings for her dad.

      "You have to, Sydney. It won't help your mother if you both are here, and sick." Natalie nodded, and Jilny rattled off something in Spanish, her accent thickening the faster she talked. Natalie gently whacked her arm, and she stopped.

       "Sorry." Sydney smiled weakly. She loves hearing her friend's beautiful accent.
       "You need to....ah...what is the word....duerme?" Natalie chuckled.
       "You need to sleep. You've slept about eight hours since the accident." She sighed.
        "Fine. But only if you guys call me immediately if anything changes." Jilny nodded.
      "Si. We stay here, take turns, sit with your papa." She smiled kindly, hugging Sydney, who sighed and nodded.  
      "Alright. Thanks, guys." She drove home, dropping her wallet and keys on the entryway table. She made herself a bag of popcorn, going in her room and turning on some music. She dropped to her bed, looking at all the pictures her mom had gotten of her playing volleyball when she was younger, and basketball more recently. She lay there, munching on popcorn. Within minutes, she was asleep, and dreaming. It was the gym, where she had played her first game of basketball. She saw her dad, and started walking over to him.

     "Dad?" He turned to her, a disgusted look on his face.
     "Oh, it's you. What do you want?" She stepped back slightly, shocked and confused.
     "Dad, I came over to see you? What's going on?" He glared at her.
      "What'd going on? What's going on, is I never wanted to have you. You were an accident. I wish you had never been born." He spat, and she choked back tears. Then it faded, and another scene appeared. Her dad again, only this time, he was the one crying. She moved closer, and what she heard....it tore her heart in two.

     "Oh, dear God, no, please. No. That's what I've been missing. I'm not in danger of losing her....I already have. God, please let me get back. I want to fix things, God. I'll do anything to, even if it takes me the rest of my life to do so. Please, God. Let me see my baby girl again." She broke down, and then woke up. It was almost noon the next day. She'd been out for about 16 hours. She shot out of bed, grabbing her popcorn and shoes. Within twenty minutes, she was back at the hospital. Antoneio, Jilny, and Natalie were all there, and they all turned to look at her, smiling.

     "Sleep well?" She nodded.
     "Thanks. I didn't realize how much I needed that." Antoneio nodded.
      "Not a problem. Natalie, your aunt wants you home in half an hour. Want me to take you?" She nodded, hugging Sydney.
      "It'll be alright. God is going to take care of him. You'll see. He's a fighter." They left, Antonieo also hugging Sydney. She and Jilny played several games of Go Fish before Jilny also had to leave. She just sat there for a few more hours, waiting and praying. Then, her phone rang. Luke.

      "Hey." She smiled at the sound of his voice.
     "Hi. How's Joel doing?" She looked at her dad. The stitches were still in, but were healing fairly well.
     "The doctors said if he doesn't wake up soon, they....they're going to pull the plug." She choked out. He sucked in a breath.
      "Okay....Sydney, I know it'll be hard, but would you be able to cover for your dad at the next show, if he doesn't wake up?" She looked at him. A monitor was speeding up a bit, so she kept an eye on it.
       "Yeah, I can." It wouldn't slow down, and now she was getting worried.
      "Ok, good. It's next Wednesday, usual set, and you'll need to be there about two hours early." She nodded.
       "Yeah, I know. I..." She froze. This couldn't be happening....could it?
        "Sydney?" She heard Luke's voice.
       "Sorry....I....dad....he..."

Author's note- And that's the end.....of the chapter. Sorry about the cliffhanger! So....Natalie is _ily_13, Antonieo is ThisWillBeLovely, and Jilny is jilnysoto, aka JellyBeanz. Thanks for reading!- Bella Rae