Vanilla And Cocoa

Chapter 27 "Waiting"

We stayed in that hospital for seven hours before a nurse told us it looked like he would be unconscious for more than 36 hours and, more of less, told us to leave and rest up.

She told us the hospital would contact us when he woke up so we hovered anxiously. None of us could sit down long enough to watch tv but couldn't leave the house for too long because someone might call.

I could tell all of us were getting cabin fever in my house but we were all too stubborn to give in. We didn't bother going to school knowing we were all suspended for leaving the school the way we did.

Merissa became clingy but none of us minded because she did deserved all of the love and attention we could give. We also found out that she regularly suffered from nightmares.

The first time I witnessed it was on first day Justin was in the hospital. I'm guessing her fever kept her nightmares at bay and that's why I didn't know she had them until then. She slept in bed with me so hearing her scream was enough to rouse me. I sat up in bed quickly and spotted Merissa's fear stricken face. I pulled her into my lap and rocked her back and forth. She fought for a bit before she relaxed slightly. I stroked her hair and hummed a low tune in my throat.

"Destiny?" Her sleep coated voice mumbled.

I hushed her and continued humming. She didn't wake again that night.

On the second night, she had one again but she had woken up as I pulled her into my lap. We sat there and I hummed again while she buried her face into my neck. I slowly trailed off and the room was silent for a moment.

"What do you have nightmares about?" I asked quietly.

She didn't say anything and, for a moment, I thought she wasn't going to answer. "Mean people."

"Oh?"

"They keep trying to take me away from him." She mumbled.

"Justin?"

She nodded and I slowly clenched my fists. "Am I one of those mean people?"

She was quiet before she slowly sat up, peering up at me in the dark. She lifted her hands and placed them carefully over my heart. "No."

"Why?" I whispered.

She lifted one hand off my chest and raised a finger. "You're nice,"

Another finger.

"I like you,"

Another.

"Justin likes you, too. A lot! He told me so!"

I let out a watery chuckle and she kept listing things. "You give me sweets when Justin says no."

"So, you like me cause I spoil you? I knew it!" I teased.

She giggled and I smiled. That's when I knew everything was going to be okay.

We got the call early in the morning on the third day. We were all at the hospital in less than 30 minutes. A few minutes in the waiting room and a doctor walked out.

"Ms. Vasten." The doctor greeted my mom with a smile. She acknowledged the rest of us with a nod.

My mom smiled back tiredly. "What's the news, Doctor?"

Her facial expression slipped into a more professional look and addressed us carefully. "Justin Delarosa is the patient, correct? He certainly is a lucky man. However, it seems like he's been taking these drugs for awhile so there has been a bit of damage to his liver but nothing that we can't fix."

I relaxed a bit at the news and so did everyone else. She continued on. "We managed to get the pills out of his body. We certainly are glad that you all called someone when you did and arrived when you did. You're amazing friends. I'm sure he's glad to have you all," I smiled a bit at that. "He's now conscious but he might be a little loopy."

I raised my hand and she nodded at me. "Is there anything further you need to do or will he be released soon?"

"I'm actually curious about that, too."

She grinned. "Good question. I'm glad you asked. Justin will be transferred to the Phych Ward for observation and a phych evaluation test. But don't worry, it will only take a week at most. If we determine, he is fit to go home, he will. How old is he?"

"Eighteen." We chorused.

"That means he gets a say in whether or not we keep him here. But we can get approval from a judge if we feel he should stay." She explained.

We nodded in understanding and she smiled. "Visiting hours start at eight. You are welcome to stay until then."

Merissa grunted in disapproval and I shifted her in my lap. "Just two more hours, okay? Then we can go see your big brother."

She laid her head on my chest and closed her eyes. I caught my mom looking and I smiled at her. "I'm sorry. I know you didn't want anything to do with this but thank you."

She pushed my head over and kissed me on my temple. "I could tell this was important to you. He's important to you," She lowered her voice. "And I can always tell when someone's in love. Especially my own child."

"Ma!" I hissed in embarrassment.

Merissa giggled into her hands while my mom chuckled. "You can't hide things like that from me. I gave birth to you."

I pointedly ignored her and tried to engage in a conversation with Izzy. That was something to think about later.

-

"Ready?" The doctor asked.

We all rose from our seats and headed over to the elevator. A few minutes later, we were walking down the hospital hallway to Justin's room.

"Two at a time, okay?" She advised.

"I think Destiny and Merissa should go first." Drew said with a smirk.

"I agree." Chris teased, bumping me with his shoulder.

Zay smiled softly. "You deserve it."

I smiled sheepishly. "Thank you but I think Merissa needs it the most."

We stopped in front of a door and the Doctor opened it slowly. Izzy nudged me forward. "Go on."

I hesitantly stepped in the room and put Merissa down. I stared as Justin lazily grinned at Merissa who ran to his side. He ruffled her hair and kissed her forehead. "Is this an angel, I see?"

She laughed and I couldn't help but smile. Then his gaze slowly trailed across the room and fixated on me. For the first time since I met him, his eyes sparkled. It stole my breath away.

"Justin..."