...
"Wha---what do you mean she might not make it? This can't---" I fumbled over my words. I tried to take slow, deep breaths.
"Baby I think you need to sit down," Kevin said to me.
I shook my head. "No. I think I just need some air," I said walking away. He tried to follow me. "Just---give me a minute, okay," I said looking back at him.
He stepped back. "Alright."
Before I knew it I was on the third floor standing outside my mom's room. Without thinking I rushed in. "Mommy," I yelled frantically, "please wake up."
"What is she doing in here," a doctor yelled. "Get her out of here! She has to go!"
"Ma! I'm sorry!" I cried.
Two male nurses grabbed me, but I wasn't leaving without a fight. "Mommy," I yelled as they pulled on me.
"Ma'am. Ma'am. I'm going to need you to calm down. You can't be in here right now."
"Let me see her!" I screamed hoarsely. "She can't be in there alone! She needs me!" I caught my breath and sniveled. "Just please---let me see her."
"Come on miss," the guy on my right said to me.
"Let me go!" I said snatching my arm from his grasp. "I just want to see my mother!" I felt breathless. I squatted down on the floor with my head in between my hands.
"I know sweetie, but it's not good for you to see her like this right now," a middle aged nurse said as she slowly rubbed my back.
"Please!" I sobbed. "What if it's my last time?"
One of the nurses looked at me sympathetically and squatted down beside me. "Okay. Listen to me," she said softly. "I know that this is hard for you, but let me assure you that we are going to do everything that we can to make sure that your mom and her baby make it out alive, okay." She grabbed my hand. "If at any moment you start to freak out, tell the receptionist, Lauren, to page me. That's my girl," she smiled. "Tell her you need to speak to me, Makeda, and I'll come down so that we can talk."
"Thank you," I sniveled.
"Don't mention it."
"We got you sis," another nurse said as she gently squeezed my hand. "You gon' be okay out here by yourself," she asked me.
I nodded my head. "Yeah. Thanks."
"Alright," she said standing up. "Keep your head up mama."
They headed back into the room to tend to my mom.
I stood up and tiredly leaned against the wall. I leaned forward and placed my hands on my legs, rubbing them back and forth. "This is my fault," I said slowly. "This is all my fault." I sniveled.
"No it's not," I heard a voice say from behind me. I quickly turned around to see Dominick standing there.
"What are you doing here," I said through teary eyes. He smiled. "I love her just as much as you do," Dominick replied and then he pulled me into a quick, but warm embrace.
"It's not your fault," he said looking my face over. "She was hit by a drunk driver. No one could have known that that was going to happen." My eyes grew wide. "Stop blaming yourself." Dominck wiped away the tears under my eyes and hugged me a second time. "It's not your fault," he reassured me again. I could feel my heartbeat begin to slow down. I started to feel calmer. After a few minutes I let him go.
"Thank you," I said trying to offer him a smile. I wiped my nose and sniveled.
"Don't mention it," he smiled back warmly. "Should we head back down," he said nodding his head in the direction of the elevator.
