Chapter 5
I walk down the white-washed hall, leaving the children's section of the hospital to get something else to eat, finally letting the tears from this morning flood back in a hurry.
My heart pounds with every step I take while I relive crawling out of bed and into the sight of Rose. My skin started to crawl, and to see her look at me with such hatred... it made me wonder what her and Mike went through.
I feel tears protrude my eyes as I bump into someone. I looked up from my slumped position to see a man with dark blue eyes and thinning hair. "I'm terribly sorry. I was lost in my own thoughts and didn't even see you there." My mouth dropped open at how handsome he looks.
I stand up taller and brush the tears from my eyes as I clear my throat, feeling a little embarrassed. "No, don't worry about it. It's my fault that I wasn't looking where I was going." I feel my cheeks grow hotter as his eyes turn soft.
He chuckled and patted my shoulder, I looked back up at him to see wrinkles at the corners of his eyes.
His smile was contagious, and I found myself smiling back at him. "Hi, I'm Raven." I extended my hand to his, which looked gigantic compared to mine.
"It's nice to meet you Raven, I'm Charles. But friends call me Charlie." I shake his hand tightly in time to see a frantic Mike turn a corner. My heart starts to thump and butterflies grow in my stomach.
He looks around, his eyes connecting with mine. He looks like he has just been tortured. I excuse myself from Charlie with a small nod and a reassuring smile as I made my way to Mike.
Mike throws his arms around my neck and doesn't let me go. I use the rest of the will in my body to try not to hug him back.
"I've been looking all over for you. Dad and the doctors need to talk to us about surgery."
"What?! What kind of surgery? Has he already gone? Whe--" My heartbeat speeds up as I turn and run back to the Nurse's Station, not bothering to finish my sentence.
I scribble a note down to the old couple I met earlier today, and signed my name quickly. Telling the nearest Nurse to get this to the couple, though I only knew their first names.
Mike grabs my hand and tows me over to the elevators. My thoughts race against each other towards a finish line that doesn't exist.
I wait impatiently for the elevator to rise to Dad's level, resting my forehead on the elevator's cold wall. A tear escapes my eye and falls to the carpeted floor. Mike rubs my back slowly. I am still upset with him and I need answers, but the way his touch makes me feel keeps me from drawing away from him.
The elevator finally beeps and I run into Dad's room with Mike right behind me. The room is accompanied with a team of doctors and a few nurses I have never seen before. They make Mike and I put gloves on before they let me hold Dad's hand. His face is pale and wrinkled-- a lot more than it was last night.
"Okay, Doc. Tell us straightforward." I grab Mike's hand instinctively, seeing him trying to hold back tears. I squeeze his hand feeling him squeeze my hand back. Though I couldn't be sure if it was for my sake, or his own.
The doctors and nurses take turns telling us about the surgery. It has big risks... risks that Dad won't come back from. But if the surgery goes well and they remove every piece of cancer, it would lead to a bunch of Chemo to make sure it stays gone. As well as a recovery that would lead to a longer life.
Mike signed some papers attached to a clipboard as the nurses got Dad ready to be taken to pre-surgery. I kiss Dad's forehead and whisper hopeful words into his ear. He smiles weakly and winks at me as he is wheeled out of the room and down the hall. Even though he could very likely never come back to this room, he has spunk.
I walk over to the door frame to watch them take him down the hall, until they turned a corner and they are out of sight. Mike's head is in his hands as I slowly slump down the door frame to the floor, letting my body crumble in on itself. The last of my energy flows out of me.
Mike walks over to me and picks me up from the floor. He carries me to our room and sits me down on the bed and takes the chair beside me. "I'm ready to tell you what happened." I look over to Mike's tan face. His eyes are red and he still has bags under his eyes. He looks so beaten and broken...
"That would be good. But after this morning, after Rose, I need so many answers. I can't help my feelings if I'm not informed." He nods and crosses his legs at the ankles. I turn to him and sit criss-cross on the bed, slumping into a slouch. I inspect Mike's face, my frown turning upward a bit.
He looks from the bed to me, his eyes connecting with mine. A nurse brings a tray of food for us, telling us to eat and get some sleep. It was too late, though... Mike had already begun to tell me everything and I wasn't gonna sleep till I knew every gruesome detail.
**A/N Heyya! Thanks for reading and I hope you guys liked this chapter! I try to make every chapter emotional. So, what do you think went on with Rose and Mike? How about Dad? Is he gonna make the road to recovery?? Your always welcome to comment some feedback, or vote if ya like!**
