Shadow

Goodbye

Wendy didn't leave Michael's side all day, and her parents never came. Michael slept most of the day, occasionally waking up drowsy, before falling back asleep. As Wendy began to doze off, still no results from the doctor, she heard heard a noise. Wendy jerked her head up from Michaels bed towards where the sound came from. As she stared at the door way, trying to make her eyes focus on the approaching figure, she heard his voice.

"Peter?" Wendy asked.

"You weren't at your house," Peter said, "its late, I was getting worried."

"I've been worried all day. The doctors never came back to say what was wrong with Michael." Wendy told him.

"He probably just has a stomach bug," Peter told her, standing at the end of Michaels bed.

"No, there's something more, my gut is telling me something is seriously wrong," Wendy said looking at Michael, smoothing his hair.

Peter put his hand on Michaels back saying, "hey buddy, can you wake up for me?"

Michael woke up and turned his head to stare at Peter. "John?" He asked.

"Yeah, I'm here buddy," Peter told him.

"Don't confuse him like that," Wendy told Peter.

"You'd rather have him know a stranger is in his room which would probably frighten him, rather than him believing this is all a dream and his brother is here with him?"

"How do you know he will think its a dream?"

"His fever is so high right now, he won't remember what is real and what isn't by tomorrow," Peter told her. "Especially after I do this." Peter lifted Michael off of the hospital bed, and began to fly him around the room. Peter was holding him below him and by his stomach, and Michael put his arms out acting like he was an airplane.

"Careful," Wendy told Peter.

Michael began to look better and better by the minute, color returning to his face in a positive way, and he was smiling.
He was filled with joy.

When Peter set him down, Michael looked as if he was all better. "Again! Again!" Michael chanted.

"Okay," Peter said picking him up and doing the exact same thing. Michael was flying for about five minutes before Peter set him back on his bed.

"He looks so much better," Wendy said bewildered.

"Flying takes magic, maybe that got rid of his bug," Peter told Wendy.

"That's incredible," Wendy said, tears in her eyes. "I was honestly beginning to think he wasn't going to make it and I was going to lose him. I don't know what I would do if he died."

"Well, it's a good thing you no longer have to worry about that," Peter said. "Are you hungry Michael?" Michael nodded his fast, making Peter laugh. "Good, I'm starving."

Peter swooshed his hand, and Mac n cheese appeared in front of John, and pizza in front of Peter and Wendy. Everyone began to eat really fast, starving from not eating in hours. After Peter finished, he got up and told Wendy it was about time he went back to the island. Wendy hugged Peter goodbye, grateful for him coming to visit and having Michael fly, curing his illness.

Wendy climbed into bed with Michael, holding him as they both fell into a peaceful sleep.

When Wendy woke up the next morning, she still had Michael in her arms, both of them laying on their side. Wendy placed her chin on top of Michaels head, but it was cold. She sat up and began to try and shake him awake. His back was warm, but his hands were ice. "Oh God, please no," Wendy pleaded, turning Michael over. His lips were blue, and his eyes were shut. He looked peaceful.

"No!" Wendy screamed, tears uncontrollably falling from her face. "Please God no!" The doctors rushed in when they heard Wendy's screams. Wendy had Michael tightly clutched to her chest, hyperventilating. She couldn't talk, couldn't scream, all she could do was try and catch her breath in between sobs. It felt like her heart was being shredded into a million pieces, an elephant sitting on her chest so she is unable to breathe.

The doctors tried to pry Michael out of her arms, but she couldn't let go. Not the only thing she loved more than anything in the world, her anchor. When times get tough, she always fought through it, and was strong for Michael, she cant let him go.

Some doctors began to hold Wendy down, trying to take Michael from her. All she wanted to do was scream "leave us alone!" But she couldn't speak. One doctor finally called the rest off, telling them to give her a few minutes. All the doctors and nurses left the room as Wendy continued to sob. Everything was blurry, she couldn't see.
Once she finally calmed down, Michael still in her arms against her chest, she began to sing softly to him, "you are my sunshine, my only sunshine, you make me happy, when skies are grey." Wendys eyes began to well up with tears again, but she fought through them to finish the song for him. "You'll never know dear, how much I love you, please don't take my sunshine away." After she sang the last line, she began to weep over Michael again. She sang him this song every time he had a nightmare, she always told him this song would help them all go away. All wendy wanted was to wake up from this horrid nightmare that was unfortunately real.