Head Above Water

Chapter Twenty Nine

Lilith laid in her bed, cuddled under the comforter with her phone sat on her pillow beside her. She had Toby on speaker as she stared up at the ceiling, softly talking to him as it was late in the night.

After she had joined in for the last half of game night and momentarily distracted herself, she decided to head to bed early for once.

Unfortunately, despite her efforts to maybe fix her sleep schedule, she was having troubles falling asleep. She had been on the phone with Toby for hours, hoping the sound of his voice would help soothe her to bed, but no luck there.

They talked about what they wanted to do the next summer, how Toby planned to help her move back into her college apartment even if it was precious time he could be using for work, and of course what they were going to do for Lilith's Thanksgiving and Christmas break.

Even with all the talking, they still found long moments of silence in between. Toby would quietly whisper through the phone, cautious in case she fell asleep. "Lilith, are you still awake?"

She would always softly hum, realizing she had zoned out again. "Still here," Lilith would whisper, even though her mind was elsewhere.

Lilith shifted in her bed, sitting up for a moment as she glanced around her bedroom. She inhaled quickly, alarmed by a figure in the corner. Toby noticed the sound, becoming more alert. "What's wrong?"

She placed her hand over her chest as she leaned over to turn on her bedside lamp, Beck's face becoming more clear in the faint light. She sighed, "Nothing, it's just Beck. I got scared. What are you doing here, Beck?"

Toby was silently listening to Lilith practically talk to herself as her and Beck had a conversation.

"I can't leave, Lilith." Beck walked closer, sitting on the edge of her bed.

Lilith's head tilted in a confused manner, "What do you mean? Just use your ghost powers or something."

He shook his head, "I mean, something's not right. I can't leave. It's like all that progress I made has reversed. Now I'm stuck again, just not at the river, but with you."

Lilith's head hurt from trying to keep up. She couldn't tell if it was just from her lack of sleep, but she felt uneasy. "I don't want to deal with this right now."

Toby quickly interjected, "Is everything alright?"

Lilith slowly crawled out of her blankets, "Yeah, I guess. Beck is saying he's stuck wherever I am now, instead of being able to roam freely or whatever he does. I need water, I don't feel good." She slid out of the bed, making her way into the hallway quietly.

Beck followed as Toby continued to talk with her. "You also need to sleep, Lil."

She made sure to turn her phone down, walking down the hallway. Lilith stopped suddenly, realizing her father's office lights were still on. "My dad usually doesn't stay up this late working."

Toby quietly murmured, "What?"

Lilith shook her head, slipping past the door but peeking inside the room to see her father with his head resting on his arms on top of his desk. She figured she'd go get her water and then help bring her dad to his bedroom. Beck lingered by the office door, watching her dad as Lilith continued on to the kitchen.

She filled a glass with some water, taking some deep breaths while she watched the lake through the kitchen window. "I feel like I could throw up right now. My stomach feels all cramped up and I don't like it." Lilith was talking to Toby but Beck was also conveniently listening in.

"It might be because something is wrong, Lilith. I feel it, and so do you." Beck stood right beside her, a sense of urgency in his voice.

While Beck only made Lilith feel more tense, Toby was more concerned for her health. "Are you coming down with something? Maybe you're worried about going back to school and it's just the nerves getting to you."

Lilith smiled at her phone, "I don't know. Beck is saying something's wrong. My heart's beating so fast right now." She whispered, holding her head in her hand.

She tried her best to push down the feeling, heading back up the stairs and stopping in her father's office. Lilith smiled at her dad, admiring that he worked so hard. "Dad, wake up. Let's get you to bed." She picked up the crumpled up pieces of paper and other messes around his desk, not questioning the state of his office.

Beck stood back, watching intently. He spoke softly, "Lilith."

She ignored him, focusing on her father. "Mom's probably wondering why you never came to bed. Come on, dad."

He didn't move.

"Dad?"

Toby's voice could be heard from her phone in her hand, "Lilith?"

Beck stepped forward slowly, his hands out cautiously. "Lilith, you need to call for someone."

The phone dropped from her hand, a shrill scream escaping her lips. Lilith dropped to her knees beside her father, pulling his shoulders up and off the desk. She watched his head fall back against the chair, almost lifeless. Lilith yelled out for her mother, for Leo, for anybody to come help her. Tears filled her eyes as she tried shaking her dad awake once more.

"Please, dad, no. Dad, you have to wake up. You can't do this to us. You can't do this to me. I need you to wake up, right now. Please." She placed her head against her dad's leg, squeezing his hand in hers. Lilith screamed harder and louder for someone in the house.

Leo was the first to show up, his eyes growing wide at the sight. "Oh my god," he breathed. He looked back down the hall, pointing at someone and shouting, "Call 911, hurry." Leo ran in, kneeling beside Lilith, attempting to pull her away. "Come on, Lilith."

She continued to scream, fighting to stay next to their dad. "No, help him! Wake him up, please." Lilith continued to cry as Leo pulled her off of him, carrying her out to the hallway where her mother was staring painfully at the sight. As soon as Leo let go of Lilith, she found her way into her mother's arms.

Her siblings all stood behind, watching Lilith and their mother quietly. Leo came out momentarily, "Go downstairs, watch for the ambulance. I'm going to stay with dad. Try and calm Lilith down, please. Everything is going to be okay, just stay calm." Everyone started to slowly make their way down to the family room, no one speaking a word. The only sound that could be heard was Lilith's crying and gasping for air.

It wasn't until the faint sounds of sirens could be heard growing in the distance that it all began to sink in for everyone.