Sam Peterson :
"I'm coming with you." Dad finally voiced out after he had been scowling during lunch and waited until Kayla finished her food while he barely touched any. He was already up and ready at the door while his plate was still on the table with the same amount. His eyes were tired but he had another cup of coffee this morning and barely even touched breakfast as well. "Nope." Mom stood up from her seat and had a face that screamed 'You're in big trouble, mister.'.
"You are not going with her." She states with her hands on her waist, the classic mom's body language when we did something wrong and we were never going to have a chance. "I'm going." Dad wasn't backing down, by then, everyone in the house felt the tension rising and Kayla wasn't sure what to do. Maya, the owner of this house and the ones who let us stay in a comfy and warm bed, didn't seemed like she mind.
"Julian, you are not going! You just came home this morning and you haven't rest since. Your eyes are red like some addict just took a sniff." We all knew, his eyes were red because he hasn't been resting and he cried when no one was around.
My heart dropped when I saw him yesterday. I have never seen him cry except from the pictures when he was holding the baby version of us and that was joyful tears. The sound of him yesterday was painful and devastating to hear. My heart broke as I walked passed the room and gave him space but as each step I took, my tears came down as well.
"You haven't even had anything inside you except for coffee. You're going to get sick if you continue like this." She was angry and worried. "I know you're worried about Elly but so am I, so are Sam, Kayla, Will, Sophia, Maya, Ted, and god knows who else."
"You think I can eat and sleep while my daughter is like a dead person!"
"JULIAN! ELLY IS NOT DEAD! SHE WILL WAKE UP, I KNOW IN MY HEART SHE WILL. AND SHE'S NOT ONLY YOUR DAUGHTER. SHE'S MINE AS WELL. I HAD HER FOR MONTHS, I FED HER, I BATHED HER, I CLOTHED HER JUST LIKE YOU DID. AND I AM HER MOTHER." She was upset.
"I CAN'T EAT NOR SLEEP. I SEE HER IN THAT STATE EVERY TIME I CLOSE MY EYES. IT SCARES ME BUT I KNOW ELLY WOULDN'T WANT US TO TORTURE OURSELVES WHILE WE WAIT FOR HER. SHE WOULD WANT US TO STAY HEALTHY BY HER SIDE." She sighed and took hold of dad's hands. Her eyes were now damp and on the verge of crying.
"She wants us to be by her side with a smile ready to greet her, just like how we did when she came to this world. She's not going to get up to see her dad, who has always been strong, to be sick on a bed. She needs our support and help when she wakes up because she's going to be physically weak." Her voice was soft and comforting. Dad clenched his hands and mom touched his cheeks.
"We need to be strong and we're going to get this through together. I'm going to be here and tell you to not exert yourselves when you're about to. Kayla is here and she's going to make them pay. And you're here because you're going to fight for her. Sammy is here because he's going to have your back. The twins are here because they'll tell stories to her and our kids need to see that their parents are strong to hold their hands. Willy would be sad if he saw you like this." Will was the youngest and is more sensitive if he saw any of us was getting hurt. But right now, he's barely holding up. He thinks he's in control and calm but we've been with him since he was a baby.
His barely-seen-puffy-eyes were gone because he would sneak in the kitchen to cool down his swollen eyes, mom had caught him but kept quiet because just like Elly, he won't open up even if we talked to him. He wants to act tough and reliable to Sophia, who has been feeling confused on whether to be sad or mad. She even slept with Will in the same bed and that says something.
"Mom's right, dad. You need to rest and eat something. We're going to have a duel, remember?" He nodded. "You're going to meet them and kick their asses because they messed with the wrong family." His scowled face slowly but evidently grew to a smile. "And you can only do that if you have enough rest and eat enough. I promise, after you're well rested, we'll going to have to train like how we used to do at home." His shoulders felt lighter and his expression calmer.
