Chapter 5
A little bit later, I asked the receptionist where to find my grandma. Meg had decided to
stay with the guys. She had her own room, but it didn’t look good. While I was in her
room, a nurse came in and hold me what happened. Apparently, she had fell deeper into a
coma. She had no chance of living through the week. When I found out the news, I
started to cry. I fell to my knees and started praying, “God, please, please, please, help my
Grandma. Take me, I deserve it more. At least let me get to know her better. I barely
knew her. Please God, don’t take her from me!” Nick had been roaming the halls and
heard somebody crying. He came in and found me sitting there.
“It’s ok, Sara, it’s ok. She’ll be fine. Just you see.” He was doing his best to try
and comfort me in his arms. It wasn’t working for me.
“NO, It’s not ok, NO NO NO!”
“Brian will be coming out soon. Why don’t you come wait with me? Nobody
else, just you and me.”
“Ok. I guess that’d be ok.” I had almost forgotten about the sheet of paper Brian
had given me. While we were in the other waiting room, I took it out. It read:
Dear Sara,
I know I haven’t known you long. I know how upset you are about your
grandmother. I just hope you’ll be there when she wakes up. She will wake up. Just like
I want you to be there when I wake up. Standing right there beside me. Holding my
hand, kissing me. I love you, Sara. Please don’t ever leave me. I know what you’ve
been through. You’ve probably been through more, but you haven’t told me. I don’t
want to be a therapist or anything, but talk to me when you have a problem. We need to
rely on one another. Just stay with me forever. I love you.
Sincerely,
Brian
I almost started to cry. He was the nicest person I’d ever met. He was the only
one besides Meg who really cared. My dad was always working. He could never come to
anything of mine. His life revolved around work, food, sleep, and beer. He had a drinking
problem. I never talked to anyone about it though. Not mom or Brian or Meg. When I
tried to talk to my dad about it, he just say I should stay out of his life. I was his daughter,
not his caretaker. But, I wasn’t gonna tell Brian that, even though I knew I should. He
also tried to hurt me and my mother. He really started drinking after my sister died. He
felt everyone important was leaving him and the only important person was Mr. Beer. At
least that’s what my mom told me. Me and my sis were identical twins, she died before I
could remember her. My mom and I had to live with my aunt for a week until my dad
cooled down one time, it was bad.
“What cha readin?”
“Uh, Nothing.”
“Oh.” A nurse came soon after this short and sweet conversation.
“Brian is out.” Why was everyone here so nice?
“Thanks.” We started walking to the other waiting room. “Hey guys Bri’s out.”
We all walked toward his room. All of a sudden we heard this dead beeping sound.
“Oh no. I wonder who it is this time,” A.J. said. Suddenly, I knew. I ran to
Grandma’s room. I heard voices saying, ‘Look out’ and ‘Get out of the Way.’ Still I
continued in my fight through the doorway. I was screaming “Grandma! Grandma!” I
knew that was it. I ran along the cart as the doctors and nurses sped away. “I’m sorry
Grandma! I wish I was a better Granddaughter! I’ll miss you Grandma! COME BACK!
COME BACK!” That was the last time I ever saw her again. I fell to the ground,
bawling. Nick came and grabbed me by the arm.
“Come on sweetheart. Let’s go see Brian. She’ll be ok.”
“No She Won’t! It’ll never be ok again!” I was so upset. “She’s dead. Gone.
Now and forever! I never knew her!” Nick led me away toward the rest of the group.
We were all silent until we reached his room. Brian could tell there was something wrong.
I knew he knew. For some reason, I felt as if my Grandma was with him. It was so
creepy, yet I liked it. I didn’t have to say anything. The silence spoke for itself. Brian
knew what had happened. All he said was, “I’m sorry Sara. I know how hard it is.” I
walked toward him and sat on the edge of his bed. He wrapped his arm around me and
tried to give me a hug. It felt just like Grandma’s hugs. I laid down beside him on the
hospital bed. Brian gave Nick this look, I didn’t know what for. Before I knew it, Nick
left the room, followed by Meg, Kevin, A.J., and Howie. Nick stood at the window and
blew a kiss. I just looked back at Brian, tears running down my face. He wiped them
away and kissed me.
“There is something I’ve never told you,” I said. I knew I had made a promise to
myself not to tell anyone, but I was caught in the moment. “It’s about my dad.” I knew I
could trust Brian to keep this a secret. My mom never wanted to talk about it. He was
the only one would listen and care. “He has a drinking problem. You see......” I told him
the whole story in all its truth. You could definitely tell he was a guy with the occasional
“uh huh,” and “I see.” Yet, once I had spilled my life story at him when I was suppost to
be the comforter, he just sat and talked to me even though he had a hard time talking after
all the drugs he was given.
“That’s too bad. I knew there was something else bothering you. The minute I
met you I knew that you had been through a lot and didn’t know where to turn. Just
think, if it wasn’t for your Grandma, we’d never had met.” I had never thought of it that
way. The day after school, I was so bummed about going to the hospital instead of
Meg’s. If it wasn’t for that, I’d still have my emotions bottled up inside like a genie trying
to escape. Brian was my life saver, my friend, my love, my heart, and my soul. If I’d ever
lose him, I’d be doomed. I had lost so much, my sister, my Grandmother, my father (even
though he was alive, he wasn’t). Brian helped me pull through it all.
“Want me to go get the others?” I asked.
“If you feel like it.” I didn’t really. But I thought his buds deserved time with him
too. I could see in his eyes he was getting restless, but he tried not to show it. So I found
my way to the waiting room. Meg was reading the new ‘Seventeen’, Howie and A.J.
were listening to their portable CD players. I found Nick and Kevin fighting over the TV.
Nick would turn it to Comedy Central then Kevin would turn it back to this news show.
“Come on, you can watch your to many big words for me show after South Park!”
“It’ll be over by then!”
“But they haven’t killed Kenny yet!!!” They continued to argue until I said
something.
“Boys, quit fighting!”
“Hey Sar!” Nick said. I was known as ‘Sar’ cause “Sara took to long to say.”
“Wassup? Does Bri want us?”
“Yeah.” We all walked to his room. They started chatting about how he was
feeling and what was happening in the “world beyond the window.” I slipped away, only
noticed by Brian. I think he knew what I was up to. I thought maybe Granddaddy was
there. He was. I found him in Grandma’s old hospital room, sobbing.
“What’s wrong G-dad?”
“You know what’s wrong.”
“Yeah, I guess that was kind of a stupid thing to ask, huh.”
“Do you want to meet my friends? They’re in Brian’s room”
“Who’s Brian? Your boyfriend?” He started laughing. I did too, not because it
was funny. It was as much as sense of humor he had. I also thought it might help lighten
the mood, even though I too was dying inside.
“Yeah. His friends are there too. So is Megan, my friend.”
“I guess I could go.” We walked toward Brian’s room. When we were there I
introduced him to everyone. He really liked Kevin. I think it was because he was the
closest to his age there. ‘Phone call for Sara Petersen. Phone call for Sara Petersen.
Please come to the nearest nurse’s desk.’ we heard on the PA system.
“I’d better go get that. Want to come G-dad?”
“Sure. Then I think I’ll go home.” I answered. It was my mom asking, “Where
the hell were you today? You didn’t go to school?” Her voice was unbearable.
“I went to school.” Of course I was lying.
“Don’t lie to me! What do you think I am, one of your little friends?”
“Mom! You’re so mean! I haven’t done anything wrong in my life because you’re
always right behind me, making sure I do exactly what you want. I want my own life
damn it!”
“Watch your language girl!”
“See what I mean!”
“I don’t want you hanging around those boys anymore. If you do, your ass is
mine.”
“You’re such a bitch mom!”
“Get your fuckin ass back home now! And I don’t want Megan around them
either. They’re bad news.”
“Shut up mom!”
“They’re to old for you anyway!”
“But Mom!!!!”
Cont.
Chapter 6
