"WHAT?!!"
"Nick, please don't freak. We'll get them out, right? Be positive."
"I can't believe this! AHH!" Before I knew it Nick was banging on the window on the driver's side of the car. He was ramming his whole body up against the car in anger.
"Nick, calm down. It's not going to help if you do that."
"Do you have a better idea?"
"No, but...but you're scaring me." I had never seen him this angry at himself, or anyone else for that matter.
"Look," he began, "I'm sorry, I'm just so mad." I walked over to him and put my head on his shoulder and my hands on his cheeks.
"It'll be alright. It's not the end of the world, we just, we just have to devise a plan. Lie even, but I promise I won't let anything happen. You won't get in trouble." I pulled his head off of the window and made him look in my eyes. "I promise. As long as you have me and I have you, we won't let anything bad happen to each other. Not a scrape, not a bruise, not locked keys in the car, not a lost pager, anything! I promise." I pulled Nick forward toward me and hugged him. We just layed our heads on each other's shoulders since we were both the exact same height. "Just calm down Nick."
"Okay." we finally pulled apart after a minute of thinking.
"Does anyone have a spare key?"
"Yes, my Dad. And guess where he is. At work, and by the time he gets home it'll be obvious."
"Well, can't you sneak his keys away from him?" I asked hopefully.
"No. He doesn't let those keys out of his site! They sit in his back pocket until he goes to bed. He probably even sleeps with them for comfort!"
"Okay," I said calmly, trying to keep a tranquil tone. "So we're positive none of the doors are unlocked, or windows are rolled down right?"
"I guess." He took a glance at the car and walked over to each door and tried opening them all. "Locked, locked, locked, LOCKED!"
"It's alright Nick. We can just tell your Mom and Dad. Maybe they'll think you did it yesterday. And if not, it won't be the end of the world. You'll still be able to live." I tried to laugh a little but it was too dull. Nothing could convince him it would be alright. "C'mon Nick. Let's just go inside so you can change your clothes. Then we can go back to my house and call my Dad."
I followed Nick into his house and tried to picture the reaction on his parents' faces when they found out we were out joy riding when neither of us even has a license.
"I knew it Amanda. I knew it!"
We went to each other's houses to get changed. Then eventually we just ended up watching t.v. at my house until my father called and said he was coming. I was excited to go see my family, even if I couldn't see my mother just yet.
"Nick, think fast!" I untacked the polaroid that was taken earlier that day and threw it at him. He successfully caught it and took a look at it.
"Yech! How did I manage not to kill you for this?"
"I think it's cute!" I took the picture back and tacked it up on my wall.
"AND you put it where the whole world can see? Yo, that's not good."
"Well until I take a whole lot more pictures, it is up there for everyone to pinpoint."
"You plan on taking more? Oh geesh."
"Yup, and you can't do anything about it because it's MY room."
"Oh yeah I can. Catch." Nick threw the camera and I barely caught it. "Let's take a picture of us together."
"Alright. On three. One, two, three!." We had our faces hugged together with our arms outstretched holding the camera.
"Let's take another one," he suggested. I nodded in agreement.
"Hold the camera," I said. I put my hands to his face and kissed his cheek. I didn't find out his face was in a shocked expression until the picture finally developed. I thought they were a perfect start for my collage.
My father got home immediately after that, and we headed to the hospital.
It was actually quite boring sitting there with nothing to do. Nick and I just sat silently. Me because I couldn't say much, my mind was on one thing and one thing only. Nick because he didn't know what to say. He was to unsure of what would make me upset and what would make me feel uncomfortable. Pretty soon we both fell asleep in the painful chairs.
"Amanda? Are you awake?" Nick tapped me slightly.
"Yeah, I am now."
"Do you wanna go see your Mom?"
"My Mom? Where? Now?" I was all confused.
"Yeah, your Dad's walking this way again. He has some good news." I sat up ubruptly, curious to know, and I saw my Dad smiling. Smiling more brightly than he has in awhile.
"Dad? What's going on?"
"She's awake! We can go see her now. You can even talk to her! But only for a few minutes each."
"I don't care, just as long as I can see her."
"There might be a problem though with you and Nick," he said. "Only one of us can go in at a time. It's for safety precautions."
"Oh," I said.
"That's okay. You'll be fine." Nick comforted me. "I'll just wait outside of the door with your father." I nodded and butterflies roamed around in my stomach as we walked to her room.
"Do you want to go in first?" my Dad asked.
"No. You can go." He gave my hand a quick sqeeze before he disapeared into the room. I was so anxious to go see my mother, but I wanted to give my father his time as well. I silently wondered what he was saying to her.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Caroline, I can't believe this. You're so beautiful, and such a good person. Why you?" Amanda's father, David, asked his wife.
"David, you know it's time."
"No it's not. Not yet."
"You're right honey. But for how long until then? It can't be for more than a couple of weeks."
"No, it can't be now. I love you too much. Mandy and Jakob both do too." David wiped away the tears that formed in the corner of his eyes. "Especially Mandy."
"I have to tell her."
"No! She can't know. Not now, not yet," he pleaded
"Jakob knows. Why can't she know yet?"
"It'll crush her. It's going to hurt her more than anything else in this world."
"David," she said calmly, only because she didn't have the strength to yell, "we can't let her believe I'm going to be okay. I'm not. It's not right. What if she decides not to go to the hospital one day to see me because she thinks I'll be there the next day. And guess what? I'm not. It happened to me, I won't let it happen to her." David nodded. Caroline was right and he didn't want to admit it. Her time was limited and Amanda had to know the truth.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Nick, do you think you can come in with me?"
"You heard what your Dad said."
"Sneak in with me."
"I want to, but I think you should be by yourself with her. You can say more of what's at heart than if I'm there. Just go by yourself, if not for you than do it for me. I'll be here." I sighed, knowing he was right. Just then my Dad came out of the room and I knew it was time. He looked at me kind of funny. I don't know what type of feelings were hiding underneath because they surely weren't showing ontop.
"Hi Mom." I went over to her bed and gave her a slight hug, trying not to bother her i.v. or cast on her arm.
"Hey baby. I've missed you so much."
"I know. I've missed you too. It must be scary being here with everything sticking out of you."
"Yes it is." She hesitated. "Is that Courtney here with you?"
"Courtney? No! It's actually Nick."
"Nick Carter?"
"Yeah Mom."
"So are you guys..." she trailed off.
"Oh no! We're just friends. Again."
"That's good. Look Amanda..."
"Yeah Mom?"
"I...I...I lo..."
"Mom?" I asked. She started flinching. "Mom?!?!" I started screaming at the top of my lungs. She wasn't right. What was wrong with her? I pushed her head towards me and I saw her eyes were rolled back into her head, it was as if she was giving up on me, giving up on my dad, giving up on my brother, giving up on us all...for good."
