On the Plus Side
Page 60
Had the world stopped turning? I suddenly felt like my brain was spinning while the world around me was still. I thought I was going to faint. I shook my head trying to clear it. Jenny needed me, and I think Lilly needed me, too. They were the only women in my world who didn’t break me down or hurt me and I wasn’t there for them. I needed to be there for them, no matter what.
I made it to the hospital in record time. A four-hour trip had taken me a little over two.
I jumped out of the car and ran into the hospital. When I made it to the front desk there was no one there. I was about to lose control when I noticed Dad walking toward me. He was so pale. He came up to me and wrapped his arms around me and squeezed.
I followed him to a room where my sister was laying in the bed. I stood in shock for a minute as I took in the fact that she looked as if she’d been beaten pretty badly. I ran to the side of the bed and grabbed her hand.
“Jenny, what happened sweetie? Tell me what happened. I’ll kill the son of a bitch who did this, I swear!”
I could feel the anger rising inside of me. I meant it! I’d kill whoever it was that had put their hands on my baby sister.
“I’m OK, just some bumps and bruises—nothing I can’t handle,” she said roughly. “I fought him, Dev. I even kicked him in the balls a few times. Oh, sorry…I said balls again.” She attempted to smile.
She went over the events of the day. I felt a stab in the stomach when she told me about her and Lilly spending the day together and Lilly helping her get ready for a dance. She explained the after party full of drugs and older people and told me about how she called Lilly before being pulled upstairs into a bedroom by three strange men. I felt like I was about to snap with rage.
“If it wasn’t for Lilly, they would’ve raped me, Devin. There’s no telling what else.” Tears spilled from her swollen eyes. “Then a bunch of people from the party came bursting into the room—they must of heard my screams—and the guys took off running. Thankfully, someone called an ambulance.”
I looked around the room for the first time. I wanted Lilly there with me. I wanted to hug her and thank her for protecting one the most important people in my life, but as I looked around she was nowhere to be found. I looked over at my dad who was in tears.
“Where is she, Dad? Where’s Lilly?”
“Follow me,” he said sadly.
He didn’t say much else as I followed him to the elevator and then down the long hallway of the intensive care floor. He opened the door and walked into the room. I couldn’t make myself go through the door. I just stood there in the doorway staring in. Lying in the bed across the room was Lilly, and she was covered in tubes and wires.
Her face was swollen and unrecognizable. Her hair was smothered with dry blood. There were stitches over her left eyebrow and bruises everywhere. When I got the nerve to walk to her bed, I slowly reached out and grabbed her soft hand. She didn’t move. The loud machine next to her bed was beeping so loudly, but everything sounded muffled.
She was unconscious, and from the funny looking machine that blew air into her lungs, it was obvious that she wasn’t even breathing on her own. My knees felt like they were going to give out on me. I held onto the wall next to me to keep myself from falling.
This can’t be happening!
“Is she going to be OK?” My throat felt thick.
“I’m so sorry, Devin.” Dad said to me as the tears flowed down his cheeks.
For the first time since my mother left, I cried on my dad’s shoulder.
About thirty minutes after I contacted Shannon, she showed up at the hospital and cried over Lilly. She then called Mrs. Sheffield, who was hysterical. I listened as Shannon tried to calm her. Soon she was stuffing her cell phone back into her purse and at Lilly’s bedside again.
“Mrs. Sheffield is losing it. She’s on vacation and can’t get here for at least two days,” she sniffled.
Shannon seemed upset by the fact that Lilly’s mom wasn’t going to be there for two days. I, on the other hand, was a little bit relieved. I knew her mother should be there, but I knew the minute she saw my face all would be revealed and I wasn’t ready for that. I wanted Lilly better and I wanted to hold her at least one last time before the truth came out.
Later, the doctor came in and talked to Shannon and me. Lilly had some internal bleeding as well as some swelling around her brain.
“I think if we can get the swelling around her brain down, I’ll feel a lot better about her prognosis. Right now it’s hard to say. She could wake up at any time, or she could be in this comatose state for a while longer. There’s no way to know until the swelling goes down a bit more. We have her on some antibiotics to fight some possible infections. I’ll know more as soon as the rest of the test results come in.” He seemed as confused as we were.
I made it to the hospital in record time. A four-hour trip had taken me a little over two.
I jumped out of the car and ran into the hospital. When I made it to the front desk there was no one there. I was about to lose control when I noticed Dad walking toward me. He was so pale. He came up to me and wrapped his arms around me and squeezed.
I followed him to a room where my sister was laying in the bed. I stood in shock for a minute as I took in the fact that she looked as if she’d been beaten pretty badly. I ran to the side of the bed and grabbed her hand.
“Jenny, what happened sweetie? Tell me what happened. I’ll kill the son of a bitch who did this, I swear!”
I could feel the anger rising inside of me. I meant it! I’d kill whoever it was that had put their hands on my baby sister.
“I’m OK, just some bumps and bruises—nothing I can’t handle,” she said roughly. “I fought him, Dev. I even kicked him in the balls a few times. Oh, sorry…I said balls again.” She attempted to smile.
She went over the events of the day. I felt a stab in the stomach when she told me about her and Lilly spending the day together and Lilly helping her get ready for a dance. She explained the after party full of drugs and older people and told me about how she called Lilly before being pulled upstairs into a bedroom by three strange men. I felt like I was about to snap with rage.
“If it wasn’t for Lilly, they would’ve raped me, Devin. There’s no telling what else.” Tears spilled from her swollen eyes. “Then a bunch of people from the party came bursting into the room—they must of heard my screams—and the guys took off running. Thankfully, someone called an ambulance.”
I looked around the room for the first time. I wanted Lilly there with me. I wanted to hug her and thank her for protecting one the most important people in my life, but as I looked around she was nowhere to be found. I looked over at my dad who was in tears.
“Where is she, Dad? Where’s Lilly?”
“Follow me,” he said sadly.
He didn’t say much else as I followed him to the elevator and then down the long hallway of the intensive care floor. He opened the door and walked into the room. I couldn’t make myself go through the door. I just stood there in the doorway staring in. Lying in the bed across the room was Lilly, and she was covered in tubes and wires.
Her face was swollen and unrecognizable. Her hair was smothered with dry blood. There were stitches over her left eyebrow and bruises everywhere. When I got the nerve to walk to her bed, I slowly reached out and grabbed her soft hand. She didn’t move. The loud machine next to her bed was beeping so loudly, but everything sounded muffled.
She was unconscious, and from the funny looking machine that blew air into her lungs, it was obvious that she wasn’t even breathing on her own. My knees felt like they were going to give out on me. I held onto the wall next to me to keep myself from falling.
This can’t be happening!
“Is she going to be OK?” My throat felt thick.
“I’m so sorry, Devin.” Dad said to me as the tears flowed down his cheeks.
For the first time since my mother left, I cried on my dad’s shoulder.
About thirty minutes after I contacted Shannon, she showed up at the hospital and cried over Lilly. She then called Mrs. Sheffield, who was hysterical. I listened as Shannon tried to calm her. Soon she was stuffing her cell phone back into her purse and at Lilly’s bedside again.
“Mrs. Sheffield is losing it. She’s on vacation and can’t get here for at least two days,” she sniffled.
Shannon seemed upset by the fact that Lilly’s mom wasn’t going to be there for two days. I, on the other hand, was a little bit relieved. I knew her mother should be there, but I knew the minute she saw my face all would be revealed and I wasn’t ready for that. I wanted Lilly better and I wanted to hold her at least one last time before the truth came out.
Later, the doctor came in and talked to Shannon and me. Lilly had some internal bleeding as well as some swelling around her brain.
“I think if we can get the swelling around her brain down, I’ll feel a lot better about her prognosis. Right now it’s hard to say. She could wake up at any time, or she could be in this comatose state for a while longer. There’s no way to know until the swelling goes down a bit more. We have her on some antibiotics to fight some possible infections. I’ll know more as soon as the rest of the test results come in.” He seemed as confused as we were.
