LIKE RAIN

by Leen Elle

  She shook her head. "Nope. They still don't know anything." I sat down on the floor beside her.

  "What are we going to do if…you know, if he doesn't come out of the coma?" I asked.

  She looked at me. "We?"

  "Yeah, you and me," I replied.

  "Nevaeh, there is no 'you and me.' Your father and I aren't married yet. You're not my child. I have no right to custody," she said solemnly.

  "Well, where am I going to go?" I asked.

  "You seem to be doing just fine wherever you're at."

  I shook my head. "Nathan and I are over."

  "Oh, I'm sorry," she said.

  "Don't be," I replied. "I'm not."

  "Well, you can come home, but I won't be able to stay there forever. It's not my house."

  "So what's going to happen to me and the house?" I asked with fear in my voice.

  "I don't know," she said, shaking her head. "Let's not think about that right now. Let's just pray your father's okay."

  "So what kind of condition is he in?" Cael asked.

  "He has some serious damage to his spinal chord," Jasmine said. "If he wakes up it's possible he could be paralyzed."

  Cael looked sick, and I sensed that he was uncomfortable. "Come on, let's go," I said to him.

  "Where are you going?" Jasmine asked.

  "Actually, I have to work. After that, I'm not sure," I said.

  "You're working?" she asked.

  "Yeah, at Abercrombie in the mall," I told her. "I'll see you later." She waved good bye before we left the room.

  "I could tell you didn't really like it in there," I said to Cael once we got in his car.

  "I've never liked hospitals," he replied. "And it's scary thinking you might have no place to go."

  "Well it's not your problem, is it? It's mine."

  "You're my best friend," he said. "Your problem is my problem." There was that word again, friend. "So you just want me to take you to the mall?"

  I nodded. "Yeah."

  "Well, where are you going after that?"

  "I'm not really sure. I have to go back to Nathan's to grab my stuff," I said.

  "What?" he yelled. "You can't go back there! What if he tries to hurt you?"

  "Relax, he'll be at work then."

  "Call me, and I'll go with you," he offered.

  "That's okay," I said. "I'll be fine. He won't even be there. I'll be in and out in five minutes."

  "Where are you going to go after that?"

  "I have no idea."

  "Just let me take you to Nathan's place. I'll wait for you in the car and then I'll take you wherever you need to go. You can come to my house if you want."

  I shook my head. "I'll just go to Halley's." I didn't know why I was turning down Cael's offer. I would've loved to stay with him. But I knew nothing could happen between us, and being there with him would've just made me feel worse.

  "Halley's?" he questioned. "Are you sure you want to go there?" I nodded. "Well how are you going to get there?"

  "I'll find a way," I said. "Don't worry about me."

  "Of course I'm going to worry about you. Just call me and I'll take you there."

  I had a feeling he wouldn't let me go if I didn't tell him I'd call him, so I told him I would even thought I didn't plan to. When I was finished with work for the night I walked the mile to Nathan's apartment. I still had the key with me, where it always remained in my back pack. I went into the guest room where I'd stayed so I could pack my bag. I almost expected everything to be destroyed or thrown around the room, but it was exactly as I'd left it. I opened my suitcase and began to toss my clothes into it.

  "What are you doing?" I jumped at the voice behind me. It was Nathan. I sat there in silence, now wishing that Cael had come with me. "I said, what are you doing?"

  He voice was angry, and I could see the same look in his eyes that was there earlier in his car. "I was just getting my stuff," I said quietly.

  "You can't just come in here whenever you want," he said, his voice growing louder. "You're not welcome here anymore."

  "I know, I'm sorry. I just-"

  "You're sorry?" he yelled, cutting me off. "You're sorry? You should be for just leaving me like that, making me look like an idiot! You have no idea what you just gave up! And you're definitely going to be sorry you came back here!"

  I started to stand up but he pushed me back, making me fall and hit my head against the dresser. I wanted to cry, but I didn't. I laid down on the floor. I couldn't see straight because of the searing pain in my head.

  "Get up!" he screamed. "Get up!" He began to kick me everywhere; my legs, my ribs, my arms, my head, my face. Every inch of my body was aching, but I would not get up. I would not give in to him. He pulled me up by my arm so hard that I felt it tear out of its socket. I made no noise, nothing to reveal that he had hurt me. I still did not cry.

  I could hardly stand up on my own. He held me by the shoulders to keep me from falling. "You're disgusting!" he spat. He picked up my suitcase and thrust it into me, causing me to stumble backwards. "Get out!"

  It took all the strength I had to get out the door and down the street to the mall where there was a pay phone. I dug some change from my pocket and dialed the first number that came to mind.

  "Hello?"

  "Cael!" I screamed.

  "Nevaeh? Is that you? What's wrong?"

  I was now sobbing uncontrollably. "Help! I need you! Could you please come get me?" I could hardly breathe. It was an effort just to speak.

  "Where are you?" he asked.

  "I'm at the payphone in front of the mall," I said shakily.

  "Nevaeh, are you alright?"

  My breath was slowing and I was getting dizzy. "Just hurry," I panted and hung up the phone. My head hurt so much I couldn't think. It was becoming harder and harder to stay standing. My vision was blurred and my head would not stop pounding. I kept searching for air, but all I found was the hard pavement of the side walk.

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  I woke up to the sound of sirens and air being pumped into my lungs through tubes. It took me a moment for my sight to come back, but when it did it was Cael who I saw next to me. His hand was clasped tightly around mine.

  "You're gonna be okay, Nevaeh. You're going to be okay," he said. I watched a tear fall from his cheek.

  "You're crying," I said in barely more than a whisper.

  He smiled through his tears. "I told you that guys cry too."

  "Don't cry for me," I told him quietly.

  "I thought I was going to lose you."

  "You know me better than that," I said with effort. "I'm a fighter."

  "Yeah, I know you are," he replied. "Who did this to you? Was it Nathan?"

  I started to nod, but it hurt my head too much. "Yes."

  "I told you to call me," he said, tears still flowing down his cheeks.

  "I did call you."

  "You were supposed to call me before you went over to Nathan's."

  "I'm sorry," I whispered before falling back into a deep sleep.

  When I reawakened I was laying in a hospital bed. Cael came running to my side when he heard me stir.

  He smiled at me. "How ya feeling?" he asked.

  "My head hurts," I responded.

  He nodded. "Yeah, you got a concussion."

  "A lot of stuff hurts," I complained.

  He nodded again. "You also broke a couple ribs, dislocated your shoulder, and you've got some pretty nasty scrapes and bruises," he said. "But nothing the doctor can't fix."

  "How long have I been here?" I asked him.

  "About three hours."

  "And you've been sitting here all this time?"

  "Don't act so surprised," he said smiling. "I was worried about you, and I wanted to make sure you were okay."

  "That's what they have doctors for," I said.

  He grinned. "Well, I wanted to make sure they were doing their job properly."

  "When can I go home?" I asked.

>   "The doctor wants to keep you here for the night, and maybe tomorrow night too."

  I looked at the clock that hung on the wall. It was nearing midnight. "I want to do something," I said.

  He laughed. "We can go to the Rec Room and watch T.V. if you want."

  "Aren't you going home?" I asked.

  "Why would I? Everything I want is right here." I stared at him for a moment, trying to figure out the meaning behind his words.

  "Okay, let's go," I said, slowly getting up from my bed. As soon as I stood up my head began to spin. My knees gave out and I collapsed right into Cael.

  "Whoa!" he exclaimed. He held me up, being extra careful not to hurt me. I looked up at him and for a split second I saw a flicker of desire in his eye. It was gone in an instant. He slung my good arm around his shoulders and kept his arm around my waist. "You alright?"

  I nodded. "Yeah, let's go." When we got to the Rec Room we both collapsed on the couch. No one else was in there that late at night. Cael stared at me. He reached out with one hand and began to trace the bruises that covered my face, neck, and arms. There were more of them under my clothes. I hadn't yet seen them, but I could feel them there. I was almost afraid to look.

  "Nevaeh…," Cael whispered.

  "What?"

  "I'm sorry," he said, his eyes blurry with tears. "So, so sorry."

  I erupted into a fit of sobs. "I'm so stupid!" I screamed. "So stupid!" Cael put his arms around me and held me against his chest.

  "No," he said. "He's stupid. I don't know how anybody could ever hurt you, Nevaeh. I would never lay a hand on you. You're too sweet."

  I smiled. "Why did I get stuck with such an awful guy? Why couldn't I have had someone like you?"

  He stared straight into my eyes, the way he never would before. "Someone like me?" he repeated.

  I kept my eyes locked on his. "Or just you." He remained speechless. I waited for him to say something but he didn't. "But I was too late, wasn't I?

  "Nevaeh, I…," he began. I put a finger to his lips, not wanting to hear whatever he was about to say.

  "Don't," I said. "You don't have to say anything. I'm sorry I brought it up." I stood up, wanting to get as far away from him as possible, wanting to get away from the heartache. But I didn't get very far. I passed out on the floor before even taking two steps.

  * * *

  When I woke up it was Jasmine who came rushing to my side. The sun was shining brightly outside. I had slept all through the night.

  "Oh my God, Nevaeh," Jasmine exclaimed. "I don't believe what happened to you!"

  "Jasmine? What are you doing here?" I asked.

  "Well, I was here last night visiting your father, and when I went to get some coffee I saw Cael carrying you! I thought I was hallucinating!"

  "Carrying me?" I asked puzzled.

  "Yeah, he said you'd passed out," she replied.

  "I passed out?" I thought for a moment and then it came to me. But I wasn't sure if I had passed out from a dizzy spell or a painful tug at my heart. "Oh yeah, I did."

  "Yeah, he brought you to your room, and I yelled for the nurse to come. They checked your pulse, your blood pressure, your heart rate, and a bunch of other stuff, but they didn't actually do anything to help you. I started screaming at them, but they just said it was a side effect of the concussion."

  I laughed at the thought of her screaming at all the nurses. "So how's my dad?" I asked.

  "Your dad is the same," she said, "but I want to know about you."

  "What about me?"

  "Come on Nevaeh, look what's happened to you!" she exclaimed.

  "It's nothing," I said, trying to brush off the subject.

  "It is not nothing," she replied, her eyes looking at me intensely. "Nevaeh, you told me that you and Nathan weren't together anymore, but you didn't tell me this was the reason."

  I sighed. "Well he only hit me once before this," I said.

  "Oh, so that makes it okay?!"

  "No, no. It doesn't. I just mean that the first time he hit me I left him. I didn't stick around after that. I just went back to his apartment to get my stuff. I didn't think he'd be there. He was supposed to be at work."

  "God Nev, I'm so sorry that happened to you. It must've been awful," she said with a horrified look on her face.

  "Don't even think about it," I said. "It's over now."

  "So how did you get here?"

  "Cael. I called him on a pay phone and then the next thing I knew I was in an ambulance. I think I passed out right after I called him. I just remember it being so hard to breathe and my head hurting so bad," I explained. "Where is Cael anyway?"

  Jasmine pointed to a spot on the floor in front of my bed. He was fast asleep. I didn't even realize he had been in the room. "He's been here all night," Jasmine said.

  "Why?" I asked puzzled.

  "I don't know," she said. "He said something about it being his fault. I don't know what he meant by that." I knew what he meant. So maybe it was a tug at my heart that caused me to pass out. Or maybe it was just a coincidence. I wasn't really sure.

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  Jasmine and I went to visit my father while Cael was still sleeping. It was easier to walk without getting dizzy, but Jasmine still held an arm around me to keep me upright. When we got to his room I thought he looked better than I did. His scrapes and bruises were beginning to clear up while mine were still fresh. He looked somewhat peaceful, oblivious to what was going on with the rest of the world.

  "So there's no change?" I asked.

  Jasmine shook her head. "No change."

  "Well, we sure have been spending a lot of time in the hospital," I said solemnly.

  "Yeah, I'm really starting to hate them," she responded. "Yesterday was our wedding date, you know."

  "Oh it was? I didn't know." She said nothing. "How come you're so different?"

  "Different how?" she asked with no expression on her face.

  "I don't know. It's just before I hated you, and well, now I don't."

  She smiled. "I guess I was just trying to impress you and your father."

  "Well, it worked on one of us," I said.

  "But he doesn't know the real me."

  "What do you mean?"

  "He fell in love with who I was pretending to be," she said sadly.

  "Well, I don't think he'd love you any less if he knew who you really were. Actually, I think he'd love you more."

  At that moment the heart monitor beside my father's bed banished it's steady pace. It began to beep frantically, setting me into a fit of panic. But nurses and doctors were already flooding the room. Suddenly I was terrified. I couldn't lose my dad too.

  "Daddy! Daddy don't die!" I heard someone scream. It took me a moment to realize it was me. A wave of commotion swept across the hospital room. It was loud from my piercing screams, and the doctors tried to shoo Jasmine and I away. They shocked his heart several times.

  "Daddy don't leave me! Please don't leave me!" I began to sob. I suddenly felt the hold of strong arms around me. I looked up to see Cael's face.

  "It's okay Nevaeh. It's okay," he consoled. Tears continued to sting my eyes.

  "Please don't die," I whispered.

  The doctors shocked his heart one more time, but to know avail. "We lost him," one of the doctors said. The sound of the heart monitor had turn to one slow beep.

  "No!" I cried. "No, no, no!" I doubled over, practically sinking to the ground. But Cael tightened his hold on me and kept me standing. What would I do without my dad? It didn't matter that we didn't always see eye to eye, that the majority of the time he wasn't around. He was still my father, and without him, I was truly alone.

  "I'm sorry," said the doctor. "We did all we could." But suddenly the heart monitor began to beep again, quickly at first, but then it slowed to its same steady pace. The doctors and nurses surrounded his bed again, looks of astonishment etched on their faces. They listened to his heart and checked his blood pressure. He was alive again
. Something had brought him back.

  "It's a miracle," Cael whispered from where he still stood behind me.

  "It sure is," I replied. Cael and I left Jasmine alone with my father and headed back to my room "So why are you still here?" I asked him. "I know how much you hate hospitals."

  He grinned. "I just couldn't stay away."

  "Cael what are you doing to me?" I asked, feeling an incredible surge of sadness. "Why do you say things like that?"

  "Because I mean them," he said looking hurt.

  "But how can you? We're just friends. Why do you talk like there's something more?"

  He hesitated. "I don't know. I guess I've always felt that there's been something more." His answer shocked me. I stared at him, trying to find the words to say. "But I guess I was wrong." He dropped his gaze to the floor, then turned around and walked away. I didn't try to stop him. I just let him go.