"You should be alright. You can't let anything happen to yourself. Please, God! Don't let anything happen to her." said Lilly to herself or to whoever was high there in the heavens.

She was pacing to and fro in front of the operation room where her sister had been taken for the surgery.

She remembered the conversation she had with her sister the previous night.

"Lilly, you have to promise me if anything happened to me, you will -''

"Nothing will happen to you, sis." Lilly interrupted scared of what words might come next from her sister's lips. Scared that her sister will once again start talking about her death.

"Listen to me," Sarah tried to calm her anxious little sister so that she could say her one last wish to her.

"You will take care of him. This child," she said placing her hand gently on the large baby bump as a tear rolled down from her eye. "You will raise him as your own. Never let him feel lonely. Promise me that if I didn't survive this surgery then you will take care of this child and will give him the love of both mom and dad and don't let anyone from that king's family come anywhere near him. You have to protect this child. Please, promise me, Lilly." Sarah pleaded, her eyes filled with tears and voice hoarse.

Lilly clasped Sarah's hands in her own as she crouched in front of her elder sister. "Shh... it's ok. I promise I'll look after him so please stop crying. And the doctor said nothing will happen to you. We have hope so please stop talking about death." Lilly said as she hugged her sister tightly, afraid that if she loosened her grip even a little then her sister might disappear in thin air.

She stopped pacing and looked at the operating theatre. It was still closed and Lilly could feel her heart beating erratically, her legs were becoming weak making hard for her to stand any longer. She took the chair in front of her. Placing her elbows on her knees she rested her head in her hands.

---------

"Mom...Dad, do you really have to go?" asked 16-year-old Sarah as she watched her mom helping dad with his necktie.

"Sweetie, if it wasn't that important then I would have stayed back with you and Lilly. But this party is to celebrate your dad's accomplishments and his office had already planned it all for him. So I have to accompany him. Right?" Eleni smiled at her daughter.

Picking up his suit jacket Allen Jones kissed his daughter's forehead and said, " I promise to take you and Lilly for McDonald's tomorrow. Ok?"

"If you promise me a chocolate ice cream then maybe..." Sarah grinned.

"Okay," said Alan as he gently patted her head. "Remember to lock all the doors and windows. Lilly had a fever yesterday even though it has subsided but still if anything happens just call us and we'll be back really quick."

"Ok."

"You are the best daughter in this world." Alan smiled.

"Repeat those words tomorrow morning in front of Lilly and then I'll believe you," Sarah commented and they all laughed.

Three hours later both the girls found themselves sitting in front of the operation theatre in a hospital. They had gotten a call that the couple had gotten into an accident and were severely injured. Both the girls reached the hospital with the neighbour's help. Every minute felt like an eternity and the weight of the moment like a mountain on their tender shoulders.

During the ride to the hospital, Lilly held onto her sister's hand as if trying to draw some strength from her elder sister who always looked so strong and confident. Even at the moment when Lilly was shivering due to the fear of unknown Sarah was trying her best to maintain her composure and calm her little sister. She kept repeating the words, "They will be alright, Lilly. Stop worrying. They are going to be ok."

Just then the door of operation theatre opened and the two young girls rushed to the room only to be stopped by a nurse.

"What happened?" Sarah looked at her questioningly.

"We want to meet our parents." Lilly forced.

The nurse looked at the doctor and he nodded. The nurse moved aside giving them the chance to enter the room. Both the girls stopped in front of their parent's stretchers.

"A-Are they unconscious from the operation?" Lilly asked Sarah.

"When are they going to wake up?" Lilly questioned again while still holding tightly onto her sister's hand.

Sarah moved forward towards her dad's stretcher. Her every step slow and careful. Slowly she raised her hand to touch her dad's forehead as she whispered, "Dad?"

"I am sorry, my child." The nurse entered as she looked at the pale face of both the girls feeling sorry for what she was going to say next. "I am sorry we couldn't save your parents."

The girls looked at her, their expressions horrified. Sarah turned to the other stretcher looking at the beautiful woman whose smile always gave her courage was now lying quietly on that stretcher. Her face is pale and devoid of all expressions.

"No... no!" Lilly shook her head as she repeated her words. "No!! You liar! You are lying!" She clutched her mom's cold hand as she called for her. "Mom?... Mom?" Frantically she turned to her father clutching his hand she called for him. "Dad?"

Her sister's standing unmoving figure and no reply from her parents made it feel as if she was living the deadliest of her nightmares.

"No!! Liar!"

........

"No!" Lilly's eyes flew open and she found herself sitting once again in front of the operation theatre. The only difference was that instead of her parents this time it was her sister in the operation theatre and now she was no longer a 13-year-old girl.

She took a deep breath and rubbed the back of her neck with her now damp palms trying to calm her nerves and shake the fears away.

The door of operation theatre opened and a nurse appeared with a small white bundle in her arms. Lilly got up from the chair as the nurse started walking towards her. Stopping right in front of her the nurse stretched her arms a bit adjusting the little White bundle so that Lilly could take a better look.

"The boy is healthy." said the nurse with a small smile.

Lilly looked at the nurse and then at the little one who was wrapped so well in the White cloth that only his face was visible. His eyes were closed and he looked so at peace. Lilly didn't realise when she stretched her arms and took the little boy in her embrace.

"He is so beautiful," she said smiling as a tear of joy rolled down her pink cheek.

"Have you decided the name for him?" asked the nurse.

"Samuel," Lilly answered without a second thought. "Samuel Jones."

It was the name her sister had decided for the little one when he was still in her womb. She must have missed the first cry of the baby when she was having that nightmare, Lilly thought to herself.

"Can I meet my sister now?" she asked, her attention still focused on little Samuel. She touched his nose with a gentle fingertip and he scrunched his face in his sleep making her laugh with amusement, joy and little wonder that he was.

As her question was left unanswered she repeated it.

"Can I meet my sister now? I want to see her."

When seconds passed and no reply met her request she raised her eyes frowning at the nurse. Cold sweat trickled down her spine but she fought for optimism.

"She-she must be sleeping. Might be due to anaesthesia." Lilly said while trying to smile trying her best to hide the fear of inevitable and pretend that everything was alright. The only thing that she wanted the most in this world at this moment was for the nurse to agree with her that yes her sister was sleeping due to anaesthesia and that she was alright. That she was going to wake up soon.

"It's ok I'll meet her when she regains her conscious. I will wait here till then."

"I am sorry." The nurse apologized with her head slightly bowed and eyes filled with pity as she looked at the little Samuel.

"S- sorry? Why are you sorry?" Lilly looked at her alarmingly. "What is it?"

"Your sister..."

"My sister is alright, of course. I- I know nothing can happen to her. She had told me she'll be fine after the delivery." she said shaking her head.

"She's... she is alright. She won't leave me and this little one all alone." she continued trying desperately to hold onto the hope which was slipping like sand from her hands. The stronger she gripped it the faster it was escaping her hands.

"We couldn't save your sister. I'm sorry."

_______________

"You never said I'm leaving,

you never said goodbye.

You were gone before I knew it and only God knew why.

A million times I needed you,

a million times I cried.

If love alone could save you,

you would never have died.

In life, I loved you dearly

in death, I love you still.

In my heart, you hold a place

that no one could ever fill.

It broke my heart to lose you

but you didn't go alone

for part of me went with you

the day god took you home."

- Anonymous...

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