Chapter Thirty-Three

Whole Again

I tried hard not to worry about Ryan. I really did. But even though I had a ridiculously massive headache, I found myself almost unable to feel the pain of it over my worries.

What would Addison do?

What would happen to Chris?

What would happen to me?

I've lost enough of my family. Mum, both sets of grandparents, most likely Kyle, I can't lose Ryan too. He's my only brother now.

All of these thoughts played themselves over and over again in my mind. Like they were on a never ending carousel.

The nurses said that Ryan was still in surgery but I could go and see Kyle if I so desired. I needed to see him. Even if he was asleep when I got there, I needed to see him.

"Chris"

"Yeah honey?"

"I'm going to go and see Kyle"

"Okay. Do you want me to come with you?"

"No. Stay here with Addie and wait for news on Ryan. I shouldn't be too long"

"Okay. See you in a bit then?"

"Of course"

He kissed my forehead and I wandered down to Kyle's room which was on the trauma floor of the hospital.

The doctors said that I was fine and they cleared me to go home. Chris and I filled out the discharge papers a few hours ago so I could leave whenever I wanted to.

I reached for the door handle and hesitantly turned it. I pushed the big wooden door open and walked into the room. There lay Kyle. Absolutely out cold. With many different machines attached to him just as mum had been six months ago. It hurt me seeing him like this. He was never a fragile person. But that's all he was right now. It scared me seeing him so vulnerable and weak. He was always stronger than me in almost every possible way and now, he's weaker than me.

I moved slowly towards him and pulled a chair beside him. I reached into my pocket and grabbed the item I had found inside of the pocket of his jacket when Jay shot him. A dog tag necklace that had a female stick person on it. This was our sad attempt at friendship necklaces. I had a stickman, and he had a stickwoman. I made sure that after Chris and I filled out the papers, I went home to retrieve mine. When I got there, I saw that my dad was nowhere to be found. I shrugged, clasped the necklace around my neck and drove back to the hospital. Whether or not I should be driving was a whole other story but I didn't want to take Chris or Addison away from the hospital in case something happened with Ryan.

So here I was. Sitting in a chair in a private hospital room, grasping onto my best friend's necklace that we had gotten when we were five or so, desperately trying to choke back my tears in fear that I would break once again.

I held his hand in mine, and in my other hand, I held his necklace, with mine still hanging from my neck.

"Ky" I whispered.

"Ky" a little louder and a little more desperate this time.

"Ky" it now became a plea for him to wake up.

"What am I gonna do Kyle? Lena and Kara are leaving for college again, mum is gone, I don't know where dad is and Ryan could be dying. I can't lose you as well. I've lost too many people that actually care about me Kyle. Mum, grandma and grandpa Scott, grandma and grandpa Collins, Lena and Kara are thousands of miles away and have already turned on me once. I almost lost Chris, I might lose Ryan, but I can't lose you. You're my partner in crime. We're hit and then hide, fire and ice, Kit and Kat, peanut butter and jelly. Kyle, please don't leave me. I know we had a falling out after I left Jay. But I felt awful because I had been avoiding Jay and it turned out, I had been avoiding you too. I shut a lot of people out when we broke up. I needed time to move on. I guess I just thought I had lost you the way I had lost him. You tried so hard to help me, and I just shut you out. I didn't want to face you after doing something that awful to someone who didn't deserve any of it. But when you protected me from Jay that night at the party. I felt like all of that went away and we could go back to the way we were. I miss us together Kyle. I need my best friend back. Please. I love you"

His hand tightened around mine. He heard the whole thing. His eyes opened and I nearly shrieked with happiness. I carefully hugged him tight and he placed a kiss on my forehead.

"I love you too sis" he smirked.

We sat there together for I don't know how long just hugging it out. We hadn't been able to do this in a long while and I was glad that I got to now. But after what I thought was a miracle, after I thought he was finally going to be able to be my best friend again, he slipped through my fingers. Again.

I was lying next to him, my head on his chest when the rising and falling of his chest just stopped completely. The heart monitor went ballistic before a steady constant beeping filled the room, signalling that his heart had given up. He sputtered a bit before he regained a few of his words.

"I'll-never-l-leave-y-y-you-I-l-love-you-t-too-mu-much-to-d-do-that-to-y-you"

And he was gone. For good this time. I screamed for help sobbing into his chest in a scene that felt all too familiar to me. The second time in a day I was fearing for his life. Only this time, I knew it had been taken from him. I took his necklace in my hand. I had clasped it around his neck once again after he had woken. I played with it for a few seconds before unclasping it from his neck and putting it around my own. Now I wore two necklaces. One mine, and one my best friend's, who was so horrendously ripped away from me by my dead, psychotic ex-boyfriend.

"I love you Ky" I whispered as I lightly kissed his pale lips. I wrapped my arms around him one last time before the nurses came into the room. I placed one last kiss on his cheek before exiting the room. I turned around when I reached the door to see the nurses pulling a sheet overtop of his body.

I ran to Chris in a blur. I don't even know where I found the strength to do it, but I ran faster than I can ever remember running. Worry and sympathy flushed his face as he came into my line of sight. He stood from his seat leaving Addison visible beside him, and held out his arms for me. I slightly tripped on the ground and fell into his ever-so comforting grasp. He sat down on the white tile floor and rested his back up against the chair he was just sitting in. I sat with him so that my left side was against his chest, my legs were folded and my feet on the outside of Chris's left thigh. He wrapped his strong arms around my shoulders as I buried my face in my hands. I tried taking a deep breath and my head dropped onto Chris's collar bone. Addison stood from her seat and joined as well, sitting beside Chris and pulling my feet across her lap. She leaned on his left arm and he slung it around her making sure to keep his right one completely around me. He pulled her close to him and kissed her hair. The three of us sat together with Addison and I crying and Chris comforting us both at the same time.

This man was perfect. My mind wandered to our engagement, and I had almost forgotten about it considering everything that had happened in the past twenty four hours. I brought my left hand closer to my face and examined my new ring. It really was the most gorgeous piece of jewelry I had ever seen. It was a white gold band that had about four light aquamarine colored diamonds arranged in between small white diamonds. It had a beautiful princess cut diamond that wasn't too large or too small, it was simply perfect. It had a very very slight hint of rose in the diamond which just made me love it more. It was perfect. It was traditional with a hint of color which gave it its uniqueness.

A small smile tugged at the corner of my lips and Chris placed a kiss on my temple. I snuggled into the crook of his neck and was glad to hear that Addison had stopped crying as well. I was still in a bit of shock about Kyle but I ran out of tears to cry. We just sat in silence, the three of us. A family. But we were missing one very important member.

Just as I finished this thought, a nurse walked over toward us.

"Are you the family of Ryan Baxter?" she asked.

"We are" Chris was the only one who seemed to find his words.

Ryan's parents had passed away along with Chris and Addison's. The four of them were going on a double date when the accident happened, and he never met his grandparents so we were his only family, except for his two sisters Hannah and Kylie. I hadn't met them before because they were busy with school and Ryan doesn't like to talk about his family much.

"The doctors just wheeled him out of surgery" she said.

"And" Chris started.

"He looks like he is going to make a full recovery. You've got yourselves a real soldier on your hands"

"You have no idea" I laughed.

She smiled and walked away. The three of us jumped for joy. Literally.

I stood up faster than I ever have and pulled Addison up with me. I hugged her tight and she cried a few tears of joy before Chris stood up. He immediately grabbed his sister and pulled her into his arms, twirling her around. He set her down and moved to me. He picked me up bridal style and spun me around just like we used to do. He buried his head in the crook of my neck and I kissed the top of his head. He set me down and kissed me with a sense of relief.

He hadn't lost his best friend, and I hadn't lost my brother. Our little family could be whole again.

---------------------------------------------------------------------

Yay! Happy family!

What do you guys think about Kyle? I mean he's dead but....I liked him I don't know why I killed him :/

The picture above is Kyle's necklace, and in case you were wondering, yes it's mine. I got the idea from my own life experience. My best friend and I had those necklaces and he passed away almost six years ago so I wear his necklace. But I don't have my own necklace (the other half of the puzzle piece/stickman) because my brother accidentally threw it out. :(

Whatever. Keep commenting and voting! I love hearing from my readers about what they'd like to see in my work.

Happy reading!

Eagle_Eye_13 xx