Chapter 45 Zeus And His Curse
Zeus And His Curse
I wake up to my dad’s geeky Star Trek ringtone and avoid a groan. He answers the phone whispering.
“Joey, it’s half past four in the morning.” My dad’s eyes dart to me, and I grow curious. “What? But how? I mean, forget that, what can I do?” He keeps looking between the phone and me. “I’ll tell her, and we’ll be on our way.”
Allison is snoring in her pajamas on the couch farthest from us, unaware.
“Mads…” My dad scratches his head, getting up. “I don’t want you to worry, but- Jake got into an accident.”
What?
Memories of him getting on top of his bike flash in my head. That stupid bike.
My eyes fog, and my dad grabs my hands.
“Hey, it’s okay. Joey said he has a concussion and some bruising, but he’s fine.”
I nod, containing myself. I get up, wake Allison up, and tell her we’re going to the hospital.
“What are we waiting for? Let’s go.” She looks down at her pajamas and shrugs. “Who cares, let’s go!”
She holds my hand and squeezes it while my dad rushes to get his car.
This can’t be happening.
We all go into the car, and my dad drives fast. We could get into a car accident.
We always think these things are never going to happen, because they only happen in movies or to strangers. Except when they happen to you. But why us? Why him.
I have to calm down, it’s not like he’s…
He’s waiting for us, alive.
The whole car ride was silent.
My dad parks, and all of us get out of the car, running to the hospital.
Of course, I don’t know what I’m doing. I’ve rarely been to hospitals.
I let my dad pass me and run after him. He walks in and says everything that has to be said, and I should probably listen, but my brain can’t process. I just follow.
We go through the stairs and the elevators, and when we get to the right place, Emily and Joey are talking to the doctor. Riden and I run to them.
“Is he okay?” We both ask at the same time, hopefully. Emily releases a cry, and Joey is the one who talks.
“Strong concussion and bruising, like I said on the phone.” He sighs, probably not believing that this is happening to his son.
“I’m so sorry, I know he’s alright, I’m just-”
“It’s okay.” Joey hugs her, comforting her.
We all stand in silence until we hear a loud beeping sound coming from one of the rooms. Like a finish line. A nurse gets out of the room and shouts.
“Need a doctor in room twelve! Now!”
“Wait, room twelve… That’s Jake.” Emily says, horrified, trying to get out of Joey’s arms.
The doctor immediately abandons us and calls for support, but I can’t stand it.
I walk out discreetly between the chaos to the room. Several people get in the room, and I stand in the doorway. I try to see, and I wish I didn’t. He has tubes, his face is bloodied, cuts and injuries, and the heart monitoring machine is going wild.
“Possible allergic reaction to Ketorolac. How’s his airway?”
The doctor takes a tube and tries for a few seconds to place it in him.
“Damnit, it’s closed!” The doctor curses, and a cry escapes me.
That thin line is going crazy. That thin line can change everything. That thin line is getting closer to a… Flatline.
“Crash cart! He’s crashing.” The doctor starts doing CPR, and I cover my mouth.
“No!” I shout, my voice hoarse, and my eyes looking at something that they can’t stand. “No!”
“Ma’am, you can’t be in here. Someone take her-”
I feel my dad’s arms around me.
“Maddie-”
“Let me go!” I cry, and he drags me further away while the doctor is still trying to bring him back. “Dad, let me…”
I can’t lose him. I can’t. I feel like I can’t breathe. Why can’t I breathe? I’m supposed to be able to breathe without him. I close my eyes and focus on my breathing, letting the tears stain my face, and the pain takes control of me. It’s all falling down. My mom, him…
This can’t be happening. He can’t-
I’m feeling myself get dragged. I don’t want to get dragged. I want Jake. I want to keep calling his name until he comes back to me. What is happening to me? I look up at the bright lights of the hospital.
“Please.” I cry. “Mom, please.” It comes out of my mouth before I can stop it.
My dad stops us in a small, empty hallway. My eyes search for his face.
“Maddie, please stop.” He calmly says.
“No! She left me. The least she could do is save him!” I shake my head and close my eyes, trying to focus on her face. I don’t believe in anything, but desperation makes people do desperate things. “D-dad, I think I’m sick. I mean, I feel like I-I can’t breathe.” I let out between sobs.
He holds me closely.
“I don’t think you’re sick, honey. I think you love him.” My dad’s green eyes show nothing but the truth.
The image of his almost lifeless body is printed on my brain, haunting me.
“Dad.” I look at him, on my knees, on the floor, realizing I love the one person who, right now, can absolutely destroy me. “I can’t lose him.” A cry escapes my mouth, and the tears take it from there. My dad kneels next to me and hugs me.
“I know.” He gulps, as if he knew what I was talking about. It’s because he does know. My mother. She didn’t just leave Lindsey and me. She left the man who loved her beyond reason. My dad. And he watched her die.
I close my eyes.
They say that we were originally created with four arms, four legs, and a head with two faces. Fearing our power, Zeus split us into two separate parts, condemning us to spend our lives in search of our other halves. The cruelty is that I actually thought mine would be him.