Chapter 67 I Am Not Going Anywhere Until They Are Okay!

Chapter 67 I Am Not Going Anywhere Until They Are Okay!
Jasmine

It felt like the longest flight of my life, but we finally arrived and hurried into the hospital. I needed to see them with my own eyes to confirm they are okay. We pause at the nurses’ station. 

“My dad, my little sister.” I ramble, making no sense. 

Cody took my hand in his and squeezed it. He told them the name, and the nurse sent us in the right direction. Lily must be terrified. Of course, I am worried about my dad too, but Lily is only a child; she won’t understand what is going on. 

We rush to the floor and see my mom in the waiting room, pacing and looking stressed, with Cody’s mom right beside her. 

“Mom, where are they? Are they safe?” I whisper. 

She hugs me tightly. “Yes, they are okay. The nurse is just checking on them. I was able to get them into the same room.” 

I hold her close, and she begins to cry as well. I wish I had been here. My mom shouldn’t have faced this alone. 

“What happened?” I ask, breaking the hug. 

“Some idiot was speeding and ran straight into them. The other driver was not even hurt. It could have been so much worse, but thankfully, none of them is in danger. They are keeping them in for observation. They can get home tomorrow afternoon if everything is okay and there are no changes.” 

“Please tell me they have been arrested. Which room are they in? I need to see them. Lily must be scared.” 

“They were. They are in room 303. We can go in once the nurse has left. Lily will be happy to see you. She has been asking for you. Surprisingly, after everything, Lily is doing okay. She is making the nurses and doctors laugh. Putting her in the same room as your dad has helped.” 

I relax a little. At least they are together and should be home tomorrow. I don’t even want to imagine how much worse it could have been. Some bastards don’t deserve to be on the road. I hope they jail that bastard. 

"Sorry, I wasn’t there, Mom.” 
“It's okay, sweetie. None of us could have foreseen this. It's good to see you, though I wish the circumstances were different." 

“I am here for as long as you need me. I will speak to my professors tomorrow and ask them to send my work.” 

I am not leaving her alone to care for them both. My studies are the least of my worries right now. 

“Sweetie, you need to focus on school," she says with a sigh. 

“That isn’t important at the moment. Don’t concern yourself with it. I will handle it. My priority is being here with my family.” 

The nurse steps out of the room, and I quickly head in. My dad is in a bed, his leg elevated, appearing to be in pain. 

“Daddy,” I whimper, rushing over to him. 

“Hey, sweetie, what are you doing here?” 

“Why do you think? Are you okay?” 

He nods. “I will be fine. Don’t worry about me.” 

I hug him gently. “Of course, I worry about you.” 

“You should go and see Lily. She has been asking for you.” 

I look over at her bed, where she has her arm in a sling with a cast and stitches in her head. It truly breaks my heart to see her like this. She’s so absorbed in what she’s watching on her iPad, a giggle escaping her lips. I smile at the sound. While she doesn’t seem traumatized now, that doesn’t mean she won’t have nightmares later. 

“Hey, Lily pad,” I whisper as I step beside her bed. 

She lets out a little squeal. “Jassy!” She puts her iPad aside. 

“Did you miss me? Are you doing okay, princess?” 

I hold back my tears. If she sees me upset, it may upset her, and I don’t want that. 

“Yes, I missed you. My arm is hurting." 

I get onto the bed with her, lying next to her as she cuddles into me. “I am here now. I’m sorry you and Daddy got hurt.” 

Lily snuggles closer. “I was scared, but I’m okay now.” 

I gently kiss the top of her head. "My brave little princess.” 

I hate that they are both going through this. It would have utterly destroyed my mom and me if we had lost any of them. I close my eyes, fighting back tears. 

“Jassy, when can I go home?” 

“Hopefully tomorrow, sweetie, but I will be right here, and so will Cody.” 

Her eyes brighten. “Cody's here as well?” 

I don’t have a chance to answer. “Yes, princess, I am right here.” 

We look up and see Cody standing there, holding a tiger teddy. 

“Cody!” Lily beams. 

He smiles, moves to the other side, and gently climbs onto the bed with her, taking care not to hurt her arm. “And this is for you.” 

He gives the teddy to her. “Thank you, Cody. My arm hurts,” she pouts. 

I can see that Cody is trying to hide his sadness, too. “I know it is. I am sorry you got hurt, but you are safe now.” He smiles. 

She nods and rests her head on his shoulder. Cody reaches over and takes my hand, squeezing it. I look up at him and manage a smile. 

“Where is my mom?” 

“I talked her into getting some food and coffee with my mom. She will be back soon.” 

“I am going to see my dad. Can you stay here with Lily? I will be back soon.” 

“Of course. Lily and I will watch some cartoons,' he says, picking up her iPad to find a distraction. 

I don’t want my dad to be alone. I kiss Lily’s forehead, then return to my dad, sitting by his bed and holding his hand. Only then do I finally release the tears I’d been holding back for Lily’s sake. 

“Hey, there's no need for tears now. We're fine, I promise," he says with a smile. 

“I'm really glad you're both okay. I was very worried. I'll stay as long as necessary to help care for you both.”

He attempts to protest, but I give him a stern look, and he relents. Now, I wish I had gone to college nearer to home. Moving so far away was a mistake. I won’t be leaving the hospital until they are allowed to go home. I will walk the halls all night if I need to. 

Cody will need to return to California before I do. He won’t be able to take weeks off work. I don’t know whether my professors will send me work, but even if they don’t, I am not returning soon. I will drop out if I need to and start again next year, but I won’t worry too much about all of that right now.