Chapter 38

“A few hours ago! I thought we were at the best hospital for my daughter. What would have happened if she was woken earlier, huh? What if she was in so much pain she couldn’t move to press the call button. I am deeply upset with the service here, especially because of my more than generous donation to this hospital. I would love to speak to your supervisor right after you give pain medication to my daughter.” He spoke his words with venom. They even shook me to my core. The poor nurse was shaking by the time he got done with his rant. I felt bad for her. She could have easily just forgotten. I forget things all of the time. However, I know not to speak up right now. It just would only cause more trouble.

“Y-Y-Yes, sir.” She hurried out of my room to get my medicine.

“Dad?” He turned towards me and his world-famous smile came back to his face.

“Yes, Love?”

“Why did you do that to that poor girl. She probably just forgot. It’s okay!” He looked at me like I had two heads.

“Of course, it’s not okay!” He then went on rambling about how I am a princess and should be treated like one. I just watched him pace back and forth while giggling. His little rant was interrupted when the nurse came scrambling back in to give me something for pain. She quickly but carefully replaced the old pain medicine drip with the new one and scrambled to get out of the room. Dad mumbled something under his breath but sat down anyway. I saw a little movement from the corner of my eye. Without even realizing Ethan was still in the room, I let out a very high scream. If Ethan wasn’t awake before, he certainly was now.

“What! What! Are you okay?” He tiredly stood up from his chair and leaned over the bed.

“Yes, yes. I am fine. You just scared me. I swear you can sleep through a shoot-out.” I could tell my words confused him because he gave me the “What are you talking about?” face.

“Um, Dad? Is she feeling okay?” He put the back of his hand on my forehead and felt around. I grumbled and smacked his hands away.

“She’s fine. I just had a disagreement with a nurse this morning. No biggy.” It was my turn to look at him like he had two heads.

“No biggy? That poor nurse left with a puddle around her feet.” Ethan just watched our interaction with amusement in his eyes. Before Dad could respond, Doctor Skies walked through the door. “Not the person I wanted it to see,” I mumbled under my breath. Apparently, I suck at mumbling because Ethan had the giggles and Dad looked shocked. I looked up at him with wide eyes as he stared at me for a second. He then broke out into a loud belly laugh and smiled at me.

“Ah, Bri. This is why you’re my favorite.” I gave him a small smile and was about to speak before he cut me off. “Don’t even think about apologizing. That made my whole day. I totally get it. I wouldn’t want to see the old guy who pricks me with needles either.” I just laughed and nodded my head.

“I’m glad we are on the same page.” He let out another laugh and went to go look at my chart.

“Okay my dear, let’s see what we are doing today.” He seemed to be quickly flipping through the pages before sighing. “You’re not going to like me even more.” I just frowned at him and waited for him to break the news. “We have to do blood work, MRI with contrast, CAT scan, and an ultrasound.” I just let out a whine mixed with a whimper. I closed my eyes and curled up in the bed. Ethan was quick to try and comfort me while Doctor Skies was talking to Dad. Ethan rubbed my back and played with my hair. He knew it would almost always get me to calm down. Why did I have to be sick? I just wanted to be normal. I sighed and turned towards Ethan.

“Are the boys coming later?” He just nodded and continued to rub my hair. I sighed and closed my eyes in contentment. Of course, my moment had to be ruined.

“Okay Bri, here’s the plan. We will do the blood work right now because that will be right out of your IV. Then we will take you down to get the MRI. Once we get the results, we will see if we need to do the other tests.” I just nodded at him. All the energy I had was gone. Ethan moved out of the way as Doctor Skies came over to do the bloodwork. I didn’t even feel any pain because it was all through my IV. However, I felt very faint from not eating and then taking blood.

“Oh no. Please stop. I think I’m going to pass out.” My vision started to go in and out and the voices became fuzzy. I felt hands on me to keep me upright. I felt Doctor Skies disconnect the needle and put everything away before coming back over to me. I then felt a cold rush go through my IV. After a few minutes, I got my hearing back followed by my vision. I shook my head a bit and looked around.

“Looks like it’s time to eat,” Dad said. I just nodded, not wanting to experience that again. Doctor Skies left with my blood and was followed by my Dad who went to get me food.

I sighed and looked back at Ethan. I was about to speak but I was interrupted by the door slamming open. All of my brothers were standing there. I gave them a small smile and they all came barreling over.

“Oh, my Bri. Last night was so bad. It was so weird not having you there.” Grayson said while coming over to hug me.

“Sorry, Gray.” I offered him a frown. He was then slapped upside the head by Trevor.

“Bri, don’t say sorry. We just missed you! We will all be taking turns sleeping over.” Everyone's eyes lit up like they didn’t know this news. All of them except for Trevor and Ethan all started to fight over who could stay first. My headache was coming back and I groaned. I put one of the pillows over my face to try and block out the noise. The fighting went on for a while till I heard the door opening.

“What is going on here?” I recognized Dad’s voice. I heard his footsteps coming near me. I felt the pillow being removed. “Are you okay, Bug?”

“Just a lot.” He turned towards them with a scowl.

“Be more considerate.” They all gulped and nodded. Before Dad had the chance to give me anything, the rest of the boys came over to give me hugs. Once we all hugged, Dad came over to me and gave me some Rice Crispy cereal and some fruit.

“Thanks Dad.” I kissed his cheek before I started to eat. The boys just made small talk with each other. After a while, I became tired and full. I just sat there zoning out for a while before Elli broke me out of it.

“Are you done?” I just nodded and waited for him to move the tray away from me. Once he moved it, I tugged on Ethan’s hand to get in bed with me. He quickly got in and snuggled me. I just needed a hug right now and he’s doing a great job of that. With the soft voices in the background and his body heat, I was cuddled into a nice sleep. (chp.24)

I woke up to a new stabbing pain in my head. The pain was radiating from my forehead down my head and into my spine. The pain was sharp and was not letting up. It seemed to wrap around my whole body making me feel like I was in a cocoon of constant discomfort. The pain seemed to wrap around my lungs, making it hard to breathe. Even though the pain was so bad, I didn’t want to get up. I don't want to face the reality of my life. I don’t want to be sick. I don’t want to be in pain. I don’t want to live in fear every second of my life. I want to live freely. All I want is freedom. How can I get that when I’m confined into this sick body that I was given. I’m so weak. I can barely function on my own. This is all getting too much for me. Maybe giving up is easier than living through it. Maybe my brothers would be able to stop worrying about someone who isn't worth the worry. Maybe my Dad’s life could go back to the way it was when he didn’t have the burden of a sick, abused daughter. I’m thinking that maybe everyone is better off if I go away. I might sound selfish and I don’t mean to, but I don’t know what to do anymore.

The pain in my head was only getting worse by the second. The ich to get relief was not being scratched. After a few more moments, I couldn’t fight it anymore. I opened my aching eyes and groaned very loudly. This caught the attention of Ethan who was laying next to me on his phone.