I Won't Leave You

I looked out the window of the hospital. It was raining outside. The rain poured down and the droplets stuck to the glass dripping slowly and sliding down. I looked down at Leo. He looked so peaceful but sometimes he would murmur in his sleep or tears would start running down the side of his face. I wonder what he was dreaming of. Ever since that day, Leo has been in a coma and no one knew if he would wake up. When I heard a thud upstairs I had rushed into the house and saw him collapsed on the floor holding his chest, barely breathing. There was a journal on the floor as well. He was rushed to the emergency room and Mrs. Tanner and I had cried and tried to comfort each other. It near the end of March now and school was about to end in another 3 months. Would he ever wake up?

"Skyler."

I flinched and looked behind me.

"How is he?"

"Still the same. How was your game, Mike?"

He was soaking wet and his hair dripped with water forming a small puddle on the floor.

"We won but I wanted to tell Leo so I ran over here in the rain."

We didn't know if Leo could hear us or not but whenever we had news, we would tell him hoping that his eyes would open and he would laugh at our crying faces.

"Here. Dry yourself or you'll catch a cold."

I grabbed him a towel from the drawers and gave it to him. On the drawer was Leo's journal which I had picked up. I hadn't read it but I brought it to the hospital assuming it was something important to him. There were also flowers at his bedside. Every day they were replaced with a new bouquet. Apparently Mrs. Tanner would come in the morning and change them.

Occasionally, Mike and Angeline would come to visit Leo. Angeline seemed to like Mike but he was dense so I don't know if he understood her feelings. Maybe I should give him a push.

"Where's Angel?"

"She said she had something to do so she went home first."

"I see. You should have gone with her."

"Why?"

He really was dense.

"Next time just go with her. I think she'll be happy about it."

"Sure. I guess."

"No."

We looked over at Leo. He was breathing hard and his hands were clenching the blanket tight but he wasn't awake.

"No. Please don't leave me. Please. I don't want to be alone."

Tears were streaming down his face. But he wasn't the only one. I grabbed his hand and held it.

"It's okay Leo. I'm here. I won't leave you."

His hand relaxed and he sighed and began breathing regularly again.

I wiped away my tears and looked at Mike. He was trying to hold back his own tears as well.

"Let's head back."

These days, the atmosphere was tense and every little thing would trigger something. Any mention of Leo would make my heart hurt and every day I would reread his father's letter. I would go over to visit Mrs.Tanner and we would try to reassure each other that he would wake up soon. It was difficult for me to sleep and I would occasionally burst into tears. Angeline would sometimes accompany and she would also cry with me. We talked a lot and I was starting to think maybe Angeline was a really nice girl. She became one of the few friends I could confide in and she would always try to cheer me up. Mike would also reassure me and I noticed that the two of them were really awkward but they did seem to like each other. But even with all of this happiness, Leo was still asleep.

Every day I would go and visit Leo afterschool. Many of our classmates would ask about him and a few went to visit him as well but he never woke him. Every day was the same. Go to school, visit Leo, go home. Maybe the next day will be different. Maybe he will wake up. But he never did.

It was April now and spring was arriving. I was in the hospital again. The trees outside were green with small buds and the window was open letting in a cool breeze. I rested my head on his bed and held his hand. At some point, I fell asleep. I dreamt of the past. My memories with Leo. His 7th birthday, when we went to the aquarium, visiting his father's grave. Then I felt something on my head and woke up. I slowly blinked my eyes a bit disoriented.

"Skyler."

I looked up. Immediately my eyes welled up. He was staring at me and stroking my head. His green eyes shining in the sunlight and his black hair slightly flowing. How long has it been since his eyes shined like that? They glittered like the sea and his smile was unmistakable. But I knew that something wasn't right. The ones that kept the most secrets are the ones who laugh the most, talk the most and smile the most. This applied to Leo and I felt a sense of dread.

"Leo."

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