Glow

CHAPTER 12

  They arrived at the hospital, book in hand and headed to Sara’s room.

  They found Tommy in the hallway kicking a vending machine.

  “Hey.” Amelia called

  “Oh my god, Mel. He walked over and threw his arms around her. They held each other tightly for a long moment. “It’s so good to see you Mel.” Tommy said

  “Same here kid. How’s our girl doing? Any changes?” she asked

  “No, nothing. Now they’re saying that her brain is swelling and they can’t stop it, or do anything to relieve it. It seems like she’s just fading away. I talk to her constantly, I read her favorite books to her, and nothing.” He began to tear up. “I just don’t know what else to do, I feel so helpless.”

  “Sometimes we are helpless. Sometimes the only thing we can do is pray, or project positive energy to someone.” Amelia said

  “I know you’re right, but it just sucks so bad, and it hurts so much. I was gonna ask her to marry me, Mel.”

  They hugged again and Tommy pulled away trying to wipe his eyes and gain his composure.

  “Oh, god, I’m sorry, Tommy, this is Gabriel, Gabriel, this is Tommy.”

  Tommy reached out to shake Gabriel’s hand, and Gabriel pulled him into an enormous Gabriel hug. He clapped his hand on Tommy’s back, “It’s so good to meet you Tommy, I am so sorry for what happened to Sara, for what you’re going through.”

  “Thanks, man, I really appreciate it. Good to meet you too. I bet Mel’s keeping you on your toes huh?” He tried to lighten to mood.

  “I’d say you have no idea, but clearly you do.” Gabriel responded, as they all tried to smile for a moment.

  “Tommy, I don’t mean to be rude,” said Amelia, “but have you showered? Have you even left here, at all?”

  “No, I haven’t left her side. Her parents got bumped and are sitting in an airport in Sydney. I didn’t want to leave her all alone.”

  “Well, we’re here now. Why don’t you go to my place, and get some rest? There should be some snacks in the fridge too. It will do you good.”

  Tommy hesitated, as he looked into the room where Sara lay.

  “She’s right, you know. And especially being in a hospital, you’re more susceptible to getting sick yourself if you don’t keep your energy up.” Gabriel added

  “Okay, okay, I’ll go. But only for a couple of hours.”

  “Good. We will be here until you return.” Gabriel said

  Tommy grabbed his backpack from the chair in Sara’s room and headed down to the elevators.

  Amelia turned and walked into Sara’s room. She had all kinds of machines next to her bed, a breathing tube down the throat, an IV, it made Amelia cry just seeing her friend in such a state.

  “Okay, Amelia, we don’t know how much time we will have, so why don’t we just get to it?”

  “Right. Close the door, please.” She replied

  Gabriel closed the door quietly. “Would you prefer to be alone?” he asked her

  “Actually, that would be great. I’m nervous, and I don’t wanna screw this up. Could you go grab me a coffee or something?” she asked

  “Of course beautiful, and remember,” he said, as he walked toward her, “you can do this, I know you can.”

  “Thanks.”

  He kissed her cheek and quietly left the room.

  Once in the hallway, he breathed a sigh of relief, and as he did, he caught a whiff of something delicious. Normally, he wouldn’t indulge, but an orderly just wheeled by four coolers of blood. It had been a while and he figured he should grab a drink while he had somewhat of an opportunity. He followed the orderly down the hall and into the elevator. He moved so fast, no one would have ever seen him. He stood behind the orderly in the elevator and grabbed two bags of blood out of the cooler closest to him, and slipped them into his pocket. When the elevator stopped, he got out and headed straight to the men’s room. He walked inside and went into a stall, locked the door behind him and sat on the toilet lid. He bit into the first bag. As soon as the liquid hit his tongue, he groaned in relief. He gulped it down and began on the second. After he drained it, he sat back for a moment, while the power surged through him. He could feel his senses heighten, his muscles grow, and his attention become super focused. It was almost as though he could feel the neurons in his brain firing faster. He took a moment to gather himself, tossed the empty bags in the trash and left the bathroom in search of a coffee.

   

  Amelia placed her bag on the chair next to Sara’s bed. She stood and looked at her friend, who in all honesty, looked like she was already gone. The tears began to flow.

  “This is all my fault Sara, I couldn’t be any sorrier. I hope I can fix this.” She sobbed

  She took the book from her bag and flipped through the pages until she came to the healing spell.

  After wiping the tears from her face, she took a deep breath, let it out, and placed the book on the bed near Sara’s legs. She placed one hand on Sara’s chest, and the other on her forehead. She began.

  “North, East, South and West, hear me now, heal the blessed. Take the ails, and bring them away, allow this soul, to fight another day.”

  She waited a few minutes. Nothing. No change at all. She did it again. Still nothing.

  “What am I doing wrong?” she said aloud. She cried out of frustration now.

  “Sara, why isn’t it working? I don’t know what to do.”

  Amelia sat in the chair, held her friend’s hand, and rested her head on the edge of the bed.

  He sobs slowed and she began to breathe normally again. She stayed in that position for several minutes. When suddenly, she heard Sara’s voice.

  “Please, come in Amelia.” Sara said

  Amelia’s head shot up, her eyes wide. But she was no longer in the hospital room. She was in the hallway in front of the door to her room. Sara stood in the doorway looking at her expectantly.

  “Come in Amelia.” She said again. Sara stepped aside, so that Amelia could enter the room.

  As soon as she went inside, Sara was gone. She looked all around the room, but Sara was nowhere to be found. The room was neat and clean. There was no sign of anything being disturbed. She walked over to Sara’s bed and sat down. There was a knock at the door, and when she looked up, J came walking in.

  “J? What are you doing here?” she asked

  He didn’t answer her, in fact, it seemed as though he didn’t even hear her, but he walked right over to her.

  “So, where’s this special book that Amelia is so in love with?” he asked

  “What?” Amelia asked, confused

  “I know you’ve seen it. I really need to use it, do you know where it is?” he asked

  “What are you talking about?” she asked

  “Sara, you’re not a stupid girl, so don’t act like one. Where is the book?” he asked, obviously agitated now.

  “You can’t hear me, can you J?” Amelia asked

  When he question went unanswered, she realized what was happening. She was doing a tandem meditation with Sara. Was she seeing something that had already happened? Or was this just imagination?

  J started walking around the room, opening drawers, rifling through them. He came to Amelia’s desk, and opened and dumped the drawers out onto the floor.

  “Come on, Sara, tell me where that damn book is!” he yelled at her

  Amelia just sat and watched in disbelief.

  “I’m her best friend Sara, not you. Don’t you think she’d be willing to lend me a damn book?” he asked

  He continued his search of the room, growing angrier, when each place he looked, came up empty. It was becoming very clear that he was the one who trashed the room days earlier.

  He finally came to stand in front of Amelia. He didn’t even look like J. He was so angry, like she had never in all their lives seen him.

  He placed his hands on either side of her head. She didn’t dare move.

  “We’ll just see what you s
aw Sara, I’ll find it one way or another. You had to have seen her with it.” He said

  “Don’t fight me Sara, it will be so much easier if you don’t fight. Show me what I want to know. Now!” he commanded.

  Amelia felt his hands pressing the sides of her head, and she was beginning to feel very warm. She looked up slightly and saw gray smoke swirling above her. She looked back at J, and his eyes were glowing red.

  “What in the hell is happening!” she yelled, but as before, he couldn’t seem to hear her.

  She felt warmer and warmer, then hot. She moved her head again to look up, and there was a light blue flame, almost like a ray of light that seemed to be coming from her head going straight up to the ceiling, scorching it.

  “I always knew you were worthless.” He snarled as he released her. She fell back onto the bed, and opened her eyes. She was back in the hospital room holding Sara’s hand. Startled, she jolted her head up from the bed, just as Gabriel snuck into the room, coffee in hand.

  She burst into tears, and the machines began to beep. All of them beeping at once. Suddenly nurses stormed into the room, and told her that they had to leave, and shouting commands to each other.

  She grabbed the book and put back into her bag.

  “What’s happening?” she asked as Gabriel came to guide her from the room.

  “She’s coding!” one of the nurses yelled

  “Crash cart! Stat!” yelled another.

  Gabriel guided Amelia out of the room and into the hall.

  “Let them take care of her.” He said, as he held her in his arms.

  “It didn’t work. Stupid fucking spell didn’t work!” she cried into his chest. “What a fool I was to think that there was anything I could do.”

  “You tried Amelia. You tried. That’s all you could have done.” He tried to reassure her.

  There were bunches of people in Sara’s room now. Doctors and nurses scrambling. Trying to save the life of her friend. The one she couldn’t.

  “I just feel so helpless.”

  Gabriel turned to her and shared her own words with her; “Beautiful girl, sometimes we are helpless.”

  She knew he was right and buried her head in his chest. He stood there and held her for what seemed like a very long time. Sara’s room was empty now. The last nurse turned the light off as she walked out.

  Sara was gone. “I failed Gabriel. I let her die.”

  “Amelia, don’t’ say that. You did the best you could. From the looks of things and from what Tommy said, I really don’t think there was much of anything anyone could have done.

  Amelia’s head shot up and she freed herself from his embrace.

  “Oh my god, Gabriel, it was J!”

  “What was J?” he asked

  “It was J who did this to Sara!”

  “Okay, slow down, let’s have a seat.” He led her to a waiting area at the end of the hall.

  They sat down on a loveseat in the corner.

  “Gabriel, listen to me. It was J who did this. I saw him. Oh my god. J did this. How could he? I don’t understand any of this.” She said

  “Why don’t you tell me what you’re talking about?”

  “Okay, I tried the spell and nothing happened, so I waited, and I tried again. I waited, and while it wasn’t working, I laid my head down on the bed for a minute. I guess I accidentally did that tandem meditation thing, because next thing I know, I’m at my door and Sara is standing there telling me to come in.

  “Amelia, did you see what happened to her?” Gabriel asked intently.

  “God, yes. I saw everything.” She replied nervously

  “Okay, start at the beginning.” He encouraged.

  “Well, like I said, the spell wasn’t working, so I laid my head down on the bed for a minute. Next thing you know, I’m standing at my own door, and Sara was there, telling me to come in. So I did. Then J showed up, asking for the book, saying that he really needed to use it. It took me a few minutes to realize what was happening, that I was seeing what she saw. I guess she had no idea what he was talking about, cause he started to get mad, looking all over the room, going through my desk and dumping the drawers on the floor, yelling at Sara.” She paused, just recalling it made her begin to cry again.

  “It’s okay, go on, and tell me what happened then.” Gabriel said

  Amelia sniffled as she continued, “He walked over to her and put his hands on the sides of her head, and told her that he would find out everything that she knew, that he would find the book. It was like he was doing it to me. My head got warmer and warmer, then it was hot, I looked up and I could see the same smoke that choked me in the truck stop.”

  “Then what happened?”

  “Then it looked like a blue flame or a beam of light or something, coming out of my head and scorching the ceiling. I fell back on the bed and when I opened my eyes, I was here. Oh my god, Gabriel, what is happening? I can’t believe this, I can’t take any more. I don’t want any of this! What good is having witch blood or the sight, if neither of them are going to help me to help anyone else?” she cried

  He held her against him, and murmured into her hair. Her sobs began to slow, and she seemed to calm a bit.

  “We need to call Tommy. We also need to get out of here.”

  “I know.” She pulled her phone from her back pocket and dialed Tommy. “No answer. He probably took our advice and is getting some sleep.”

  “Okay, so we’ll head over to your place and tell him in person. It will be better that way, anyhow.”

  It was a short trip from the hospital to Amelia’s place, but they made it in record time just the same.

  They got to her room, and found Tommy passed out on Sara’s bed.

  “I almost don’t wanna wake him up.” She said

  “But we have to.” He replied

  “I know.” She walked over to the bed, and sat on the edge. “Tommy. Tommy. Time to wake up buddy.”

  He slowly woke from the very much needed slumber he had been in. He sat up and faced Amelia.

  “Mel! What are you doing here? Did Sara’s parents show up?”

  “No, they aren’t here yet.”

  “Then why did you leave her alone?”

  “Tommy,” she paused, and she began to cry again, Tommy looked at her with fear and confusion in his eyes.

  “Mel, no. No, no, no.” he cried

  “I’m so sorry Tommy, she’s gone.”

  “No! That can’t be!” Tommy yelled

  Amelia hugged him tightly. They cried together for several minutes. Gabriel sat across from the on Amelia’s bed, feeling, well, helpless. He hated to see her in pain like this. Knowing that there was nothing he could do to fix it.

  “There just wasn’t anything more they could do, Tommy. I am so, so sorry.” She said

  “I know. I think a part of me knew all along that she wasn’t going to wake up.” He said

  Gabriel spoke, “Tommy, I am so very sorry for your loss. Truly.”

  “I know, thanks.”

  Tommy got up from the bad, “Well, I’m going to head back to the hospital, try to get a hold of her parents, and whatever else I’m supposed to do.”

  “Do you want me to go with you?” Amelia asked

  “No, I’ll be okay. I just have to go. I have to get there, ya know?”

  “I do.” She answered

  “You can come back here. As long as you need, or want.”

  “I think I’m going to have Amelia come stay with me, at least for tonight.” Gabriel added

  Amelia turned, and looked at him questioningly.

  “Don’t you think that’s best, for the time being?” he asked her

  She realized that he meant in light of recent discoveries, so she agreed.

  “Right, so you’ll have the place to yourself Tommy, okay?”

  He nodded in agreement. They hugged one more time, and then he was out the door.

  Amelia sat on Sara’s bed again. “It seems like I was just sitting
here five minutes ago.” She said

  “I really do want you staying with me. At least until we figure out our next move.” Gabriel said

  “No problem. I don’t think I could stay here, even if I wanted to.” She replied

  “Okay, so grab what you need, and we will head over to my place.” He said

  While Amelia gathered some clothes and whatever else she needed, Gabriel decided to try to get in touch with J. The last time they spoke, he was supposedly laying low at a hotel near the navy base. Waiting to hear from them.

  “Well, I just tried to get a hold of J, and it went straight to voicemail.” He told her

  “Ya know, I just can’t believe this. He has been my best friend since I was a kid. This doesn’t make any sense.” She complained

  “Well, he has witch powers, so either someone got to him, and flipped him, and gave him power somehow, or”, he paused, “this was the plan all along. Those are the only two things that make sense.”

  “So ever since we were kids, this was the plan? To kill anyone he had to just to get this damn book?” Amelia protested.

  “Seems that way Beautiful girl.” He paused, and suddenly looked very sullen. “I am so very sorry. For everything. I can’t help but think that if I hadn’t come into your life-“ she stopped him there.

  “None of this is because of you. Don’t even go there.” She argued

  “If I hadn’t come around, you would have never have learned of the book, you never would have gained the sight.”

  “And Sara would still be dead. And my best friend would still be a bunch of fake bullshit. So in all actuality Gabriel, I would still be in the dark. So stop trying to take the blame for my eyes finally being opened. In every sense of the word.”

  “Point taken.” He said softly

  “Okay, I’m all set, ready to go?” she asked

  “Yes, let’s get moving.” He answered