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"I begged the doctor to tell me what was going on. Despite her best efforts, she was becoming paler and weaker by the day. So I knew there was something wrong somewhere." His voice cracked slightly, but he cleared it quickly.

"I'm sure she didn't want to tell me because she thought it would protect me. But, to be honest, it wasn't." I didn't say anything because this was the first time Frederick had freely expressed his thoughts and feelings to me, and I wanted to cherish it.

"To be completely honest with you, Amanda, I'm scared." This time he actually sobbed, and it was a heartbreaking sight to see. "I'm worried because I know she won't make it. I'm afraid that I'll be abandoned in this world. I'm terrified because I fear I'll have nothing to live for. Most importantly, I'm afraid of reverting to my old self. Amanda I'm terrified."

"First it was my father, and now it is my mother. Is God really that cruel?" It was painful to watch him. I could feel my own tears welling up, but I knew I had to keep them at bay. The sight of Frederick sobbing like a newborn tore my heart apart. His words made me even sadder. Didn't he realize he had other people in his life who cared about him?

I was aware that it was necessary to make my opinion known, so I did so. I didn't feel confident enough to offer reassurances such as "Don't worry, everything will be fine," so I refrained from doing so out of respect for you. I was aware that it was the proper thing to do to reassure someone when you were aware of everything that was going to take place. Sadly, I did not.

Instead, I said, "Frederick, look at me." I crept up to the height of his face and forced him to look me in the eyes.

"You will not be alone in this world because you have me. You will always have my support " I made a sincere promise. At the very least, I knew it was a promise I could keep.

"Have you forgotten that you have four other friends who will support you in whatever you decide to do? And please, please, please don't tell me you don't have anything else to live for because you do," I emphasized.  "The entirety of your life is still in front of you." And most importantly, your mother isn't going to be happy with the way you're talking." As Frederick fixed his attention on me, I was unable to discern what feeling he was attempting to convey. The water in his eyes had completely dried up.

"Are you telling the truth? You will always be with me "He muttered something. He sounded almost childish when he said it, which made me smile.

I responded affirmatively "Always," reassuring him with a nod.

My response appeared to be all he required. With a growing smile of his own, he drew me closer to him and hugged me impishly, leading me to believe he would never let go.

I suppose I wasn't the only one who needed someone to lean on.

A week had passed and Mrs Zikora's condition was not improving, which made both me and Frederick sad. I'm not sure why I felt this way; she wasn't even my mother, but I knew the sadness I felt was genuine.

I made it my top priority this week to always be there for Frederick. I even started skipping classes on my own freewill to keep Frederick company in the hospital. For the first time in my life, my sole focus was not on school, but on someone I genuinely cared about. And I must say, it was very refreshing.

A few people have also visited, including my parents, who once brought a bouquet of flowers with them.... who knew they could think about something other than themselves? But they didn't stay long because Mrs Zikora was already fast asleep. Which I was extremely grateful for.

Frederick has been attempting to be his normal, or nearly normal, self. Despite the fact that he cracks jokes and teases me to no end, I could see a hint of pain in his eyes. But I knew I couldn't get rid of them all.

Frederick's friends also came by after school, which reminded me that they were aware of his mother's condition. They made every effort to cheer up their friend. They also brought Mrs Zikora tons, and I mean tons, of get well gifts, which made Frederick's mother very happy. The gifts almost completely filled one end of the room. Fortunately, the room was quite large.

While Mrs. Zikora and I were left alone in the hospital room, Frederick and the others went to the canteen for lunch. On the other hand, Favor and Tobi compelled Frederick to accompany them to the canteen by any means necessary. To tell you the truth, I was the one who pleaded with them to make him eat something. The boy's eating habits have been less than terrific over the past few days. It was very detrimental to health.

I know it's hypocritical of me to say so, because it was ironic of me to force someone to eat while claiming it was unhealthy. After all, I was the master of that.

I didn't accompany them because I had already eaten. In addition, I've been getting very little sleep lately. The nightmares just won't stop, and they've gotten a lot worse lately. So I stayed behind to rest for a while. It was a miracle I was able to keep it hidden from Frederick for so long, because that boy seems to notice even the smallest details.

"Are you all right, honey?" Mrs Zikora's voice called out, and I immediately opened my eyes.

When my eyes adjusted to the light, I noticed Frederick's mother looking at me with concern. Isn't it ironic? She was the patient, and she asked if I was all right.

"I'm fine, ma," I lied through my teeth.

She gave me a frown. "Amanda, I have eyes, I can see with them, and I can tell you that you're not fine. You may have tricked my son, but not me. Now tell me what's wrong." I'm not sure if she realized she was acting like my mother. In any case, I enjoyed it.

I heaved a sigh. It's true that there is a common proverb that says "a problem is best solved when shared," but I don't believe that to be true. My opinion is that it is more accurate to say that a problem is best solved when shared with the "right" person, and it would appear that she was the right person to share it with at this time.

After coming to a conclusion, I finally told her, "Nightmares, I have been having nightmares." After that, I waited patiently to hear what she had to say in response. This brought back memories of my previous therapy sessions almost exactly. I was getting nervous.

"What exactly is the cause of these nightmares?" She inquired in a hushed tone while subtly repositioning herself in a seated position on the bed.

I was completely honest with her and told her, "That's the thing, I don't know exactly." The dreams always seemed to come in segments, like one part would come and then immediately another scene would enter. Because of this, I could never say for certain what the dream was about. In spite of this, the one thing that I knew for certain while I was dreaming was that I wasn't the only one there.

"Hmm," she commented after some reflection. "Are you able to recall even the smallest detail of what you saw in the dream?" I actually did that. But the strange thing was that for some reason I felt that the nightmares I have been having ever since I can remember were not merely a dream. This went back to when I was younger and could not remember what caused them.

"A bridge," I said. "I remember a bridge." Her eyes flashed a fleeting recognition, but it was gone almost instantly, leading me to question whether or not I had actually seen it in the first place.

"Do you remember anything else besides the bridge?" "Is there anything else you can remember?" She inquired even further. This time, she appeared to have a doubting attitude.

I gave a small nod before murmuring "Yes, I do" in a low voice as the memory of that dream caused me to experience a slight tingling sensation. After a brief pause, I picked up where I left off and said, "I remember jumping off the bridge."

After that, she muttered, "Oh, I see," while maintaining a detached expression with her eyes. "All right, I suppose it's time to tell you then," she said.

In a state of extreme bewilderment, I inquired, "Tell me what?"

She replied, "About the first time we met Amanda," while wearing a wistful smile on her face."