CHAPTER 12

TYRA

Three days.

Three days of utter confusion, constant fear, unending tears, and that sickening, disgusting hospital smell.

Gosh, I hate that hospital smell.

It's been three days since Tiana passed out in the car on the way to the hospital. I don't want to blame Janet because I know it's not her fault—but it's totally her fault.

She insisted on going to a hospital at the far end of town to avoid leaving traces. That would have made perfect sense if not for the fact that the hospital was five hours away. Five whopping hours. Jane and I disagreed, but Tiana insisted. She wanted to make sure her parents couldn't track us down, so we went. And just as we were about to reach the hospital, she collapsed.

The staff reacted quickly, rushing her to the ICU while Jane, Janet, and I were left outside, doing everything in our power not to imagine the worst. Septic shock—that's what they called it. They pumped her full of IV fluids, blood transfusions, and some intense antibiotics. The doctors assured us they were stabilizing her, but she still wasn't waking up.

Jane had to leave later that night. Her dad called her home. Janet left to book a hotel for the both of us—and hopefully, Tiana, once she was discharged. They both asked me to come with them, but I just couldn't. I stayed.

So here I am, on a rock-hard stool beside her bed, gripping her cold fingers and praying. Praying that she wakes up because I don't know what I'll do if she doesn't.

Dr. Ngozi has been with me every step of the way. She was assigned to Tiana and was the one who convinced the nurses to let me stay. She's beautiful, her dark skin always glowing, her smile warm despite the exhaustion in her eyes. And her seven-year-old twin boys, Kelvin and Daniel, are never far behind.

"Sweetheart, I know this is scary, but I want you to know that we're doing everything we can for your sister," she told me gently on the day we brought Tiana in. "She got hurt pretty badly, and because the wound wasn't treated right away, an infection spread through her body. That made her very weak, and her body needed to shut down for a while to fight it. Right now, she's sleeping deeply while we give her medicine to help her heal. She's not in pain, and we're watching over her very carefully. It might take a few days, but we expect her to wake up. When she does, she'll be tired and need a lot of rest, but she's in good hands. You're doing a great job just being here for her, and when she wakes up, she'll be so happy to see you."

Even though she had an annoying tendency to explain things to me like I was one of her 7-year-olds, and even though I hate being babied, I knew deep down that her words were the only thing that kept me sane.

Kelvin and Daniel constantly check up on me, their innocent concern making my chest ache even more.

"Is she up yet?" Kelvin always asks, standing on his tiptoes to peek at Tiana. Meanwhile, Daniel curls up in my lap, one tiny hand gripping my arm and the other resting lightly on Tiana's. They're polar opposites with Kelvin being an extrovert, loud and bubbly and Daniel barely ever speaking but they balanced each other out like Sydney would with me. Gosh, I miss Sydney.

They make me think about my own family. About my mom. Was she like Dr. Ngozi—gentle and kind? Did I have siblings? A little brother who held onto me the way Daniel holds onto Tiana? Did my father ever watch over me the way I watch over her now?

I don't know.

But I do know that on day four, she finally wakes up.

I'm at the door, waving goodbye to Kelvin and Daniel who need to leave for school. They lived a minute away from the hospital and had come to have a habit of checking on Tiana and me before and after their school hours. Kelvin had just run out tugging Daniel by his shirt, annoyed that they were running late for school, when a quiet, raspy voice stopped me in my tracks.

"Where's my purple hoodie?"

I freeze. My breath catches in my throat. For a second, I convince myself I imagined it. I turn around slowly, afraid to hope, and my heart drops when I see her eyes shut again. My stomach twists. Of course. I was just hearing things.

But then, just as I'm about to lose all hope again, she cracks one eye open, grinning at me, smug and victorious.

She got me.

I don't even realize I'm crying until I'm clutching her sheets, sobbing into them. "Tiana, oh my gosh! You're awake. I'm so sorry. I'm so, so sorry."

This is my fault—not Janet's. Mine.

I should be the one lying here. I should be the one fighting to survive. No. I should be dead. Killed by the people I trusted most.

The thought makes my chest tighten painfully, and I cry harder. I hate myself for it. For being so selfish. I should be comforting Tiana, not breaking down while she's the one stuck in a hospital bed. But I can't stop.

"Hey," she says, her voice soft and weak, "do you wanna eat some sand?"

I sniff. "What?"

"Sand. Do you want some?"

I stare at her, my brain scrambling to process the words. "Tiana, what the heck are you talking about?"

She grins sleepily. "I heard that when someone's crying, you should ask them if they wanna eat sand. It confuses them, and they stop crying. I think it worked."

I blink at her. Then I burst out laughing, an extreme relief washing over me. "You're insane. How are you feeling?"

She shrugs, wincing a little. "I mean, aside from the fact that everything hurts, I'm good."

I don't let her finish before I bolt out the door, screaming at the top of my lungs.

"She's awake! Dr. Ngozi! She's awake!"

Kelvin skids to a stop in front of me, eyes wide with panic with Daniel not far behind him "What? What happened?" He must have run back because he heard me screaming. His little act of thoughtfulness makes me even more happy and my heart is swelling with joy till I think it might burst.

"She's awake!" I repeat, grabbing his hand and Daniel's, practically dragging them along as I run down the hall.

I don't stop. Not until I find Dr. Ngozi.

Not until I make sure Tiana is really, truly okay.