(Sophia)

The diamonds are just like Ray's eyes. So sparkly and so beautiful. I can't stop staring at the bracelet, and the beauty of it. And the fact that they connect our two names together to say Ray loves Sophia or Sophia loves Ray really is the cherry on the top. 

I can't imagine any better gift from someone other than a bracelet like this. I know it may seem small, but the best things come in the small packages. I've been wearing it nonstop, and I just want to flaunt it for the whole world to see. And the fact that it goes so well with the locket that my grandfather gave me makes things so much better.

My grandfather gave me this locket when I was thirteen. It was tradition. It was actually from my Greek grandmother, but the tradition was that the grandfather was to give the necklace to their first granddaughter. And I couldn't be more thankful. Not only for the bracelet, but for the locket as well.

"You really love that bracelet, don't you?" a voice says. Anthony is standing at my door, with pure happiness on his face when he sees that I'm truly happy. 

"I really do, Anthony. It's beautiful," I say. Anthony smiles. 

"Ray's actions are starting to convince me not to kick his ass," Anthony says. I roll my eyes. 

"You better not. I want him to stay unharmed for my sake, Anthony," I say, and Anthony just scoffs and walks to his room. Just then, a loud ringtone fills the air. I am startled for a second, then realize that it's my own phone. I go to my bed, pick up the phone, and answer the call.

"Hello," I say. 

"Good morning. Is this Sophia Smith?" the caller asks. 

"This is she. Can I ask who's calling?" I ask. 

"Before that, I want to ask you this. Do you know somebody by the name of Raymond Richards?" the caller asks. Somehow, just by the tone of her voice, I can tell something is horribly wrong.  

"I do. He's my boyfriend. Is everything alright?" I ask, unaware of the truth. The caller sighs. 

"You were one of his contacts on his emergency list. I'm sorry to have to tell you he was in a car accident earlier today," the caller says. My jaw drops open at the news

"He WHAT?! Where is he?" I yell frantically. All I can do is scream out of shock. 

"He is at St. Nicholas hospital. We advise you to come immediately," the caller said. 

"I'll be there as soon as possible. Thank you," I say, and drop my phone. My heart is jump-roping inside my chest at this moment.

"Anthony, get your keys. We need to go to St. Nicholas hospital right away! Ray's been in a car accident!" I yell frantically. I am having a total panic attack. My boyfriend's in a car accident, and he's in the hospital because of it. How can I not lose it? Anthony's door swings open and he runs inside my room as I'm panicking. As I'm running around, he grabs me by the arms and plants his hands on my shoulders.  

"Sophia, calm down. We'll make it in time. Don't worry," Anthony assures me. I take a deep breath, and I run out of my bedroom. "Slow down! I have to get the keys!" he calls after me. I don't care what he's saying. I just need to get in the car. 

When I get there and find out which room Ray is in, I run there faster than I ever thought I could. I don't even think I run relay races that fast. Once I get there, I see Mrs. and Mr. Richards and Randy all by the door, crying.

"Mrs. Richards!" I call out. She looks up, with tears streaking her face, and sees me.

 "Sophia! You're here! Thank gosh!" she says, and I run into her arms in a bone crushing hug. 

"How is Ray? Is he alright?" I ask. Mrs. Richards looks like she's about to burst into tears again. 

"Look inside," she says, with her bottom lip quivering. I walk up to the door, and what I see nearly causes me to faint. Ray is lying there in the hospital bed, unconscious. He has an oxygen mask over his mouth and nose, and there is a heart rate monitor right beside him. A white sheet covers his unconscious body halfway. 

"No. Please no. Please let this be a dream," I say. I am just hoping that I'm stuck in a really bad dream. Mrs. Richards looks at me with a sorrowful look on her face and hugs me while we both burst into tears. I can feel Ross plant his hands on our shoulders as we continue to weep. Just a few days ago, we were happy and celebrating Christmas together. 

Now, it's possible that we will start off the New Year by attending Ray's funeral. 

As we're crying, the doctor comes out of his room. "How is he, doctor?" Mrs. Richards asks.

"He suffered a head injury, he has internal and external bruising, and a piece of glass cut him where his carotid artery and jugular vein are," the doctor says. Oh no. That's the worst place to be cut. The carotid artery and jugular vein supply blood to the brain. If that is cut, then you can bleed to death within minutes without proper medical attention. 

"That's-that's the worst spot to be cut," I say tearfully. I couldn't imagine how much pain he was in before he lost consciousness. 

"He lost a lot of blood because of that. We don't know if he will survive or not," the doctor tells us, and it's like a smack to the face.

Is it just me or is the room spinning? Do I feel the blood rushing to my head? I feel dizzy, and I remember swaying, and the next thing you know, it goes black.

A bright light intrudes my vision when my eyelids creep open. Blurry figures are hovering over me, and after blinking a few times, I realize that it's my own family and Ray's family. Something cold and wet is on top of my forehead, and some of the water trickles down the sides of my face. 

"She's coming to," Mrs. Richards says. A hand snakes its way to my back and helps me sit up. The softness of the material under me tells me I'm in a bed right now. 

"Oh Mrs. Richards. I had an awful dream. I dreamt that Ray had been in a car accident and they didn't know if he was going to survive or not," I say. Mrs. Richards looks hesitant as to whether or not she should tell me what's going on. 

"Sophia, that wasn't a dream. He's in the next room," Mrs. Richards says. Anthony is holding me in his arms so that I don't faint again. Then, I realize that my nightmares have officially come true. At the moment, it's too much for me to process. 

"I think I need some time to lie down," I say. My mother nods, and she beckons for everybody to leave the room. I lie down slowly and pull the sheets up closer to me.

This can't be happening. I'm in a really bad dream. Please let it be that way. Please. One tear starts to fall out of my eye. Then two. Then four. Then it's a waterfall. Then I'm sobbing. I haven't sobbed in a while. The last time I did was back in October, during the masquerade ball when I thought Ray humiliated me. This time, I might actually lose Ray. 

I'm sobbing and sobbing, and I can't stop. I can hear the door open, and I ignore it. I want to be in misery alone. I can feel the mattress dip under the person's weight. I can feel a hand start to stroke my head. I turn my head slightly, and Anthony is sitting on the edge of my bed. 

I sit up, and I rest my head against Anthony's chest. He wraps his arms around me, and I start to sob again. He's gently patting my head, apparently not bothered by the fact that he's going to have a soaking wet T-shirt by the end of this.

"I'm here, Sophia. I'll be here. I promise," he says. I'm sitting there, crying for what seems like an eternity. 

Anthony then gets up and says, "Come on, Sophia. Let's go." I get up, wipe my face, and leave the room. Mrs. Richards is still there with Randy and Mr. Richards. 

"Sophia, you should go home and get some rest. We'll call you when the doctors have something about Ray," she tells me, and I nod. 

"I'll come back in the evening to come check on him. I know how severe his condition is," I tell her, and she smiles. 

"You're a sweetie. But in the meantime, go home, eat something, take a shower, and get some rest, okay? I'll see you soon. And try not to worry too much." 

"Easier said than done," I think to myself, as I turn around and walk down the halls to the elevator. 

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This chapter also made me tear up a little bit. So things aren't looking too good for Ray. How do you think the doctors will save Ray? Let me know in the comments.

Hello, my dears! How are you all? I feel so evil right now. I've been putting a lot of cliffhangers lately. But, it's for your enjoyment and excitement. I hope you guys liked this chapter!

Please vote/comment/share/message/follow if you like my work! I'll see you all next Sunday! Have a great week!

Love you all,

S.V.T.S