SOPHIA

Today the only plans I had were to visit Victoria. I felt really bad that I hadn't gone to see her in a week. I should be visiting her every day, not once a week. Who knows how much time I have left with her.

The thought of her not being here one day killed me. What if she didn't make it to her next birthday? It wasn't fair for a child so precious to go through something so horrible.

Shaking all the depressing thoughts away, I walked out of my house. Today was a beautiful sunny day, Tori's favourite. It broke my heart that she wasn't able to play outside on days like today.

I looked towards Damon's house for a moment, briefly wishing he knew about Tori so he could come with me to see her. Sometimes I didn't know if I could look at her without totally breaking down. But if Damon was there with me I knew I'd be able to hold myself together.

But I couldn't tell him, I couldn't tell anyone. The only people that knew about her condition were my family and Garrett. And of course the doctors but they didn't count.

I let out a nervous sigh as I slid into my car. Every time I made my way to the hospital I got scared and wound myself up expecting the worst when I stepped into her room. Thoughts of 'what if she got worse?' and 'what if she's dead?' plagued my mind and I tried to push them to the back of my mind.

I know I should be positive, it would be better for my sanity, but that simply wasn't possible. It's impossible not to worry and think up worst case scenarios when a person you love is sick.

Still deep in my troubling thoughts, I pulled into a parking space and made my way into the hospital.

I checked in at the front desk and was eventually standing in front of Tori's door. Every movement I made was robotic, it felt like I was on autopilot.

Like every other time, I took some deep breaths before I could enter the room, but instead of working up the courage to open the door I just felt a sinking dread start to take over my body. Something felt wrong.

Blind panic snapped me into action and I swung the door open. My eyes quickly found Tori peacefully sleeping in bed with more tubes than normal attacked to her frail body.

A nurse was sitting on the chair beside her bed, which surprised me, usually the nurses just came and checked up on her every once in a while. They never stayed.

My panic rose when I noticed the pity in the nurse's eyes.

"What's going on?" I asked, just above a whisper as my heart raced in my chest. I was terrified.

"This morning while Victoria was eating her breakfast she suddenly had a seizure, it was bad that she fell into a coma but we don't suspect any brain damage." The nurse explained sympathetically.

I started shaking my head side to side. This couldn't be happening. The nurse was lying. She had to be lying. Tori was just napping.

"Why are you lying to me? Why would you do that?" I yelled as tears pricked my eyes, but I refused to let them fall. I had nothing to cry about, Tori was fine. The nurse was pulling a horrible joke on me.

"I'm sorry but I'm not lying," She said harshly. The earlier sympathy was completely gone from her demeanour, now replaced by annoyance.

"Yes you are, you have to be." I whispered.

Tears I tried so hard to fight started falling down my cheeks as I realized the truth. The nurse had no reason to lie to me.

"I'm going to have to ask you to leave, all this commotion is not good for the patient." She said sternly.

"No! I'm not leaving Victoria's side!" I yelled, running over to Tori's side.

The nurse walked to the door, stuck her head out, and yelled "Security!"

Two large men came into the room and tried to escort me out but I fought against them.

This couldn't be happening. This couldn't be real. It was all a nightmare and soon I'd wake up.

"Stop! I need to be with her! Please let me be with her!" I screamed, desperately trying to break away from their steel grips.

"Take her away now!" The nurse demanded.

They finally got a good hold of me and dragged me out of the room and eventually out of the hospital. Once they had me outside they roughly let me go.

"You're banned from this hospital for a next week. Maybe next time you'll be a little more calm when you visit." One of the security guards spat.

"You can't do that!" I yelled.

They both just shot me an icy glare and stomped back into the building.

I leaned against the wall next to the doors and wiped the tears from my face.

What was I going to do now? Tori needed me, now more than ever, and I let her down. Instead of comforting her I freaked out and now I couldn't visit her for a week.

Thinking about it was working me into another panic, I was on the brink of hyperventilating. I needed to go home, but I couldn't drive myself in this condition unless I wanted to crash.

Calling my aunt or uncle was also not an option because they worked until very late at night and they'd never leave work to drive me anywhere.

So how was I supposed to get home? The only people I could call were Garrett and Damon, and I knew that Garrett was on a date right now, he wouldn't stop blabbering about it last night when I talked to him on the phone. I couldn't ruin his good time.

That left Damon as my only option, but would he come get me?

I took out my phone and hit call on his contact name.

I waited as it rung once, twice, three times. I was about to hang up when I finally heard him answer. "Hello?"

I let out a relieved sigh.

"Can you come pick me up?" I asked, trying to steady my shaking voice. The tears had stopped a few minutes ago but I was still on the verge of breaking down again.

"Where are you?" He asked, sounding alarmed at my unsteady voice. He knew something was wrong.

"The hospital." I answered, wincing at how he might take that. He could think I was hurt or something.

"I'll be there in a few." He said quickly and hung up without waiting for a reply from me.

Everything was going to be ok, I tried to tell myself. Tori will wake up.

I felt like screaming and crying and breaking something. The pain and fear I felt for Tori was suffocating. It felt like I was going to explode.

I looked around to distract myself from all my thoughts and feelings, and saw that everyone was shooting me concerned glances. I probably look like a crazy person.

Suddenly I was wrapped up in a warm embrace.

"Are you alright?" Damon asked, stroking my hair soothingly.

His concerning voice was enough to push me over the edge and I started bawling into his chest.

"Hey, shh. It's okay, everything's okay." He whispered.

I shook my head, nothing was okay.

"Lets get out of here, I'll drive you home." He suggested gently.

I nodded and pulled away from him.

"Sorry." I said, embarrassed. I shouldn't have broken down like that in front of him.

"It's fine, really." He told me sincerely, taking my hand and giving it a reassuring squeeze. Then together we walked to his car and got in.

The ride home was silent, I could tell Damon had so many questions he wanted to ask but stayed quiet, which I was grateful for.

To my surprise when we arrived to our houses he pulled into my driveway instead of his. And even more shocking, my aunt and uncle were home.

"I'll come in with you, if that's alright." He told me as we both got out.

"I'd like that." I said quietly.

I quickly unlocked the door and we both went in.

"Go up to my room and make yourself at home, I'll be up in a minute." I told Damon. I needed to see why my aunt and uncle were home. Did they know about Tori and not tell me?

He nodded and went upstairs.

I walked into the kitchen and like I thought, both my aunt and uncle were sitting at the table eating.

"Tori's in a coma." I blurted out. There was no gentle way of saying something so horrific.

They both looked up at me with sympathy, but no surprise. They already knew.

"Well it was bound to happen someday sweetie." Aunt Jo said calmly.

I gaped at her. How could she say something so heartless?

"What's wrong with you?" I yelled.

"Calm down Sophia." Uncle Ken ordered, also rising his voice.

"Don't tell me what to do!" I screamed. I was so overwhelmed with Tori's condition and how little they seemed to care that I couldn't get control of myself.

"There's no need to blow up at us because your sister is in a coma, it's not our fault. You still need to treat us with respect." He bellowed.

I shook my head as angry tears flowed from my eyes.

"She's not my sister she's my daughter! And you guys aren't my parents so stop acting like you are!" I yelled.

Both their faces dropped.

"Lower your voice, you have a guest upstairs." Aunt Jo scolded.

I let out a humourless chuckle, she always cared more about my reputation than my actual feelings. She was the one to convince me to tell everyone Tori was their daughter, it would ruin the family reputation if everyone knew I had a daughter when I was a freshman in high school.

"I don't care if he overhears. I'm done keeping this a secret, I never should've agreed to in the first place." All I cared about was Tori. I needed her to be okay.

Before they had a chance to reply I had already stormed upstairs.

As soon as I stepped foot into my room I ran into something hard. Damon.

He tried to hug me but I pushed him away and sat on my bed. This was all just too much.

"What the hell did I just hear?" He asked, sounding completely stunned and confused. He overheard everything.

I shook my head and a sob wracked my body.

"Sophia please tell me what's going on, I need to know." He begged gently, sitting down on the bed beside me.

I continued to shake my head, "This has nothing to do with you."

"But it has everything to do with you." He replied.

"So?" What did that have to do with anything?

"I want to help you thought this but I can't if you don't tell me what's going on."

"Why do you want to help me? Not that long ago we hated each other, what changed?" I demanded.

"I care about you." Was his only explanation.

"No you don't! Stop lying! Stop confusing me! I don't need any more drama in my life." I cried.

"I just want to help, how can I help?" He asked desperately. "I hate seeing you like this."

I shook my head for the millionth time today. I didn't want his help. I didn't want anyone's help. The only thing that could help me was Tori getting better and that would take a miracle.

"You should leave." I muttered numbly. I needed to be alone.

"I'm not leaving you alone like this." He said firmly.

"Just leave!" I yelled. If he stayed I could only break more. I needed to cry alone and then sleep my breakdown off.

He got up angrily and stomped towards my bedroom door. "Don't say I never tried." He hissed. Then he left.

When the door closed behind him all that was left was a buzzing numbness coursing through my body. The pain was gone.

I grabbed my pillow and screamed my throat raw. That physical pain reminded me that I was human, that I was alive. Even if I didn't feel like it.

Eventually my screams turned to sobs and eventually I cried