Chapter Thirty-Two

Zak

Nic nearly died in the hospital that night. In fact, she was dead for a full ten minutes on the table while they were taking out the tumor. We, of course, didn't know this until after the operation, when the doctor told us. Zac and Taylor stopped by while we were waiting, for moral support. I know we would all be there for them if it was Natalie or Kate in Nic's place.

We're just waiting for the paperwork to be finished so that we could take Nic home. They were able to get ninety percent of the tumor out, which means she has to undergo chemotherapy in order to get rid of that last ten percent. Nic seemed really indifferent to it all. It was almost as if she didn't care anymore.

Isaac went down with the twins to get the car while I walked with the orderly who was pushing Nic in the wheelchair. I had to cross my arms and look as though I was pouting to try and keep from crying. I nearly lost her, of course I'd be upset. But she didn't know that she was dead for a little bit. I wasn't going to tell her just yet, if ever.

What hurt the most, was that Nic didn't tell us about any kind of pain at all. The doctor told us that due to the tumor, there was a great chance that she suffered through semi-constant headaches. But Nic is a trooper, she hates to be a bother to anyone, and therefore doesn't normally tell us when she is in pain. It's really hard to believe that she once was a shy, naive lil girl. She's grown into this beautiful woman.

The ride home was silent, except for the radio. I tried to cuddle gently with Nic, but she not-quite-roughly pushed me away. As soon as we were home, I went and locked myself in the bedroom. I refused to see anyone. We were falling apart, and it saddened me. I began to do my rituals, in an attempt to make things better.

When I woke up the next morning, Nic was nowhere to be seen. Come to think of it, neither was Isaac. I spotted a note on the refrigerator from Ike, telling me not to worry, that he and Nic needed to have a nice, long talk, and should be back soon.

Here's hoping.