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I’d never forget the day that changed my life forever, and I’m not sure if it was for the best or worst. It started a nice Sunday afternoon. The sunshine beamed through the windows, allowing me to feel warmth on my skin. The flowers blossomed outside in the garden. Birds sung graceful hymns. It was the perfect day to either go for a walk or take a nice nap, and I chose a nap.
I laid on the living room couch, on my back, and I closed my eyes. Everything was so peaceful, and I was just within reach of sleep, until something was off. I felt as if I was being suffocated and I could no longer sense the light of day. I opened my eyes.
What a not-so pleasant surprise it was to find my little brother, George, staring right into my face with the geekiest smile.
“Claire,” he said, “Could you please come and play with me?”
“Really, George?” I said. “I was just about to take a nap.”
“Please, Claire, I promise it’ll be quick,” George said.
Maybe I should’ve just gotten up then, but I had already set my expectations for a nice nap and maybe a dream about winning the lottery. Besides, George had plenty of toys and things to play with, and my mom would be home soon enough. He didn’t need me.
“I’ll play with you later, George,” I said.
“But Claire—”
“Later, George,” I said, smiling as I closed my eyes again.
“Fine,” George said. “I wish I had a sister like Evan’s. She plays with him whenever he wants.”
Those words slightly stung hearing them from my little brother, but I didn’t let them get too close to me. I kept my smile as I felt him walk off and leave me in peace. Evan was one of George’s friends from school, but who cared? Of course, his sister played whenever he wanted, but that’s because they were the same age. I was five years older than George, so no one could blame me for not playing games with him. I didn’t let myself get too wrapped up in my thoughts before I drifted off to sleep.
***
I WOKE TO MY MOTHER screaming in pain. I had just opened my eyes, so the chaos took me aback. I rubbed at my eyes trying to see what was going on. There was no sunshine, no singing birds, and no mom. She was so loud, I just assumed she was there in the living room with me, but the screaming came from the hallway. I got off the couch and walked towards the hall to see what was going on. I could see that all the commotion was going on from George’s room.
“Mom—”
I couldn’t believe what I was seeing. I did in fact hope for a nice dream, but this was far from it. This was my worst nightmare. I watched my mom sprawled over the floor, attempting to wake up my little brother, who looked so frail and vulnerable. With every attempt at waking him, my mother got more and more frustrated. I wanted to help, but all my limbs had gone numb.
“Come on, Claire,” my mom breathed out. “We have to get him to a hospital.”
“But, mom, what happened?” I asked. I didn’t see blood or anything that was concerning, so I was confused.
My mom ignored me, and for the first time, I was perfectly fine with it. I stood watching as she scooped up my little brother in both her arms and rushed him to the car. I followed closely behind and slid into the back seat so that George’s head could lay in my lap. All I could think about as I stared at my brother was what happened, was he going to be okay, and how much I sucked as a big sister. My thoughts were interrupted at times when mom would race taking sharp turns. I rubbed George’s head for both his and my comfort. Before long, we made it to the hospital and got him some help.
I couldn’t quite understand all the doctor talk, but I do know they were whispering something about condition and whatever cui is. I wanted to question my mom, to ask her for information on what was happening, but I didn’t want to bother her. I knew she had so much on her plate already, so I just sat there in silence. It seemed like we had been there for hours, but I couldn’t tell because the clock in the lobby wasn’t working, as if time didn’t exist. The waiting was very torturing, along with the fact the hospital was freezing, and it reeked of sanitizer and latex. I just wanted to go home. I wanted the day back, to have a fresh start, and I’d play with George as long as he wanted.
Finally, a doctor was approaching. “Family of George Collins?” he said, holding a red clipboard.
“That’s us,” my mom said, walking towards the doctor. “How is he?”
The doctor talked to my mom in a manner that was very discreet and almost scary. But I didn’t need to be a part of the conversation to know anything.
Tears welled up quickly in my eyes and trickled their way down my face. My mom came back to me after talking with the doctor and she immediately grabbed me, embracing me.
“But it was so nice outside,” I said, choking every word.