Three

Sage! Im calling an ambulance.
No. She manages to say after spitting out a mouthful of blood. Don't call the ambulance.
This isn't normal Sage. I need to call a hospital so they can check what's up with you.
Don't you see. The longer I stay away from the hospital, the longs I get to keep my arm. Sage says, moving away from the blood-stained toilet.
If you don't go to the hospital, youll die.
I grab my phone and begin to dial 911 with my shaking hands. I fail putting in the three numbers over and over again while Sage pukes her guts up in the lighthouse toilet. You can do this Alana, just breath, Sage isn't going to die.
What are you doing, Ala? She asks when she has time to breathe and the puking stops, Please dont call a hospital. Im fine. It will pass soon.
Im sorry Sage, I say, pressing my phone to my ear after I dial the right number and hit send, I need to make sure you wont die.
They're going to take my arm away from me, I might as well be dead.
Don't say that. Bethany Hamilton surfs without an arm. I reply before the operator answers my call.
But she still has her dominant hand, and I don't think I want to surf anymore. It's becoming more of a chore than a want. Sage said, moving her hair out of face. I feel like everyone is pressuring me to surf.
I know what you mean Sage, I agree, If it makes you feel better, I could surf for you. You are my best friend, and if it means facing my fear of the waves I will surf them.
She begins to tear up and smiles up at me from the bathroom floor. Thank you, Ala.
Your Welcome.
911, Whats your emergency. The operators voice rings from my phone.
I need an ambulance to Battery Point Lighthouse, I reply. My friend is puking up blood, please hurry.
We are sending one now, sit tight, She tells me, Where can the paramedics find your friend?
In the girls restroom. I reply.
Okay, theyll be there in about five minutes.
Thank you. I say, and hang up the phone and turn to Sage, who started to puke again. Theyll be here in five. Im going to go tell Emmett what's going on. Ill be right back.
Turning towards the door, I exit the girl's bathroom and Emmett is waiting patiently in the lobby. Walking over to him, he looks up and I take a deep breath, trying desperately to prepare myself for the inedible. I wonder what he will think of the news, I wonder how he will take it.
You're about to find out.
Who is this?
I am you.
Thats weird, I can talk to myself?
Its weird to you but everyone talks to themselves. Think of me as your cricket from Pinocchio.
My conscience?
If you want to be blunt about it. Yes your conscience.
Gosh. Sorry.
So how is she? Emmett asks, and I blink a couple of times as I come back to reality.
Oh, um, Sage is puking up blood. And so, I called an ambulance and they are going to be here in five minutes. I reply, and Emmetts eyes widen.
Why would she be puking up blood?
I bite my lip, Can you keep a secret? Emmetts eyebrow furrows but he agrees, She has cancer and she didn't want to go to the hospital because she didn't want anyone worrying about her. And that is why I am the only one that knows.
Sage hasn't told her parents? I shake my head, This is serious, if she doesn't get treatment she could die. I nod my head, not knowing what else to say.
The paramedics come right on time, taking Sage away and into the ambulance. They only allow one person in the ambulance, so I went in. Emmett said he would meet us at the hospital. Calling my brother, I told him what happened and he said he would be there with everyone else.
Maam, I need you to explain to us everything that happened.
I look nervously over at Sage who nods in understanding, and I begin to tell them everything, at least everything Sage told me about her cancer, which wasn't much.
*
My leg has been bouncing up and down for the past two hours. As soon as we got to the hospital they took Sage away to an operating room where they will look her over and try to figure out if her cancer has spread. Emmett came a few minutes after they took Sage away and ten minutes after that the rest of the gang came. But when i told them what happened Brody and Chelsea became soar, but Maya looked heart broken. Adrian was as hard as a stone and showed no emotion, just like he does when dad comes for us.
I could barely speak when i called Sages parents. I decided to tell them that she was in the hospital and that they are needed here. They kept on asking questions about how she got in the hospital in the first place, but I could bring myself to tell them. They came just after everyone else did and as soon as the spotted me, they came over and hugged me. Knowing that Sage, has been my best friend since birth, which made sense because our mothers were best friends.
Alana Mathews? A doctor asks, and i look up. I rush over to him, Sage Hathaway is requesting to see you. Also, I warn you, she got her arm cut off and she is a bit loopy.
Can her parents come with me? I ask, motioning to Sages parents who were clutching each other's hands, her mother, Linda, has been crying ever since she got here.
Of course.
Linda, Mark. I turn to them, You can come see Sage, but, I think you should talk to the doctor as we make our way to her room. So, you know what has happened to your daughter.
They both nod as they stand and make their way over to the doctor and I. As we walk, I look at the ground as the doctor explains to Sages parents her condition. Every thought in my head runs through my mind. I could have told her parents in the hotel room. I could have prevented this from happening.
No, you couldn't. It would have happened anyways. It isnt your fault.
I guess you're right.
When we make it to Sages room, we enter it and Sage smiles when she sees me but her smile fades when she notices her parents standing behind me. I feel the tension rise in the room. Sages doctor excuses himself and Linda walks over to hug her daughter.
Mom, dad, what are you guys doing here?
Why didn't you tell us you had cancer? And why on earth didn't the doctors tell us. Mark asks, and Sage looks down guiltily at her lap.
Im sorry but I didn't want anyone worrying about me. And I wanted to stay as far away from the hospital so I wouldn't lose my arm. And Im afraid my friends won't be friends with me anymore because I don't want to surf anymore. That is the only thing we have in common.
Oh sweetie, you don't have to have things in common to be friends. Linda says, And I know how your feeling, but you were risking your life.
Im sorry, She looks down at her lap as if ashamed. what happens now?
Well take it one step at a time. Mark says.
Ill check on you later Sage, there is something I have to do. I say and leave the room and towards the elevator.
Everyone will be shocked for what Im about to do, but it has to be done. I will surf my wave of emotion. And Im going to do it now.
*
As soon as my feet hit the sand a familiar feeling came over me, I was going to ride a wave and I was going to do it for Sage, because she is my friend and I love her. Running towards the waves, I dive in and start to paddle, far enough so I can catch a big wave but not so far away from shore. Taking a deep breath, I watch the wave form in front of me and I charge.
Paddling like my life depended of it, but then I forget, Im supposed to push up on the board and the water cascades around me. I choke as my board flies out of my grasp and I plummet underwater. Fear grasps a hold of me as I lose what little air I have left. I try to swim upwards, but I can't. My left leg is stuck, keeping me underwater. Red seeps the water around me and I start to panic, taking a deep breath of the ocean water, my body rejects it and I spit it back out. My lungs burn for the need of oxygen. I need to get to the surface now! But as the darkness seeps at the edges of my vision, someone begins to pull me out of my trap and drags me onto something hard.
Alana, I need you to stay awake. Breathe. I cough and cough as the water drains from my lungs and pure oxygen enters them. I strain to breath as my whole left leg goes numb and the blackness continues at my vision. What happened? Why couldn't I swim to the surface? What was holding me back? Am I going to be okay?
I must have blacked out for a second because when I opened my eyes I was on something soft and I was being rolled forward as blurry doctors looked down at me and were yelling. What is going on? Im okay, right?
A few seconds later a hazy feeling came over me as I notice we move past Sages room, her parents notice me and run towards is. A doctor looks to them, says a few words and turns back to me. They must have given me pain medication because my leg is still numb. How did I get here? Did I lose my leg? What was keeping me underwater? They move me to an operating room and I fear the worst.
Halfway through whatever they were doing to my leg, my vision and hearing came back. The nurse that was sitting next to me was whispering in my ear and holding my hand as the doctors stitched up my leg. What are you doing? I asked the doctors, alarmed, What's wrong with my leg?
Everythings going to be okay hun. Youre going to get through this.
My lip quivers, and I cry. I cry for Sage, I cry about my dad. I cry because of my injury, and most of all, I cry because of my mom and that no-one that I know knows what Im going through right now.
Oh sweetie, don't cry, I can hear the panic in her voice, everything's fine. When Were done stitching up your leg were going to take you to a nice room with your very own roommate. You're going to love her. Shes nice and sweet. And Im sure shell cheer you right up.
I want to see my brother. I whisper, barely audible to the doctors but the nurse heard me. When she didn't respond, I tell it next, I WANT TO SEE MY BROTHER NOW!
Dang it! Just shut her up, Im trying to work. One of the doctors says, he has dark brown hair and looks to be in his late twenties. How is he a doctor if hes in his twenties, aren't all doctors supposed to be like thirty. The other doctor who looked like he was thirty scolded the young doctor and told him to apologize to me because I was freaking out because this all was new to me. The young doctor's apology was halfhearted and the old doctor turned and gave me a small smile, telling me with his eyes how sorry he was.
After they were done with the stitches and finished cleaning up my leg, the nurse leaves to fetch a wheelchair. At school once, they brought in wheelchairs and we had to maneuver by ourselves in them. But lucky for me, my nurse is doing all the work because I was about to fall asleep. After she came back with the wheelchair she brought another nurse with her just in case. I watched as my nurse, Harley, locked the wheelchair in place and helped me with moving the blanket off me. I stare at my left leg. Half of my calf and my entire foot is missing. I couldn't hold it in, I screamed.