Chapter Twenty-three

Chapter Twenty-Three

“NO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!” I screamed falling onto the floor.

“Aimee?!” her tears stopped as she realized her mistake but Simeon had already taken the phone from me and was holding me and the phone.

“Decy….” Was all I could moan.

“How could you?!?!?!” he was screaming, “Check next time!!!!!!!!” he continued and I pulled away crawling into the other room too far gone to even bother trying to come to reality. Decima was dying while I was here on my honeymoon. At that one thought I threw myself up in a rage and started throwing everything in my reach until I grabbed Simeon’s arm and he turned me into his chest holding me tight. “Reuben’s almost here to help me pack so we can get there.” He promised.

Almost didn’t cut it though I needed to be there the second she started to feel sick.

“I know Juliet but I’m doing the best I can to get you there now.” He whispered and I realized in all my pain my thoughts were going to him. There was a knock at the door a second later. “It’s open!!” Simeon yelled and I realized he wasn’t going to be helping pack. He wasn’t willing to take one pinky off me right now and not just because he knew if he did I would probably start destroying the room again.

“Where’s the suitcases?” Reuben asked softly and I realized that this was the saddest I’d ever seen either of them. Even when I’d been ticked at them or screaming bloody murder at them they weren’t this upset.

“Under the bed,” Simeon said.

“Along with another number of items of clothing,” Reuben said looking at me but I didn’t even blink. I knew he’d been trying to make me think of a happier time but it wasn’t going to work and I felt Simeon shake his head so I knew Simeon knew that it wasn’t the time to talk either. A couple minutes into packing though and I pulled away from Simeon again walking into the bathroom and I started to just scream. I couldn’t help it. I was angry and I was upset and I really needed to just break down altogether but I knew I couldn’t do that. Simeon and Reuben let me stay in the bathroom and scream and then finally I got enough strength to stop screaming and just sink into the corner until the thought of Decima and getting to see her one more time got me up and out of the bathroom. I didn’t look at either of them as I started out of the hotel but Simeon reached for me once, when I pulled away from him though he didn’t try again. I knew they were both watching me worriedly as I snapped my rubber bands for the first time in months on my wrist on the way to the house but I ignored them and just waited impatiently until we got there.

“Decy…” I whispered grabbing her hand when I got to her she didn’t even look at me though so instead of going for comfort from Simeon I went to Jordan. “Jordan…” I whispered with tears in my eyes and he pulled me into his arms letting our tears blend together. “Tell me she’s going to be okay.” I begged.

“I gave her blood.” He whispered in my ear, “It might have been too late though so don’t get your hopes up.” I stayed in his arms that day watching Decima for any sign that she was even still alive.

“Here Juliet please eat this.” Simeon begged me late that night.

“Aims?” I heard a weak voice ask.

“Decy…” I sighed going and wiping the hair from her face. Her face told me she was glad I was here but also that she didn’t want me here worrying over her. “You’re going to get better, Decy. Remember all the other crap we’ve dealt with that we shouldn’t have been able to deal with.” I whispered fighting tears knowing I couldn’t let her see me cry about this.

“Yeah,” She managed in a painful voice.

“Why don’t you get some sleep and then you’ll feel better?” Jordan whispered coming over and the worry was clear in his voice. I knew that having me show up had added to his worry because now he was worried over me too and he couldn’t hide that much worry.

“Aims…” she tried.

“I’ll be here when you wake up promise.” I whispered holding her hand tightly in mine after I kissed it. I moved over so that Jordan could kiss her but I saw how sad her eyes were when he only kissed her forehead and so I spoke up. “No way that doesn’t work for me. She might be sick but she’s still Decy and I expect some real lip action kissing no wonder she’s still sick. I swear I had to come back from my honeymoon for no reason. She’s not sick she just wants you to kiss her.” I walked out of the room trying to make it seem like I was trying to enforce my point.

“Aims…” she whispered but I heard how much she’d tried to call out.

“I promise I’ll be back in a second. I just want to go get something.” I managed but my voice broke and I ran out instead of letting her try to comfort me. I ran straight to Simeon’s and my room.

“Juliet…?” he whispered walking in after me but he grabbed my hand as I went to throw something else. “Come with me if you want to throw things… she’ll hear you if you keep throwing them in here.” I just shook my head and let the book drop. When his arms left me though and there wasn’t a thud I looked up to see that it had really been a knife that I’d been about to throw and he’d saved me from losing a toe. “Come here…” he whispered when I still couldn’t even show emotion other than sadness and worry over Decima. I quickly walked into his arms and stayed in them even though I knew that he wasn’t the twin that I needed right now. I needed the one that had comforted me last time I’d lost my family. I needed… “Reuben.” Simeon said simply and I remembered that when I was this sad my thoughts were completely open.

“Yes?” he asked coming in.

“She needs you right now.” Simeon answered carefully getting up and handing me to him.

“I’m sorry.” I whispered hearing the careful calmness he was trying to keep.

“It’s okay.” He promised but I knew it wasn’t now that I was paying attention I could see it in his eyes. Losing Decima could mean losing Simeon too. “Never,” He whispered quickly kissing me softly but I pulled away from his kiss. “I’ll never let anything like this come between us.” He promised and this time I saw it was the truth. He walked out of the room and this time it was Reuben holding me.

“She’s not going to die on you Aimee.” Reuben whispered desperately a few hours later.

“You can’t promise me that.” I shook my head.

“No I can’t but I can promise that we are all doing everything we can to keep it from happening.”

“I promised her I’d be back in there when she woke up.” I finally managed to whisper after another couple hours.

“Okay then let’s get back in there.” He nodded and he kept an arm around me while we walked to the room.

“Decy?” I asked when I walked in pulling away from his touch and moving to the bed.

“I just gave her some blood before she went to sleep so she probably won’t be up…”

“Aims…” Decima’s weak voice came through.

“It’s like your blood does nothing.” Theodore sighed.

“Don’t say that.” Jordan snarled.

“I’m fine.” Decima forced.

“Relax Decy…” I forced a smile, “We all know Jordan, with you, he overreacts.”

“Same as you.” She forced out again and I knew she was trying to soothe some of mine and Jordan’s worries at the same time.

“Yeah same as me.” I nodded, “I’m allowed though I’m the twin.” I took her hand sitting beside her on the bed and Jordan moved to sit beside her too as she made it obvious that she wasn’t sleeping.

“I wish you’d sleep.” Jordan told her.

“I’ve been sleeping all day.” She managed but I could tell talking was just making her weaker.

“Why don’t you try to eat something if you won’t sleep?” I asked handing her the soup that was on the side table. Jordan took it though telling me silently just how bad she was and I tried to hide the worries from everybody because Decima looked right at me in apology for not being able to feed herself anymore. “Hey if I was sick with a cold I’d have Simeon feed me.” I managed and she smiled. I moved off the bed and looked around trying to find him but he wasn’t there.

“Simeon went hunting.” Rachel told me. I nodded and just stood in the corner.

“Aimee?” Jordan whispered a few minutes later, “Decy wants you.” I moved over to the bed again and held onto Decima’s hand.

“I promise I’ll still be here when you wake up. If I’m not in the room just have somebody find me. I’ll be in this house.” I nodded not needing words to understand the fear in her eyes. We both knew she was getting worse and so I also knew I needed to settle her second fear, “I’ll be fine and Simeon will be back in a second. Just go to sleep.”

“I’ll take care of her while you sleep Decima.” Reuben promised coming over to the bed. Her eyes finally closed and I moved away from Reuben toward the door determined to find Simeon. I needed him.

“Thanks for calling me Ruby.” Simeon whispered opening the door and wrapping me in his arms with one look. I felt the tears finally start to fall again and he picked me up but when he started out the door I shook my head.

“I promised Decy.” I begged and he nodded not mentioning the fact that we all knew she wasn’t going to be waking up anytime soon.

I woke up in Simeon’s arms but I didn’t move any I could still see the bed and Decima from where I’d fallen asleep and I knew she was still exactly the same. “Reuben brought you a cappuccino up.” Simeon whispered letting me know he knew I was up.

“I don’t want it.” I shook my head my voice breaking.

“You need to eat or drink something.” Simeon complained at dinner.

“I will when Decy does or when somebody can tell me why she’s not waking up.” I told him and he held me tighter.

“Simeon, may I talk to you outside?” The doctor asked. Simeon sat me down in the chair but I looked around realizing that it was only the two of us in the room and that everybody was trying to hide something from me. Naturally I snuck out of the room and into the hallway following the voices that they weren’t bothering to keep down all of them expecting me to stay with Decima.

“All I know for sure is that she isn’t changing.” The doctor was saying. “For some reason all the blood that Jordan gave her had no effect.” They kept talking but I just ran back into the room feeling the tears fall down my face as I held onto Decima’s hand.

“You heard didn’t you?” Simeon guessed at the door.

“She isn’t changing.” I whispered through my tears.

“No.” he shook his head, “She also isn’t dying. She’s at a state right now that she could wake up from and be perfectly okay.”

“She’s not dying on me?” I whispered taking a breath.

“No Juliet…”

“She doesn’t deserve you lying to her.” Jordan said coming in. “If she gets any worse the doctor doubts she’ll wake up.” He told me and I held my hand out to him but he didn’t take it he just stared at Decima. So I let myself crawl deeper into Simeon’s chest and lose it.

She kept getting worse and so did Jordan and I and everybody’s worry not only over her but over us. I never left the room and hardly ever ate even when Simeon tried to force me. I woke up one morning though and closed my eyes again praying that I wasn’t seeing what I was. When I opened my eyes to still see the empty bed I started to yell, “Where is she?!?! How could you let them?!?!”