Pretend (23 page)

             
"Hey, that was not my fault," he said as we walked into the kitchen, closing the door behind us.

             
"It was t
o. What
were
you doing spying on me
anyway?" I asked sarcastically.

             
"Well
,
you can't really spy in your own house, it's kind of my duty to watch everything that goes on," he said as a smirk spread across his face.

             
"Oh
, is that right?" I ask
ed as I walked towards the fridge and took out a can of Pepsi, Aiden's favourite. I opened it and took a small sip.

             
"Yup," he replied.

             
"So, about that message that you sent me," I said in a more serious tone.

             
"What, the one that made you fall off of the chair?" He asked as he tried to stop himself from laughing.

             
"No, the other one," I said.

             
"What about it?" He asked.

             
"Well, what exactly did you mean?" I replied.

             
"What do you think I meant?" He asked as a smile crept onto his face again.

             
"I don't know," I whispered as the butterflies in my stomach began to go crazy.

             
"I think you do," he said as he looked me in the eyes
and took a step closer
.

             
I could feel myself getting more nervous as he took a step closer to where I was stood. It was crazy but I could actually feel the pulse in my left wrist increasing in speed. As our eyes locked
,
I tried to look away but I just couldn’t.

             
“What do you want it to mean?” He whispered as he looked straight into my eyes.

             
“I don’t know, I’m confused-“

             
“You don’t have to be April, it can be simple if you want it to be,” he continued.

             
“I
jus
-“

             
Suddenly the kitchen door swung open
, interrupting our conversation much to my dismay
.

             
"Kyle?" I asked in complete confusion as I watched him and
 
Crystal burst into the kitchen.

             
"I'm sorry to come like this but I went to yours and your mom said that you w
ere here and so I came straight over.”

             
"Is everything ok?" I asked, feeling rather anxious.

             
"Mimi's awake!" He screamed.

             
"What!" I shouted back as I ran over to him and jumped into his arms.

             
"Serious
ly
?"
I asked as the tears began to roll down my cheek
s
.

             
"Yes, serious
ly
!"
He screamed back as he wiped the tears off of my cheeks with his thumbs.

             
"Can we go and see her?" I asked.

             
"Of course, that's why I'm here," he said as a smile spread across his face again.

             
I threw my arms around him and squeezed
his neck
as tight as I could.

             
"Thank you," I whispered into his ear.

             
"Sorry guys, I've got to go," I said as I looked at Aiden. He was smiling but I knew that there was something beneath the smile. I just hoped that he would understand.

             
"Of course," Crystal screamed in excitement.

             
"Remember to keep us posted," she said as we ran towards Kyle's car.

             
As I leapt into the passenger's seat, a feeling of joy came over me. I was going to see Mimi! This was really happening. Words couldn't begin to describe how I was feeling right now.

             
"You, ok?" Kyle asked as I sat in silence.

             
"Yeah, you?"

             
"I don't know. It's crazy, I kind of feel like I'm in a daze," he replied.

             
"Yeah, I know what you mean," I said.

             
"I suppose, I was so scared, that I just got used to thinking that she would never wake up again. I didn't want to get excited,
 
only
to get let down again. Now that she's really awake, I don't know what to do or how to feel," he said.

             
"I understand," I finally whispered.

             
"Thanks.”

             
"For what?"
I asked.

             
"Being there for me, it means a lot," he said as he squeezed my hand.

             
I smiled at him and then we spent the rest of the journey in silence.

* * *

             
"Ready?" He asked as we pulled up in the hospital parking lot.

             
"Yeah," I replied as I stepped out of the car.

             
The walk through the hospital was like walking the green mile. My heart had ached so much for my Mimi and now it was racing faster as we got closer to her as though it knew that she was there. As I walked down the different corridors the smell of the hospital filled my nose. I hated that smell, I hated hospitals. I could see sick children all wired u
p with tubes. It broke my heart.
Mimi should have never been here. Suddenly my thoughts were interrupted by the sound of Kyle's voice.

             
"Hey mom," he said as she threw her arms around him and kissed him.

             
"April, darling," she said as she noticed me standing there
,
behind Kyle.

             
"Hi Mrs Edwards," I said in a low tone.

             
She instantly threw her arms around me and squeezed me tight.

             
"It means so much to us all to have you here, especially Kyle," she whispered in my ear.

             
I don't know why but that las
t comment made me feel guilty. I felt l
ike I should have been there more, for him. Why, I don't know.

             
As she pulled away, I threw her a smile and then turned to face Mimi's room.

             
As I peered through the glass window of the room that Mimi was in, my heart sank. She had tubes in her nose and arms, there was a drip next to her bed and a fruit bowl on the cabinet. She
looked so fragile. As I looked up at the name above
her bed that read
Mia Edwards
I smiled, she hated being called Mia.

             
"She's been asking for you," Mrs Edwards said.

             
"She has?"

             
"Yeah," Kyle added.

             
"Why don't you go in and see her sweetheart, visiting time will be over in five minutes," Mrs Edwards said in a soft voice.

             
"Are you coming?" I asked Kyle.

             
"I'll come afterwards, I've already seen her. You go," he said as he threw me a gentle smile.

             
"Thanks," I said as I approached the door that separated me from Mimi.

             
As I walked in to the silent room and looked at her face, I watched as a smile spread across her lips. It really was Mimi.

             
"Hey, beautiful," I whispered as I sat on the edge of her bed.

             
"April?" She whispered.

             
"Yes baby, it's me," I replied.

             
"What took you so long?" She asked as she scrunched up her nose and stared into my eyes.

             
My
 
Mimi was back. I smiled.

             
"Well I could ask you the same thing. You
've been sleeping for nearly two days
now," I said as a smile spread across my lips.

             
"I was tired," she said in a sarcastic voice.

             
"I missed you," I said as I gently placed my hand on top of hers.

             
"I missed you too," she replied.

             
"I thought that, that
 
stupid Rachel was going to come," she said, scrunching up her nose again.

             
I couldn't help but laugh.

             
"That's not nice," I said as I tried to stop myself from laughing.

             
"But she is, I don't know why Kyle picked her, she's strange. I want you back," she said as she looked at me with cross eyes.

             
"We can't always have what we want Mimi," I said gently.

             
"That's not fair".

             
"I know, I know. How are you feeling?" I asked.

             
"How do you think I feel? Some crazy man knocked me over," she said in a way that made me burst out laughing.

             
Mimi was a ten year old with the personality of an old lady. She would have me laughing for hours when I would go round to their house, simply just by talking. She always had a comment on
everything, a slight temper and a bucket full of sarcasm. It all made me love her so much more though.

             
"Are y
ou eating
your fruit?" I asked as I nodded my head in the direction of the fruit bowl.

             
"Of course not," she said as she pointed at the draw
er
next to her bed.

             
As I slid it open
,
I was
given a clear view of all of the fruit that she had obviously pretended to eat before throwing it inside of the drawer.

             
"Mimi," I gasped.

             
"What? I don't like it
and Dad keeps bringing more and more
,
I had to hide it somewhere,
" she said as a smirk filled her face.

             
"I see
that
you haven't changed," I said as I tapped her nose with my finger.

             
"I'll never change, never ever," she replied.

             
"Good, I don't want you too," I said as I smiled at her.

             
"Hey, visiting time's over. Are you ready?" Kyle asked as he stepped into the room.

             
"Yeah," I said, even though I really wanted to say no.

             
"Right
, now you take care of
yourself
and hurry up and get yourself strong," I said.

             
"Are you going to see me again?" She asked in a sad voice.

             
"Of course I will, that's why I want you to get better so that things can get back to normal," I said as I gen
tly moved a strand of her brown
hair out of her eyes.

             
"So, you're going to be Kyle's girlfri
end again?" S
he asked
,
excitedly.

             
"Let's just worry about one thing at a time, ok?" I said.

             
"Ok," she mumbled in a sad voice.

             
"Goodbye Mimi," I said as I gently kissed her
on the
forehead and
 
wrapped my arms around her.

             
"By April,
 
I love you," she whispered in my ear. It took everything I had inside
of me
not to cry as I heard those words.