a rough first part to an opening chapter |
ok, before you read this please remember its only the rough first draft to the opening of a book. I have never had any experience with people in comma's so if I've made any mistakes with what I've written please tell me; all comments are wanted good or bad but I've never been known to take critisim well so please don't be too mean! Hope you enjoy it! ......................................................................................................................... "Miss Peters, I need a decision from you" I stared blankly into space, not knowing what would come out of my mouth next. I looked up at the doctor staring back at me and knew once again I was about to receive that disapproving look he always gave me, but I couldn't do anything else, it wouldn't be right, I'd be murdering my best friend. "No, I'm sorry I want to keep him alive - I just feel its right" He paused for a long moment debating whether to argue with me or not and then decided against it. "Very well miss, if that's what you feel is right". He walked out of the room and left me all alone. I walked closer to the bed in the corner and suddenly felt like screaming the place down "WAKE UP! WAKE UP DAD AND QUIT PLAYING THIS GAME! COME BACK DAD I NEED YOU!" But I didn't. I sat calmly down and re -arranged the flowers on the table next to him. This hospital, this dull grey and gritty little room, had become my life. Everyday for the past year I'd spent half my morning and all my evenings here, talking to a person that never replied. It had been a normal Thursday evening at first. I was happily sitting on my sofa with my boyfriend Jason watching some mindless TV. I'd had a glass or two of wine to drink but I felt perfectly fine. Then I got a call. It was my dad "Sadie, I'm so sorry to bother you this late but Terry's left me at the bingo and I really need a life home". I rolled my eyes and smiled. Dad and his bingo. He went every Thursday night with his best mate Terry and both were fussed over by all the ladies there, (seeing as the only guys who ever went were dad, Terry, the bingo caller and occasionally a 70 year old man named Wayne with his wife) it was like Disney land for them and every so often dad and Terry would get into some childish fight about something stupid like who the gorgeous blonde waitress Leanne preferred. And as dad couldn't drive, Terry always had the upper hand and quite enjoyed making my dad beg for a lift home in front of everyone. He must of got fed up with it and let his pride outdo being stranded at the bingo. "I'll be there in 10 minutes dad" I grabbed my car keys and left. Jason was asleep so I could nip out and be back before he knew it, dad only lived 2 minutes down the road - to some children this would be a nightmare but I loved the fact I could walk into the comfort of my old home whenever I wanted, I may have been 24 but I still clung onto my dad like I 10 and looked up to him to share all his life experience with me. I always felt so sad when my friends dreaded going to see their parents, they were missing out on the best relationship they would ever have. I wasn't ever close with my mum, she died of cancer when I was 4 and so I barely remember her but dad used to always tell me she was my guardian angel watching over me and if I ever had a problem I couldn't talk to him about I should talk to her. I still liked to think it was true, even now because its nice to feel someone's always there for you. Ever since I can remember me and dad were closer than close. He knew me better than I knew myself and he always supported me even when I told him I wanted to enter the scary world of writing, even though I had no plan and no real idea where to start. Most parents would have told their children to at least have a back up but not my dad, he just kissed me on the cheek and said he though I'd make a terrific writer and we spent the rest of the night planning what I'd do with my first million pound check. As I drove into the bingo I could see my dad waiting in the cold and when he saw me his face broke into his ever so familiar smile, "Hello darling, sorry to bother you so late, I'm sure you and Mr boring were having a grand old time" The only part of my life my dad didn't approve of was Jason. He deemed him too dull for his little girl, but then again Mark had been to creepy and Sam had been too weedy so I guess no one would ever be good enough. "Get in and shut up" I grinned, "So who were you and Terry fighting about today? Mauve or Lily?" ..................................................................................................................... We were about 5 minutes away from home. The roads were icy because of the snow from yesterday and somehow I lost control of the wheel and skidded into the lorry in front. It all happened so quickly I hardly remember anything except the air bag blowing up in my face - I passed out after and when I woke up I was being put in an ambulance and taken to hospital to be checked over. "Where's dad?" "He's gone to hospital in the ambulance ahead of us" The woman said calmly "Is - is he ok?" She'd made a face. It was only for a split second but I saw the truth like the big red lorry hitting my windscreen before she tried to cover it up with a shrug and a smile "Lets just see when we get there" "You know something, I know you do tell me" She stared at me with a look of sadness and pity I'll never forget I could sense her choosing her words very carefully "Your dad's, not responding like he should be" I wasn't sure what she meant but I knew it must be bad, those 10 minutes to the hospital were the longest in my life, every possibility went through my head, I tried to get more out of the woman but she denied knowing anything else, so I waited. And I've been waiting ever since. It was a year ago that the doctors had told me he'd gone into a comma, they used all these fancy words and phrases I didn't understand and had told me they were unsure if he would ever wake up - but I never believed that. He'd wake within the week I'd told myself as had the countless others who had visited bringing chocolates, cards, flowers, balloons, grapes. He had so many visitors that first week, but he hadn't woken up. He'd wake within the month people had reassured me as they visited again with more presents. Now it was a year later, everyone had stopped visiting and sending presents and he still had not woken up. Jason had stayed with me for the first 5 months, he'd been so supportive and had done whatever I'd asked, but I could tell he was unhappy, he'd got tired of putting his life on hold for a corpse as he'd said the night he left. I didn't try and stop him, I didn't even care that much, I only had love for one man in my life. For the past six months I'd been encouraged by doctors to turn his life support machine off, the chances of him waking up now were so slim they couldn't see the point but I'd always said no, no matter how slim the chances were there was still a chance and my dad would be one of the lucky ones, the one that the press write about and they make a TV show about, his time to leave the world wasn't at an end yet, I knew that as sure as I knew my own name. "Guess who came to see my today at work dad, the boss. He said he thought I was wasted answering phones and typing up e - mails and offered me a promotion, I turned it down, it would of meant travelling and a lot more work but its good to know I'm in bosses good books" After two months of spending every minute at the hospital, I was forced to get a part time job in a small office uptown. It suited me well, I didn't need to get in until 10:00 which meant I could spend some of the morning with dad and I could leave at 5:00 so I could be back just after tea time, deep down I knew I could be much higher up with a much better job by now but Dad had to be my main priority and I wouldn't have it any other way. I spent the rest of that night talking to dad about that time he'd taken me the fun fair and I'd been sick on the big wheel. I'd read once that sometimes if you talk about the past to an unconscious, it could jolt something in the back of their brain and help them to wake up so everyday, I tried to think of a new memory we could talk about. "Sadie, your going to have to go now" Jenny the nurse smiled at me in her sweet and comforting manner and walked me to the exit. Over the past year we'd slowly become friends, she was the only person in the hospital who still agreed with me that dad could still wake up and had always respected me for not turning of his life support, she had become a real friend, unlike all of dad's who had stopped visiting him by the second month. At first I'd been bitter and angry, but now I knew it was as it had always been: me and him against the world and you know what? We were going to win. |