As I pulled into our driveway I saw Nick’s car.
“Hey.” I greeted him.
“Hey,” he said kissing me on the cheek.
“I ordered pizza before I left the hospital, I hope you don’t mind eating pizza?”
“Sounds good to me, when will it be here?” he asked.
The doorbell rang.
“I will go get it.” I told him.
“One large pizza, seventeen eighty.” The pizza delivery guy said.
“Here you go, keep the change.” I said as I pulled out two ten dollar bills from my pocket.
“Have a good night.”
“You too.” I said as I took the pizza.
“Now,” I said as I put the pizza on the center table near the couches.
“Cheese?” Nick asked.
“Same as always.”
We were on the couch watching TV with his arm sitting on my shoulder, while we were eating pizza. When I moved my
glance from the TV to Nick it looked like he was thinking about something.
“What are you thinking about?” I asked.
“I love you.”
“I love you too.”
“I want to spend the rest of my life with you.”
“I feel the same way.”
“You are my life and I will always love you,” he said as he gave me a kiss on my lips.
“What's that for?” I asked, concerned.
“What do you mean?” he said as he put his hand on mine entwining them.
“Why are you suddenly all lovey-dovey? You are not normally like this.” I said as I moved my hand away from
his.
“My mom’s company asked her to move, to Pennsylvania. Mandi, I'm leaving in a month.”
“You’re moving?” I said in disbelief.
“Its nothing, we can call and Skype and text and-”
“What about school? The scholarship? You can't leave! What about me? What about us? I love you.” I said as I
moved away from him on the couch.
“I want to stay but I can't barge in on someone family and ask to live with them. Ross’ family is falling apart
without another kid in the house and Luke’s mom and I don’t get along,” he said as he moved closer to me and entwined
our fingers, I didn’t object this time.
“What about me? We have a spare room, and I love you I can't lose you like I lost my dad,” I said.
“I love you too and you won’t ever lose me but I doubt your mom will let me move in.” he said as he put his arm around my shoulders.
“Nick, my mom loves you. She just wants me to be happy. You’re spending the night right? We can go ask her
tomorrow. The worst she can do is say no. I just can't lose you like I lost my dad, Nick. Losing him I got over because I had you if I lose you too, I don’t know what I will do,” I said as I leaned my head on his shoulders.
Suddenly the doors were thrown open and Heather walked in with a HUGE smile plastered across her face.
“Guess what?” she said as she came and sat down on the couch oblivious to the fact that Nick and I were having a conversation.
“What?” I asked, wiping the tears from my cheek.
“Jake proposed, we are getting married! AH!” she said as she continued smiling.
“That’s great, we are happy for you, aren’t we Mandi?” Nick said as he nudged me.
“Ya, super!”
“Ok, what’s going on? Did I miss something? Mandi you are crying, on a day you shouldn’t be. You have a new
sister and brother-in-law! Fill me in,” she said as she looked from me to Nick then back to me.
“Nicks moving, in a month, but I told him I think mom would let him stay here, right?”
“Yeah, why wouldn’t she I mean Nick you’re part of the family and if not you guys can still call. Tomorrow you
can come with me to tell her I engaged that way she’ll be in a good mood, well I’ll leave you two love birds alone,”
Heather said, as she got up and headed downstairs, probably to work out.
“Actually, Mandi, I have to go. I wish I could stay but my mom wants me home. Oh, text me what time you are
gonna go to the mall to ask your mom I’ll go with you. Love you, I’ll let myself out,” he said, as he walked over to the
door and let himself out. Leaving me to think about everything that has happened.
‘Screw this,’ I thought, ‘I'm going to ask her now.’
So I headed outside and got in my car and headed to the hospital, it was only five o’clock, still light out.
When I got to the hospital I headed to her room and let myself in.
“Hey, mom,” I said as I shut the door behind me. She was in her bed holding Anya.
“Oh, Mandi, why are you here? I thought you were coming by tomorrow? What’s up?” she asked, looking a little
concerned.
“Mom, Nick is moving in a month but I thought we have an extra room at the house so I thought that maybe
he could come stay with us, right?” I asked her trying to avoid eye contact.
“Mandi, I um I, I,” she said as her eyes slowly rolled to the back of her head and I ran to her and immediately
grabbed Anya and pressed the nurse button.
I put Anya in her crib, and went to my mom and started screaming at her to wake up.
When the doctors came in they told me to take Anya and leave the room. This scared me, I knew she was
having a seizure, I just hoped she was okay.
Finally after what seemed like hours the doctor came out, “Miss Smith?”
“Yes, how is she?” I asked, as I got up from my seat.
“I'm, sorry. She didn’t make it, she's gone,” He said, as I started to cry. I had to sit down again my legs felt
weak. She couldn’t really be gone, she was only in her forties.
“Is there someone I can contact? Your father?” The doctor then asked.
“He’s out of the picture, its just me and my older sisters, I will contact them,” I said, as I pulled out my phone
and dialed Heathers number.
“Mandi? Where are you?” she said, sounding a little mad that I wasn’t at home.
“I'm at the hospital, I came to ask mom if Nick could move in and she had a seizure. Heather, she's gone.
Mom’s dead.” I said, as I started to cry to which woke Anya up and she started to cry too.
“What? I'm coming,” she said, as she hung up.
All I could think about was how it was my fault and poor Anya. If I hadn’t have come to ask her she wouldn’t
have had the seizure, and poor Anya wouldn’t have to grow up without a mom or a dad. Anya. Who would take care of her? I was too young and I don’t know if they would let Heather. I couldn’t lose her too.
When Heather arrived I filled her in. She started to cry. I didn’t. I had already cried so much, I didn’t know if I could cry more. I was still thinking about what would happen to Anya, so I went to find a nurse to ask her.
“Excuse me?” I said, as a nurse walked by.
“Yes, can I help you?”
“My mom just had a seizure and died, but earlier today she had a baby. What will happen to my sister?”
“Well, there needs to be a legal adult in her care, is the father in the picture?”
“No, not at all, but my sister is twenty-two. Does she need to be the legal guardian in writing though?”
“No, since she was born right before your mom died,”
“Thank you,” I said, as I walked back to Heather and Anya.
**************************************************************
The funeral was a week later. We tried to contact my dad but it was too hard, so we just gave up. It was sad especially knowing that Anya wouldn’t have a mom or a dad in her life just her sisters. Three days after the burial of my mom, we read her will. She gave everything to Heather, Briana, and I. Heather and I decided we would keep the house and live in it to raise Anya, the two of us as well as Jake. Until I was nineteen then I would take over taking care of her myself. Nick ended up moving in with us. Then we both decided to go to the community college. Since I had to be close to Anya and since that was all his mom could afford. When I turned nineteen Heather and Jake let me know that they would stick around with Anya until I ended college then she would be all mine. I was looking forward to it. I graduated at the top of my class, followed by Nick.
