Chapter 8

"Liam?" I ask dumbfounded at the tall, blonde haired man in front of my hospital bed.

"Long time no see?" He says. His voice was deeper than what I can remember. Time flies by quickly, it has to be almost five years since we last saw each other.

"No kidding." I say. It looks like he had gotten around to take good care of himself. "I'm glad to see you in great shape."

"Wish I could say the same to you."

"I felt that," I say lightheartedly. "I would have placed my hand on my heart, but I think it is in favour for me to just lie still until the doctor, here," I say smiling at Dr. Richardson. "gives me the clear to take back life by the horns again."

"I'm glad to see you haven't lost your sense of humour along with everything that happened, sis." He says and it almost felt heartfelt and emotional.

"Since when have you been one for emotional praise?"

"Well, let me see." He says placing his hands in his pants pockets. "Since I almost lost you, Icy." He says and I can see the glistening of his blue eyes.

My brother has always been fun and outgoing. Not caring what tomorrow will hold in store, kind of guy, probably the sole cause of our arguments over the years. I wanted him to be save and leave his reckless nature behind, but look now. I am the one glued to the hospital beds and his the one needing to take care of me. The irony is beyond my being to be honest.

"I missed hearing you call me Icy," I say with a nostalgic smile plastered to my face. "You are the only one calling me that. You said you would one day tell me the reason why you call me that. It can't just be because of my initials, can it?" I ask.

Me and Liam are total opposites. Mainly because he looks like someone from the Arctic race, blonde haired, blue eyes and pale skin, whereas I'm warm, brunet, with brown eyes. If I am to be honest I should be the one calling him Icy, not the other way around.

"Well," I take note of the discomfort or no, shyness that consumes my brother, "since we were little. You were always the one that stood up to anyone that bothered you. Then again it left you to be cold and alone. Not because you were mean, but they felt inferior to you. That's how you've become my little Icy." He concludes.

"It's silly I know."

"On the contrary, I didn't even pay that much attention to my social life as you did and how my earlier actions influenced my life up until now. I always thought that I have no friends, because I'm just not good enough." I say.

"No, sis. You are by far the best accomplice anyone can ask for." He says with a soft smile spread on his pink lips.

I feel a tear slipping past the cage that my eyelid forms around my right eye. "For years I thought there was something wrong with me. That I'm not worthy to have friends."

"You are worthy, sis. Those people just were not brave enough to strive with you, because you stood up for yourself against those who wronged you. They made the choice to be inferior to the bullies of the world and you square your shoulders broadly and rise to be superior." He says.

This little exchange has given me so much perspective on my life in just a short span of time.

"Thank you, Liam, for sharing that with me." I say with a smile broad on my lips.

"You will always be my little Icy. Hard and cold at first glance, but melt the second when the people she loves lit her heart on fire."

A sniffle sounds from beside my bed. I look to my left and see Dr. Richardson wipes away a tear at the corner of her left eye as a tear slips from the right eye.

"You guys are just so sweet to each other." She says with a smile, " I just wish my siblings cared as much for me as yours does for you."

It pains me that she is craving for something that can't be given to her by the clap of hands, nor the ring of a bell.

"Things will get better for you guys. Me and Liam have just now reunited after almost being five years apart." I say looking at Liam, "There is definitely hope."

"Well you have definitely suffered a seizure, it can be related to your state of vegetation, but to be safe we had to withdraw more blood for new tests." She says.

"Doctor, will she be okay? When can she be discharged?" Liam questions.

"It is hard to answer your first question at the moment, but she will be describing diazepam for the seizures. We still don't know if she has any nerve damage, but if she has, we'll call her back in. Other than that she will be coming in for routine check ups." Dr. Richardson says to Liam.

"Mrs. Costello-Stepanova as for now you are good. We'll keep monitoring your condition until tomorrow morning and if everything sounds good, if there are no hiccups with the medicine, you'll be ready to be discharged."

"That sounds good, athletes better than everything I've been through lately." I say.

Just as I finished my sentence, a blonde haired nurse pops through the door. Her facial features are a bit tense, almost enough to make me worry.

"Aleah, what's wrong?" Doctor Richardson asks. Her face puzzled at the appearance of the young nurse's presence.

"It is the patient's family doctor, they are causing quite the ruckus in the waiting room. I have informed them that they should still wait awhile, but they are insisting to come in and see her this instant." She informs, looking fairly distressed at the moment.

I know my mother can be a handful at times, but pushing a nurse to the verge of tears is new. The pure woman.

"Doctor I feel well enough and like you said earlier, I'll be discharged tomorrow morning if everything looks good." I say.

"Plus my mother will only get worse. She does not deal well with being told no." Liam informs them.

The nurse then gave us a small nod and left the room.

Seconds after Aleah, the nurse, had left the room, my mother barged through the doors.

"Oh my dear, what happened to you?" My mother says the moment her eyes lay sight on my frail being. Having to wear one of these hospital dresses isn't doing me any justice either.

"Mom, I'm good. Married life just hasn't been what I hoped for it to be. My body agrees with that too."

"Good to see you too mom." Liam's deep voice drifts from the chair in the corner of the room.

My mom's facial expression changes to one of shock, but as soon as Liam's tall frame comes into view her eyes gloss over, "Liam, you sly fox. Why didn't you tell your own mother you're in town?" She says as she engulfs him in a hug.

Mom used to tower over us when we were little. It is strange to see how petite she looks in Liam's arms. She has always been the one protecting us like an eagle. I could never in my wildest dreams imagine my life without her; never.

"I had missed you so much. The food in London can only carry a man this far." He jokes. Skipping for a home cooked meal like he does every time he returns from afar.

"Yeah, yeah." Mom says standing back a step to really take in Liam's build.

"Son, I didn't think you could get any taller, but I see I was wrong. You are about six feet." She says taking in my brother with a wide smile. It is such a nice mood brightener, taking off the dark cloud my situation has cast upon the family.

"Six point three feet, mom and the rest is all muscle." He says with a little flex of his bicep. Such a cocky thing to do, but leave that to Liam Kaän Costello.

"You guys, I love the reunion, but where is dad?" I ask. He is always glued to mom's side when I end up in hospital, it is weird for him not to be here.

"Oh darling, he told me to send you all his love. Your father was here to see you, but he got an urgent call. He had to fly out to Sydney, Australia, for business. You know how busy things can get at work." Mom says.

"And where is Noah? Does he know that I'm in the hospital?" I ask. To be honest I don't even really want to know what the answer to my question is.

"Darling, he was here, but when we were sent away to the waiting area, he took off." She says.

I don't know if I should be glad that he cared enough to come see me or if I should be mad at him for taking off the minute I was told to wait.

Unconsciously tears start to slip from my eyes and my heart rate spikes, evident by the steady beeping of the heart rate monitor changing to rapid irregular beeps.

"Mom, t-th-ey had her." I choke out through the craze of tears and sniffles.