IN LOVE'S EMBRACE

CHAPTER 11: SILENT PRAYERS

"Prayer doesn't change God, but it changes him who prays" — Soren Kierkegaard

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SHADRACH GREEN

Blood.

That was all I saw, nothing but blood. It wasn't just any blood, it belonged to my best friend. Horror masked my features as I watched the paramedics carry him out on a stretcher, my heart sank as I stared at his limp body and the peaceful look on his face. Was this the look of a soul almost captured by death?.

I was fighting back the tears as I reassured myself that he would be fine, he would come out of this like always, this wasn't his first battle with death and he had always won, so this wouldn't be different right?...Right?.

Students, lecturers and school officials crowded the scene as the stretcher got loaded into the van, I took a seat next to him and tuned everyone out. I closed my eyes and exhaled shaky breaths, I couldn't bare to look at him, I would lose it if I did. My eyes caught Alaine's from the other side of the van, her eyes were puffy as continuous tears streamed down her cheeks, I needed to stay strong for her sake.

We arrived at the hospital and hurriedly pushed the stretcher through the hallway. Nurses and doctors from different angles came to our aid and helped out, a doctor began examining him and yelled out words that sounded like gibberish to my ears.

They pulled the stretcher into a room and began attaching different equipments and machines to him, an oxygen mask was placed on his nose and the doctor injected him with a syringe. The nurses drew the curtain, preventing me from entering or seeing what was being done to him.

I bit my lips and turned around to see Jason, Matthias and a few other students running towards me.

"Dude, what happened?. We came as soon as we heard the news, is he alright?" Jason rushed out.

The look of fear and worry was evident on their faces.

"I dunno man" I choked out.

I really didn't know what was going on around me anymore, my brain wasn't registering anything. I was hanging on by a thread and trying my best to keep it together.

"What do you mean by that?!. Just tell us anything man!, What the hell is going on?" Matthias half yelled and I snapped

"I don't freaking know!, I don't know what's going on anymore. All I can remember is blood and his half dead body, he's lying lifeless in there and I'm trying to keep it together, so just shut up" I yelled and everyone looked taken aback.

I walked away, I didn't know where I was headed but I needed to get away from them, from everything. I got outside the hospital and began walking around, I exhaled as I tried to cage my tears. The world was spinning, my head was aching and my heart was beating way too fast, I tried calming myself but it wasn't working. I looked up at the bright morning sky basking in it's beauty as I panted, I felt suffocated.

A hand rested on my back and I froze, I turned around and found Alaine staring up at me with glossy eyes.

"Let it out, don't bottle it up. You've been strong for way too long" she whispered and that seemed to do it.

I broke down and fell to my knees, She mirrored my position and pulled me in for a hug. We stayed like that for a while, with me crying my eyes out against her shoulders and her whispering comforting words into my ears, not caring about the amount of eyes on us.

A few minutes later we walked into the hospital and found Matt seated on a bench with his face buried in his palm. He looked up when he noticed us approaching and quickly wiped his cheeks, It wouldn't take a genius to decipher that he had been crying.