He had been quiet for weeks. Often, Kimply looked for a sign of life. A twitch of the finger, a flutter of lashes. Anything more than the soft rise and fall of his chest to show that he was alive. There had been nothing, yet she still held on to hope.
Melody was beginning to wondering if he was ever going to wake up. She would glance at Kimply, sitting by his cot for hours, with an expression of pity on her face. It wasn't fair. Her power is to put people to sleep- she can do nothing to help them wake up.
Kimply and Melody had seen a lot of each other in the past few weeks. As soon as her classes ended, she'd come directly to the infirmary. Some days, Melody had to kick the young woman out, or force her to eat and sleep. Kimply had been neglecting herself in order to watch over the healer.
She hardly noticed.
With her only help currently in a coma, the nurse had been quick to recruit Kimply, saying, "If you're going to spend all your time here getting in my way, you might as well make yourself useful." She had proven to be surprisingly good at helping. Melody supposed she shouldn't be surprised the Winter was so good at working, after all. Wasn't it something the house prided itself in?
It was like this a while; Kimply would come in the morning before classes and check on the young man, seeing if she could do anything for Mel before school began. Then she's suffer through classes, come to the infirmary during her lunch period, (often, Melody would have to send her back or force her to eat.) finish classes and finally return to the infirmary and work until curfew. Nearly everyday followed this pattern, without anything changing in the least.
It was almost a month after Ethan had entered his coma that something finally happened.
It was during the fall break, when school was out for just a few weeks. Kimply had just returned to her dorm after a long day in the infirmary. Melody had told her that the likelihood of Ethan waking up were extremely slim. Kimply had regretted asking.
She quickly changed from her uniform to some comfortable pajamas before plopping down on the bed. She had just closed her eyes, preparing to fall asleep and have her troubles sink into the bed when her phone rang.
Letting out a long, exasperated breath, Kimply reached over to the bedside table and grabbed her phone, trusting it to her ear and answering.
"Hello?" She mumbled.
"Kimply?" A woman's worried voice replied from the other line.
Kimply immediately sat up. Her mother never called. They had barely spoken since Kimply had arrived at Beata Academy. So why was she calling all of a sudden? "Hey mom, what's up?" She asked cautiously.
"Well, I... um... It's nothing." Kimply could hear the discomfort and uncertainty in her voice, but new better than to press. Sometimes it took days to get her mother to speak about what was worrying her. "How are you doing honey? How's school? Have you met any cute boys?"
It was then that Kimply broke into tears.
She told her mother everything. She told her how alone she felt. How she felt about Ethan and everything that happened to him. How much she missed home.
Her mother was quiet as she spoke, letting Kimply vent. When she was done and began taking deep breaths and sniffling, her mother finally spoke.
"Kimply... I wasn't going to tell you this, but I think now you really need to know. I think I can help solve a lot of your problems. I think you can help your friend."
"What do I do?" She replied automatically, instantly focused.
"Kimp, I'm warning you, this could cause a lot more problems than it fixes."
"I'll do anything."
Her mother sighed on the other end. "Alright. I know one person who can help."
"Who is it?"
Her mother was quiet for a long time before she finally spoke.
"Your father."
Kimply walked into the infirmary, a backpack over her shoulder, her uniform traded for some jeans, sneakers and a grey hoodie. She looked around for the crimson eyed nurse, finding her attempting to clean up her desk, having little luck. "Miss Delangelo?" She called carefully. The blonde looked up, surprised. "Hey, Kimply. Here to help out?" She asked, smiling softly, noticing the young girl's strange outfit.
Kimply shook her head, startling Mel. "I was actually coming to say goodbye." She said softly, looking at the cot off to the side, and the pale boy resting there. "I've got to go for a little while, and didn't want to leave without saying goodbye or something." It was strange, Mel was so used to this girl being full of energy, yet now it was obvious she was trying to keep from tearing up.
"You're leaving? Where to?" Mel asked. She didn't see Kimply leaving the school when that boy was still in a coma- at least, unless she was forced. And dragged away screaming, perhaps.
"I'm... going to see my father." There was a far away look in her eyes when she said this, as if she couldn't really believe it. The pink haired girl walked over to Ethan's cot and sat down on the edge. She grabbed his hand and gently placed her lips to it, closing her eyes. "I know you can't let him stay here forever. I know you can't let him to keep living like this. He's not really living at all right now. But please... Don't send him away until I get back, okay? Please." She looked so desperate, Mel could only nod with wide eyes. "Alright, Kimply."
The girl sat there for a little while longer, studying the boys face, intertwining her fingers with his as she held his hand to her lips. Sighing quietly, she let go and gently put his hand down. She then leaned down and whispered in his ear, whether he heard her or not, "I'm going to save you, okay? Just hang in there. I'm going to save you. I promise." She sat there for a moment, trying to gather her courage. She then stood, mumbled her goodbyes to Melody while slipping out the door.
It wasn't exactly a promise she could make. She had no idea if any of this would actually work. She might not even find her dad, and if she did, he might not even be able to help. She had to try, though.
She was going to find her dad.
And she was going to save Ethan.
