Teen Ink

Chapter One; Jakobie

I calmly stood in the corner of the room, waiting for the family to sit down and leave the dying man at peace. I had seen it so many times. The family was reduced to tears and I would step in and perform a miracle. They would be so happy that their loved one was awake, or progressing, or getting better, a pleasure that I continue to smile about.
This man, Jim, was close to the end. He just came out of surgery for a ruptured aneurism in his belly. Most cases like these didn’t live, even with my help. I noticed a teenage girl in the opposite corner. She didn’t cry loudly like the others. She simply buried her hands in her arms and cried to the point of sickness. Every now and then, she’d utter the same words; “I love you, Grandpa. Don‘t leave me.” It made me upset, seeing her suffer. I knew this would have to be a miracle.
I moved in between two women, holding each other and crying. Gingerly, I touched Jim’s face. “Your family needs you, Jim. Especially your granddaughter,” I whispered. As I walked to the door, I looked at the crying girl. I bent down to her level, placed my hand on her shoulder, and whispered, “Grandpa’s going to be okay.” I gently kissed her forehead, and walked out the door. I turned to look into the glass door, and I watched as Jim moved slightly in his bed, and the women caught it.
“Daddy? Daddy, are you awake? Can you hear me?” one woman said. Jim made a mumbling sound, and the monitor started to beep. She ran out the door and shouted down the hall, “NURSE!! He’s awake!” At that sign, two nurses jumped up and ran to the room. I watched as they quickly removed the tube in his throat, and reset monitors. One nurse paged the doctor. I saw him come down the hall, a complex look on his face. He was wondering how his patient could be awake.
My eyes went to the girl next. She was watching now. Wondering if her grandfather was dying, or getting better. For a few moments, the tears stopped. Soon, Jim looked up at the nurses and the doctor. I read their minds. How is this possible?! they thought. He can’t be awake!
The girl jumped from her chair and ran to her grandfather. “You’re alive!” she said. Jim put his hand on her shoulder.
“You need me,” he whispered.