“Good night mom and dad; I’ll see you in the morning, and I’m really sorry.” Tiffany said as she trudged up the stairs. It was just a couple days before Christmas, and ever since Tiffany and Megan had gotten out of school for Christmas break, Megan had spent every night with her boyfriend, Derrick. “I always have to be home by 10:00 no matter what. It’s not fair; I’m 15 years old, I’m not a child anymore and I think I can take care of myself. Just because Megan is seventeen, she thinks she can do anything. Why are things so unfair,” Tiffany thought to herself as she got ready for bed.
As she laid in bed that night so many thoughts went through her mind. “It didn’t seem like I had as many gifts under the tree as Megan did tonight, Tiffany thought, “she gets to do everything, and I don’t get to do anything, ever.” Tiffany could not get any sleep that night because she could not stop thinking about how awful her life was. It seemed that she had nothing that she could call her own. As Tiffany dwelt on how her parents must love Megan more, her feelings of self-pity slowly turned into hatred for her sister.
Tiffany finally fell asleep. She had an awful dream that night. She had dreamt that it was Christmas morning. She was so excited as she jumped out of bed and ran downstairs excitedly, but when she reached the bottom of the stairs, her entire family was sitting in the kitchen crying. Her mom, dad, grandparents, and aunts and uncles were all sitting around the dining table crying. Tiffany also saw herself just sitting there. She was not crying; she seemed to be staring at something no one else could see. Tiffany tried to get her own attention but failed. She didn’t know what was wrong, and it seemed as if no one could even see her. In her dream, Tiffany started walking towards her mother when she suddenly felt someone shaking her.
Tiffany immediately bolted out of bed. Her dad was staring her straight in the face, and his eyes were filled with terror. “Dad, what are you doing? Do you realize what time it is?” Tiffany groggily said to him. Her father sat on Tiffany’s bed and tried to explain that Megan had been in a horrible car accident.
Tiffany quickly got out of bed and put some clothes on. She could not see what she was putting on; all she could think about was getting to the hospital. When Tiffany and her dad arrived at the hospital, she saw her mom already in the waiting room. Tiffany could tell that she mom had been crying because her face was swollen and red. Tiffany had not cried the entire way to the hospital, but when she saw her mom and dad sitting in front of her sobbing, tears flowed uncontrollably.
Tiffany’s mother explained to her that Megan and Derrick had been hit by a drunk driver, and Derrick had been flown to another hospital. Megan was in surgery, and the doctor did not know if she would make it. Tiffany’s mother tried her best to tell her that as Megan and Derrick were going through a stop sign another car did not stop and hit them on the passenger’s side, Megan’s side.
Tiffany sat with her parents in the waiting room for what seemed like forever, however, it was only three hours. Tiffany thought she was going to go crazy just sitting there. She wanted to know what was happening to Megan. She was ashamed of what she had thought that night, but all she wanted to do was tell Megan how much she loved her. She would never take her sister for granted again. “I love my sister, and I never wanted this to happen to her,” Tiffany thought. Tiffany felt awful; her guilt had overcome her, and it made her so sick that she could not stand sitting next to her parents a moment longer.
As she walked around the small, confining room she thought to herself, “What if I can never say I am sorry? What if she is never the same again? What if she dies?” She also thought about how Derrick was doing, and she was praying that he was fine. As she was pacing the waiting room, a doctor came in and headed straight towards Tiffany’s parents so Tiffany started walking towards the three of them. She could not hear what the doctor had said, but she did not have to. The look on her mothers face said everything.
“I nervously walked through the brightly lit hallway. As the doctor lead my parents and I to room 312 I was more anxious than I had ever been in my entire life. The doctor slowly opened the door to the dark room, and I took my steps as if I were walking on glass. I didn’t want to wake up Megan.”
When Tiffany went home that night, all she could think about was Megan. She never realized how valuable her sister’s life was. Tiffany walked up the stairs to her room, but on the way to her room she passed Megan’s room. She went inside, and laid on Megan’s bed. There were so many things that reminded her of Megan. As she laid curled up on her older sisters bed she looked around the room and everything looked and smelled like her sister. She looked at all the pictures, all the awards, and everything else that belonged to Megan, and she thanked God for Megan’s life.
Two days later was Christmas. Tiffany and her mom and dad went to the hospital early in the morning hoping they would be able to talk to Megan for longer than ten minutes. They packed up all the gifts under the tree and headed up to the hospital.
When they got to Megan’s room, a nurse was there helping her eat. It was a miracle; she was not supposed to be able to eat yet. Minus a few scratches and bruises, Megan looked like her old self again. Tiffany went to her sister’s bed to give Megan her gift. “I didn’t have a lot of money, but I hope you like it,” Tiffany shyly told her sister.
