The Biggest Fight of Our Lives {Our Battle Series- Book 1}

Guilt

Emmi's POV: 

Today was the day that Braille decided that we were going to beat Avia up, she was all for the plan while I was still worried because Avia was my only sister and I was never actually mad her. I was mad at myself. You see when Avia had to have surgery on her legs it was on the day of my seventh birthday which we did laser tag and all of this cool stuff and it involved a lot of running around and Avia is supposed to take it easy which we weren't exactly doing. I wasn't helping either by asking her to show me new tricks and stuff on the trampoline when I got home, it's hard to think that this all my fault. That morning went as normal, I woke up ate breakfast, dressed and headed off to school with Braille Gage and my siblings. On the way to the bus stop I listened to Braille ramble about our plan, I didn't say anything though. I kept looking back at Avia, she was on her crutches because she still couldn't fully walk on her own yet. I still didn't think I can hurt her, not when she's still fairly weak not when she can't fight back. I want to give her a fighting chance. Braille's plan was to beat her up at recess, which was after lunch. Lunch came all too quickly that day, we went over the plan again well Braille talked again and I listened. Like I said before I still wasn't 100 percent on board with this whole thing, when lunch ended we lined up with our classes and waited to be dismissed to recess. I was in first grade which meant that I would be the last grade dismissed, I stood in line and talked with my friends pretending like I wasn't about to do this horrible thing to my sick sister. When we were released I zipped my pink jacket and ran out to the playground to find Braille, I saw her waiting at the edge of the playground her hands in her pocket and her eyes scanning for me. I ran up to her and stood next to her scanning the rest of the playground for Avia, I found her almost immediately but I didn't tell Braille hoping to buy Avia some time and hoping that Braille wouldn't find her so I wouldn't have to go through with the stupid promise I made. Soon enough Braille found Avia and motioned for me to follower her, telling me to let her do all the talking. I was perfectly okay with that, the less I had to do the better. She told Avia that we wanted to apologize for the way we treated her these past few months, but we didn't want to do it here in front of everyone, She told her to follow us to the side of the school, Avia stopped swinging and I helped her get up and stable, Braille glared at me. I pretended like it was part of the act, I just truly wanted to help her though. When we got to the side of the school out of the teacher's sight Avia started talking about how we had coming full circle since July and that she was glad that she we were all going to be friends again, I thought Braille was going to let Avia finish speaking but she didn't. She kicked Avia in the ankle causing her to fall she clutched her arm on the ground and cried in pain, Braille kept kicking and yelling at her she had hatred in her eyes. She kicked Avia in the back of the bead and knocked her out. I knew this was wrong and I knew I needed help, I looked over and in the distance I saw Gavin playing soccer in the distance. I started running toward him knowing he could help me get Braille to stop and get Avia to the nurse. When I got to him I was out of breath but I managed to tell him about Braille and Avia and that I needed help. He looked at me and began running toward where Avia and Braille were, I followed trying to keep up. When we reached Avia I saw that she was covered in blood and Braille still beating her, I slid on the ground and placed Avia's head in my lap crying over her unconscious body. This was all my fault I thought, my body going into hyper drive causing me to have earlier signs of an anxiety attack. Once Gavin finished yelling at Braille he leaned over Avia and picked her up heading inside to go to the nurse. We were stopped by one of the teachers' who had playground duty on why Avia was the way she was, we explained about Braille beating her up and quickly rushed inside knowing we needed to get Avia to the nurse. When we got to the nurse Gavin explained what happened to the nurse while I explained what happened to the principle, once I finished talking to him I walked back in to the nurses' office to check on Avia. I found out that her injuries were so bad that they had to call an ambulance, once I heard this my body had an actual anxiety attack this time. The nurse saw and draped a cold towel over my neck and tried to get me to calm down, once she calmed me down she called my parents to come to the school to talk to the principle and ride in the ambulance with Avia. When my parents arrived they rushed in and checking on Avia before asking what happened, I explained what happened and how I was sorry. Mom and Dad told me that I did the right thing and that they were proud of me for doing the right thing and that I didn't do anything wrong. Avia who was now somewhat conscious, muttered out that her chest hurt. Mom and Dad looked at each other and then at me, they asked me if that Braille had ever kicked Avia in the chest. I thought for a moment and said yes remembering that's where she kicked next after kicking her in the head. Soon the ambulance came, they loaded Avia up and Gavin and Mom got in the back. Dad and I were going to stay at the school and talk about it with the principal, I was told to go back to my classroom and get my stuff because after the talk we would be going to the hospital. I got my stuff and put on a chair before following my dad into the office. He started asking me questions about Braille and if she had ever done anything like this before and if I was being honest when I said I did absolutely nothing to hurt Avia. I answered the questions truthfully before being asked to step out in the hall while Dad and Uncle Casey who had just arrived talk about if dad was going to press charges or not which I was sure he wasn't. The conversation ended quickly and my dad immerged from the office and grabbed my hand and led me out to the car, the cry ride over was fast and silent because all both of us wanted to know was the condition of Avia. We quickly parked in the ER parking lot before rushing inside to look for Mom and Gavin, I scanned the waiting room and saw mom and Gavin sitting over in a corner. I ran over and gave mom a huge hug before asking how Avia was, she sighed and told me that Avia had a sprained arm and ankle and had a concussion from being kicked in the head. She also would need a blood transfusion because she lost a decent amount of blood and that she was in surgery now to repair her port that Braille damaged when she kicked Avia in the chest. I started crying again thinking about how this could have all been prevented if I told Avia, if I was a better sister. Mom who was crying as well hugged me and told me that Avia would be fine and that none of this was my fault, we sat and prayed and waited for Avia's doctor to come out and tell us that we could see her. Around an hour later Avia's doctor came out and let us know that Avia was out of surgery and that she was doing well and that we could go back and visit her. I grabbed onto my dad's hand and let me lead him back to where Avia was, when I walked in I saw a girl that was not my sister. Avia was all bruised and cut up, she had an IV line of blood going, there were two tubes up her nose helping her breath and her arm was in a sling and her ankle bandaged up. I asked mom and dad if I could sit next to her in bed, they told me that I could so I climbed up and sat down next to her and started crying again. I kept whispering that I was sorry and held her hand in mine for a minute like all the times she did when I was scared or sick, about a half hour later Casey came to check on Avia before he went home. While he was here Avia woke up, she asked for my mom and dad first the both hugged her and kissed her before explaining what was going on. Once they finished I managed to squeak a hi out while sucking my thumb. What's wrong she asked grabbing my hand and holding it in hers, I cried to her that this was all my fault and that I was bad sister? She asked me if I hit her and I said no she then said that this was not my fault before pulling me in a hug letting me cry in her chest. Once I calmed down I rested my head on her shoulder thinking that all was right in the world because I had my sister back. Mom and Dad were talking to Uncle Casey about Braille and if they could help her understand Avia better, when Braille asked "Why is everyone saying my fault, it's not like I'm the reason she has cancer". Avia responded back saying "you don't get it do you", pushing herself so that she was sitting up to see Braille. "Get what" Braille sassed back getting enjoyment out of torturing Avia, "I' have cancer" Avia spat back growing annoyed at Braille, "not my problem" Braille said walking out to be in full of view clasping her hands in front of her. "I'M SICK" Avia yelled beginning to cry, I could tell she was annoyed that Braille wasn't understanding that Avia was sick and might not live as long as the rest of us and that family hatred was not something she wanted. "Like I said not my problem" Braille replied back with a fake sweetness, Avia was boiling now. She yelled back "I'M SICK, I HAVE CANCER, I COULD DIE ANY DAY BECAUSE I DON'T KNOW HOW LONG MY BODY CAN HOLD ON FOR" she was crying harder now that she had admitted it to herself because no nine year old wants to think about dying. "Ohh well, to bad so sad. You're better off dead" she spat back at Avia casing Avia to cry harder her body racked with sobs. I engulfed her in a hug, trying to comfort her. But it wasn't working she was crying harder, she spit out "get out" to Braille and went back to crying in my shoulder. I rubbed her back and told her that it's okay and that Braille was being a jerk and that none of us wanted her dead. Mom, Dad and Gavin got up and joined our hug trying console Avia. Soon enough Avia was released from the hospital, she fell asleep on the way home. I thought about what would happen if I lost Avia, if she didn't beat this disease. I couldn't let that happen I couldn't let me feelings of jealousy ever overcome me because my relationship with Avia was more important to me than anything else and I wanted us to be best friends for as long as Avia's life was whether it be a month or 80 years.