Turned out Brynn couldn't make it the Saturday, or at least it that's what I'm guessing as the entire day has gone by without a word. I stayed late at work to help Paris clean up.

Paris kept side glancing me all night, until... "I'm sorry, Finn. This is my fault entirely. I should have never mentioned to my Dad you taking me to the Prom without clearing it with you first. If I had you would have told me no and that would have been the end of it."

I bused a table and wiped it down. "Yeah, maybe but if you did that you would have had zero chance getting to your Prom."

"You sure you still want to take me?" I could not ignore the look of hope in her eyes.

"Paris I made you a promise. I will take you or I will find a substitute, but either way, you will be going to your Prom."

"Thank you!" she says, obviously relieved that things hadn't changed.

"What color dress are you wearing by the way?"

"Red."

"That'll be easy."

"What will?"

"Matching the tux and flowers to your dress. So many of the dances I've gone to I get colors like eggplant, cerulean, goldenrod, or sienna. I usually just ask for a swatch or a picture and do my best to match or go all black."

Paris giggles. "I'm a pretty simple girl, Finn. Besides, I know it's probably lame to say but 'Lady in Red' is one of my favorite slow songs and I always dreamed of dancing to that song with a boy I ..." She stopped talking and I looked over at her. It took me a second to realize in her dream she's dancing with a boy she liked or loved, not stuck with me.

"I'm sorry, Paris, that I can't be that guy."

She blushes. "I know you can't be that guy. I mean you got Brynn, right?"

I sigh as I clear off another table. "Right now all I just got a whole lot of questions."

I don't work tomorrow. I'm out of school for a few more days. I don't know if she's reconsidered. If I've lost my chance, or something just came up. It would be great if I got a call or a text or something.

As if my thoughts had conjured her somehow, my phone rings and my heart leaped at the number. I look at Paris for a second before saying, "I gotta take this call."

"Sure."

I step outside and swipe to answer. "Brynn?"

I don't hear anything for a second or two and figure I am too late she must have hung up but then I hear a muffled cry. "BRYNN! What is it?! What's wrong?"  I feel in a panic. Why is she crying?

She can barely catch her breath but I get from between sobs Gran and the word hospital.

"What hospital? What's happened? Is she okay?"

"I don't know. I just got the call around 7 o'clock from the assisted living place. They said they ran her over to Memorial and... I ... haven't ... been able ... to ... find ... out ... anything," she says still crying.

"Okay. Okay, Brynn. Where are you? You still home?"

"Yeah, my Dad's car is in the shop and he had to borrow mine for work. He won't be home until 3 am. He works shift work." She sniffs and I can tell she's trying hard to get control.

"I'll be there in about 30 minutes?"

"Finn, what if...?"

"Shh! Brynn. Don't start thinking about 'what ifs' I'll be there, soon. Okay?"

"Okay."

I hang up and rush into the shop. "Paris, I have an emergency. I have to leave."

She looks stunned, and I can tell she wants to ask more but just nods her head and I jet back out the door.

I get in my car, plug in my phone and call my parents on the hands-free as I start driving.

"Finn! What is it? Are you ok?"

I felt bad alarming my Dad. I didn't stop to think what calling him past 11 at night would do. "I'm okay, Dad! It's Brynn's Grandmother. She's in Memorial Hospital. I wanted to call you because I know I'm grounded and I know I'm supposed to head home straight from work but Brynn is stranded without a car and she can't get to the hospital. The hospital isn't releasing any information to her. Dad, she is out of her mind with worry. I have to go get her."

My Dad is quiet for a moment and then says, "I'll meet you there."

"You'll what?"

I hear in the background. "Honey? Who's that on the phone?"

"I'll tell you in a minute," he says to my mom.

"Go get Brynn and bring her to the hospital. I guess now it will be your Mom and I. They aren't likely to talk to Brynn. She's a minor but maybe there is something your Mom or I can do."

"Is that Finn?! Hospital? What's going on?" I can hear my mom's panic.

Great now, I got them both upset. "Okay."

"I'll call you when I get to the hospital parking lot."

"I'll text you when we've arrived,"  my dad tells me.

"Thanks, Dad."

"IF someone doesn't start explaining soon...!" I hear my mom threaten in the background.

"Talk soon, Finn." And my dad hangs up.

I immediately call Brynn.

"Finn?"

"I'm already on my way to you, Brynn. We can talk until I get there if you like? My parents are going to meet us at the hospital. They think the reason you may not be getting the information you need is that you're a minor so they are going to try and rectify that."

"Your parents are awesome," Brynn says, her voice sounds so hoarse from crying.

"Yeah, they really are. I wouldn't surprise me one bit if they didn't have the complete story by the time we get there."

"I just want to know she's alright that she's not..." I hear her stifle a sob. This is killing me. "Don't go there, Brynn. We don't know anything yet. No sense torturing yourself over something that may not be true."

"I guess your right but Finn, I haven't felt this scared in a really long time."

I know she's referring to her mom. Shit! She's been through this before. I can't even relate all my grandparents and parents are still living.

"I'm almost there, Brynn. I'm about 10 minutes away, I think, by now."

"Okay. Let me let you go. I want to try and call my dad one more time before I leave just to let him know where I'm going."

"Alright. I'll call you back when I get there." I hang up and worry. I can't even imagine what she's going through right now. I pray Gran is okay, please be okay.

I get to her place and she must have been watching for me as she's already out of the house and walking towards the car. I lean over and open the passenger side door for her.

"Did you reach your Dad?"

Brynn settles in and buckles up and I reset the directions to the quickest route to Memorial Hospital.

"No, but that's not surprising when he's at work. He's not allowed to have his phone on the floor. I just hope he'll check his messages when he gets his break."

We've already begun driving. It's hard to see her face. It's so dark in the car as it's nearing midnight. "So what exactly happened?"

"I don't know. They just said she signed up to go to Bingo Night and one of the women she met there said she knocked for her but she didn't answer. She notified the front desk and they tried calling but couldn't get through. They sent up a security guard. He knocked but still no answer. So, he had gotten one of the maintenance men to open the place up and they found her unconscious on the floor. They have no idea how long she was like that."

"Oh man!"

"Yeah." I can tell by the clench of her jaw she's trying to hold back from crying again.

"They called an ambulance and the woman at the desk said she called me because I am listed as my Grandmother's emergency contact. I tried calling the hospital but they refused to cooperative since they have no idea who am but said I should come in person. I didn't have a car and so freaked out trying to get a hold of my dad several times and then I thought to call you."

I reached out and took her hand in mine. "Well I got you now and when we get there we won't leave until they give us the answers you're looking for."

"Thank you, Finn. You have no idea how grateful I am that you answered your phone."

"I was working tonight, remember? So I was already up."

She looks over at me. "Oh, Finn. I'm sorry. I completely forgot I said we would get together. I just..."

"Had much more important things on your mind." I finished for her.

We drove for a while longer and finally reached the hospital parking lot. I parked the car and called my Dad. I noticed his text popped up almost 20 minutes sooner, saying they had arrived.

"Finn? Brynn there?"

"Yeah, I got her right here." I hand over my phone before we both get out of the car and head towards the elevators.

"ICU. Thank you, Mr. Nash." And she hands the phone back over to me.

"I told Brynn, her grandmother has been admitted to the ICU and she's stable but that's all we were able to get from them."

"Thanks, Dad."

I hang up and we head for the Intensive Care Unit. We get into the brightly lit stairwell and for the first time I see Brynn's face that is red and raw from all the tears she's shed and my heart breaks for her. When elevator doors open we step inside and I step behind her, wrap my arms around her and she rests her head on my arm and I feel her sigh.

"One answer down, Brynn. You know she's alive." She nods and I feel the softness of her cheek brush my arm. 

The door opens, I let her go but take her hand. We walk as quick as we can without running to the ICU. I see my parents and my Mom jumps up and runs over to Brynn to give her a hug.

"Oh, Sweetie! I'm so sorry you have to go through this again."

Brynn just wraps her arms around my Mom and my mom holds her for a minute or two. Brynn pulls away, and my mom gives her a sad smile. She brushes her fingers along her cheeks like she's done to me a million times throughout my childhood to give me comfort. "You ready to find out something?"

Brynn nods and I go to follow but my Dad holds me back. "It's best to let them handle this, they'll get farther. Especially with your mom. You know she won't let them give Brynn a No for an answer, but if we all go on the attack, they'll just shut us down."

It killed me to watch her walk away. She didn't even turn back. My mom put an arm around her shoulder and led her to the nurse's station leaving my dad and me behind.