Brooklyn

My shaking hands slowly smoothed down my pants as I shoved my keys into my pocket and continued to walk into the hospital.

Shawn had insisted he come along but I insisted he stay home.

The fights and drama I risked bringing him to the hospital were too much for me to handle.

I walked through the doors to the hospital.

My palms became clammy and the cold metal railing of the hospital halls felt good as I slid my hand down it.

As I walked into the hospital I realized I must look disgusting.

My hair was a mess and I was wearing Shawn's clothes.

I quickly pulled myself into a bathroom and tried to make myself look more presentable.

It wasn't working.

It's family, I thought.

You just got out of the hospital.

They'll understand.

As I walked into my mothers hospital room a thick blanket of silence covered the room.

"Brooklyn." My grandmother spoke.

I smiled weakly as I looked at my yellowing mother on the hospital bed.

"How do you feel?" Leo asked.

"Like a girl who just got out of the hospital." I spoke.

"You're discharged?" My grandmother spoke.

"Yeah."

My eyes never left my mother.

What would I do if she were to leave me?

What am I going to do now?

"Since when?" My grandmother prodded.

I glanced up for a moment and quickly met her eyes but then looked back at the floor.

"Not even a day."

After a long period of silence and a few mumbled words she spoke the question I dreaded to hear.

"How's Cameron?"

"He's good." I lied.

"Have you seen him since you got out?"

I nodded my head.

At the very least that wasn't a lie.

Suddenly my mom's monitors began to go off.

Beeping.

Lights.

Paddles.

Voices.

Doctors.

Everything became a blur.

I tried to tell Leo I needed to go but I'm not sure the words came out.

I stumbled out of the room.

"'Mam are you all right?"

"Yeah I'm fine." I soothed.

"Mam I think you need to lie down."

"No I said I'm fine."

"Brooke!" I turned to my right.

A tall blurry figure wrapped his large hands around my arm and waist and led me to a chair.

"Sit down." They soothed.

"My mother-" 

"She's going to be fine they took her for another ct scan before her surgery."

"Tell her-"

"Tell her what Brooke?"

"Tell her I love her."

"Anything else?"

My vision was getting darker and darker, I could feel bile growing in the back of my throat.

"I'm sorry."

Then everything went black.

Shawn

After Brooke left I sat on my bed. My head rested in my hands as I thought about the woman I love. 

She's out of the hospital.

I'm home.

Life is good.

Only-

In 2 months I'll be on the road again.

She'll be-

Where will she be?

She missed school.

Did she get accepted to any schools?

We haven't talked all that much.

I stood up from my bed and walked downstairs in my house.

I'm taking Brooklyn Sanders on a date.

A second first date.

And tonight I will learn just how much my love for this wonderful woman has grown.

word count: 515 words

status: unedited