Chapter 31

I was on the verge of hyperventilating as Cason was doing his best to sooth and assure me that everything would be okay from the driver’s seat. None of his attempts, however, were working as it felt like the space inside the car was decreasing as the walls caved in around me.

Back on the boat, I could tell by the look on Cason’s face that something bad had happened but, when he gave me the phone and I heard Diana explain to me through her tears that my mom had gotten into an accident and was currently being transferred to the hospital, I physically felt sick with worry.

Cason immediately started the boat and quickly made his way back to marina, throwing the ropes and anchors lazily onto the dock before looking at me frantically. Even though the boat had zipped through the waves and I could now leave, I hadn’t moved a step since I hung up the phone and stared blankly ahead, looking at nothing as impossible harsh images ran through my mind.

“Jessa!” Cason had shouted as he waved his hand in front of my face a couple of times to try and get my attention. “Jessa, we have to go now!”

Maybe it was his voice, maybe it was the fact that this was truly happening and maybe, it was just a coincidence but, I suddenly snapped out of my daze seconds later and didn’t give Cason a second look as I hopped over the side of the boat and sprinted down the beach.

It didn’t take Cason long to catch up with me but, with my adrenaline running extremely high, I didn’t think of slowing down until Cason latched his hand onto my upper arm and pulled me to a stop to face him.

“Jessa, just slow down a minute so I can catch my breath.” he said, wheezing slightly as his grip loosened.

“No!” I replied frantically, “I don’t have time to catch my breath because right now, my mom might be holding on to her last breaths and I need to get to the hospital!”

I saw his eyes widen in shock as my voice grew progressively louder before he nodded and took a hold of my hand tightly. “Then come on,” he said, nodding up the beach. “The car’s about a minute that way.”

When we reached the car, after Cason took a couple of seconds clumsily pressing the unlock button on his keychain, we both bustled into the car before he pulled out of the lot, leaving nothing but clouds of dust and showers of rocks in the rear-view mirror.

As we hit the main roads in town Cason slowed down to just above the speed limit and cracked my window slightly to give me some fresh air to get my head straight.

Looking out the window, I was lost in thought at what could have happened to my mom tonight. I know that Diana said there had been an accident but, how bad was it? Did the paramedics arrive right away? Who caused the accident? Was she alone in the car? My thoughts were running wild; from she had just a few cuts to her lying in her death bed, it was killing me not knowing much about her condition.

“How far away is the hospital?” I asked almost robotically. If not for the ounce of worry in my voice I probably could have pulled off a new-aged R2D2.

I couldn’t see the look Cason sent me but, in my peripheral vision I could see his head quickly swivel towards me before focusing back on the road. “Umm…” he said worriedly and, as his pause continued, my heart dropped a little more as I realized I wouldn’t like the answer he was about to give. “There actually isn’t a hospital in Avondale, just small clinics and a doctor’s office. You mom would’ve been sent to the hospital about forty five minutes away; the same town where you go shopping sometimes.”

“What?!” I asked, my emotions running wild as I realized my mom wasn’t minutes away. “What if her injuries were too bad? What if they couldn’t get her to the hospital in time? What if they couldn’t treat her?”

“Jessa,” Cason said, his voice pleading with me to calm down but, he couldn’t do much as he was focused on not getting us into an accident of our own. “You have to think positively. The paramedics would’ve treated her the best they could’ve on the drive to the hospital; they have a bunch of equipment in the back of ambulances to hold patients over until they get to a hospital.”

"But what if it wasn’t enough Cason?” I said in a worried tone and, I started to feel the tears that I’d been holding back start to pile up.

"It’ll be enough.” he said in support, moving one of his to rest on my knee as he focused on driving.

For the rest of the drive I was honestly trying to keep it together as I let my head rest against the window pane, watching the buildings, trees and cars roll by. Cason was driving as fast he could without getting pulled over and, in just under forty minutes we were approaching the hospital.

Suddenly Cason abruptly turned the wheel to the left, jostling me around in my seat as I gasped in surprise and hit the side of my head on the window.

Throwing him a look of disbelief as I brought my hand up to hold my aching head, he simply sent me a sheepish smile. “Sorry,” he said, flicking his eyes between me and the road. “I almost missed the turn-off.”

I shook my head in amusement, forgetting for a second that my mom was currently in the hospital and I had no idea what kind of condition she was in. “You would.”

Cason cracked a smile at my response as he quickly pulled into the hospital parking lot, this time making a much smoother turn.

As we passed the main entrance I looked at the menacing building that stood in my vision. It didn’t look all that big and, although it looked sturdy and well-kept, it wasn’t anything new or exquisite either. There was no glass walk way between buildings or pure glass walls in the design and, there certainly wasn’t a giant helicopter landing pad on the roof; just a plain building that stood a couple stories high made of classic brick. The only real indication that the building was used to treat sickness and health problems was the giant blue and white ‘H’ that all hospitals traditionally sported.

But what else could I expect from a hospital that treated small town patients?

When we reached a pedestrian cross-walk, Cason stopped as an elderly couple were holding each other as they headed for their car and, no matter how heart-warming it was to see the man and woman supporting each other, I couldn’t wait any longer to get in to see my mom.

“Oh, what the hell.” I said as I made up my mind, unlocking my door quickly before throwing it open and slamming it shut behind me. I didn’t look back as Cason called my name from inside the car, instead, I quickly made my way towards the hospital.

Once through the automatic sliding doors, I spent a good couple of seconds in panic, not knowing where to go but, when I saw the sign that pointed left for reception, I followed it directions and it lead me straight to where I wanted to be. 

“Excuse me,” I started, resting my jittery hands on the reception desk as I spoke to the woman behind it. She had her long blonde hair twisted into a messy bun and, her face had a few exhaustion lines, telling me that she had probably been here for a while. “I’m looking for…”

Before I could finish my thought, the lady put her hand up and pointed to her headset, indicating that she was currently taking a call. “Sorry, about that.” she said, apologizing to whoever was on the other end, “What did you say?”

I could understand that she was tired from her job and just wanted to get out of here but, that didn’t excuse her from helping people, like me, who actually needed her help. The lady was slowly losing any ounce of respect and sympathy I had for her and, when she started mentioning a movie that she saw last night with her boyfriend, I completely lost it.

“HELLO?” I asked impatiently, waving my hands in front of her face annoyingly, hoping that she would at least give me the information I needed before continuing her call.

Sadly, all that resulted from my little outburst was her sending me the most annoyed and impatient look.

Running my hands through my hair impatiently, I didn’t even mind that I was probably in danger of pulling it all out as I felt tears of frustration build up in my eyes. I rested again the desk in defeat as I listened to the ditzy receptionist talking to her friend.

A minute later Cason rounded the corner and immediately noticed my tears as he pulled me into his arms. “What’s wrong Jessa? Why are you still down here?” he asked, pulling back slightly as he used his fingers to softly wipe the tears from under my eyes.

I sniffed, running my hand under my nose as I nodded to the receptionist. “She’s on the phone with a friend and won’t listen to me.” I replied in a defeated tone. “I tried a couple times but she’s just being a bitch.”

Cason’s expression morphed into one of anger and fury as he pushed me slightly to the side and snapped his fingers in front of the receptionist’s face. “I don’t know what your problem is but, my friend just wanted to know where the hell her mom is and you don’t even have the decency to tell her. Are you incredibly shit at your job or just that inconsiderate to others feelings?”

The lady’s big blue eyes widened even more at the venom laced into Cason’s voice, but she quickly threw her headset off and looked at her computer, scared out of her wits.

“I’m s… sorr… sorry.” she stuttered, typing something into her computer. “What was… her name again?”

“Wendy Hartley, she should have gotten here about an hour ago.” Cason explained, ticking his fingers restlessly on the desk as I stood behind him biting my nails.

After keying in her name and a few clicks of her mouse, she nodded shakily as she came across the information. “Yup, it’s all right here.” she said. “She’s up in room 401 but, it says she’s not allowed any visitors at the moment as she’s about to go into surgery.”

“SURGERY!” I exclaimed and, immediately felt woozy as the word repeated itself several times over in my head. “What does she need surgery for!?”

The receptionist, who I could only now see was wearing a name tag that read Shannon, flinched at my demanding and scared voice but, shook her head in pity. “I don’t know.” she stammered out. “I don’t get that kind of information.”

“It’s fine.” Cason said, putting his arm around my arm as he redirected me down the hall. “Thank you though.”

I didn’t know where he was taking me but, when we stopped in front of an elevator and he pressed the button to go up, I started breathing a little more calmly as I realized he was probably taking me up to see my mom.

A little ding sounded before the elevator doors sprang apart and two nurses walked out with coffees in their hands. Both of ushered in and, once Cason pressed the button with a four on it, we started moving up until we hit our floor.

Down in the lobby, the décor and furniture looked as though it could belong to any building; as it was just so generic for a main floor. However, as I stepped off the elevator on the fourth floor, I was immediately hit by the smells and sights of a hospital.

Soap, disinfectant and, blood fumes were in the air and, the fact that a nurse was walking by with a health mask on gave me the willies as I thought about the viruses that could’ve been airborne. The walls were painted plain white and, it would’ve looked like an insane asylum if it wasn’t for the pale green ceilings and brown tiled floors.

A sign directing us to the fourth floor waiting room was placed strategically outside of the elevator and, after following its directions, Cason and I arrived in the waiting room.

There weren’t many people there considering the abundance of black plastic chairs that were set up in the room; only two couples and then a middle aged man cradling a sneezing toddler in his arms. I could also see Diana slumped over in one of the corner chairs.

Our footsteps were obviously heard as we entered the waiting room and, although everybody’s heads snapped up to us for a second, Diana’s eyes widened as she spotted us before she scrambled up out of her seat and sprang towards us.

I caught a quick glimpse of her as she moved towards us and, what stood out to me wasn’t the tear stains that flowed from the corner of her eyes to the bottom of her chin – a clear indicator that she had been crying – or the crinkles in her clothes that made her look completely worn out. What stood out to me was the fact that her left arm was wrapped up in a dark blue sling and she had a tensor bandage on her upper right arm.

“Cason! Jessa!” she said as she wrapped her better arm around each of us separately before pulling back and standing in front of us. “I’m so sorry…. if... if I would’ve just…”

As she tried to apologize for who-knows-what, tears started to fall from her eyes once again.

“Mom.” Cason said calmly, removing his hand from mine as he placed it on his mother’s shoulder. “Just tell us what happened.”

Through her sniffles and choked up words, Diana was able to explain to us what happened the best she could. “We went to a dinner with a couple of other teachers in town and, once it was over, we headed out to do some shopping and run some errands.” she explained.

“Wendy was driving to the outskirts to pick up some things to bake with I guess, she said she was making banana bread or something but, when we were a street away from that grocery store over on Third Avenue, a car came swerving out of a parking lot wildly and was headed right towards us.”

“He had his brakes on so the impact wasn’t as significant as it could’ve been but, even when Wendy turned the wheel to avoid a head-on collision, the other car still hit the front corner of the car on the driver’s side. I got squished up against door and did some damage to a tendon on my right arm but, something hit my left arm enough to seriously injure it.”

“But Wendy,” she said as the tears began to flow heavily. “She got most of the damage from the accident. When my vision went straight after the impact I looked to the side and saw that she was lying unconscious in her seat. Her left arm was completely bent and her legs were squished under some of the metal because of the angle the other car struck us at. The front shield didn’t end up breaking but, I could see some blood on her from the seatbelt pulling on her shoulder and neck.”

“The airbags did deploy so she didn’t get any head damage of anything, I don’t think but, once I understood what was happening I called 911 right away and the paramedics got there fairly quick. They said she’d be fine but, when we got here the doctors said they had to operate and wouldn’t tell me anything else because I’m not family.

“I’m just so sorry,” she hiccupped, pulling me into her arms the best she could with her injuries. “So sorry.”

At some point through her explanation tears started to fall from my own eyes as a visual picture of my mother lying limp and unconscious in a mangled car started to form. I could even see the whole scene play out just as Diana had described it; the other car wobbly bumping the front of my mom’s car, screams emulating from both victims and, the flashing lights and sirens as the paramedics strapped my mom into a gurney and placed her in the ambulance.

Even though my imagination was running wild and I really wasn’t thinking straight at the moment, I knew Diana didn’t have anything to apologize for. “It’s not your fault, not at all.” I said into her shoulder before pulling back and giving her a teary-eyed half smile.

She nodded, wiping her tears as she nodded to the seat she was previously vacating. “Did you guys want to sit down while we wait for the doctors?” she asked, although it sounded as if exhaustion was taking her over as the words flowed out.

Instead of replying verbally, Cason and I just followed Diana back to her seat and took up the two empty seats beside her.

The smell of cleaners and disinfectant was even more prominent as we took our seats in the uncomfortable black chairs that, no doubt, we cheap dollar store purchases so that the hospital could be built within a budget. My guess was that they were more-or-less never washed or hand scrubbed and the scents had just seeped into the plastic and hard cushions so visitors and families would smell them every time they took a seat.

I was falling apart at the seams as images of my mom in the crash and in the ambulance kept flashing through my head and, when Cason’s arm came around my shoulder, pulling my face into his shoulder, I didn’t hesitate for even a second before leaning into him for support and letting my tears fall.

As the minutes and seconds ticked by I became more of a wreck as wave after wave of sadness, exhaustion and, heartbreak washed over me. Cason, the supportive guy that he is, never tried to stop me from crying or bring my spirits down. He just sat there with his arms around me, rhythmically rubbing circles on my back as I cried and, every once and a while he would whisper words of encouragement but, those word mostly go without a response.

Somewhere between where we sat down and now I moved from my own black chair to taking up the space on Cason’s lap. I had calmed down significantly as I lifted my head from his shoulder and glanced at the plain black clock that hung on the wall, gasping at how late it was.

“What?” Cason asked, swiveling his head from side to side to see what had surprised me. “What’s wrong?”

“Cason, it’s already ten ‘o’clock!” I said, pointing to the clock. “How the hell did it get so late?”

“Well… it was just after eight when we left the beach, it took a while to drive up here and, we’ve been sitting here for over an hour so, the hours flew by I guess.” he explained and, I once again gasped.

“I’ve been crying on you for an hour!” I exclaimed, my voice sounding raw and low as a result of all my tears. “Why didn’t you tell me to move or just push me off? Oh god… I must be heavy.” I muttered embarrassedly as I tried to scramble up off of his lap but, he just tightened his arms around me and pulled me into his chest.

“Jessa, it’s fine.” he said, sending me a smile and, even though I was still thinking about my mom, he sent sparks off in my heart with just a simple smile.

Before I could reply or even thank him for being there, rapid and frantic footsteps could be heard from around the corner before two dishevelled and familiar people rounded into the waiting room.

“Evan, Olivia, what are you guys doing here?” I asked, turning to them as Cason let his arms drop from around me as I stood up and walked over to them.

The reply to my question, however, didn’t come from neither Evan nor Olivia but, instead Cason, who had gotten up to stand beside me. “After you jumped out of the car in the parking lot I went to find a parking space but, before I came inside I called Evan and told him what was going on, knowing Olivia would already be with him.”

“So, you guys just decided to drive all the way out to the hospital at this time of night?” I asked, this time directing my voice towards the two new arrivals.

“It’s not that late.” Evan said with an eye roll and I realized he was right; for most teenagers ten ‘o’clock at night means the beginning of the night instead of the end. “Plus, we weren’t just gonna wait to hear through the grapevine what happened, we wanted to be here for you.”

My heart melted at his sincere explanation. “Thanks guys.”

Evan nodded in reply, acknowledging my thanks but, Olivia had a different kind of reaction.

She launched herself at my body, arms wide open as she wrapped them around me in a bone-crushing hug. “Jessa, how are you keeping it together?” she asked, rubbing my back as I heard her sniffle a couple of times.

“I’m not,” I replied honestly, melting into my best friends arms as she was just the girl I needed. “I’ve spent the last hour bawling like a baby in Cason’s arm and trust me; I don’t think it was all that pretty.”

“Well, at least you were in his arms.” she whispered quietly enough so nobody else would hear.

I cracked a smile at her attempt to lighten the mood because in all honesty, it did work. I pulled back and out of her arms just as Evan spoke again.

“So, what happened exactly?”

At his question, the mood that his girlfriend had just lifted fell once again as I was reminded for yet another time that I was in a hospital waiting room, anticipating the moment when a doctor would walk through the off-limits doors and tell me she was going to be okay.

I saw Cason’s gaze fall back on his mother, who was currently curled up in her chair with her head resting on the back and her eyes closed. Apparently she had fallen into a deep sleep as I was crying but, when a doctor came around to check on her, he said she was free to go. She had been signed out and cleared but she said she was staying for a while as she was without a ride home and, I guess she figured she would start her night’s sleep here in the waiting room instead.

“Let’s go down to the cafeteria and talk so we don’t wake her.” Cason suggested, nodding his head back to where his mother was resting uncomfortably.

“But what if the doctors come out while we’re gone?” I said, tears building up once again. “I can’t go anywhere until I know if she’s okay or not.”

“Jessa,” he replied, hugging me into him as he looked into my eyes. “Everything is going to be fine but, we’ll only be down there for twenty minutes tops. Everybody needs something to eat and the doctors aren’t gonna come out but, if they do they’ll call for you.”

After a bit of back and forth, I sighed and coincided as I followed the three of them into the elevator as we headed back down to the main floor where the cafeteria was located.

The smell of the cafeteria was nauseating, and not because it smelt like a hospital but, because the food didn’t exactly smell like food; more like burnt plastic roasting over an open fire. After finding a couple of things that actually looked partially edible; a banana, an apple and, a bottle of water, we all stood in line and paid for our own food.

Locating a vacant table near an open window, we headed that way and sat down in the four wooden chairs that surrounded it.

“So,” Evan started, breaking the uncomfortable silence that we were eating in as he swallowed a bite of his apple. “Is somebody going to explain what happened tonight?”

I couldn’t even think about what happened without breaking into tears so, when Cason looked at me, asking silently if I wanted him to recount the story, I nodded in response as I leant back in my chair trying to get comfortable.

Cason then launched into the story his mom had told us just over an hour before, trying to recount every detail his mom had mentioned so that both Evan and Olivia were just as up to speed on what was happening as we were.

“Wow…” Olivia said, tears forming in her eyes as Cason finished the re-telling of the accident. “That’s horrible but, at least it wasn’t an extreme head-on collision.”

“Yea, at least.” I said with a dry laugh but, it just sounded forced and inappropriate.

As I saw Evan wrap his arm around Olivia’s shoulder, pulling her into his side as best he could, I was reminded of something that made me feel even worse. “Aw man,” I said, rubbing my temples as the first symptoms of a headache started to appear. “You guys were on a date tonight… I’m so sorry for ruining it and having you guys drive out here for nothing.”

“It wasn’t for nothing Jessalyn.” Olivia said adamantly. “We’re your friends and, if you need a little support we’re going to be there for you. This is something huge for you, considering what happened to your dad and, we just want to be here for you.”

“Thanks.” I mumbled in appreciation.

“Plus,” Evan added, throwing a smirk at Cason. “This guy was the one who called me, not you.”

We all chuckled lightly as he lifted the mood slightly and, for the next ten minutes or so, we just talked about anything that wasn’t related to the fact that my mom was, according to what I knew, still in surgery because of the accident.

“We’re gonna find a bathroom but, we’ll meet you back up in the waiting room when we’re done.” Evan said minutes later, gesturing to himself and Olivia as they stood up and collected the garbage they had.

“Now’s not the time for a quickie.” Cason commented jokingly at their retreating figures and, instead of dignifying his comment with a response, Evan simply flipped the middle finger over his head as they continued to walk.

A couple of glares and chuckles were heard from surrounding people in the cafeteria but, I didn’t pay attention to them as I looked at Cason, who was smiling in amusement.

“What?” he asked innocently as my gaze turned to one of accusation. “It was just a harmless joke.” he explained, putting his hands up in mock surrender.

“Sure it was.”

With an eye roll, the subject was dropped and brushed off both of our shoulders as Cason stood up from his seat and offered me a hand, which I gladly accepted.

“Let’s head back upstairs, it won’t take them long… if they really are only going to the bathroom.” he said, nodding towards the doors.

Shaking my head at his implication, I didn’t bother responding as he lead me through the cafeteria doors and back towards the elevator.

We didn’t make it to the elevator though because, before we could reach it there was a sudden commotion in the main lobby as doctors, nurses and, specialists came running through doors.

Stopping to see what was causing such an uprising, I saw two paramedics unload a gurney from the back of an ambulance and quickly hand it over to the doctors. The doctors were immediately interested in the mystery patient as he or she was wheeled through the halls with great pace and, when I saw a glimpse of the person, it was only a twelve year old boy who looked like he had been beaten to death – or at least close.

With the image of the boy on the gurney, all beat up, bruised and battered, the images of my mom on possibly that very same gurney hours before became more vivid in my mind than before. The blood and bruises that must’ve surely covered her face and arms, the way her body must not have been responding and, her legs still as can be; all completely invading my mind over and over.

“It’s my fault.” I mumbled quiet enough but, Cason must’ve heard me as he pulled me to a stop and looked at me with wide eyes.

“What did you just say?”

“It’s my fault Cason! That little boy is hurt and that was my mom a few hours ago!” I cried out and, when Cason realized I was completely melting down in the main lobby, he quickly led me off to the closest hallway.

He tried a couple doors before finding one that was opened, which he immediately opened and pulled me into.

“Now, what were you saying Jessa?” he asked, running his hands through his hair stressfully as he looked at me with a tired look in his eyes. “Were you saying that your mom’s accident was your fault because, that is probably one of the stupidest and craziest things I’ve ever heard?”

“Well I must be absolutely psychotic because her accident was completely my fault!” I said once again, my voice getting higher and more desperate as I spoke. “She told me to not think about what she was doing tonight and just enjoy my time with you… how could I have agreed to that? I basically told her that I’d forget she existed for the night and now look what happened!”

“Jessa… none of that made you cause the accident.” Cason tried to explain but, his comment just floated in one ear and out the other as I continued to ramble on.

“And then I got on that stupid boat… that stupid, stupid boat.” I said, tears starting to fall. “I knew me getting on that boat was a bad idea and something bad would happen. The last time my dad got on a boat was the last time I ever saw him and, now this time it was me who got on the boat and my mom might not be alive.”

“Jessa… stop thinking so negatively. Your mom is going to be fine.”

“How do you know that Cason, huh? Please tell me how you know exactly how my mother is when not one fucking nurse or doctor has told us anything yet.” I said, letting my anger take a hold of me. “That stupid boat was the cause of this and you can’t change that. Boats and I just don’t mix and I got on one tonight for the first time since my dad died. Since God saw me having fun on a boat, after something was finally going right for me, he looked down and saw me stomping all over the one thing that single-handedly killed my dad and thought, hey, let’s teach her a lesson. This is all fucking karma and it sucks!”

“Jessa… I’m the one who convinced you to get on the boat. You didn’t choose to go on it; I more than forced it on you and, for that I’m sorry but, you can’t possibly think that accident was your fault. You weren’t anywhere near the cars when they crashed.” Cason explained but, once again it didn’t matter to me.

“You’re right.” I said, turning away from him as his words sunk in. “You’re completely fucking right Cason…. this is entirely YOUR fault!” I continued, whipping my head back towards him in a fury. “YOU forced me onto that boat! YOU knew that the last time I had been on one was before my dad died! YOU knew the reason I didn’t want to see one again but, YOU thought what the hell; it’ll be a fun date and it’ll earn me some brownie points with her. YOU caused this big mess!”

“Okay, you’re obviously just overtired at the moment and your emotions are running high.” Cason reasoned, trying to step closer to me. “Let’s get you upstairs so you can sleep in one of those chairs or, if you want, you can sleep in my arms.”

“Sure… just another benefit from this accident for you.” I replied snottily, stepping back from him so my back was against the wall and my arms were wrapped around my stomach as I supported myself. “Just go Cason.”

My last words were so quiet as I mumbled them out loud, making up my mind but, I knew that he had heard me when his eyes snapped up in disbelief and hurt. “Jessa…” he pleaded, knowing by my tone that I had meant what I had said.

Before I knew what was happening Cason’s lips had come down on mine but, unlike our previous kisses, this one was desperate and needy as he moved his lips frantically on top of mine. I didn’t move my lips, instead just let the tears from my closed eyes fall freely and fall down my face.

Even though I could still feel the sparks through the one-sided kiss, I mustered up all the strength I had left in me and pushed him off of me, my heart breaking into a million pieces as I did so.

“Just go Cason… and don’t come back.” I whispered in defeat.

I more than felt his mood change from desperate to heartbroken as he reached for the door handle beside me, sending me one last longing glance before he walked out of the room and out of my sight… and maybe even out of my life.

Once he was gone I completely broke down, sliding down the wall as I curled up into a ball and let out all my emotions. I cried for my mom; hoping she was okay, I cried for Cason; hoping that one day he could forgive me and, I cried for myself; wondering why the hell the world had been so cruel to me over the past year.

My crying fest lasted probably fifteen minutes before I decided to get back upstairs and hope the doctors were out and had information for me. Wiping my eyes once, twice and thrice, I exited the random room I had been led to and slipped into the elevator.

The doors opened, letting me out as I walked slowly towards the fourth floor waiting room once again but, this time I was completely alone.

My time alone didn’t last long as Evan and Olivia ran up to me frantically as I came into their view.

“What the hell happened Jessalyn?” Olivia asked, grabbing onto my arm but, all I could feel was numbness. “Cason came in here telling us he was taking his mom home but, I know he wouldn’t just leave you alone at a time like this.”

“How do you know something happened?” I asked in return, crossing my arms protectively across my chest. “He could’ve just been acting like a good son and giving his tired and hurt mom a ride home; she was in the accident to you know.”

“Yea but, seriously, he looked absolutely gutted when he told me that you’d need a ride home later tonight… nothing would get him that upset if it wasn’t about you.” Evan explained.

“I told him to leave.” I said and, ignoring the shocked looks on my friend’s faces, I continued to explain. “He was part of why this accident happened in the first place and I don’t want him around to remind me of the reason my mom is in the hospital right now; possibly fighting for her life at this very moment.”

“And, as for the ride,” I continued as an afterthought. “I’ll be staying here all night so, if you guys want to, you can just go home as well.”

Neither Evan nor Olivia got a chance to reply to my cold-spoken words because, before they could open their mouths the off-limits doors swung open and a doctor stepped out with a clipboard in his hands.

“Miss Hartley.” he called, looking around the waiting room and, when I realized he was referring to me, I moved towards him hastily.

“That’s me.” I stammered out.

His eyebrow rose as he probably expected someone older than a seventeen year old but, none the less, he nodded and looked down at the clipboard, flipping a few pages before clicking his pen open.

“You’re mother’s going to be just fine.”

At those words, any weight that was on my shoulders automatically lifted off as they replayed in my mind over and over.

She’s going to be fine, she’s going to be fine… she’s going to be fine.

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SO… I updated a day early because you guys are awesome and I just couldn’t stop writing this chapter once I started!

I hope you all enjoyed the cliffhanger in the last chapter and, I know you guys hate me for some of the things in this chapter and, you might love me for other things but, this is how I had planned the chapter from the beginning. After all… what’s a story without a little drama?

P.S. Rape that vote button in the corner if you’re either; a.) mad about Jessalyn sending Cason away or b.) happy that her mom is going to be okay !

ALSO… in case you aren’t following me (which you definitely should) you should know that I just uploaded the first chapter of my newest story and, I would really appreciate it if all of you would check out Road Trip… posted now on my profile :) x