Sick little games

Chapter 54

"I just need it for one night."

"I'm sorry, but there isn't any rooms available right now."

"Fuck." I slam my fist on the plastic desk and the woman behind it flinches.

I look over to Henry, still in his pyjamas swinging his feet while sat on a small chair.

"Look, you can't expect a kid that fucking young to sit in a hospital and watch his granddad die." I state a little too loudly while pointing at Henry and he looks up.

The woman's eyes soften and she holds up a finger while placing a phone to her ear. She talks for a few minutes and then an older man joins us.

"Mr Reid, we may be able to find you a room. A couple is due to sign out in an hour or so... If you don't mind waiting." He gives me a wide smile and I can't not take up on the offer, Henry needs a bed for the night.

"Ok." I say and the man nods, typing something in the computer before walking off again.

I head over to Henry who is looking at me with tired eyes. "Do we get to sleep?" He asks while yawning and my earlier anger subsides.

"You sleep here, I'll wake you up when we can go to our room."

He nods and lays flat on the chairs with his head in my lap. I pull out my phone to text JJ.

• We're going to have a room pretty soon, I'll text you the room number when we find out. I hope everything is going ok, I love you. x •

I send it to her quickly and push my phone back into my pocket. Already Henry is sleeping and I slouch a little while waiting for a text back off JJ.

JJ's POV:

"I'm afraid we cant give him any more chemo-"

"You can't or you won't?" I but in and Tracy's hand reaches for my thigh. She squeezes it a little, then nods at the doctor to proceed.

"There isn't much point, the cancer is too advanced..." the doctor continues talking, explaining everything thoroughly and I switch off. Words, it's all just words.

I zone out a little and Spencer saves me with a text.

• We're going to have a room pretty soon, I'll text you the room number when we find out. I hope everything is going ok, I love you. x •

I don't text him back, instead I run my thumb over the words 'I love you.' And think of how all this might be if Spencer and I didn't meet.

Would my parents have told me earlier? Henry would still be here, he'd be sat on Tracy's lap having to listen to the dreadful words falling from the doctors lips. He was adamant that he wasn't going to go with Tracy's new boyfriend, a man I just met. Spencer offered to take him and Henry agreed straight away.

I smile slightly thinking about how close Spence and Henry have gotten over the past few days. "Jennifer." my eyes focus on my mother in front of me. "I'm going to stay here with your father, you and Trace should head to that hotel." she places her hand on my shoulder as I stand with Tracy.

We head on a short drive to the hotel Spence and Henry are at. The car is filled with silence and an anxious feeling builds in my stomach when I'm left to think of what's inevitably going to happen.

As soon as the car stops, I'm out of it. I just need to Spencer, that's all I want. I need him to hold me in his arms like earlier and tell me everything's going to be ok, even if it's not. I need him.

We make our way into the lobby. Spencer is sat awkwardly on one of the rock hard chairs while Henry is sprawled peacefully over his lap. We get closer and I notice that Spencer's eyes are also closed.