Started With a Lie

Chapter Eighteen

            She looks up into my eyes and says kindly, “Could you please give me your mother’s name, sweetie?”

            I give her the name and she tells me that she was logged into the ER an hour ago and she’s in surgery. I wait in one of the cold, hard plastic chairs outside with my hand clamped over my phone and tears smeared all over my face. My lip is bleeding from biting too much. My other hand’s nails are disappearing as I chew them down.

            Mom can’t die. She can’t. She won’t. What would I do without her? How could I ever live? I don’t want to become an orphan. I don’t want to lose both my parents. I’ve already lost so much.

            I will be alone.

            Suck it up, I say to myself. I unlock my phone and call Mark. I need to tell someone and Mark’s been a good friend so far. I can trust him. He picks up on the second ring.

            “Hello?” he says.

            I bite my nails. “Mark?”

            “Ivory?” Mark asks. “I’m sorry but I’m really busy at work right now. I would love to call you later for a cup of coffee, okay? How does that—”

            “My mom…she’s in the ER,” I say.

            “What?” he asks. I fill him in on how apparently she got into a car accident because she fell asleep on the highway. Her body was in over-drive from exhaustion and just gave out. Unfortunately, her car went spiraling off the road but it only hit a tree instead of other cars. Regret floods in my veins. I should have done something. I could’ve saved her. I knew she was really tired and was working too hard. I knew, but I didn’t stop her.

            If she dies, it’ll be my fault.

            “I’ll be right there,” Mark says before hanging up. I’m thankful for such a good friend like Mark.

             While I wait, I chew my nails all the way down and text Candy—who’s probably in class—before I get a coffee from the hospital cafeteria. I head back up and drink it down before putting my face in my hands. The stress is killing me. Why is it taking so long? If it weren’t serious, it wouldn’t take this long. It’s been over several hours.

            A pair of black leather shoes appears in my vision. I wonder why Mark took so long but as long as he’s here, I’m happy.

           “Mark, thanks so much for coming,” I say before looking up. My jaw drops. I stand up, confused and angry at the same time. “Lee?”

           He hugs me. “I’m so sorry. Is your mom okay?”

            I push him away. “Don’t touch me.” I stand back. He’s hurt but I don’t really give a damn. “What’re you doing here?”

        Lee’s in his usual suit, his hair messed up and bags under his eyes. His eyes are bloodshot red. He has a sheepish look on his face. “I heard about your Mom being in the ER, so I came.”

            “Who told you?” I demand. It couldn’t have been Mark. Last time I checked they weren’t the best of friends.

        “Nobody told me,” he replies. “I had been following your mother because I thought you were with her since you didn’t take your car today. Then, she got into the accident and I had to sign all the medical bills and talk with the doctors but now I’m here. Are—”