Glee: To the Next Level (the second book in the Glee series)

Chapter 39: The Next Forty Minutes

"Yeah," she said. Suddenly she exclaimed, "Oh, here it is! Room 13."

She reached for the door handle but her hand froze. "What's wrong?" Jake asked.

She looked back up at him. "What if we're too late?" she asked. "What if she already--?"

"Julie," Jake said in a calming voice, grabbing her face in his hands. "Look at me... Look at me. You need to calm down, okay? We're not even sure what happened and we won't know unless you open that door, alright? You can do this. I know you can."

He let go of her and she nodded, not looking away from him as she turned the knob. She wouldn't turn around, however, so Jake looked over. "Tell me," she said. "Is she..?"

"She's asleep..." Jake murmured. "But she... she looks alive..."

Julie sighed, turning into the room and rushing over to her mother's side. "Isabella..." she murmured, not expecting a response. However, Isabella opened her eyes and looked over at her.

"Hi, honey," she mumbled. Julie looked back at Jake and nodded, so he nodded back.

"I'll be right outside the hall," he told her, going outside and closing the door.

"Where's your nurse, Isabella?" Julie asked her.

"He's cute," she responded with a weak smile. "Your boyfriend?"

Julie was too worried to blush. "No," she said. "What happened?"

"You look so beautiful, honey," Isabella said. "Was there an event at school?"

"Decades Dance," Julie answered. "What happened to you?"

"Sounds so fun..." replied Isabella. "Great choice, the 80s. I would've picked that too... Then again, I was alive for those years so--"

"Mom!" Julie cried, catching her by surprise. "Please... Tell me what's wrong..."

Isabella sighed. "I had a fall," she said. "It's nothing to worry about."

"A fall?" asked Julie, confused.

"I..." mumbled Isabella. "I was going down the stairs at the motel I'm staying at... And I passed out."

"Are you serious?" Julie exclaimed. "Why were you even using the stairs?"

"It's not a five star hotel," said Isabella with a smile. "They don't have elevators."

"This isn't funny," Julie said, shaking her head. "What if you... What if you had... You need to take care of yourself."

"I don't know why," Isabelle mumbled weakly. "I don't have much time left anyway."

"There's got to be something--" Julie started.

"Honey, time is almost over," she said. "I'm just not responding to the treatment and--"

"And you're giving up," Julie said, standing up. "Just like you gave up on Dad and you gave up on Cory and on me." She walked over to the door. "You know what?" she said, turning around. "I don't even know why I bother with you. I don't even know you. Goodbye."

She walked out of the room as quickly as she'd walked in. "Jake," she said.

Jake stood from his kneeling position against the wall and said, "What is it?"

"Nothing," she said. "Can you take me to Breadstix?"

***

"So then I start laughing like crazy!" Marley exclaimed. "And she said, 'Deez is nawt a loffin' mawter!' So I try really hard to keep it together. And then..." 

Her voice trailed so John, who was surprisingly entertained, asked, "What's wrong?"

Marley was looking across the room, curiously. She turned to John and whispered, "I think that's Ryder sitting over there."

"Ryder?" said John, looking over at where Marley was pointing. Marley carefully stood, starting to walk towards him, but stopped when Julie burst through the front door and joined him. She quickly retreated back to her table with John, wondering how long Ryder had been there.

"Sorry I'm late," Julie murmured as she sat across from Ryder.

"You're fine..." mumbled Ryder. "Almost got asked to free the table but..."

"Yeah, sorry," she repeated. "I really didn't mean to take so long."

"What were you up to?" Ryder asked.

"Oh, it wasn't important," she shrugged.

"Wow..." he mumbled.

"What?" Julie asked, her stomach grumbling.

"It's just whatever you stood me up for the last forty minutes to go do," he said, standing up, "wasn't even important. So I guess I must not mean anything."

"Ryder, wait--" she started.

Ryder set down the coupons. "Here," he said. "Tell Jake I said hi and I hope he enjoyed whatever it is you two did."

Julie's heart sank as she watched him leave the restaurant. She looked down at the coupons, starving, but she couldn't even touch them. Instead, she stood up and pulled out her cellphone, heading for the restroom, when she passed by John and Marley.

"Hey..." Marley said awkwardly. 

"What are you guys doing here?" Julie asked, confused.

"Having dinner," John said, pointing down at his lasagna and her Chicken Alfredo. 

"Great," she said. "Let me know when you're leaving. I sort of need a ride home."