Inferno

~60~ Track

Luke's POV

I'm trying to work up the nerve.... I'm not one to confess. Heaven knows I've done a lot of stupid crap during my life that mom and dad don't know about. This time is different. I'm losing sleep over it. I go downstairs and mom is lying on the couch and has her feet in dad's lap.

Her recovery is taking longer that everybody thought it would. It's been a week since her surgery. Dad mentioned to Liam last night that after her c-section with us she was up and moving the next day. He is surprised she's still in so much pain. He thinks she's still really suffering mentally, and that's the real problem.

Everybody else is gone; I don't know where. It's just mom and dad in the living room.

"Can I talk to you guys about something?" I ask quietly when I get in the room.

"Sure bud" dad says as he shuts off the TV.

They both just stare at me, waiting.

"I, uh, um....I have to confess something" I say, fidgeting.

They both just nod, silently.

"It took us longer to get to the hospital that day, and it was my fault" I say, looking at the ground.

They both just look at me, confused.

I take a deep breath and start again. "I had skipped class; I was hiding in the gym. Sasha tried calling me three times and I ignored her calls. I thought she was trying to bust me. The only reason I even found out about it was because Mr. West called the PE teacher and he found me" I say, trying not to cry.

By the time I get the guts to look up at mom and dad, their expressions were not what I was expecting. They were gentle.

"We already knew about it, Luke. Mr. West thought we needed to know. He called me the next day. I was waiting to punish you until mom felt a little better. Since you told me, I'm giving you a free pass" he says with a smile.

"You're what?" I ask, completely shocked.

Dad just nods. "You had no idea that I knew. You thought you got away with it. That took a lot of guts, kid. I'm proud of you" he says, still smiling.

"Something tells me you've been feeling pretty guilty" mom says gently.

That's when I start crying...Like a freakin baby. I go over to her and hug her. She cradles her hand on my head and kisses my cheek.

"I'm so sorry, momma. You needed us and I was being selfish. I'm so, so sorry" I get out, sobbing hard.

"You weren't being selfish. You were being a kid. Don't use this against me, but Alex and I used to skip all of the time. I never admitted it to my dad though, so you're doing better than me" she says, wiping my tears away.

"I feel awful" I say once I look at her again.

Mom says nothing, she just kisses me again.

"I won't even lecture you this time" dad says with a chuckle.

"Don't worry, Sasha already did. She laid into me" I say, sniffing and standing back up.

"Really?" Dad asks, surprised.

I nod. "Yeah, she acted just like mom. She lectured the whole way to the hospital" I say, still sniffing.

Dad laughs. "That's my girl" he says, shaking his head.

"Quit losing sleep over this, Luke. All is well" mom says softly.

How could she possibly know I haven't been sleeping well? I swear this lady knows everything.