Kennedy's POV
"Where's my mum?" I said out loud , directing my question at nobody in particular, rather articulating my own confusion.
After chaotically navigating the lower floors of the hospital, I made it upstairs to mum's room and found it to be empty. I practically pounced on the closest nurse and repeated my question a second time.
"Where's my mum?" I asked.
I can feel my heart beating out of my chest , and I can't decide whether I'm about to pass out or be sick.
This nurse routinely asked for mum's name , which I gave her , and then took me upstairs to the 6th floor. Stepping out of the lift I shuddered internally at the sign reading , "Intensive Care Unit" ; she doesn't belong here.
I spot Gavin first before I find mum , he was stood in the hallway , pacing anxiously about two feet forwards and then backwards , looking down at the floor.
No , no , no , no , no , no.
I go over to him , "Is she okay? Is she awake? Is she even alive?" I bombard him with questions which he couldn't possibly get a word in to answer , but even so isn't answering fast enough.
"She's breathing but they've put her in a coma , you may as well just go home Kenn." he tells me and I feel my heart sink down into my stomach.
There's no way I'm going home without seeing her. I ignore Gavin completely, walking past him to mum's bedside.
I try to ignore everything else and just look at her , but it's impossible. Wires extending from every visible inch of bare skin , an oxygen mask covering the majority of her face and the plethora beeping machines keeping her alive making it unfeasible to think straight. She's facing away from me , yet I stay where I am.
At every other visit I've ever made here in the past , I'd swear to myself that they'd have to drag me kicking and screaming to get me to leave. Ever since I was little I've been a Mama's girl , always wanting to be by her side. Today , seeing her so weak and frail , I can't even find the audacity to hold her hand.
The longer I stand there and stare at her , I become increasingly more aware of this potent pain in my chest , like a searing hot knife piercing my lungs intermittently every few seconds. This brings on the feeling of panic beginning to surface , and I know from previous experiences that I can't afford to deal with that here. I have to leave.
I give the idea no time to settle. I walk straight past Gavin on the way out without exchanging a word , take the stairs because waiting for the lift would take too long , and accelerate back through the way I came in.
I feel light headed , I can't breathe.
I can't breathe.
Rosie's POV
"-and I have no idea how to go about it because-" I halt my speech mid sentence when I look up over the dash board and spot Kennedy running down the steps away from the building.
She's too far away for me to be able to see what kind of a state she's in. Nevertheless I have to go and check she's okay.
"Shit..Chris babe she's back already I have to go" I say , simultaneously unbuckling my seatbelt and opening my car door.
"Is she okay?" Chris asked through the phone, sounding genuinely concerned.
"I can't tell." I respond , stepping out of my car.
"Go and be there for her , just call me later. I love you." she said , her words setting me into motion.
"I love you too." I replied before pressing firmly on the red 'end call button' and slipping my phone into my back pocket.
I find myself almost running closer to her ; the darkness imposed by the evening sky meant that she was still too far for me to descifre whether she was okay or not. Despite this , I felt a strong urge to be there for her no matter how she was. It didn't matter , I didn't care.
I waited at the bottom of the concrete steps and watched anxiously as she sped up towards me , as if she was running away from whatever she'd just seen.
Eventually she got close enough that I could properly see and analyse her ; it was clear from her body language alone that she was visibly upset , but she wasn't crying. I can't decide what kind of a sign that is , good or bad I don't know.
Upon reaching the bottom of the steps , her gaze settling relievedly on mine , she began almost gasping for air , her chest noticeably heaving as if she was unable to take in enough oxygen.
Shit , she's panicking.
In was in that moment that my instincts took over , I couldn't stand and just watch ; my arms subconsciously opened themselves for her , guiding her to me before pulling her into my embrace.
Unsurprisingly it took her a second before she let herself relax into me , as if she was actively restraining herself or preparing for something to haul her away in the opposite direction.
I don't know what to do ; the only action that feels right in this moment is to hold her and let her know I'm here, I can't allow her to feel all of this alone.
It was then that she began to cry , clutching onto me tightly and almost clinging to the fabric of my clothes. I looked around , seeing nobody even remotely near us , and so allowed myself to comfort her. I placed my hand gently on the back of her head as she sobbed into my shoulder.
Her sobs quickly became more intense , i could hear the hurt in her voice and I knew that if i didn't calm her down soon it would only get worse.
"Hey hey. I know Kenn , I know." I looked down at her , "You'll be okay." I said softly. "You'll be okay." I pulled away from the hug ever so slightly to wipe away her tears with my thumb. My heart ached for her.
We stood in that same spot for a matter of minutes , I was doing my best to console her whilst she actively tried her hardest to calm herself down.
My hand rubbed her back in repeated circular motions , something Chris always used to do for me when we were younger.
"I'm here , you'll be okay" , are the words I kept repeating , time and time again.
———
The series of events that took place over the last 30 minutes are blurred to say the least.
Kennedy stood wrapped in my arms in that hospital carpark for about 10 minutes , before I eventually decided how I should navigate the situation further. It felt as though I had a responsibility to do everything I could for her.
I told myself to only let go of her whenever she decided to step away , and not to break it off before she was ready. I understand the inevitable feelings of shame and embarrassment that come alongside breaking down in front of another person ; I didn't want to bring on any additional burden on top of that by making her feel discarded.
We eventually made our way back to my car, escaping the bitter cold lingering in the evening air. Kennedy had calmed down significantly by then , and apart from a few sniffles and other hiccups here and there , she's been more or less okay ever since , at least better than she was before.
Seeing her breakdown like that , her emotions completely collapsing in on her , I couldn't let her go straight home in the knowledge that the house would be empty when she got back.
There's no denying that what I said next could put my career at risk , but safe in the knowledge that my intentions are nothing but pure , I decided to ignore every alarm-bell ringing vigorously inside of my mind and take the leap.
My hands sat resting in my lap ; I took a deep breath , swivelled my body slightly in my seat towards Kennedy, and met her reddened, puffed up eyes.
"If you have any friends or family members you'd rather go to , of course I can take you straight there. But if not , you can stay in my guest bedroom tonight if home isn't where you want to be right now." I said , breaking the heavy silence between us.
Kennedy's eyebrows raised , and she lifted her head to look at me for the first time in minutes.
"You'd let me stay with you?"
I gently nod my head , "If that's what would make this easier on you , yes."
She contemplated it for a minute, as did I. I'd already made her the offer , so it's not as if I could back track even if I wanted to. I just needed to allow myself to become comfortable with the idea.
"Thank you." she piped up , pulling me back into the present.
I nodded , simultaneously switching on the engine ready to drive us home.
"Just to be clear , that's a yes?" I asked her , just to confirm my understanding of what she wanted.
"Yes please..if that's okay?" she said , suddenly seeming sheepish and shy.
I turn my head to smile at her reassuringly ; I nod my head yes and she smiles back.
I begin driving home , thinking about my action plan for this evening. Only just has the clock chimed 8pm , meaning Claire will still be in school wrapping up from earlier tonight. Depending on how Kennedy's feeling I might go back to help her out , I never intended to completely ditch her the way I did. I'll see.
——
Stepping through my front door , I watch as Kennedy walks in front of me , slowly shuffling down my hallway.
"Come with me and I'll quickly show you where everything is." I beckon her towards the stairs.
She follows closely behind me while I point to the door facing us at the top of the staircase.
"This is the main bathroom, everything you need is in there I can pretty much guarantee. My sister leaves her stuff behind every time she stays here so I've built up quite the collection of her shampoos infused with who knows what, and various other products that are a waste of money." I say , bringing a slight smile to her dampened expression.
"Next door is the guest room , and at the end of the corridor is my room. In the night if you need anything, just knock." I tell her , gesturing towards my door.
"Thank you." she says , her tone quiet yet sincere.
I smile , "Do you want to take a shower or anything? I know sometimes it can help me feel better , plus if you wanna cry some more it's the optimum place to do so."
She chuckles ; the genuine , happy sound was practically music to my ears after the last hour.
"I would but I don't have any clothes or towels or anything like that.." she shrugs.
I shake my head , "I have spare towels , and I'm sure I have something you can borrow."
A small smile tugs lightly at the corners of her lips , "Yes please if you're sure you don't mind."
"If you wanna go turn it on , it takes about 5 minutes to heat up so in the meantime I can go find some clothes for you." I tell her.
"Thank you." she responds gratefully , "Also , do you have any ibuprofen or anything , my head is killing me?"
I nod , "I'll fetch it for you while you're in the bathroom and leave it with the clothes okay?"
Kennedy runs her hands through her hair and then releases them down by her sides.
"Thank you for all of this..I know you're sticking your neck out just to make sure I'm okay and I honestly don't know how I can make it up to you.." she says , and I can feel my heart continue to break for her.
"Don't worry about that," I reply whilst shaking my head gently, "I've been in your shoes and from what I've gathered we're quite similar, if you're anything like me I definitely wouldn't want you going home to an empty house tonight."
Kennedy nods.
"While you're showering , will you be okay here alone if I run back to school for 40 minutes to help Ms Wilson tidy up from earlier?" I ask her , wanting to know if she really needed my company or would maybe even benefit from a little time alone.
"You'd be okay with me staying here alone?"
"Why wouldn't I be? I'll be gone less than an hour." I respond.
Kennedy's face contorted into a new , shocked expression. "You don't know me outside of school? What if I'm a thief in my spare time? You could come back to an empty house? Evie could easily get kidnapped in 40 minutes?"
I grin at her words , unable to suppress it.
"I doubt that'll happen , plus you'll eventually have to come to school again , and above all else, I know where you live , Kenn."
"Fair point." she conceded.
"Hmm" I smiled , "Does that mean you'll be alright on your own?"
Kennedy nods , "I'm a big girl."
I shake my head , "You're definitely something." I respond , to which Kennedy's jaw falls open in an offended manner.
I chuckle , "Go sort the shower , I'll get everything else and leave it in the spare room for you."
"Thank you again." she states.
I smile , "Enough thank you's , now go , I'll be back in 40 minutes and I'll lock the front door behind me."
Kennedy nods and then wanders into the bathroom. I take myself off into my bedroom and begin rummaging through my drawers for some older clothes. Kennedy's probably one or two sizes smaller than me , so a jumper and joggers should be fine if they're a little big.
I gather her clothes , quickly run downstairs for the painkillers she asked for , and then leave them folded nicely on the end of the guest bed for when she gets out of the shower.
"I'm off Kenn ; towels are in the cupboard above the toilet , feel free to use any of the shower stuff in there but be careful not to use the dog shampoo by mistake." I call out to her from the other side of the bathroom door.
I hear her laugh echo from inside , "Okay thank you."
I smile to myself and then head back downstairs and out of the front door , locking it behind me whilst simultaneously dialling Chris' number. She'll talk some sense into me.
"Is everything okay?" she picked up after just one ring.
"Woah that was quick?" I responded , starting my engine for the nth time tonight.
"I was worried about you , about Kennedy too."
"I need you to promise you won't shout at me." I said as I reversed out of my driveway.
"When have I ever shouted at you?"
I laugh , "Funny..now promise me you won't?"
"I'll just go ahead and ignore the sarcastic cackle , but yes I promise."
I swallow thickly , "Kennedy's at mine..and she's staying in the spare room."
There wasn't a millisecond of silence spared before Chris delivered the reaction I had anticipated.
"What?!?!" she exclaimed , "She's staying in your spare room? How long is she staying for? What even happened with her mum?"
"Slow down I can't answer 17 questions at once." I said , stressed enough as it is without Chris' interrogation.
There's currently a student in my home , showering in my bathroom , and the best part is , I'm not even there! I was the one who invited her in!? I'm honestly clueless as to how I've reached this point , but it's definitely happening and I don't know how to handle it. I feel so deeply for Kennedy and I couldn't just let myself sit back and not intervene. She's hurting , and I can't just watch it take over her knowing firsthand how she feels without trying to help
"How long is she staying for?" Chris repeated , slower and calmer this time.
Chris obviously can't see me but I still shrug my shoulders , unsure of the answer.
"I said she could stay the night but I don't know if that'll change , I wouldn't expect her to get over whatever happened in just one night...She was really upset Chris , I've never seen her like that..or anything even close to that." I told her.
"Do you know what happened?" Chris continued.
"I think so."
"You think so? What does that mean?"
I exhale heavily, "Well I tried asking her when she was still upset earlier , which was probably a mistake in and of itself. As sensitively as possible I asked if her mum was still alive and she said 'barely'...I don't know what that means."
I hear Chris sigh over the phone , "I know it may not feel like it but you're doing a good thing , Rosie. If someone had done the same thing for us , things might've been different. Is there anything you need , where are you right now?"
"I'm on my way back to school, I feel bad for leaving Claire so suddenly to take Kennedy to the hospital earlier." I tell her , turning into the school carpark as I speak.
"So Kennedy's at your's on her own? What if she steals something and takes off?" Chris states.
I smile , "Why is everyone so bloody paranoid? Kennedy said the same thing when I told her I was going out so I think it'll be fine , Chris."
"Mmkayyy." she replied sceptically.
I shake my head , "I'm at school now so I'm gonna go okay."
"Of course, love you babe." she says.
"Love you too." I said before hanging up the phone.