It took another ten minutes, but a proper doctor finally came down to attend to us. She was tall and slim, with bright red hair and thick, pouting lips. She reminded me so much of Loz, a friendly junior girl I had met on the drama camp last year. However, thinking of the disastrous camp sent a pang of sorrow through my body, and I had to work hard to push it away and focus on the matter at hand.
"Are you here to take me to Mum?" I asked hopefully as soon as the doctor approached our small group. I pulled my hands away from Sam, who had been holding them against his chest in order to stop me from biting my nails nervously.
"Yes, I am. You must be Rebekah," she smiled. "I'm Doctor Harrison." She held out her hand and I shook it politely, but inwardly I was fuming. Why was she making such small talk? Of course I was Rebekah; who else could I have been? If it wasn't for my relief at finally having a doctor here, I probably would have shouted at her for wasting my time.
"Yeah, hi," I said hurriedly, though still trying not to seem too pushy. "So, is that why you're here? Can I see my mum now? Heck, why is Mum even in here?!"
"Everything will be explained soon," Doctor Harrison said calmly. Her casual tone reminded me of Cranleigh, and a small part of me wondered if I could make her crack like I had cracked him. "If you'll just come with me," she smiled, beckoning to us with her thin hands. She spun on her heels and started to walk away, and I didn't hesitate to follow her.
We walked down the long, busy hallway in silence, and I took the opportunity to scope out my surroundings. I peered into every window, looking out for my mother, but all I was ever greeted with was blank white walls and empty beds. They must not get many people in here, I realised.
"With all due respect," Cranleigh finally spoke up, falling into step beside the Doctor. "I think it might be better if we tell Rebekah the details now. It'll save time, and he doesn't have all day."
"Um, excuse me?" I called out, swerving to the side to avoid a passing nurse. "I'm a girl, in case you hadn't noticed. I think you mean SHE."
Sam noticed my mistake before I did, and he cleared his throat to get my attention. "I don't think he's talking about you, Bek," he said in a low voice.
I frowned and turned my head to look up at him. "Then who..." Before I could finish my question, Doctor Harrison took a sharp turn around a corner, and we started heading down another hallway. Unlike the last one, though, this one was empty, and I had to listen closely to hear the two doctors' quiet conversation.
"I think it would be better if we tell her while he's there," Doctor Harrison whispered, keeping her line of sight directly in front of her. "It will be less tense that way."
Cranleigh scoffed. "It's going to be tense no matter how we do it," he replied pointedly. "May as well just tell her now, so she's prepared."
"Look, Bateman," Doctor Harrison sighed, slowing to a stop in front of a large door. "I know counseling may be your forté, but in case you haven't noticed, we're not in therapy right now. Just let us do our part, and then you're free to do whatever you wish with her. Alright?"
Cranleigh eyed her warily for a minute, before shrugging and turning back to face the pale white door. It seemed like he wasn't going to say anything else, but as I closed the distance between us and stood behind him, he muttered, "Your funeral."
My mouth dropped open in shock. Wow, I gasped inwardly. According to Sam, Cranleigh was one of the best therapists in the business. Why did he seem so unprofessional right now?
Hoping to make Cranleigh angry, I started to ask that question out loud, but Doctor Harrison quickly interrupted me. "Your mother is pretty stable now," she told me, turning around so she could address me directly. "We've moved her out of the emergency room, but we're keeping her in here to keep an eye on her." She pointed her thumb over her shoulder, towards the door behind her. "Her case is unlike anything we've ever seen, and we don't want to take any risks."
"Well, that's all fine and dandy," I began sarcastically, folding my arms across my chest. "But you've forgotten one important thing." When she tilted her head in confusion, I stepped toward her menacingly. "What the heck is wrong with her?!" I growled, intending to scare her. It worked.
"Easy, Bek," Sam said under his breath. He stepped closer to me and wrapped his arm around my waist. As usual, his touch brought me back down to Earth, and I felt the stiffness in my shoulders pass away.
"Thanks," I muttered, looking down at my shoes. "Sorry." Even though I was still upset, I was grateful that Sam could be there with me, and I didn't want to disappoint him by being rude.
"That's alright," Doctor Harrison replied, thinking my apology was directed at her. "Well...if you can promise to behave yourself, would you like to see your mother now?"
My head snapped up, and I nodded eagerly. "Yes!" I pleaded. "Please!"
"Okay." She turned and whispered something to Cranleigh, then she pushed the door open carefully. As soon as the gap was wide enough for me to fit through it, I pulled away from Sam and rushed past the doctors.
When I stepped into the room, though, I froze in shock. On the other side of the floor, two doctors wearing white coats and face masks were tending to a limp body in a white hospital bed. Even though I couldn't see the person's face and my brain didn't seem to be moving as fast as my body, I still drew in a deep breath when I realised who was in the bed. I couldn't see her directly, but worried, exaggerated visions crept into my mind of blood stains, broken bones and dark bruises. Time seemed to slow down dramatically, and it wasn't until Sam stood in front of me and grabbed my shoulders worriedly that I finally spoke.
"Mum?" I asked, letting out the breath that was now begging to leave my lungs. Once he saw that I was okay, Sam loosened his grip on my shoulders and stood back. I could tell he didn't want to get in my way, and I made a mental note to thank him for that later.
Now that he wasn't blocking my view of the bed, I could see that Cranleigh and Doctor Harrison had joined the other two doctors, and they were all looking at me carefully. Carefully, and...expectantly?
"Well?" I asked, noticing that they were waiting for me to say something. "What's...what's wrong?" I couldn't bring myself to walk any closer, afraid that if I did, I'd regret it.
The four of them looked at each other and had some sort of quick conversation through their eyes. When they were done, Cranleigh stepped forward and gestured to Mum. "Severe pneumonia," he stated clearly, then he tensed up his shoulders. He must have been expecting me to have another outburst; however, he was wrong.
"No broken bones?" was all I could say. When they all gaped at me in surprise, I sighed and made my way over to the bed. Sure enough, Mum was lying down, eyes closed and face peaceful. If I didn't know any better, I could have believed that she was just sleeping. But... "Wait... severe pneumonia?!" I repeated. Panic rose in my chest as I understood the seriousness of his words. "Oh my gosh!" I felt my heart thumping against my ribs, as if it was going to break away from my chest at any minute. "Is she...is she going to be okay?" My body started to tremble uncontrollably, and when my knees grew weak and threatened to give out, I had to wrap my fingers around the edge of the bed to balance myself.
"She'll be fine, don't worry," Cranleigh said reassuringly, placing a hand on my shoulder. "Bek, she'll be fine. She's in good hands. Just relax. She's going to be okay." Inwardly, I wondered why he kept repeating himself, until I noticed I was still shaking.
Suddenly, a warm pair of arms slid around me and came to rest on my stomach. I didn't have to turn around to know it was Sam, so I quickly let go of the bed and sunk back into him. Even though I must have been putting so much of my weight on his arms, he didn't seem to be strained at all.
"Shh," he whispered, brushing his lips against my still-damp hair. I closed my eyes and focussed all of my attention on his touch. I felt his strong arms, and imagined them supporting every part of my body, not just my stomach. I relished in the feeling of his soft lips against my skin and hair. His voice, too; even though he had only said one small word, his voice was so powerful and soothing that it left me feeling under his control. Ever so slowly, I stopped shaking, and a new level of peace flowed through my body. It was as if Sam was controlling my body, helping to keep my anger and fear locked away.
Finally, I opened my eyes and looked at the doctors, taking in their looks of awe at what had just happened. "How did it happen?" I asked them with a sigh. "How did she get so sick? I thought she only had the flu." The strange looks remained for a few seconds, then the doctors shook their heads and came back to the task at hand.
"She did," Doctor Harrison nodded. A secretive look crossed her face, and she added, "Often, if a common flu isn't tended to properly, it can worsen dramatically and turn into pneumonia."
"But...it was tended to properly," I frowned. "She took all the right medicine, rugged up in warm clothes..." I looked at the Doctors desperately, and I noticed the same hesitant look in all of their eyes. It was then that I realised Doctor Harrison had been lying. "What now?" I groaned. "Please, just tell me everything you know. I won't snap again, I promise."
The four of them shared another silent conversation, before one of the other doctors stepped forward and pulled out a clipboard similar to Cranleigh's. "Rebekah, this isn't the first time this has happened," he said slowly. "Our records tell us that your mother has been diagnosed with this...odd kind of pneumonia four times before now."
I felt my jaw drop. "That's...that's not possible," I breathed. "I would know if she did. She's never said anything about it. She would have told me."
"Maybe she didn't tell you," Doctor Harrison began, "because she didn't think it was going to happen again. The last time it happened was in the late eighties, before you were even born."
I opened my mouth to speak, but no words could come out. Was she telling the truth? Had it really happened before? I didn't understand. Why had Mum never told me? I motioned for Sam to let go of me, and when he did, I moved closer to the bed. I took Mum's cold hand in mine and looked down at her still face. She didn't deserve this.
"Either way, we can't let her go as easily this time," the male doctor sighed. "Her symptoms seem to be more amplified every time she's diagnosed."
I looked up at him in confusion. "Can't let her go?" I repeated. "What do you mean?"
"I mean...we'll have to keep her here for a while," he answered solemnly. "Just until we can find out what's causing the recurrence and fix it."
"And by a while, you mean...?" I prompted.
"Anywhere from a few weeks to...a few months," he sighed. "It depends."
"You're saying I might have to live by myself for a few months?" I blurted out quickly. I knew it probably shouldn't have been the first thing to cross my mind, but I desperately wanted to change the subject.
However, none of the doctors answered me; they just looked at each other worriedly for a few moments. Finally, Cranleigh stepped away from the group and beckoned for Sam and I to follow him. Before I did, I turned around and planted a soft kiss on Mum's forehead. "I love you," I whispered. I let go of her hand and took Sam's, and we both trailed behind Cranleigh as he hurried out of the room.
We walked back down the white hallways, carefully avoiding nurses pushing trolleys and doctors talking in hushed voices. I needed to rely on Sam to keep me out of their way, since my mind wasn't focussed on anything I was doing physically. All I could think about was Mum. Was she going to be okay? The doctor said her symptoms were getting worse. Did that mean they could be deadly? Although...he had also said she might be in hospital for a few months. Despite the fact that that revelation scared me, it gave me a sense of certainty as well. After all, he wouldn't have said she might be here for a few months if she wasn't going to live that long, right?
"Oh gosh," I gasped, feeling my chest tighten painfully. I shouldn't have thought about that. Think about something else, I told myself. Don't think about death. Just don't. It took a few long seconds, but I finally managed to draw in a deep breath and push the dreadful thoughts out of my mind. Sam stopped walking and looked at me worriedly, but I waved him off. "It's nothing," I told him. I forced a smile onto my face and squeezed his hand. "Just keep walking." He looked at me warily for a while, before nodding and falling back into step behind Cranleigh.
We walked through the lobby and up to the reception counter. While Cranleigh talked to the blonde lady I had met before, I tried to avoid the curious stares of the people in the lobby. I didn't see their faces, but I knew most of them had been around earlier, meaning they had probably seen my close moment with Sam up against the wall. I felt a warm blush rise to my cheeks, and I quickly looked down and let my hair fall over my face.
After what felt like hours, Cranleigh finally thanked the blonde lady and turned to face Sam and I. He didn't say anything, but when he placed one of his long fingers on his lips, we instantly knew what he wanted us to do. We both nodded understandingly, and he nodded in return. The lady opened up a waist-high door on the far end of the desk, and the three of us walked through it silently.
We made our way through a few more doors, and the further we walked, the more confused I became. This area of the building didn't even seem like it belonged in a hospital; it was filled with conference rooms of every shape and size. From what I could see through the windows in the walls, each of the rooms' interiors looked identical, with long chestnut-coloured tables and plush blue chairs. A few of the rooms were occupied by businessmen, but most were empty. Why were these rooms even here?
I was about to voice that question when Cranleigh came to a halt in front of a tall grey door. He pulled out a set of keys and started to search through them, and another question suddenly popped into my head.
"If you don't mind me asking," I whispered, "why are we here?"
"Remember how I said we had some business to discuss?" Cranleigh asked, and I nodded. "Well," he continued, "this is where we discuss." After twisting the right key in the lock, he pushed the door open and gestured for Sam and I to walk in. We did, and once we had sat down at the end of the table, Cranleigh shut the door and took a seat a few metres away from us.
"Right," he sighed. He placed his clipboard on the table in front of him and stretched out his arms. "I don't know an easy way to say this, so I'm just going to tell you straight out." He paused and looked at me intently, and I realised he was waiting for a response.
"Okay," I frowned, folding my hands in my lap. "So say it."
"Right," he repeated. "Well...the doctors are going to keep your mum here for an indefinite period of time. Like they said, it could be anywhere from a few weeks to a few months. As we understand, it's only the two of you at home; am I correct?"
I bit my lip and gave him a stiff nod. "Yes, that's correct."
"So your dad is...?" he prompted, and I held back a glare.
"Away," I said through clenched teeth.
"Because?" he asked, leaning forward and resting his chin on his hands.
"Does it matter?!" I snapped. "He's not at home. There's the answer to your question. Can we get back on track now? I'm here to talk about Mum, not Dad."
"Of course," he sighed, scribbling a few notes onto his clipboard. "My mistake." Under the table, I felt Sam place his hand on top of both of mine. When I looked up at him questioningly, he blinked slowly and mouthed the words, Stay calm. I looked at him for a few more seconds, then I gave him a tiny nod.
"Well, according to our law," Cranleigh continued, and I looked back at him. "Any person under the age of eighteen — who is living with a considerable degree of permanence — must reside with a responsible adult."
I looked at him with wide eyes, completely baffled. "I'm sorry, can you repeat that in English?" I asked as politely as possible.
"What I'm saying is," he began, taking off his glasses and placing them on the table. "You can't live by yourself while your mum is here in hospital. It's against the law. You need to live with an adult."
I kept my eyes on him for a few seconds while his words sank into my head. When I finally understood what he had said, my mouth dropped open in shock. I couldn't live by myself. I had to live with an adult. Who did I know who was legally an adult? More importantly, which one of those adults would I feel comfortable living with? What age did they consider to be 'the age of adulthood' anyway? Unless...
"People are legally adults when they're eighteen, right?" I blurted out, looking between Cranleigh and Sam for an answer. They both nodded, and I gasped. "Well...I'm basically an adult, then! I mean...my birthday's only a month away! October eight! That's exactly a month! I mean, I'm practically eighteen already. And I know how to look after myself! I've been doing it for years."
"That's all well and good," Cranleigh sighed, "but I'm afraid one month is still a large space of time. If your eighteenth was only a day or a week away, we could probably make some sort of arrangement. That's not the case, though."
"No!" I cried, standing up and slamming my palms down on the table. "That's beyond stupid! Why on Earth does a few weeks matter?! I'm perfectly mature, and you know it!"
"Obviously." Cranleigh rose an eyebrow. "You're acting very mature."
"Oh, don't give me that therapy rubbish!" I yelled back at him. "You can't throw something like that at me and expect me to just take it lightly! Far out!" I pushed my chair back with my heel and walked towards the door, deliberately stomping my feet as I went. Of course, I didn't make it all the way, though. Before I had even taken three steps, Sam had grabbed my waist and pulled me into his arms. His soothing words didn't help, though; this time, I was beyond caring about being polite.
"Sam, shove off!" I growled. "I'm leaving. Don't try to stop me." I struggled in his hold and managed to break free. While watching him cautiously, I walked backwards and felt the air behind me for the door handle. Once my fingers had found it, I started to twist it; however, I was soon struck by another realisation.
"Wait," I breathed, loosening my grasp on the handle. "Sam." I looked at Sam's anxious face for a few seconds, then I turned my attention to Cranleigh. "Sam's eighteen. He turned eighteen in April. I can live with him. I can live with Sam!" Why hadn't I thought of that before? I let out a happy sigh and dropped my arms to my sides. I had done it. I had found a way out of this mess.
"Actually...you can't," Cranleigh said hesitantly. "I'm afraid that's impossible. Yes, Sam may be eighteen, but I believe he doesn't even have a permanent home at the moment. Is that right?" He looked at Sam, who gave him a stiff nod in return. It was true; after losing control and hitting his mother last year, Sam had been spending his nights at many of our friends' houses. "Also, Sam is currently attending regular counseling sessions," Cranleigh continued. "While he is still at the risk of becoming aggressive, we'd prefer it if you didn't stay with him." He looked at me intently, and while I studied his face, I noticed that his relaxed facade was being betrayed by a look of fear in his eyes.
"That's utter bull!" I snapped, clenching my fists tightly. "There's...there's no one else I can even stay with!" I started to feel hot tears welling up in my eyes, and it took a large amount of focus to keep them from spilling down my cheeks. "No one cares enough to look after me, and—"
"That's not the case," Cranleigh interrupted. "There are plenty of—"
"AND there's no one I even WANT to stay with!" I cried. "There's no one on this whole planet that I love as much as Mum and Sam! Why don't you get that?! Why can't you understand?!" At those last words, my voice broke, and the thick tears finally escaped from my eyes.
Things shouldn't have been like this. Mum shouldn't have been in hospital. Sam shouldn't have been in therapy. I shouldn't have been so weak to do nothing about it all. More than anything, I wanted to build a time machine and go back to before any of this happened. That's all I wanted; for things to be happy once more.
Peace. That's all I needed right now.
"Rebekah," Cranleigh said worriedly, and I looked up at him. It took me a few seconds to realise that I had sunk to my knees during my breakdown. My jeans, which had only just finished drying after my ride here, were now soaked once more from my crying. My hair was sticking to the wet patches on my face, and my eyes stung from the burning tears. I must have looked terrible.
"We've actually found someone," Cranleigh continued. "Someone who...who we think you'll be able to live with. Mind you, we didn't even know they existed until they came to us a few hours ago. But...we think things will work out with them." I was about to yell at him again, to tell him to leave me alone and mind his own business, but a new emotion I found in his features made me stop in my tracks: sympathy. He really did care.
"Fine," I said quietly. "Tell me who it is. I'm not promising anything, though. Don't expect me to say yes to staying with them, because I probably won't."
"I understand," he nodded. "I'm not going to tell you, though. I don't need to. He's going to be here any minute, and I'll let him talk to you himself."
"He?" I asked, taken aback. "It's a guy?"
As if on cue, I heard the heavy door behind me open, and a pair of heavy feet took a few loud steps towards me. At first, I didn't want to look at the man, but a sudden look of surprise and horror on Sam's face made me rise to my feet and turn around to face our guest.
And when I did, my mouth dropped open in complete and utter shock.
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:o Who is it?! Haha. ;)
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This chapter's question is... If you be any kind of fruit for a day, which one would you be and why? ;D
Song: Don't Let Me Fall, by B.o.B. <3