I never said anything about what Hannah said to me when she was drunk because it's true.
I let our mother ruin my life and happiness, but it's hard to be pretend like I don't know why she left, why she isn't coming back. Before I even know it it's Finals week and Christmas is right around the corner.
"Mason, where are you?" I asked myself as I waited for him to show up.
We were suppose to meet up before school to go over the finals for U.S. History and English, but he was late which is unusual.
Suddenly my phone started buzzing, and it was Faith calling me instead of Mason. I frowned as I answered the Banks' housekeeper's call.
"Hey, Faith." I tapped my pencil against the table top.
"Mason's in the hospital." She had been crying, and my body went cold.
"Why? Is he okay?" I tucked my phone between my ear and shoulder then started shoving my things into my bag.
"I came over with groceries because Mr. Banks forgot to get some again, and he was laying on the kitchen floor and not moving." Faith cried. "I called the police, and they let me ride with him."
"Where are his parents?" I tossed my bag onto my other shoulder and held my phone to my ear as I ran. "Which hospital?"
"I don't know." She answered my first question. "Mercy on Franklin."
Shit, that was nearly five miles on foot. "I'll be there soon, and call Walt if they don't pick up."
I shoved my phone into my back pocket and thought about what to do. Dad drove me to school today, and Hannah and Justin weren't here yet; no way would Dad drive me.
"Fuck it." I said before I started running to Mercy Hospital.
*****
Fifteen calls.
The hospital called his parents fifteen times.
Each.
Walt picked up on the second ring because he was topping off his gas, and said he would make the two reminding hours in one.
Right now I was pacing the waiting room about to tear my hair out while Faith prayed quietly in her seat.
"Hailey!" Walt yelled when he came in through the door.
"Walt." I rushed to him and threw my arms around his neck. "They can't tell us anything because we're not family."
"Where's my sister and Josh?" He asked after pulling away.
I just shrugged. "The calls keep going to voicemail."
"Oh my God." Walt rubbed his face. "Do you know what happened?"
"Faith found him lying on the kitchen floor not moving and barely breathing." I could feel my eyes watering again for the hundredth time. "Oh God, what if he dies?"
"He's not gonna die." Walt cupped my face. "He's not, okay? Mason doesn't know how to give up."
"Faith found a partially eaten muffin by him." I swallowed the lump in my throat. "What if it had bananas in it?"
"Then the doctors will get it out." Walt pulled me into another hug. "Do your Dad or Hannah know you're here?"
"I haven't called or texted them yet." I whispered. "Mason's been in surgery for over an hour."
"Come on." He led me over to Faith; Walt held both of our hands and prayed along with Faith while I begged in my mind for whatever controls whether us live or die to not take Mason.
I don't know what the three of us would do if we lost him.
*****
"Are you Mr. Banks?" A doctor walked over to us hours later.
"No, I'm Mason's uncle." Walt and I both stood up, but I stood still while he walked over to her.
"I'm Dr. Lo, let's go-" She started nodding towards the hallway she came out of.
"No, they're family." Walt shook his head and Faith stood up with her arms wrapped around her.
"Well, he had a severe allergic reaction to something he ate." Dr. Lo said and Faith mumbled muffin under her breath. "And, I have to tell you this to cover our ass, he was legally dead for two minutes."
I covered my mouth with my hand, and Faith pulled me close to her.
"Is he fine now?" Walt blinked away his tears, trying to keep it together.
"Yes, he's stable and asleep right now." She looked around the room. "Where are his parents? I thought they would've been here by now..."
"We've been calling them since Mason went into surgery." Faith told her. "They haven't picked up."
"Who filled out his forms then?" Dr. Lo looked down at her clipboard.
"I did." I said, my voice stronger than I thought it would've been. "Walt was still driving, but he filled out what I couldn't." Which wasn't much, mainly signing everything.
"You can go visit him in room two thirty five, but visitors hours end around seven." Dr. Lo told us before nodding and going to the check in desk.
"I'll stay here just in case his parents decide to show." Faith past me to Walt before sitting down again.
"Are you sure?" I asked her.
"Yeah, someone has to make sure they do show up." Faith gave me a sad smile because we all knew they won't show up now, nearly five hours after the first call.
*****
"Your Dad is okay with you skipping school the day before finals?" Walt asked me while we waited for Mason to wake up.
"Shit." I rubbed my forehead with the hand that wasn't holding Mason's. "I forgot to tell him and Hannah."
"Hailey." Walt sighed and shook his head. "Why don't you go call your Dad before he sends a search party? I'll call if he wakes up."
"Okay." I stood up from my uncomfortable chair, pressed a kiss to Mason's forehead, and left his room to call Dad.
He picked up on the first ring and before I could get a word out, he started yelling. "Where the Hell have you been? Why did you skip school?"
"I-" He cut didn't stop to listen.
"You do realize finals start tomorrow? What's was so important that you're just now calling at nearly four pm?" He stopped to take a breath.
"I'm at the hospital." I started explaining. "Mason-"
"He's why you ditched school?" He was somehow even more pissed off. "What the fuck are you doing at the hospital? Did you not listen to me and get knocked up?"
I pulled on my hair. "Fuck you."
"Excuse me?" He sounded shocked and pissed.
"Fuck. You." I repeated myself and leaned against the empty wall by Mason's door. "I'm at the hospital because Mason had a severe allergic reaction to bananas so bad he went through a five hour surgery and hasn't woken up yet even though it's been three hours since he came out. So yeah, fuck you."
I hung up and turned my phone off before sliding down the wall.
"What are you doing here?" I turned my head to see Mrs. Banks walking towards me with Faith on her heels and Mr. Banks trailing behind them texting.
"Waiting for Mason to wake." I was too drained and worn out to deal with her.
"Why are you here?" She yanked me up. "You aren't family."
"It didn't take Faith or the hospital over eight hours to get a hold of me." I pulled my arm out of her grasp.
"What did you do that landed my son here?" She crossed her arms over her chest.
"He's here because he ate a muffin that contained bananas." Faith said from behind her.
"Jessica's baking is still shitty." Mr. Banks mumbled without looking up from his phone. "Those muffins tasted like shit."
"You didn't tell him you put bananas in the muffins?" I asked the woman standing in front of me.
"I didn't tell him because he refuses to eat anything that has bananas." She rolled her eyes, and in that moment Faith lost her shit.
"You motherfucking bitch." My eyes widen at Faith's statement; Faith never swears. "He's allergic to bananas. He's here because he nearly died from a few bites of one fucking muffin."
"He did die for two minutes." I said. "His doctor told us."
"And all you have to say is why we're here?" Faith shoved Mrs. Jacobs out of her way and stood between her and me. "I rode in the ambulance with him and told the responders about his allergy and other medical shit. Hailey ran here from school and filled out all of the forms. Your brother probably broke every speeding law to get here in one hour instead of two and was the one who signed the forms because Hailey and I aren't family members, and you fuckers were in the wind. I fucking swear to God if you try to take him home with you, I'll call CPS on your asses and go to court for custody."
The Banks just stared at their part-time housekeeper in shock.
"How dare you." Mrs. Banks sneered at Faith.
In that moment, I stepped past Faith and did something I've been wanting to do for years.
I slapped that fucking bitch.
"Hannah." Mr. Banks stared at me.
"It's Hailey, you son of a bitch." I grabbed Faith's wrist and dragged her into Mason's room then shut his door.
"Why are short people so fiesty?" Mason's groggy voice was music to my ears.
"Mason!" I rushed to him and threw my arms around him. "You're awake."
"You scared the shit out of us." Faith told him as she took my chair.
"What happened?" Mason tried pulling me down next to him but was too weak.
"The muffin you ate had bananas in it." I told him as I curled up against him.
"What?" Mason frowned. "My Mom didn't mention bananas in the note she left."
"Yeah, your mom is a dumb bitch." Faith mumbled.
Mason's eyes widen as he looked over at me. "Wha-"
"I'll tell you later." I laid my head on his shoulder.
"Where are my parents?" Mason asked.
"We left them out in the hall." Faith shrugged it off.
"Yeah, we heard you yelling." Walt laughed.
"Why were you yelling at them?" I looked over at Faith at Mason's question.
"Because you've been in the hospital for over eight hours, and they're just now showing up." Faith told him. "So I kinda snapped at them."
"Oh." Walt leaned over and rubbed Mason's arm in reassurance.
"I slapped your mom." I winced as I told him.
"Really?" Mason and Walt both looked at me in surprise.
"It was awesome." Faith laughed.
"Shouldn't you be in school?" Mason asked me while Faith and Walt talked.
"I skipped." I shrugged.
"You can cross that off the list." Mason smiled at me, and I knew he was gonna be okay.
*****
"Thanks for dropping me off." I thanked Faith as I got out of her car.
"It's no problem." She handed me my bag. "I'm one call away if you need me."
"I know." I closed the door and waved her goodbye before heading inside.
"What did you say to Dad?" Hannah whispered as I closed the front door. "He's been pissed all day then took off after you hung up."
"Fuck you." I sighed and leaned against the door.
"Why?" Her eyes roamed my face.
"Because he wouldn't let me explain." I slid down and pulled my knees up to my chest.
"What happened?" She sat next to me.
"Mason is in the hospital." I rubbed my eyes. "That bitch made muffins with bananas and didn't tell him, so he ate them. Faith found him lying on the kitchen floor and called the police then she called me when they got to the hospital, so I ran from school to Mercy Hospital on Franklin. He was in surgery for five hours, and his parents didn't show up until after I called Dad."
"That's why you were gone all day..." Hannah wrapped her arms around me and pulled me close.
"We called them for eight hours and they never picked up." I was on the verge of tears. "He was dead for two minutes, Han."
"Oh my God." I could hear the tears in her voice.
"They never came in even though I told them he was dead for two minutes." I told her. "His dad was too busy texting, and his mom was too busy yelling at Faith and me. They never came in."
**AN**
Hope you guys enjoyed!
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~ChasingMadness24 & BriannVore