Chapter 36: Heart.
"Where are they, Valarie?" My mother asks me.
"They broke." I tell her and she falls to the ground, unmoving.
"HELP!!! JEREMEY!!! SOMEBODY HELP!!!" I yell at the top of my lungs.
Jeremy comes rushing into the living room.
"Miss, I-" He says but doesn't continue speaking as he takes in the scene before him.
"Call 911!!!" I order.
"I-I'm on it, Miss." He says before he runs out of the living room.
The ambulance arrives shortly after that and my mother is taken away in a stretcher. My father is out of town, so I head to the hospital alone. Leaving Alicia sleeping on the sofa.
"How is she?" I ask the nurse for the second time.
"I don't know, Miss. I'm sorry." She says before she walks away.
The service at this hospital sucks.
An hour later or so, the doctor comes out and tells me that I can see her now.
A wave of fear passes through my body as I walk towards her hospital room.
"She had a mild heart attack, but she's stable now." The doctor tells me once we are in the ward.
A heart attack?
I break down in tears and he just pats my back awkwardly.
I knew my mother was going to be mad at me, but I didn't expect her to have a fucking heart attack.
I've really messed up this time.
Now, seeing her in the hospital bed in tubes and drips, I know that the next time I fuck up, I'm just gonna lie.
"You can stay with her overnight. I'm going to check up on my other patients." The doctor tells me.
"Thank you." I tell him before he leaves.
I sit down on the brown sofa that's facing the bed and I stare at my mother. Her mouth is open due to the tube that's practically shoved inside it.
This sucks.
And where the hell is my dad?
I yawn in my seat as I put my feet on the sofa. It's going to be a long night.
***
I wake up and I see that I am wrapped in a blue blanket. The smell of coffee hits my nose instantly. I look towards the door and I see my dad sitting on the chair beside me. I let out a yawn as I stretch in my seat.
"Morning sunshine." My father chirps.
That's a lot of happiness coming from him when his wife is tied to tubes over here.
"Hey, Dad." I reply as I neatly fold the blanket, keeping it beside me on the sofa.
"You hungry, Kiddo?" He asks me.
"No, I'm fine." I tell him.
I can't really eat when my mother is like this.
"You sure?" He pesters on.
"Yeah. I don't really have an appetite." I tell him, standing up from the sofa.
I walk over to my mother and I grab her hand.
"I caused this." I say with remorse.
"No, you didn't." My dad says trying to make me feel better.
"Yes, I did. I had a party at the house. Okay. I broke the rules. You guys were supposed to be out of town, but then you came back, and then the police arrived. Her China plates got broken when the party had barely started." I say, looking down at my mother's sleeping figure.
"It's not your fault." My father tells me as he hugs me and I cry into his chest.
This week has just been a lot to handle. I just need to get out of this town.
"You should go to the house. Go take a shower, eat something and come back." My dad tells me.
"No way, Dad. I'm staying." I tell him.
"You need to take a shower and come back. I got it." He assures me.
I reluctantly grab my phone from the sofa and I kiss my mother goodbye before I leave.
"I'll be right back, Mum." I tell her.
André parks the car in the driveway and I get down. I walk to the front porch and I see Zachary sitting on the porch steps and I frown.
Is he fucking serious right now?
"Get off my property, Henderson." I tell him.
"Just listen to me." He pleas.
"You have some nerve showing up here." I say, folding my arms.
"It was wrong of me not to tell you about Sierra." He says, looking into my eyes.
"Sierra is the least of my worries right now. My mother had a fucking heart attack when I told her about the China plates. So, excuse me for not giving a fuck." I yell at him.
He just stands there stunned.
"And whatever this was." I say pointing in between us.
"It's over. For good this time. I'm sick of this back and forth. There's always going to be another girl I can't compete with. You're always going to be confused. I'm done, Zach. See you at Bradford. Or not." I tell him as I brush his shoulder with mine as I head inside.
I close the front door as I get in and I fall to my knees, breaking down in tears.
"Oh My God, Valarie." Alicia says, rushing to my side.
I just keep on sobbing.
"I heard about what happened. I am so sorry." She tells me as she hugs me, stroking my hair.
"I fucking hate him." I tell her, sniffling.
"What? Who?" She asks me but I don't respond.
"Damn, you need a shower. Let's get you upstairs." Alicia tells me. She helps me off the ground and she leads me up the stairs.
After I take a shower, I put on a blue sweatshirt and black sweatpants. I grab my phone and I walk out of my room. Alicia and Andrè are waiting for me downstairs, we're going back to the hospital.
"I'm ready to go." I tell them as I walk towards the front door.
I can literally feel how swollen my face is from crying.
Why does the universe hate me?
We get to the hospital in like ten minutes and I literally sprint to my mother's hospital room.
I stop in my tracks when I see the McCains in the room.
Not this again.
"Valarie, you're back." My father says with a smile on his face.
I see that my mother is awake now and I rush to her side, ignoring the presence of the McCains.
"I was so worried, Mother." I say, hugging her.
"My heart just stopped beating for a while that's all." My mother laughs playing it off.
"Well, that scarred me for life." I tell her with a smile on my face.
Thank God she's okay.
"The doctor said she can leave tomorrow." My father informs me.
"Are they sure about that? I mean, earlier today she literally had tubes in her mouth." I say, raising my eyebrow at him.
"I'm fine, Valarie." My mother reassures me.
"Okay, Mum." I say, hugging her again.
"Hey Vee, can we talk?" Ashton asks, breaking the silence that was in the room.
Alicia raises her eyebrow at me from across the room.
"Um...sure." I reply.
I trail behind Ashton as he walks out of the room. We walk for a little bit before we stop at the waiting room.
"How are you holding up?" He asks me.
"I've been better." I say with a sad smile.
"I just want you to know that I'm here for you if you need me." He says rubbing his hands together.
It's cold in here.
"Thanks, Ash." I say with a grateful smile.
He pulls me closer and he hugs me and I lean into him, snuggling into his chest. I look up at him and he stares down at me. I stand on my toes trying to be on the same head level with him, his face inches away from mine. Ashton dips his head down and captures my lips. He kisses me softly, tightening his grip on my waist. He tastes like candy, literally.
We pull away from each other and he just stares at me with this look that I can't read.
"I...um....I better head back." I tell him and he nods.
I make my way to my mother's ward and I literally can't breathe.
What just happened?
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A/N: Don't punch me in the face just yet. Vote and comment your thoughts on this chapter.
Do you think something could be brewing between Valarie and Ashton?
Should Vashton happen?