Homecoming

Chapter 26

Time flies by when the days blur together. It's weird being sad. Time seems to move so agonizingly slow, yet, you blink and you feel like your life is speeding toward the end. It's been a few weeks since Spencer ended things. The first few classes were awkward. Neither of you attempted small talk. You were too upset to interact with him, and he felt too guilty to look at you. It was just a melancholy silence between the two of you.

You tried to keep normalcy, but some things were just too hard because they were constant reminders. You tried meeting up with him in your usual spot in the library, but it reminded you too much of the intimate moment you shared together. You faked an emergency to leave and hurried to the bathroom to stop hyperventilating. After that moment, you knew there was no hope of hanging out with him outside of class. Instead, you spent your time trying your best to keep your mind off it by hanging with your girls, but they could tell your mind was elsewhere whenever you would come over. Some days, though, they cheered you up and you forgot all about it.

After that, things seemed to move toward being back to normal. Spencer and you started chatting again during class without it being weird. He made you laugh a few times here and there, but it made you realize all over again how much you missed him. How after all this time, you still had a place in your heart reserved for him. It made your heart twinge with a subtle sadness, but you managed to move past it. You just hoped that he missed you, too.

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You were reading a book out on your balcony. It was almost winter, and you could feel the nip in the air. It was invigorating. You were bundled up in a giant, fuzzy blanket accompanied by a steaming cup of hot chocolate. In anticipation of Christmas, you already decorated your apartment. You wished Spencer was there to help you decorate like he did for Halloween, but you had a good time by yourself as you decked the halls. It was practically a winter wonderland by the time you were done.

Enthralled in your book, you didn't hear the first set of rapid knocks on your door. The second time, they were much louder, and you almost jumped out of the rocking chair. You scrambled to the door to find a distraught Spencer. Tears were gushing out of his eyes. He had a frantic look on his face, and he was dripped in sweat.

"Spencer, what's wrong? What's going on?" you asked in a panic. You placed your hand on his shoulder to try to stop him from shaking.

"It's-It's my mom. She snuck out of her assisted living facility to surprise me before Thanksgiving break and she got into a car accident and Derek has my car and he's out of town and I don't know what to do, so I ran here, and I need help. Please, please, please I don't know what to do," he bawled.

You grabbed your keys off the rack next to the door. "I can drive you. Let's hurry," you urged him.

You held his hand to steady him as the two of you rushed down the stairs and into the car. You drove as fast as you could to the hospital without getting pulled over. Spencer was anxiously tapping on the window sill as he gazed out the window with a worried expression. He did his best not to cry, but some tears managed to escape. After whipping into a parking spot, the two of you flew into the hospital waiting room.

Spencer frantically talked with the nurse, and she informed him that his mother was still in surgery.

"I need to see her," Spencer pleaded.

"I understand. You can see her as soon as she's stabilized after surgery," the nurse assured him.

"How long do you think it will be?" Spencer pressed further.

"It will probably be a couple of hours. You are welcome to wait in here, and I can give you any updates I get," the nurse promised him.

"Thank you," you replied to the nurse as you pulled Spencer toward the seating area.

You popped over to the vending machine, got some snacks, and convinced Spencer to eat. He didn't release how famished he really was and ended up devouring the snacks. You rubbed his back with the palm of your hand soothingly. Jeopardy played on the television screen. You pointed it out to Spencer as a way to distract him. Reluctantly, he started answering the questions. You chimed in a few times with some answers, but Spencer knew most of them.

Once the adrenaline emptied from Spencer's system, he dozed off next to you. He was slouching down, so you guided his head toward your shoulder. He was breathing softly next to you. You ran your hands through your hair to relax him further.

A couple hours later, the nurse came back over for an update. You gently shook Spencer awake.

"Hi, I have an update about your mom. The surgery went very well, and she is recovering in the ICU. She is alert, but she is very tired and weak. She asked for you, and I told her I would come and get you. Would you like to see her now?"

Spencer nodded and jumped up out of the seat. You followed the nurse back to the ICU. You were going to meet Spencer's mom.