𝐛𝐚𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐦𝐞 (𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘣𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘭𝘦𝘴)

❛❛chapter four: john's party❜❜

❧October 9, 1957☙

After school I went in the direction of my house, walking on the cracking sidewalk. I passed by houses, big and small. My favorite place on my way home was passing by strawberry fields. The big red gate leading to a beautiful brick house. God, it was stunning. After admiring it, I ran across the pavement and into a grass field to take a shortcut home. The path wasn't overgrown because of how much I walked through it. Once my house was in sight, I booked it. I swung open the gate and then the red front door.

"MA! I'M HOME!" I yelled as I entered.

I hung up John's leather jacket on the coat rack since I'd been using it because it was cold in the fall. I did get picked on by his friends because how it was too big for me. I didn't mind to much, it kept me warm. It smelled like cigs though.

"MA!?" I asked again.

I walked into the kitchen to find her throwing up in the bin. I cringed at the sight but didn't look at the fluid. I dropped my bag and I went by her side. I rubbed her back in a soothing way. I was worried about why she was throwing up. 

"You alright?" I questioned, pulling back a few strands of her hair.

I examined her, noticing a spot on her arm that looked like she had been scratching till it bled. Her feet looked swollen and red. Her face was pale. She took a while to catch her breath. She leaned back up and looked at me but couldn't seem to focus. Her eyes flicked from one place to another. Almost like a domino, she fell over on her back. 

"Mum!" I yelped while trying to break her fall.

Panic was bombarding me. Why did she just pass out? I put my two fingers on her throat to get her pulse. It was still beating, but the heart rate was very slow. I laid her down gently.

"Hold on, it'll be okay!"

I ran to the phone and dialed 999. After about a few seconds, they answered. 

"999, what's your emergency?"

⊱ ────── {⋆⌘⋆} ────── ⊰

The ambulance came and put her on a stretcher. My father had come home so he could go with her to the hospital. I insisted that I wanted to come because, if I was honest, I was going out of my wits, not knowing if she'd be okay. She never showed any signs of being sick. The only thing I knew was that she was having problems sleeping and had some cramps. Most people deal with that too, so I hadn't thought much of it. What could that mean? What is it a symptom of?

"Dad! I want to come with you!" I came up to the vehicle that he was climbing into.

He sat beside my mother, who was laying on the medical bed inside of the ambulance.

"Elizabeth, for the last time." My father warned, "I am tellin' you to stay here. Go to the party. We will be fine. Just a quick trip to the ozzy!"

The EMT started to close the doors. No, no, no! Why wouldn't he let me go? Why was he taking this away from me! He can't be serious? I peered inside of the van at my mom's face; She was still unconscious. She looked so peaceful but pale like a corpse. My dad glared at me as the metal doors shut. Now I really couldn't change his mind, the time has passed. I had tears forming from my eyes as the last glimpse I had of them faded away.

"DAD!" I screamed as the truck drove off.

It all happened so fast. I was concerned I wouldn't see her again after what John told me of his uncle George. I was so confused as to what happened. Did she have a stroke or a heart attack? No, I don't think those are symptoms of one. I was also angry he wouldn't let me go. He would not explain himself; it wasn't fair. Why would he leave me confused and crying? Did he not care about me? What if... What if I never saw her again? She could die! I wiped my face with my sweater and walked back inside. The house seemed so empty and lonely all of a sudden. I landed on the couch, next to the phone I had used to call the ambulance. I stared at it for a bit and then moved my eyes towards the clock. It was nearly 5:00 pm.