You're Not Alone

Living Through This Mistake

(Jen's POV)

I tapped my fingers on the counter as Austin filled out some release forms from the hospital. I starting swinging my foot back and forth, pacing the lobby and letting my head roll back a bit.

"Bored, huh sweetie?" The woman behind the desk laughed. I smiled and nodded. "Well trust me, darlin', all of us here want you to go home as quickly as possible. You've been through the wringer these past few days and it's time for you to go home and relax." And with that, she handed Austin one last slip of paper. "Now go on."

I turned on my heel and skipped out of the hospital with Austin close on my heels. I pushed open the door and was greeted by a crisp breeze blowing my long hair back. He stepped threw the door and pulled me into a long, bone crushing hug.

"God, we've all missed you." He whispered into my hair.

"You little shits have seen me everyday." I chuckled.

"I know, but, you gave us all a scare Jen. I remember the first night you were in the hospital, the only night I didn't get to spend with you because you were in surgery, I caught Tino crying in his bunk."

The smile faded from my cheeks as I imagined the scene. Tino, a man who appears as tough as nails, crying, because of me. It sent a weight in my stomach.

Austin placed his hand on my shoulder and we walked towards his car.

"Wanna grab some lunch? All you've had for the past week is broth, juice and on occasion, jello."

I shrugged my shoulders. "Sure. Where to?"

Austin ran a hand through his hair. "McDonalds is quick and close. I know the guys wanna see you, so I don't wanna hold you back for so long. That okay?"

I nodded. "Sure. I've never had McDonalds, but I'm down."

Austin stared, his mouth agape. "You've never had McDonalds?!?" I avoided reminding him that more often than not, I had gone to bed hungry. "You're not a real American until you've had McDonalds."

To say that the experience of eating McDonalds was less than enjoyable is a huge understatement. By the end of the meal, my hands were wet with grease and I felt like I could barely move. But I treasured the time I spent with my father.

Austin crumbled the wrapper of his burger and rested his head on his folded hands. "Your birthday is coming up really quickly. You haven't told me what you want yet."

This was the question I had been dreading. Not because I didn't know what I wanted. I knew full well what I wanted and that was what scared me the most.

I took a deep breath and looked up at him. "Austin...about that..."

"Hit me with it. It's your fifteenth birthday. And your first birthday being a Carlile. I want to make this special for you."

I pushed my bangs out of my eyes and stared up at him through wisps of hair. "I want to speak to my mother. In person." Austin's face fell a bit and he looked puzzled. "I just need to know...well, I'm actually not sure what it is I need to know. I just feel like this is something I have to do, ya know?"

"Yeah, yeah. I get it. I'll look at flight times and work on getting a flight to Colorado booked. I'm gonna be there with you every step of the way, Jen."

Upon returning home, the smell of smoke was strong and obvious as we made our way up the steps. The beeping of the fire alarm sounded.

"Well fucking done, Barakat!" Phil yelled from within the house. "The recipe said 25 minutes, not 45!"

"I'm a musician, not a baker!" Jack's voice roared.

Austin closed his eyes and sighed. "Sometimes I feel like my best friends are ten year olds."

He reached for the doorknob, but it swung open. The smell of burning sugar flooded through the doorway. Aaron smiled at us sheepishly. "Hi, how are ya?"

I didn't hesitate to throw my arms around him. "Oh my God, I missed you so much."

He returned the hug and even placed a tiny kiss on the top of my head. "I missed you too, kiddo."

"Jen!" Jaime cried, pushing Aaron aside and lifting me off the ground in a hug.

I laughed and smacked him lightly on the head. "I missed you too, Hime. Now put me down and explain why the house smells like a burnt marshmallow."

"We all tried making you a cake, but it didn't work out very well."

I shook my head, laughing. It was good to be home.

GOOD NEWS GUYS! My friend was discharged from the hospital today and will be back at school tomorrow! She's alive and well and I couldn't be happier.

Very quickly, I have to talk about something that's been bothering me for as long as I can remember. The differences between "there", "their" and "they're" as well as "your" and "you're".

There- refers to a place.
Example: "There is the donut." or "There is a donut."

Their- ownership; belonging to someone else.
Example: "It is their donut."

They're- refers to a group of individuals. Conjunction of "they are"
Example: "They're the donut people."

Your- belonging to you.
Example: "It is your donut."

You're- refers to you. Conjunction of "you are"
Example: "You're the donut king."

So there you have it.

If you can't tell, I really like donuts. 🍩

Chapter song: The Escape by the Epilogues. I've been loving this band thanks to BlackBoxTV on YouTube. Check out the Epilogues as well as BlackBoxTV. You won't be disappointed.

Love you!

-Gracie