Part of the Plan (Book 2 in the 'part of' series)

Chapter 26 visits

Chapter 26 visits

Aiden's POV

Karim was right with what he'd said, he had gotten his car and met us right at the edge of the forest. Harlow and I couldn't think properly, at least I assumed we were in the same state. We were both nervous and fidgety. We could always tell when the other was feeling off.

"Do you think she'll be alright?" He asked me in a quiet voice as we sat in the back of the car. Ralph had insisted on joining us to the hospital. I didn't know why, but I didn't mind. I couldn't really focus on that.

"I don't know bud." The last we had been told was that she was stable, we knew that didn't mean much but I didn't expect anything like this anytime soon. "We've just got to hope and trust she'll be okay." I reached over and grabbed his hand. We were both sitting in the backseat with the others at the front.

The two of them were just as tense as we were in the back, they kept giving each other strange looks which I ignored. We couldn't have gotten there any quicker. Each moment felt like an eternity as I had unanswered questions.

When we pulled up to the hospital, Harlow and I nearly jumped out before the car stopped. We raced inside and over to the front desk. "We're here for Mrs.Forst." I spoke quickly and slightly harshly. I was in a hurry to know what was going on.

"Are you family?" Her voice infuriated me. Her voice was so monotone and uncaring. I rolled my eyes and nodded. "She's in the west intensive care unit." Her voice didn't change at all. "Tell the receptionist who you're there for and she'll get you sorted." I nodded and we speed-walked away, vaguely aware I was being followed.

"We're here to see Mrs.Forst." Harlow said to the man at the reception desk. I didn't have a lot of time to curse ot the woman at the front desk for not even knowing who was on duty, though I guess she couldn't keep track of everyone in the building.

"I'm sorry. She's currently being checked on by a doctor." The man said calmly. "Though you can take a seat over there and I'll let them know you're here." We nodded and moved into the next room. My father was sitting close to the next corridor with his face in his hands.

"What happened?" He looked up with some hope in his eyes but it dimmed as he saw us.

"I don't know much." He had been crying so his voice was a little wobbly. "She phoned for an ambulance a few hours ago. It took them a while to get in touch with me." He rocked slightly.

"She phoned them?" Harlow whispered. "She was alone?" I could hear the small ounce of guilt that he had in his voice. I put my hand on his arm to try and reassure him but that was no good. "So they're just seeing what's wrong?" My father nodded.

"I don't know anything." The sorrow in his voice broke my heart. Harlow and I sat next to him. I glanced up to Ralph and Karim, seeing that they were just standing a distance away from each other. Ralph's eyes were trained on me whilst Karim's dotted around the room, coming back to stay on Harlow every few moments.

"She'll get through this." Harlow muttered under his breath. "She has to." I nodded along with him in an attempt to be reassuring. The day was going to be full of those attempts. I doubt many of them would be successful. Harlow had a better relationship with mam, so I didn't even want to imagine what on earth was going through his mind at the moment.

I felt my phone vibrate in my pocket. I pulled it out to see the message was from Ralph. 'We'll wait here with you.' I looked up at him with a raised eyebrow. He nodded towards Karim slightly before looking down at his phone again. 'We have had quite the conversation. I am assuming we will decide on what we are going to do when we know what is going on' .

I nodded whilst still looking at my phone. I didn't want them to know that it was Ralph messaging me when he was only a few feet away. I found it rather adorable how it took him so long to write a text, not using any shorthand at all. The whole texting and messaging thing was rather new to him after all. I felt bad finding something adorable at a time like this.

The three of us then sat in silence for about thirty minutes. During that time, Karim and Ralph got closer, sitting on the seats opposite us. I didn't want to leave my father or Harlow. I wanted to be here when the doctor came out and told us what was wrong.

It was getting to a rather terrifying length of time when a doctor came out of the corridor we were sitting beside. "You must be here for Mrs.Forst." It must've been a rather slow day for him if that was the only patient in. "It's not looking good." The straightforward honesty was something which I hated and was grateful for at the same time.

"But what is it?" My father questioned with concern. "She seemed alright just last night, what could've worsened it so soon?" The doctor bit his lip and sighed.

"We're running tests to see exactly what it is. It's something that we haven't seen before." He looked down at his clipboard and then back up to us. "We couldn't find anything too abnormal at this stage. Though tests suggest that it could be something similar to poisoning."

I blinked a few times in shock. "How could she be poisoned?" I looked towards my father. I expected him to have the answer, Harlow and I were at the packhouse, my father's involvement would be the only explanation. "Nobody was at the house."

My father's gaze stayed on the floor. "Nobody was meant to be coming today." he locked the door. That's what he meant. There would have been no way for anybody to have gotten into the house. There could be no way that what the doctor says is true.

"We're looking into reversing the effects." The doctor tried to reassure us. "It's a little difficult, considering the effects are rather severe and we do not know what it is yet." He seemed to choke on his words. "We'll try to keep her as stable and as comfortable as we can. Though she won't be going home anytime soon."