Chapter 28 Human's Bane
Harlow's POV
The fact that we could see her gave me a glimmer of reassurance, a small light of hope which flowed through my chest. She was alive. That was the best news that I had received that day. She was still here, there was some hope left. I had gotten too far into my own mind at that point. I was planning what I would have to do in order to arrange a funeral, what jobs I would have to take on in order to pay bills and how I was going to try and cope without her.
Aiden and I quickly followed our father and the doctor into our mother's room. The sight almost immediately made tears come to my eyes. She looked so much weaker than she usually did, that was difficult to imagine. She was sleeping at the moment. I was sure whatever it was, took the energy right out of her.
"How long was she like this?" My father asked quietly as he wasted no time in going over to her and holding her hand. His eyes never left her form.
"A few hours. She was rather unconscious when the ambulance got there. We didn't know what happened at your house. We immediately rushed to get her here." I didn't consider the fact that it meant our house was probably unlocked at the moment. My mother was my only concern.
"You said she was poisoned?" Aiden inquired. "Unless she did it herself, that would mean someone was there in order to do it."He was holding something back. I wanted to know what it was but I didn't at the same time. I might have been thinking the same thing. It was no coincidence that Aiden's apartment got broken into and then our house. Would this have been Aiden if he wasn't saved?
Mother was awake when she called the ambulance, that was the only thing which didn't make a lot of sense to me. Some sort of confrontation must have happened. "Yes, we think we know what it is. Though these effects are rather unusual." I didn't want more questions. I was probably jumping to conclusions as it is.
"What is it?" Aiden furrowed his eyebrows. My father wasn't listening to us, his attention completely on my mother. I walked over to him and placed a hand on his shoulder. He relaxed slightly, barely noticeable but it was better than nothing.
"We believe that it's Aconite." I froze where I was at the name of the words. I recognised it from a rather popular book. "It is poisonous when taken by mouth, which is how we assume it was taken. Though her body doesn't seem to be having such an effect as we have usually seen. It is taking quite a while for the effects to kick in."
"Wolf's bane?" Aiden blinked a few times. "Wolf's bane." He repeated with a sigh and a shake of his head. "Of course, it's wolfsbane." I wasn't sure if he wanted others to hear him say this but he made no real attempt to hide it.
"Sir, do you know something about this?" Aiden sighed and shook his head at the doctor's questioning. "Because if you do you have to-" Aiden quickly interrupted the doctor.
"I'm sorry, I don't know anything about it. It's just those animals have been following me the past few months. I don't mind but it seems everything leads back to a bigger situation." I had to agree with him. Not verbally of course, he didn't know about what I'd seen in the woods.
The doctor was hesitant but he continued on. "We are keeping her in to make sure that no further damage is caused." My father tensed under my touch. "We don't usually permit family to stay. Though, since she's the only patient right now. We'll allow it. I'll give you a moment."
The doctor quickly left us in the room/ Nobody wanted to speak. I was taking in the fact that my mother was still here in front of me. She was breathing, no matter how painful it sounded. She might be alright. It was the same thoughts which have plagued me for the past few years. Ever since she became ill, I tried to value each moment I had with her. I never knew when it was going to come to an end.
It felt like it was nearing. I felt slight relief at seeing her still alive. I still knew that it might not last too long. "I'll stay here tonight." My father whispered quietly, as though not to wake her up. "I don't want you boys in on your own." I shouldn't have been as surprised as I was. We had been broken into or something. I shouldn't have been this surprised that my father cared.
"I've got somewhere." Aiden whispered back in the same tone. "Harlow?" I shifted from one foot to the other. I didn't really want to be a bother to the hospital staff.
"I might have somewhere. I'm not sure." I didn't want to be confident, because I wasn't. I hadn't officially met Emi's parents. I knew that she'd be more than happy to try and sneak me in if she could. I might end up staying with a cousin or something. "I'll find out later."
"Oh Penny." My father said woefully. I wasn't sure if we were still there for him at the moment. "How could this have happened? Why?" I wish I had the answers to those questions. I wanted to know them myself. Something inside me knew that the answer was something troubling. This entire situation was troubling.
Aiden and I shared a look before we went to sit in the uncomfortable chairs in the corner of the room. The discomfort didn't bother me at all as I looked at my mother's features. She looked much older than she actually was. Her hair dye from the last time she dyed her hair was nearly entirely gone, her natural brown colour making the area around her face a block of darkness. It made the shadows look even more prominent. She looked like she was on her deathbed.
Why did all this have to happen now? With the possibility of werewolves, Aiden being broken into, suspicious teachers and an attempt to stop the destruction of a forest. All of that was out the window now, all of my focus would be on the state and health of my mother.
YOU ARE READING
Part of the Plan (Book 2 in the 'part of' series)
Kurt Adam-COMPLETE-(Book 2) It's time to hear a different part of the story. We know the tale of Aiden Forst and how he was saved by a wolf pack who lived within the forest. Now we follow Harlow Forst, Aiden's younger brother as he discoveres some very inter...