one night, a million thoughts.

chapter three; hospital

It was 10:30 when we left the house and it took us nearly three hours to get out of the traffic and to the hospital, in order to do that, we had to park nearly 2 and a half blocks away from it.

I'm panting as soon as we get into the hospital, I follow Axl to the front desk. "Hello, are you here to visit someone?" the woman asks. I stand infront of Axl, "Yes, Chris Robins. I'm his daughter." I sat to the lady at the desk. She types it into the computer, "Ah, yes. His room is 446." she says with a smile. We both thank the lady and walk to the elevator.

The elevator is crowded. I press the button for floor 4. Axl wraps his arms around my waist and leans his chin on my shoulder. I feel sick, the smell of hospitals make me feel sick, seeing my dad makes me feel sick for what my mother did to him. I haven't been here since I was 15.

I haven't seen him out of the hospital since I was 10. I promised myself as soon as I graduated I'd leave New York and never see him again. The occasional phone call made me feel better when I left.

I feel a pair of eyes on me, I turn my head, my eyes meeting with a woman. She looks like me. I turn around and gasp. "What's up?" Axl asks, feeling me tense in his grip. I stutter, whispering, "m-my mother's in this elevator." 

Axl lifts his head, "Where?" 

"The woman in the middle at the back, blonde hair, brown eyes." I whisper, holding one of his hands tightly, keeping my attention away from her. Axl turns around and looks at her.

"That's her?" he asks, turning back around as we stop at the fourth floor. I nod and we walk out the elevator and she follows. "Twyla?" she calls out. We stop walking. "Nononono." I whisper.

Axl turns around, "I think you have the wrong person, she doesn't know who you are."  "No, I know my daughter." 

I can hear her heels clanking across the floor, approaching us. "Axl-" I whisper with a voice crack. "She doesn't want to talk to you." Axl says, grabbing my hand and we keep walking again. "Twyla!" she shouts which makes me let go of Axl's hand and walk up to her. "Don't talk to me. YOU are NOT my mother." I spit, staring at her.

God I look so much like her. 

No. No I don't.

I turn back around and walk back to Axl, quickly walking down the hall until we reach my dads room. I look back down the hallway and she's still stood there, stunned. 

I open the door and walk straight in the room. "Surprise!" I smile at my father. He turns his head from the window and towards me. He's so pale. His face warms. "Twy, baby!" he smiles and I walk up to him. 

"How are you honey?" he asks, brushing my hair with his fingers as I hug him. "I'm good. How are you?" I inquire, ignoring how I just saw my mother again for the first time in 5 years. "Never better." he responds, "Who is the man behind you?" 

"Oh, dad, this is Axl." I say.

His eyebrow raises, "boyfriend?" Axl comes up to him and shakes his hand. "I guess you could say that dad." I whisper, sitting down and looking up at Axl, he smirks. The nurses come in to check my dad. "Twyla! It's lovely to see you after five years!" one of the nurses say and I smile.

She's one of my high school friends, she wanted to become a doctor when she graduated. "How did college go?" I ask. 

She goes straight to his IV tubes, "It was great actually. We're really low on staff today so I'm acting as doctor and nurse." she chuckles. "Didn't think you'd get here." I say and she grins. "Neither did I, I hope you've been well Twyla." She replies, walking out the room and another doctor comes in.