His Chance

Chance - Chapter 21

I just got back from practice and as I enter our suite, Hailey is on her phone. I can tell from her end of the conversation that she is talking to her sister Grace and that something is wrong. I don't want to disturb her conversation so I mouth the words, "hey baby", and let her finish talking to her sister.  I hope her mum is ok.  If something were to happen to her while Hailey is over here in London with me, I don't know if she would ever forgive herself, or me for that matter.  I step out on the balcony in order to give her some privacy and also to do something that I seem to be doing quite a bit of lately.  I say a prayer.

By the time I walk back inside, Hailey is in the bathroom. I was going to ask Hailey if she wanted to go out tonight but after hearing a bit of her conversation with Grace, I would imagine she will probably want to stay in. That's absolutely fine with me. I grab the room service menu to try to decide what I want to order for dinner. Next to the menu are a number of brochures from the houses that Hailey looked at today; there is one that is set aside by itself. Hmm, this must be the one she likes the most. I study it for a bit and I really like it as well. Maybe we'll have an opportunity to go look at it together in the next day or so.

I've decided on what I would like to eat and I'm pretty sure what my bride will like but I decide to check with her first. I walk across the suite and knock on the bathroom door.

"Hailey baby, I was thinking that we should stay in tonight. Are you ok with that?", I ask her through the bathroom door.

"Um, yes, that sounds good", she answers back. "I'll be out in just a minute".

"No worries", I tell her, "but do you know what you want to have for dinner? I was gonna order us up something".

My girl doesn't say anything right away and I start to think that maybe she didn't hear what I said since I can hear the water running in the bathroom. I start to ask her again but just then, the water turns off and she opens the door. My beautiful girl comes over and sits next to me on the sofa and lays her head on my shoulder. I set the menu down and put my arms around her.

"I'm not really that hungry", she says, "all this emotion has upset my stomach".

"You ok, baby?", I ask her. "Is something the matter with your mum?".

She shakes her head yes and then tells me all about the conversation she had with her sister. It seems her mum has fallen again and this time she hit her head. It doesn't appear to have been too serious of a fall but she was left with some bruises on her face. By the time she finishes telling me all that has happened, she is in tears.

I pull her onto my lap and hold her as she buries her face into my chest. We stay like this, in silence, for a couple of minutes. I rub her back and I hold her; my face is right above the top of her head and I inhale the scent of her hair. She smells amazing. I don't know what else to do so I ask her the question that I really don't want to know the answer to, "Do you want to go home Hailey?".

She shakes her head no and I am so relieved. Then she says, "I probably should but Grace won't let me. She apologized for leaving Mama alone long enough for this to have happened but she promised that they are gonna hire some help in looking after her". She sits up straight now so that she is looking me right in the eyes as she continues. "I told her that this wasn't her fault but I can tell she feels super guilty about it. Mama's friend, Mary, is gonna help out until I get home and she and Drew can hire a nurse".

I tuck a few strands of her hair behind her left ear as I listen to what she has to say. I wish I could make this better for her somehow but I know that I can't. I know exactly how she feels right now. There is nothing worse than watching your mum die. It is such a helpless feeling. I have experienced exactly what she is going through myself and I know that there really isn't anything that anyone can say or do to make the pain go away. I want desperately to do something to help out though.