The Flynn Effect

50 | a little longer

Jo

FLYNN'S HEAD IS resting on my stomach when I wake up while the rest of my body is cuddled with Amanda on the blankets. I rub my eyes a little and check my insulin pump. Once I see my blood sugar's stable, I groggily reach for my phone next to Cass's feet. It's just 4a.m and everyone in my hazy view is still fast asleep. We stayed up pretty late last night but the urge to pee woke me up, which is why I'm currently trying to disentangle myself from the two bodies on top of mine.

I do so successfully and leave the fort and I don't even bother to change my flip flops when it feels like I'm wearing two left feet. My half-asleep state leads me to the nearest bathroom but when I open the door, my drowsiness leaves when I see Ellie on the tiled floor, with her eyes closed and a streak of dried vomit trailing down her chin from her mouth.

An unmistakable rush of panic fills me when I think she's unconscious but she opens her eyes and turns her head to look at me and when I hurry towards her, she shoots her hand forward.

"Don't come any closer." She silently says. "Please."

I ignore her and step closer. "You're hurt—"

"No." She shakes her head repeatedly and then she starts to cry. "No, please. I peed on myself. It's embarrassing."

I get to my knees and pull her up against me, regardless of the dark, wet patch on her pants. I clean off the trail of vomit from her face with my thumb and that's when I notice my hands shaking. "I don't care. What happened?"

"I just wanted to use the toilet." She tries to explain between tears. She's sobbing quietly, making an effort not to wake anyone else up. "I got here and my legs just gave up. I couldn't move and I don't even know when I threw up. I'm so sorry, I must have woken you up."

I hug her tighter and she presses her face against my neck. Everything looked fine yesterday. She was dancing and laughing and even though she had struggle breathing at some point, she'd take a break and join us again. I'm crying but I shouldn't be. Not when I'm trying to comfort her. I hold her face gently and get to my feet. There's urgency in my tone. "I should call your brother."

But just when I say those words, the door to the bathroom opens and Flynn walks in. He looks slightly disoriented and I don't know if it's because he just woke up or it's because of the situation he met us in but he gets to his knees immediately and lifts his sister into his arms in a beat.

I turn around and open the door wider for them to walk through and that's when I see that everyone else is awake. Khalid holds Cass in a tight embrace while Carter hurries down the stairs with Flynn's car keys.

"I've called your parents. They're on their way to the hospital." Carter says immediately Amanda opens the front door.

"Thanks man." Flynn says, nodding at him and taking the keys from his hands.

"Drive safe."

I wipe my cheeks and follow right behind him. "I'm coming with you." I say in a stern tone that leaves no room for argument and thankfully, he doesn't object.

We get into the car with me behind, clutching Ellie's hand while she cries on my shoulder and the ride to the hospital blurs before my eyes. I transition between silent panicking to telling myself everything will be okay before going back to silently panicking each time I hear her forced, ragged breaths. But then, Flynn stretches a hand forward and turns on the stereo and then one of Beethoven's compositions starts to play. I'm not sure which it is but I've heard it before.