Say The Word

Chapter 42- I Should Get A Phone

The seat of the moving train was not uncomfortable, only that I was a panicking mess.

It's not exactly easy to get comfortable after hearing that your best friend collapsed and was being rushed to the surgery room while mumbling your name with the last shred of consciousness she had in her. She was supposed to be fine. In both emails and calls, she made herself sound so...okay, she moved back home instead of staying in the hospital.

A call came in during work, from the Kaisers, saying that I should head home fast. They'd received a call from the hospital way back from home. Thank lord for the butler who had asked me to hurry back, thinking that El could be my sister (which, in a way, she was).

Cold shivers washed down my back, my hair stood upright at the back of my neck.

Mr. Moonner, the psychologist I had my apprenticeship with, forcefully made me take the rest of the day off after that call.

And I ran to the nearest train station.

I had a ticket to buy and two phone calls to make.

▪▫▪▫▪

Papa picked me up with a concerned look on his face.

The long train ride was not able to calm me down at all. My worries seemed to be seeping out of me. There was no sunlight anymore, the last of its ray disappeared two hours ago.

"Mon ange, are you sure you do not want to at least take a nap?" Papa glanced at me when the light turned red. Red light reflected off of papa's pale skin. His heavy eyebags was obvious even in that lighting.

Wearily, I shook my head. No matter how tired I was, I was more worried.

I did not think the trip back through and I knew papa had something to say about it on the phone call that I made hours ago before the train arrived. I had brought nothing but myself and the backpack I went to work with this morning. Never would I have thought that I would be calling Luzien's number on that crumpled paper he gave that I stuffed to the side of my bag months ago, all because I wasn't sure if I should even be calling the Kaisers' house phone for this. Yet, there I was, at the train station, blabbering away after papa's call, not giving him a chance to speak, hoping that he understood my situation and would tell Mr. and Mrs. Kaiser about my abrupt departure. At the time, it did not seem appropriate for me to disturb either of them with a phone call.

Papa sighed, "You should head home and get some rest, and there is nothing you could do at the hospital anyway. She's still in the OT."

I knew then that there was no fighting him. Letting out a small 'okay', I watched him take a right turn, into the neighbourhood I left months ago.

"Actually, mon chou," papa clicked his tongue, "why did you come back? You were all the way in Tazania, it's a long trip, even by train. Where did you even get the money to come back? All of this, for a friend?"

"Papa, she is my best friend, I've never felt...this connected to anyone my age before. It's not a romantic feeling, if you are worried about that. I just... I just wanted to see her, just in case."

"What about college? And your assignments? You have a scholarship to keep, Vastel, it's term based. I prefer not to interfere with your academics, and I know that usually...I will not be the one asking, but this time I have to. You came back here, just like that, what if-"

"Papa, please!" I sucked in a breath, feeling all my emotions welling up again for no apparent reason. He had every right to ask me about it and I knew that. "I'm doing fine in school. Everyday, without fail, I will work on whatever needs to be done and more. Is that not enough? I have given up socializing outside of school and the Kaisers; no friend group, no party invites, no club-hopping like I see all the others do. All I've been doing for months is studying and work. Do I not deserve to at least come back to a friend who collapsed?"