Jodee

Chapter 51 - Will

"Look, Mr. Warner, all I'm trying to do is help you." I heard the voice of mine and Ace's lawyer from beyond the hospital walls. I never knew what to call him — Ace's lawyer or mine? 

It was day three of Ace being confined to the hospital in the ICU. No change. There is a 60% chance he'll wake up today but it's about lunchtime so in my mind, that percentage is slowly starting to go down, which I'm dreading.

The nurse that constantly checks him says that there is no notable change but still sticks firm to her belief that he has a 60% chance of waking up. She say's that no change is good because it means that he hasn't gotten worse. Apparently, there will be no positive change before Ace wakes up, it will just happen. 

Which is why I want to be with him at all times — so when he does finally wake up, then I can be right there for him.  

I'm a patient person, but I never knew waiting could be this hard.

Currently, I am sitting on the dirty floor of the hospital, something I have been told all my life never to do, my back pressed up against the corner of the wall that is next to Ace's hospital room — I don't want to go far away from him — eavesdropping on Caleb and Mr. Stephen's conversation.

I really didn't want to leave Ace's room and Caleb told me not to when he left, but desperate times call for desperate measures. And this is important. 

Caleb has been taking a lot of phone calls today and he's either very angry on the phone, or he is super stressed during or after the call. So I'm assuming these calls are not going too well or are not about easy subjects.

I always wonder if they're about work, or something else ... something worse. 

A couple minutes ago Caleb told me that he needed to go make an urgent "call," but I happened to see Richard Stephens — the very same custody lawyer who helped Ace keep custody of me from my father — talking to Caleb in the hall of the hospital. Caleb lied to me, and I needed to find out why. 

So, naturally, I had to find out what they were talking about; which is what I'm doing right now.

"You're not helping, Stephens." Caleb growled back icily.

The only problem with eavesdropping ... you get no context. I needed to catch up on his conversation, and fast. 

What is going on here? What're they even talking about?

"Mr. Warner, you are the one not listening." Mr. Stephens spoke back a little harshly, that's new. He cleared his throat. "But please listen to me ... sir."

That was more normal.

During the entire time I had witnessed an exchange between Ace and Caleb and the lawyer, my brothers had always intimidated him. He never said anything that would make either of the best friends angry. Now, Mr. Stephen's previous statement was a little bold, but his second sentence was more normal in my eyes.

Why is everyone so scared of my brother and his best friend? They're harmless.

"Tobias is trying for custody again. If Mr. Chambers doesn't wake up soon, I don't know if I will be able to stop him taking J— Miss. Chambers."

What?! Please no. 

The worst possible thing that could happen right now ... its happening. It's already hard having to deal with not knowing how my brother is doing, but having to deal with my father trying to take me away again — it's too much. 

I can't handle that. I can't handle that. I can't. I just can't.

And I'm not weak for not being about to handle it, I just know that right now I need to focus on my brother one hundred percent. I can not be putting my focus on thinking about if legally I can even be with Ace. And I can't put that weight on Ace to get me back once we wake up.