a sister who's actions are untamed,
and a brother who's feelings are untamed.
With complete different personalities, yet an awesome bond, the siblings join a summer camp. She plans to fix her problems, he plans to make friends.
But while she's able...
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Drop Lelia off, drive back to the hospital, greet Lyndon, pick Mom up, go back to Lelia to also pick her up, and then back home.
Not a single part of me agreed with the fact she wanted to be alone, except I cannot resist the way she looks at me when she's crying and saying 'please'.
As I walk into the hospital, I call Mom for the third time. Sure, I will pick her up, but I'll have to freaking know where she is.
When she doesn't pick up, I walk over to one of those people who sign you in, rolling my eyes. "Hi," I greet, voice nicer than I'm feeling. "My mom is a nurse here. I was supposed to pick her up but she won't reply to my calls and messages, so I have no idea where to find her."
"Name?" The woman chews on her gum. Not exactly in an irritable way, but it annoys me. Just saying that if that would've been Lelia and she was chewing like that, I wouldn't have minded.
"Minho Lee. My mom is Jennifer Lee."
"Says her last appointment was on floor two, room three hundred three."
"Okay, thank you." I give a quick nod in appreciation, then rush up the stairs. No time for the elevator. The faster I leave here, the faster I can pick Lelia up, and the faster I can do something about the way she's feeling.
It's a whole ass maze to find the right room. Once I do, I sigh out loud. I get a little peek of Mom's hair through the window. Not a lot of movement, so she must be alone.
If she isn't, that sucks for the patient. "Jesus, Mom. Why the hell aren't you answeri—"
No.
No, no, no, no, no. I rush toward her as fast as I can, mouth wide open. Shivers are everywhere as I look at the blood, striped on the walls and soaking the white button up. Goosebumps on my arms that feel like they give me shocks every second, which, by the way, feels like an eternity.
Everything seems to go so slow yet so fast as I hold her head between my hands. Mom's eyes are closed, lips parted, cheeks white. "Mom," I whisper, shaking her. I can't tell if she's breathing— I don't know how— I don't have time.
"Shit, shit, shit." My mind goes completely blank for way too long. I'm yelling for I don't even know what. Help, for sure, but I'm in such a state of shock that I might be yelling for Newt instead of the doctors or something.
Tears are streaming down my face by the time someone appears. "Kid, what's going on?"
"My mom—" My voice cracks into a cry halfway through. "She— I found her like this— help. Help her, please—"
I get pushed aside. I don't mind for now, but I do want to stay with her. Multiple men lift her up. I follow them, vision blurry from tears. I'm panicking so much that it doesn't even matter I bump into a million people as I follow them through the hallways.
Mom gets lifted into a different room, one with one table in the center. Some kind of surgery room I don't care about. I just need to walk in there and—
"No. You have to wait. I'm sorry," one of the men says. "We will fix whatever we can and then we'll let you know—"
"No." I try to walk past them, but they're stronger together. "I'm staying with her. It's my fucking mom. You have to allow me to stay!"
"We don't," the doctor says. "Please. Remain calm and wait outside. I want to close the door so we can proceed this."
I know I should leave, but I can't. My last talk with Mom was a fight. Then we hugged silently. No words spoken, but we understood each other. Yet it cannot be the last thing I remember about her.
"Whether you're there or not doesn't make a difference in her chance of survival," the doctors says, way too calm to my liking. "Please, kid. They've already started working on her."
Change of survival, at that, I nearly snap. I push them aside and I run and I cup Mom's face and I whisper that she has to be okay and that I won't be okay if she isn't okay and that I'm sorry for not checking up earlier and that I'm sorry for being a bad son and that I don't want to lose her and I want to add that I promise I'll be a better son, the best one ever, but then I'm pulled away again and I try to kick and free myself but they're so strong and I recognize the smell and I know Newt's arrived like he always does and I break down and I can't breathe.
"It's okay." Newt wraps his arms around me, one hand on the back of my head, pressing my teary face against his shoulder. "It's okay, Minho. Breathe."
"It's not okay. Mom got—"
"I just saw. I know. She'll be okay."
"You don't know that," I think I either yell the words or whisper them. I don't know. I just want to be with Mom.
Newt knows I'm right. That's why he changes the subject, "Let's just sit down. And we'll wait patiently after we call your Dad."
I wipe my tear-stained cheeks against Newt's sleeve because I'm wearing a T-Shirt, then stare at nothing at all.
Then it's empty. Quiet. Nothing really there.
I did what I could. I probably should've started running with Mom in my arms the second I saw him, but she's with doctors now.
"Can you also call Sebastian or Amina that they should go home to check up on Lils?" I mutter.
"I will." Newt lies his hand down on my wrist. Like old times, his nails make little circles on my skin, and I can feel my breathing pattern ease.
"Thank you," it comes as a whisper, just like Lelia when she thanked me for allowing her to leave.
