Jack Hughes | Golden Boy

Chapter Twenty Two | End Game

Airplanes always made me sick.

The idea that at any moment the cabin could shatter, sending me tumbling through the clouds that hung in the air, sent my heart into a catastrophic frenzy.

It was one of the many reasons, on a list that was long and distinguished, that I avoided boarding them at all costs.

And yet, there I lay.

A pair of small feet beat against the back of my seat, my hands gripping the armrests next to me harshly.

Sickness crashed through me like waves on the bank of the ocean, never willing to end.

Hold on, I told myself with unheard desperation.

Just a few more hours and you'll be with him again.

The thought quelled the pain in my stomach a little...

Only a little, though.

I didn't think that there could be anything worse than that plane ride, but somehow the ride to the hospital proved otherwise.

The anxiety of what had happened flooded through me the moment I sat down.

All I could see in my head was Jack's limp body.

And I was claimed by the possibility of that being the last ounce of him I would ever see...

The soft jiggle of the cab as we sped through the streets of Jersey did little to calm it.

Neither did the bright beam of the street lights that paved the way to the hospital.

No, the only thing that could break me from the fear that consumed my body and soul was the vision of the hospital that towered over the horizon ahead.

The moment the cab reached its grinding halt I bolted into the building, blindly tossing a twenty dollar bill towards the driver.

I could vaguely hear him muttering words of irritation under his breath as I raced away from the scene, but I could hardly care.

Not when my purpose lay so close.

My breath came heavy, chest heaving, as I raced through the doors of the hospital and made my way towards the front desk.

An older woman, with thin grey hair, dark red lips, and what appeared to be an eternally placed scowl glanced up at me.

A look of disinterest clouded over her wrinkled features.

All things considered, she probably wasn't the biggest fan of my two day old sundress and baited breath.

I heaved slightly, gulping up all the air around me, before I looked to her.

"Hi, I'm here to see my boyfriend. He was in an accident," I muttered, pressing my fists into the wooden desk before me.

The woman pursed her deep red lips, glancing down at my tiny fists, and rolled her eyes.

The air was thick with tension, as if I had just said the dumbest thing imaginable.

"Name?" she asked with irritation.

Her voice was like nails on a chalkboard, boring into my mind in the most inconvenient way.

And yet, recognition passed through me like rain on a spring day.

Of course she wouldn't know who I was talking about, I thought with wide eyes.

"Jack Hughes," I said quickly.

At that, her eyes were the ones that widened.

A sharp scoff left her mouth, but whether it came against her intent or on purpose, I wasn't sure of.