Heart Me

Chapter 37

Kayla's POV

After my talk with Grace, I walked straight to my cabin. My dad called me immediately when I got there. I was excited; I hadn't talked to him for a while.

"Hey, Dad," I greeted eagerly, a smile spreading across my face.

"Hey there, baby girl. How are you doing?" His voice was warm but had a slight tremor, a quiver I hadn’t heard before.

"I'm okay... Are you okay?" I asked, sensing something was wrong. The excitement I felt only moments before began to fade.

"Yeah... Um... There's... Sweetie..." His words trailed off. My heart clenched in my chest.

"Is everything okay, Dad? Is Mom and Jace okay?" My fingers tightened around my phone, knuckles turning white. Fear swelled in my chest, threatening to drown me.

"Jace is okay, but... I'm sorry, sweetheart. I didn't want to break it to you this way. I'm really sorry," he sighed, sounding like he was on the verge of breaking down himself.

"What is wrong with Mom?" I asked, my voice trembling, a sense of dread settling in. "Where's Mom? What's wrong with her?" Tears were already welling up in my eyes.

"I'm sorry we didn't tell you. Mom... She was expecting a baby. We chose to keep it from you and Jace. Her baby bump wasn't showing, so it was easy to hide it. Your mom right now is at the hospital, fighting for her life. She... I'm so..."

"And the baby?" I whispered, my throat tightening, as tears rolled freely down my cheeks.

"Your baby sister is okay. They're going to discharge her tomorrow. But your mom... She's in the ICU, and... we don't know when she'll gain consciousness. Kayla..."

"I'm coming," I said and hung up before he could tell me not to. I knew he would try, and I didn't want to hear it.

I ran out of my cabin in a blur, my vision clouded by tears. I rushed past Lily, who tried to call out to me, but I couldn’t stop. I stormed into Aunt Melanie's cabin without knocking and froze in shock.

Aunt Melanie was on top of Kyle, one of our camp instructors, her shirt only half-buttoned, and Kyle's clothes scattered on the floor. I stumbled back, ashamed, and turned away, rushing outside.

I sat down on the ground just outside her cabin, my mind too overwhelmed to even process what I had seen. My focus was on my mom. The tears came harder now, the fear clawing at my insides. Moments later, I felt a gentle hand on my shoulder. I looked up to see my aunt, now dressed and looking concerned.

"Baby girl, what's wrong?" she asked softly, kneeling beside me.

"My mom... My mom... She's... Hospital... I want... Want..."

"Calm down, baby. Take deep breaths," she said, her voice soothing as she rubbed my shoulders. She was beside me, grounding me, her touch anchoring me to the present. "That's it. Breathe. It's okay."

I leaned into her, burying my face in her shoulder, feeling the soft fabric of her shirt against my cheek. "My mom is in the ICU. Dad just told me she had a baby... I didn't even know she was pregnant," I mumbled, my voice muffled and small.

"I'm so sorry to hear that. I should have told you. I knew about your mom's pregnancy, but she wanted to keep it a secret," Aunt Melanie whispered, guilt evident in her tone. "I didn't mean to hurt you."

"I just want to go to my mom. I need to get there now. Please help me," I pleaded, pulling away to look her in the eyes, hoping she could see the urgency.

"Okay, let me organize a jet for you," she assured me, quickly getting up and going inside her cabin.

I sat there, staring blankly at the ground, my mind whirling with worry and fear. Minutes later, Aunt Melanie returned. "Go freshen up; your ride will be here in about an hour," she said.