Oddball

Chapter Twelve

On the third day of my trip, I hadn't received many updates on Willow. The ones I did get felt more like attempts at false reassurance. Today, Mom and I are checking out the college town and trying to get an idea of the surrounding area. We sit down for lunch at a small bakery and wait to be served. When we get our food, I can't even bring myself to eat. I poke at my meal and Mom watches me.

"Is everything okay, Payton? You don't seem very excited about this trip." She says with a solemn gaze.

"No, no, I am... I love it. I just..." I trail off, staring down at my plate.

"What, sweetie?"

"It's... Willow. She-" I start getting choked up and before I explode in the middle of the quiet restaurant, I loudly scoot my chair back and race out the door.

I flop down on the bench outside and begin bawling. Mom emerges from the double doors shortly after, coming to my side. I can't say anything. I just continue to cry. I can't stop myself. The tears keep coming. Finally, Mom calms me down enough to get out short sentences.

"Payton, what's going on?" Mom asks, a worried expression grafted onto her gentle face.

"Willow is in the hospital." I squeak out.

"What? Why?"

"I don't know. She had a seizure." I wipe at my eyes and Mom holds me a little closer.

I feel like a kid again. Still crying to my mom, still wiping at my eyes, still trying to ignore the runny nose. Nothing has changed. I haven't cried like this in a long time. I haven't worried like this in a long time.

"She looks sick." I shake my head and Mom hands me a tissue from her purse.

I clean up my eyes and then my nose, tossing the tissue into the trashcan a few feet away. Mom decides we should go home as soon as possible and I thank her a hundred times on the way back to the hotel. She assures me that the tickets are refundable and that it's perfectly fine. When we return to our room, she books the flight for tomorrow morning after a debate about whether or not we should do the red-eye. I pray that Willow gets better and begin packing up my things.

We order a pizza for dinner and Mom tries to comfort me by ordering my favorite movies and talking about college. I enjoy my time with her and eventually she falls asleep. I turn the TV off and get comfortable. The deafening silence is enough to keep me awake for an hour before I hear a familiar sound. On the nightstand between our beds, my phone vibrates loudly. I pick it up and answer.

"Hello?"

"Payton!" Milo's voice is loud and abrupt.

I rise slowly and swallow hard. "Yeah?"

"I'm sorry to call so late, but listen, I've been down at the hospital for a while now and you really need to come home as soon as possible. Willow's been asking for you." He says.

A lump forms in my throat and I tell him I'll do what I can. I hang up and jump out of bed, turning on the light. I begin packing and throwing things into my suitcase. Mom sits up and looks at the clock, then at me.

"Payton, honey, it's the middle of the night." She says, still half-asleep.

"Willow keeps asking for me. We... We have to do something." I say, shoving a dirty t-shirt into my suitcase.

"Oh, Payton." Mom crawls out of bed and sits down on the floor beside me, putting an arm around me, "We'll make it home to her. Okay?"

I sniffle and nod, feeling tears threaten to roll down my face. Mom helps me up and then insists on snuggles. I laugh and sniff again before getting into bed beside her. She holds me and strokes my hair until I, eventually, fall back asleep.