My Weekly Horoscope

Chapter 13

"Ashton! What's going on? Where are we?" I would have responded to Preston if I wasn't in total shock. The doctors had said it could be a couple days before he woke up, yet here he was, sitting up in his bed, looking terrified.

"Oh, it's okay, little buddy! We're just in the hospital! You're fine! You just had a night terror and wouldn't wake up," I rushed over to my brother, sitting on the side of the bed and wrapping my arms around him. I wanted to scream out with joy and cry and, well, go crazy. I couldn't, though. Like always, I had to be the level headed big sister that acts more like a mom to her brother than his actually parents do.

"I think I remember that a little bit. Not much. All I can think of was something was hurting you. And then it was coming after me. It tried to calm me down, but I knew it would hurt me," I saw the tears spring in Preston's eyes and I nearly died inside. I held his small little body in my arms and rubbed the top of his head soothingly. 

"Trust me, Preston. I wouldn't let anything hurt you. Ever."

I soon called for the nurses who came in and made sure everything was okay with Preston, like his heart beat, his blood pressure, and everything else. 

They told me he could be admitted to leave as soon as a parent or guardian signed him out. That's when I remembered our parents didn't even know he was awake.

"Yeah, mom. He's fine. No, you can't talk to him right now. Because a nurse is running tests. Yeah I know you have work today, but he doesn't want to spend the rest of his day in this hospital...Then take a lunch break," I had called my mother, expecting for her to be at work, but not actually expecting her to refuse to come, "Oh, well I'm sure you get lunch breaks too, mom, and in case you don't remember, your son's in the hospital! Why don't you take a personal day? Mom you're the head chef! They can't fire you for taking two personal days in a row to see your son in the hospital."

She gave me a short response that nearly had me screaming into the phone, "My word is final."

Then she hung up. I took in a deep breath, trying not to swear in the middle of the hospital hallways, "Fine, I'll call Dad."

My father's assistent editor answered on the second ring, "Hello, Mr. Weathersby's office?"

"Hi, Meagan, I need to talk to my dad."

I heard Meagan sigh, "Look Ashton, this isn't a great time right now. Your father just got out of a really bad meeting. Can it wait?"

"No, it's important."

Another sigh, "Okay, hold on," I heard some muffled voices, one I picked out to be my father's, and then Meagan spoke again, "Yes, sir, she say's it can't wait."

Finally my father took the phone, "Hello? Ashton this better be important."

"Preston woke up," I swear I heard my father nearly drop the phone.

"Damn, Ashton I wish you had called a little earlier. You could have saved me from a bad meeting," He was trying to be funny, but I could hear a hint of honest annoyance I'm sure was carried over from his previous engagement.

"Yeah, I know. I heard. Look, could you hurry? I don't think Preston wants to be here for much longer. All they need you to do is fill out his release papers."

I could almost see him rubbing the back of his neck in frustration, "I'll be there in fifteen minutes."

Then he hung up. My parents had made it a habit of not saying goodbye to me on the phone. It was as if I was a work colleague who was delivering unimportant news when they were preoccupied or something. I really prayed I wasn't that obnoxious on the phone with my children.