The Bad Boy Effect

Chapter 17: Room 316

A/N: I know it's a short Chapter. I'm sorryyyy but enjoy anyway! :D <3 

I sit in the waiting room, Arran's hand holding mine tightly, giving reassuring squeezes every once and awhile. I feel my heart ache. We've been in the waiting room for two hours. The doctors don't want her to see us until she's stable. Apparently it was worse than we all thought.

The door opens and a doctor who's in his mid forties comes out.

"Cole and Emma Grey?" he asks through a paper mask that covers the lower half of his face.

I jump up and walk over to him quickly, Cole and Arran following.

"That's us," I say in a raspy voice. I've been crying my eyes out for the last twenty or thirty minutes. "How is she?"

The doctor looks at me and I can feel my heart sink.

"I don't know how to exactly sugarcoat this..." he says as he grasps for words. I feel my breathing escalate a little.

"Just give it to us straight, doctor." Cole says even though he sounds a little raspy too.

"Her liver is failing," he says softly.

I gape at him as my heart cracks into twenty million pieces.

"That can't be," I say. "She wasn't showing any signs of liver failure. She hasn't been puking or vomiting or anything!"

"There have been a few situations where the patient is suffering from liver failure and don't even know it until they go to see a doctor." the man says. "I'm sorry."

You know that feeling that you get when your mom sits you down to tell you some bad news? That gut wrenching, stomach upsetting feeling that tears away at you? And then she goes on to tell you that your dog died, or that your grandma died, or someone you held close and dear has died?

Yeah, take that and then multiply it by about 500 million, and that is what I am feeling. I grip onto Arran's arm and try to catch my breath. It's like I've been running a triathlon for three years straight. It's like someone has punched me in the gut repeatedly. I don't know what to say, or what to feel, or what to do. I stand there, and so does Cole.

"You can come back and see her now," the man says. Cole nods his head and follows the doctor, but I stay. I turn around and look at Arran.

"You... you should go," I whisper.

"I'm not going to leave your side, Emma. You need support and I'm here."

"No, Arran. I have Cole. I don't want you to get mixed up in all of this. I promise, I'll talk to you tomorrow." I say as I look up at him.

"Emma," he says but then falls quiet.

"Arran this is something I need to do on my own, okay?" I say softly. Arran nods his head.

"Call me as soon as you leave."

"I promise I will."

He kisses my forehead and then we walk our separate ways.

I catch up with Cole and the doctor as he leads us over to the elevator. He stops and pushes the button.

"Choose the third floor. Room 316."

"Thank you doctor," Cole says, and I follow him as he gets into the elevator. The door closes and we stand there as the elevator moves up. I don't know why but I instantly hug Cole. I break down sobbing into his shoulder and he hugs me back tightly. It's a bittersweet feeling that I don't have to go through this alone.

The elevator dings and we walk out. I count the room numbers until we get to 316. Cole walks in and I follow.

The lights are dim, and there is faint beeping. It's dark outside now, and there's a window with a window seat that fills the wall. I try to look everywhere but at her bed. It works... for a minute. The worst part is, our eyes meet at the same time. And I'm about to cry.

Her brown hair is crumpled up and natted. Her pale skin is a greyish color and she seems so frail. Her green eyes plead with mine, and I know she knows.

"Mommy," I whisper as I crouched down by her bedside. I grab her hand softly. It's clammy and cold.

"Hey baby," she says in a hoarse voice. Cole crouches down by me and holds her hand too.

"How are you feeling mom?" Cole asks softly, as if he's afraid that even the slightest noise might break her.

"I'm tired." she says. Her eyes start to water. "I'm so sorry kids."

"It's okay mom," I whisper. "You didn't-"

"I did!" she shouts as her voice cracks. "I've known for a while, now."

"Mom, why didn't you tell us?" Cole asks. I look over to see he is tearing up too.

"Because," my mom says as tears stained her cheeks. "I figured that I deserved this. This is what I get for being a pathetic mother, a poor excuse for a human being."

I feel my heart ache. "Momma, you aren't a pathetic mother. You're-"

"Emma, don't lie to me. I don't ever pay attention to you guys. I'm not even home most the time! I've failed both of you!" she says sobbing.

The nurse comes in with a stern look on her face. "You two should leave now."

"Wait, please, five more minutes." I plead.

"No, you need to go now."

"Come on, Emma." Cole says as he grabs my hand. He stands to pull me up but I start to scream.

"No! I don't want to leave her!" I shout as I hold onto her hand tightly.

"Emma!" Cole says as he pulls harder.

"No, Cole!" I shout as the tears pour down my face.

"Emma, Let go!" Cole says. My mother is sobbing hysterically as Cole finally gets me to let go.

Cole wraps my arms together and quickly pulls me out of the room. He puts me over his shoulder and I can't do anything but cry. We get into the elevator and I watch as the door closes. As we go down, I can hear the frantic cries coming from my mother upstairs.