Filmed [complete]

Falling

I hated my new hair. I told the hairdresser that I wanted a few inches off, not a bob. But I ended up with a bob. I hate the bob. 

As I was driving back home, I kept looking at my hair in the review mirror, regretting the decision to get my hair cut. When I saw my loft building start to appear, I stopped focusing on my hair and paid attention to the road in front of me. 

I pulled into the parking lot, grabbed my camera bag and headed up to my loft. I set my bag down, going to my home phone to listen to my messages. 

"Hey Autumn, it's Dad," I stopped moving and listened closely to the voicemail. "Logan's in the hospital again. She's in for another round of chemo. We haven't seen you for a while because of your work, but we also haven't seen Oliver for a while because he's in college. Logan and I would like to see you before you go on another trip to the other side of the country. 

"We talked to Oliver awhile ago, but he was on a date with his girlfriend and we didn't want to disturb him," Dad paused. "Anyway, we love you and miss you. Please call me back before you leave. Bye, Autumn."

I deleted the message, grabbed my keys and left my loft so I could go see my family in the hospital. They lived an hour away and I had to start driving so I could make it to the hospital before my mom was discharged and left. 

I managed to make it to the hospital in less than an hour.  

I went to the front desk, asking for my other's room and made my way to her room. Dad was taking a nap on the chair and as Mom was listening to Oliver read her an old Harry Potter book. 

Mom had a scarf wrapped around her head due to her hair falling out because of the chemo. Her skin started to become pale, almost see- through. Her physical appearance is what changed but her emotions were always in check. Her being diagnosed with breast cancer didn't change a thing with her attitude. 

When Oliver saw me, he turned over the top of the page he was on and gave it to me. "What are you here, Oliver?" I asked him when he came up to me. 

Oliver grew into a baseball giant and towered over me. He got a full tuition from many colleges for bringing his high school team to the state playoffs three years in a row. Oliver went to TCU because the baseball team has gone to the college world series for the past 3 years in a year. Plus, they have a good business degree program so that helped him lead towards TCU. 

He pulled away from me, "Dad called me when I was on a date and I told her what was happening and she told me to go. Besides, I don't have class until Monday, so I have two days to chill before I have to go back. How's the job hunting going?"

"It's done," I told him. He rose his eyebrows. "I got a job with TIME and National Geographic. I'm mostly going to be doing freelance while I'm traveling around the world. They are both going to pay me to fly from one place to another, and they know that they are going to be in competition with another for my pictures." 

Mom peeked her head up from behind Oliver. "College?" 

"Mom, I'm not going to college or even a degree," I explained to her. "I have a job. Two jobs actually. They both pay me to travel. They pay very well. I can support myself, and that is the only thing that matters." I turned the attention from me to Oliver. "How are you and your girlfriend doing? What's her name? Ashley?" 

"Her name is Mikayla. Where in the world did you get Ashley?"

I shrugged my shoulders. "Mom, how are you doing?" 

"I'm going to be discharged around seven in the morning tomorrow," she told me. "Would you two like to beat us to the house? We haven't really done anything in the house but maybe you two would like to get settled in before we come home."