There's a First Time for Everything (Discontinued)

Chapter 10

A/N: As you can tell by the picture, this is going to be a sad chapter. It's probably one of the hardest chapters I'm ever going to write.

The next morning, Rebecca and I got up, got dressed, and made breakfast. It was our day off, so we had a chance to relax. Suddenly, Rebecca's phone rang while we were watching TV. She picked it up and looked at the caller ID. "Give me a few minutes. It's my dad," she said. I nodded as she went into the other room. But about a minute later, I heard a small thump. I immediately rushed into the other room. And when I got in there, I saw Rebecca on the floor, in the middle of a panic attack. "Oh, God! Rebecca!" I exclaimed as I crouched down in front of her. "Call George," she said in between breaths. I quickly got my phone and did as she asked. George picked up after the second ring. "Emily, what's up?" he asked. "Get to our room now," I said anxiously. "Why?" he asked. "Rebecca's having a panic attack," I said. "Oh, no. I'll be right over," he said. Then, I hung up and went over to Rebecca, attempting to calm her down as much as I could. But nothing was working. Fortunately for me, I heard the door open and a few seconds later, George ran into the room. "Allow me. I know how to do this," he said. I quickly stepped aside and let him through. Then, he briefly checked Rebecca's pulse and held her hand. "Follow my breathing pattern, Rebecca. Breathe in for four, hold it for two, and breathe out for eight," he said, demonstrating as he talked. It took a while, but Rebecca was breathing normally within a minute or so. But she broke down crying after a few seconds. George pulled her into his arms and rubbed her back. "I'm here. Just let it all out," he said. And once her sobs ceased, she pulled away from George. "What happened, Rebecca?" he asked. Rebecca took a deep breath before speaking. "Two years ago, my mom had been diagnosed with ALS. My dad called me this morning telling me that she passed away last night," she said. "Oh my God. Rebecca, I'm so sorry," he said, gently rubbing the back of her hand. "I can't go on, I just can't. It won't do me any good," she said. "I know. And I think that dropping out is the best thing to do right now. You're going through too much," he said. "I totally agree with George. You need time to recover, and continuing the Voice is only going to make it worse," I said. "Thank you. It makes me feel a little better to know that you're supporting my decision," she said. "Of course. We only want what's best for you," I said. "Do you want me to call your dad?" asked George. Rebecca nodded. And after pressing a kiss to the top of her head, George turned to me. "Can you help her pack her things?" he asked. "Yeah. Come on, Becca," I said as I led her to our bedroom. As Rebecca and I began packing her things, I rubbed her back a little bit. "I'm so sorry about this, Becca. I know how it feels to lose a family member. Heck, I lost two," I said. "I know. It's good to have a friend who understands what I'm going through," she said. "Yeah," I paused as I gave her a sheet of paper with my phone number on it. "If you ever need to talk, here's my phone number," I said. "Thanks, Em," she said. After a few minutes, George came into the room. "Your dad's in the hotel lobby whenever you're ready, Rebecca," he said. Then, Becca and I hugged for about a minute. "Take care of yourself, alright?" I asked. "I'll try my best. Thanks for everything, Em. And try to win this thing for me, okay?" she asked. "You've got yourself a deal," I said as we pulled away. Then, she followed George out of the room with her luggage.