Saturdays

Chapter Six

Sixth Saturday

"We are about to make our descent to Nessis City Airport. Return to your seats in their upright fashion and fasten your seatbelts. Thank you for flying with us and have a great rest of your day."

I roll my eyes at the 'have a great rest of your day'. I will definitely not be having a great day. I look over at Jack, who's in the seat to my left, and give him an annoyed look.

He gives me a sympathetic smile, understanding. "I know, I'm sorry. Try to stay positive babe."

I sigh and nod. Tears fill my eyes.

"Oh, Grace. Come here."

I rest my head on his shoulder after he wraps his arms around me.

Earlier this morning, I got a call from my mom, once again.

"Hello?" I question into my phone.

"Grace, you need to fly down. Today. Now. The doctors are saying dad is having major complications. They don't know how much time he has left. They're trying to see what they can do but there's no guarantee he will survive." My mom said with a broken voice.

"Who is it? What's going on?" Jack says in confusion from behind the counter of The Grind.

I ignore him and start panicking. My breathing becomes shallow but I manage to spit out, "Do you think we'd have enough time?"

"I don't know, Sweetie. Just pack some things and come. You need to." I can tell she has started crying.

"Grace? What's going on? Please explain." Jack asks again.

"Okay, okay. Um, I'll buy tickets as soon as we hang up and Jack and I will pack our bags. Oh my g- I can't belie-" I get cut off by my hyperventilation.

Jack runs around the counter and supporting my weak body from collapsing. "Grace!" He practically screams.

He takes my phone out of my hands and says into the phone, "Who is this? Tell me what's going on."

People around the coffee shop are staring at us with worried expressions but I ignore them.

I look up at Jack and watch as his face turns from confusion to panic. He gasps right before saying, "Oka-okay. Yes. Got it. Thank you! We'll be there soon."

After hanging up, he tells one of the other employees he has to go immediately and that he doesn't know when he'll be back.

We rush out of the shop and get into his car, make quick stops at both of our places, then head to the airport.

"Grace, Grace? Wake up." Jack lightly shakes me. "We're about to land."

"Did I fall asleep?"

"Yeah, only for a few minutes though. You had just heard the flight attendant's announcement before falling asleep." I nod.

Out of everything I could have possibly dreamed of, I had to dream about this morning. Of course.

As soon as we get off the plane, we rush to get our luggage and find our taxi.

A half an hour passes and we finally make it to the hospital. With all of our luggage, we get out of the car and hurry to the waiting area my mom said they were in.

The sliding doors open and my eyes lock on Noah. He's slouched over in a chair with his head in his hands, balling his eyes out. My heart absolutely shatters, stopping me in my tracks. My body trembles as I start to cry but I then continue to walk over to him and my mom.

As soon as they notice me, they get out of their chairs to hug me. We stand for a good thirty seconds embracing each other while tears are streaming down our faces. After breaking away from one another, I turn to see that Jack is also crying. I sadly smile at him and he returns the gesture.

"So Grace," my mom sighs, "Want to formally introduce us to Jack?" She said trying to keep the situation light even though we were all crying just a second ago.

"Don't you think we should wait until a little later, I don't want to make this about us."

"No, no, It's okay. The doctors can't give us any updates for a little while and I think we all need a little distraction. Don't you think?"

I nod. "So guys, uh this is Jack, as you know."

He smiles and goes in to shake my mom's hand but she pulls him into a hug.

I awkwardly laugh, "Mom, you can let him go now."

"Uh, Stop being a debbie downer."

I laugh quietly, "Okay, okay. Sorry."

She smiles, "It's nice to finally meet you in person. I'm sorry it has to be this way."

"No, no. Please don't apologize. I completely understand. I'm so sorry you guys have to go through this and that I am getting in the middle of your family crisis. I hope I'm not causing much of a disturbance."

"Oh, honey. No, no. We are so happy Grace has someone like you to keep her company through this. You can help her cope in different ways than we, as her family can. We're thankful for you. And don't think you're a disturbance because you are most definitely not."

"Thank you, Lillian. You don't understand how much I appreciate that."

"It's my pleasure." He smiles then turns to Noah.

"Hey, dude." Jack says while giving him the stereotypical guy hug, "It's great to finally meet you."

"You too, Jack. By the way, Grace told me you are minoring in videography. I wanted to know if you could maybe teach me some things."

"You're interested?"

Noah nods eagerly.

"Well, of course. When we both have some free time, let's do it."

"Thanks, that would be great."

A little while later, the four of us are sitting down, still talking amongst ourselves. Jack continues to go on about videography, answering questions from both Noah and my mom. My mind seems to leave reality frequently. Nothing can hold my attention for more than five minutes. Believe me, I try to keep a conversation but without even thinking about it, I stop listening.

"Grace, maybe you should take a walk outside. Get a drink, something to eat. You seem out of it." My mom suggests.

I nod, "Yeah, I should probably do that. I'm sorry. I am trying so hard but I am just so emotionally drained I can barely function."

"Oh, honey. I understand. It's just how your mind is reacting to the sudden news. Don't worry. Stay positive."

I nod again, barely being able to process the situation. I get out of my seat and head out the door.

Just before I walk outside, I hear "Family of Tom? We have an update."