Instant. (A Jack Gilinsky Fan Fiction)

chapter 45. | homecoming

2 Weeks Later.

"Yes Mom, I'm okay." I spoke through the other line.

"Oh Zoey.." I heard her crying on the other line. "I was so worried about you. I-I thought we lost you.."

"I know, Mom." I looked down, holding the phone firmly against my cheek. I could only imagine what she must feel like, as a mother, to hear that your child was held hostage at a school shooting. It must've been really hard.

"Are you sure you don't want me to go to Nebraska?" She asked. "I can take the next flight out."

"No, no." I shook my head. Id be lying if I said I didn't want my mother here by my side. When I was sick, she was my favorite person to run too. She always made me feel better. But I was younger then, she was obligated to help her sick child and.. I'm not a child anymore. "You have your work, a-and so does Dad."

"You know work doesn't compare to your well-being, Zo." She replied, sniffing back on the line. "And your father wants to call you, he really does, but he's been so busy with surgery and all."

I nodded to myself. Oh mom, why is she always making excuses for my father? I know he doesn't want to speak with me because of the whole Nash situation. I don't want to speak to him either. We left things very nasty between each other that night, and I don't think the near death experience of his daughter is going to make that any better.

"Zoey?" She softly spoke.

I responded just as I turned to look back into the small window of the door that belonged to the room Jack was in. "Yeah?"

She still didn't know about us. She didn't even know he and Shawn were in the shooting either. But I don't want to tell her, at least not now. Not because I'm afraid of her disapproving or anything, but because my parents aren't really too involved. They had enough scare with me. If I add that Jack, my boyfriend, was in there with me too and saved my life, she would feel fear all over again. She would feel devoted to Jack in a way for saving her daughter's life and still feel horribly sad with the way he ended up. Her mother instincts will kick in for him and after what happened with his own mother, I don't think he'll be too good with that.

"I love you."

I had to admit, hearing those words were comforting.

"I love you too, Mom." I smiled.

There was another moment of silence. For the time being their was peace and some sort of happiness that came from all this. I haven't been able to sleep and it's 10am now. I was tired, exhausted, but in that short phone call I shared with my mom, I was happy.

"I-I have to go. There's a patient who just walked in." My mom excused from the other line.

"I understand." I smiled, trying to sound like I was a little okay with that. "Duty calls."

"Thank you for understanding, Zo." I could imagine her smiling too. "And, I'm sorry for everything that's happened to you."

So much has happened, yes, but I understood in her words that the shooting wasn't the only thing she meant by that. I could sense she still felt guilty, sorry even for what happened with Nash. They don't even know I visited him. That would devastate her for sure, especially given the way her treated me.