The Road Trip [completed]

16

🎵🎵Charlie Puth - One Call Away

The night was still young and Jade was watching Nat Geo Wild with his aunt and grandmother when his phone buzzed.

"Your father?" his grandmother.

"No Nana, it's my friend David." Jade replied looking on his phone.

"Go and talk to him. You guys have been apart for too long." his aunt nudged him with her shoulder.

"Sure." Jade mumbled and got up.

His relationship with his aunt had definitely improved since he had come to stay with them but he was still mad at her.
His aunt seemed to understand and didn't push Jade to talk to her when he didn't want to, which in the end, made Jade feel bad.

"Yo bro, what's up?" Jade picked the call and asked David.

"Everything is going downhill Jade. Everything."

Alarmed, Jade asked,
"What's wrong? Is Lois okay?"

"She was bleeding and none of us knew that. It got worse and we're at the hospital now. It doesn't look so good bro. I kept getting flashes of memory of when my dad was here." David's voice was full of emotion and Jade wished he was near his friend to comfort him.

"How is Ella holding up?" he asked David.

"She blames herself despite what everyone says. We were in such a good place but she just told me we can't be together. This is all so frustrating I want to punch something."

"Okay there big man, calm down. She's in grief. Lois will be fine and Ella will patch things up with you."

"What if something happens to Lois. I always believed my dad would be okay and in the end, he left. What if Lois leaves too?"

"Please have faith bro. You can't lose faith now; Lois will be fine. Be strong."

"Easy for you to say. You're not the one in a hospital right now." David snapped at Jade.

"Err- what was that for? I'm trying to be supportive here."

"If you wanted to be supportive you wouldn't have left us to some town somewhere nobody knows about."

"Please don't argue with me now." Jade pleaded with his best friend.

At the hospital, David was standing by a vending machine with his free fist balled up. He was angry that everyone seemed to be leaving him. He didn't want to lose Lois and Ella and he hated that Jade was so far away.
Get a grip boy, he heard his father's voice in his head.

Just then, he saw Tom moving towards the reception area. He was done talking to Dr. Gold and was going to deliver the news to the Clarkes.

"I have to go Jade. Talk to you later."

"Okay but remember that you are never alone no matter what you think."

"Thanks."

David walked to the Clarkes and Tom just as Tom began speaking. Ella was holding her mother's hand tightly and Mr. Clarke had draped an arm over his wife's shoulder.

"Dr. Gold said he's coming in right now. He'll call the Doctor Newton to halt the surgery and wait for him before he gets here. He also said the surgery he wanted to perform on Lois has already been approved of and is very safe." Tom directed his gaze to Mrs. Clarke and continued,
"He said we have to decide whether when he comes here, he'll perform the surgery on Lois or not."

There was silence as they pondered on what Tom had just said. Ella wanted to cry again and hugged her mother again.

"How can we make a huge decision like this in such a limited time?" Mr. Clarke wondered out loud.

He looked at his daughter and wife and remembered when Lois had fist had her accident. How had their life changed so drastically? Mrs. Clarke nodded at her husband and said,

"I think Ella should decide."

"What?" Ella almost screamed.

"You know Lois better than anyone here." Mr. Clarke tried to reassure her.

"I've caused her so much pain. What if something goes wrong with the surgery and she's permanently hurt. That will be my fault forever."

"Lois trusts you more than anyone in the world. She idolizes you and you're the best person to decide." Mrs. Clarke said.

For the first time since Ella had broken up with David, she looked at him. David nodded reassuringly and smiled at her. Ella let out and breath of air and said,

"Okay. I think Dr. Gold should perform the surgery."

Everyone nodded solemnly and Ella desperately hoped nothing went wrong this time around or else she wouldn't be able to stand seeing her sister in pain again.

Author's Note.

Ella deserves an award for being so strong. Do you think Lois' surgery will be successful? And why David snap at Jade when he was trying be supportive? I miss David and Ella and being together!