A Timeless Place

Chapter 55

"The wind's in the willows
My heart is in two.
I sit being billowed
Thinking of you.

The wind's in the willows
It's starting to rain
I sit getting drenched
Both with droplets and pain."

~ A Stormy Moment

Right Reasons and Wrong Impressions

"All I know was that there was a fight," I barely registered Jordan's flighty sentences from the backseat as I spun down street after street desperately trying to reach the hospital as fast as I could. I barely remembered getting back into the car, let alone fastening the seatbelt that barely managed to hold my insides together as street after street blurred past. "His mom just called me and I came to Kitty's as soon as I heard."

Eli squeezed my shoulder from the backseat as I tried to focus through the haze of my brain to the road in front of me. All that mattered right now was Wes and how fast the distance between us vanished. The car wasn't going fast enough.

"Kitty, calm down," Jordan clutched onto his seat as he and Eli shot me a worried look.

"Not until I've seen him," I could barely speak through my clenched teeth.

"I'm sure he's okay," Eli spoke calmly.

"Then why is he at the hospital?" I spoke rhetorically, making a sharp right at the hospital. I pulled the car into the nearest bay before lunging out of the car. Eli and Jordan hurried after me as I stormed through the hospital doors and immediately spotted Wes' parents near the reception.

"We came as soon as we heard," I practically ran to them. They both looked up at us in surprise. Andrew's usually friendly face showed more prominent tired lines and Marie was wringing her hands stressfully. My first impression was that they were stressed about Wes. But when I drew closer to them, they just looked tired- not physically but mentally exhausted.

"Oh, dear, you didn't need to come," Marie embraced each of us. "All this fuss! You really do care for Wes!"

"Of course we'd be here," Jordan interjected. "How is he?"

"He's okay, just a few minor scratches," Andrew waved his hand. From what I could tell, his parents were not all that worried about Wes. So what were they worried about?

"What happened?" I held Marie's hands into my own.

"It's embarrassing, really," both Marie and Andrew were looking more at the ground than at us. It seemed that they really did wish we weren't here to witness what was going on. "Mason and Wesley never really got along too well growing up. It's a shame, they're brothers after all- they're supposed to be close to each other."

My heart clenched at the realisation- Mase and Wes had fought so badly that Wes ended up at the hospital. I know understood why his parents look embarrassed. Two respectable parents with children who couldn't even get along. Andrew excused himself, saying he had to fill out paperwork at the reception.

"I'm sorry, this must be so tough," I hugged Marie.

"Oh dear, why on Earth would you apologise?" Marie managed to give me that motherly smile. My chest was starting to hurt again. Oh, if only she knew. Maybe if I had been there for Wes the night he and Mase fought, maybe- just maybe things would be different.

"Where's Wes now?" Eli asked, interrupting my insurmountable build-up of guilt.

"He hit his head so he's just getting a few tests done to check for a concussion," Marie sighed. "He should be done by now, I think.