Guarded

||twenty-two||

"What do you mean?" I say frantically into the phone.

"You're mother- she's not looking well. She was supposed to come in for a check up this morning, but she didn't show. So, I called her and she didn't pick up. So I told some paramedics to go find her. You are aware of the pain killers she's been on?" The doctor asks.

"What pain killers? They have pain killers for cancer?"

"No, no. For her surgery she had done on her foot. She had it done a couple weeks ago. Were you aware of this surgery or the pain killers?"

"I think she mentioned something about her medication for her foot once, but I didn't pay much attention to it," I reply. Why didn't I pay much attention it? I'm so stupid. "And I wasn't aware she had surgery." How could my own mother keep so much from me? I had no idea that she even hurt her foot and needed surgery for it.

"Well, the drugs we had her on can get addictive and I guess she got addicted. Your mother overdosed, Cassidy."

I drop the phone from my hands and a tear slips from my eye.

"What is it, Cassie? What's going on?" Niall rushes over and picks up the phone. He gently rubs my back in circular motions.

"We need to go back to New York. My mum overdosed on her pain killers. I'm such an idiot. I paid so little attention to it. I brushed it off my shoulder because I was only thinking about the cancer. I didn't even give a second thought to any other medicine she was using. And now she's OD'd." I slam my fist on the table and put my head down forcefully. The tears flow down harder with each sob I take.

"Our flight is already booked for tomorrow and it leaves early in the morning. We'll be with your mum as soon as we can, okay?" Niall tilts my head up and kisses me passionately on my lips through my gross, salty tears and that's when I realize- Niall Horan really does truly love me.

-

"More hospital bills," I whine to Niall as we sit on the plane, flying back to New York. "We won't be able to pay for this." I rest my head on his shoulder.

"Don't worry, babe. Everything will be fine. You and your mum will be fine. I promise." He kisses the top of my head.

"I'll need to get a job." I yawn, obviously tired. I had stayed up all night worrying about my mum and money and my father and how he's still the douche he was when he left us.

"I'll help find you one. And I'll get one, too." He rubs my arm, comfortingly. "So I can help with the hospital bills, too."

I shake my head. "No, no. It's not your responsibility to pay for her. It's mine. You don't have to do that."

"Yes, I do," he insists. "I care about you and your mother and I want both of you to be happy and healthy."

My eyes get wide. "Prom. What am I gonna do? My mother is going to need constant care and supervision after this. You know what? You go to prom. Have fun. I'll stay with my mum and then afterwards you can tell me all about it." I try to force a smile, even though I'd hate to miss the prom. But family first and it seems to me that mum is the only family I have left."

"Cassie, you're my date to the prom. If you're not going, I'm not going."

"But you have to. You only have one senior prom! Go ahead, be a teenager. I'll be fine, sitting at home-" my voice gets quieter. "With my dying mother."

"Cassie Billoway! Don't you dare say that your mother is dying! She will be absolutely fine!" He stares straight into my eyes and I can see that he truly cares and is being completely sincere.

"I-I'm sorry." I start to cry and I lean my head on his shoulder once more. He wraps his arm around me and pulls me in close and finally I feel safe and I know everything will be okay in the end.

~

Sorry this is kinda short ahaha

Anyway, thanks for reading ily

comment, vote, and take a mint on your way out :-)

-Anna xo