Guarded

||twenty-three||

I rush into the hospital.

"Billoway," I say urgently to the lady at the counter.

"Room 103." She nods towards the left and I run over to my mum's room.

She lies on the bed, hooked up to several different machines.

"Mum, I'm here. It's going to be okay. Everything will be okay." The tears stream down my face as I sob, sitting next to my mother.

A nurse walks in and stands next to Niall. "I'm sorry, sir, but it's family only right now." Niall nods and walks out of the room.

I hold onto my mum's hand and stroke her arm gently. "I love you, I love you," I repeat. "Stay with me, please. I need you."

I stay here for hours, until Niall says it's time for me to get something to eat. I insist on staying with her, but he says it's best for me to get some fresh air.

-

"So, babe, I applied to some places." Niall forces a cheeky smile as we sit down at a table at a small diner next to the hospital.

"Have you gotten anything back?" I ask eagerly.

He chuckles. "It takes some time. You know, a couple days or maybe a week. I'm not gonna get a job like that." He snaps his fingers.

A light goes off in my head. "What about Alexis?!" I exclaim. "She could help me!"

"Oh, so now you want to borrow money from someone." Niall raises his eyebrows.

"I'm desperate. Plus, I've always liked Fad Magazine. Maybe I can get a job there and repay her after my mum gets better." I weakly smile. "There's so many expenses to be paid. The cancer treatments, the check ups, the foot surgery. I need this."

I pull out my phone and dial the number it says on the business card. "Hello, Alexis Walters's office, Betty speaking."

"Hi, it's Cassidy Billoway, the girl Alexis met on the airplane. May I speak to her please?" I ask nervously.

"Sure thing." The line goes silent for a few seconds, until Alexis cheerfully greets me.

"Cassidy! How are you? How's your mom?"

"Well, my mum is kind of the problem. You see, she overdosed on pain killers and I need money for our medical bills. I was wondering if you could help in any way. Maybe just like a hundred bucks could help," I say hesitantly.

"Come by my office tomorrow, and bring the bills. I will help you, Cassidy," Alexis replies and hangs up the phone.

Is this even legal?

I don't care anymore. I just want my mum to live.

-

"Listen, sweetie, we know you want to be with your mother, but you have to leave now. You can come back in the morning," the nurse says as she leads me out of the room. I try to say goodbye to my mum, but the door shuts before I get the chance to.

Niall drives me back to his house. "You can sleep in my bed, if you like. I don't mind the couch," he says. I nod and he smiles weakly. "You've got a big day, tomorrow. You're going to Fad Magazine and having a meeting with Alexis Walters. She's a very generous person."

"I know and I'm so glad for that." We arrive at the house and Niall walks me in. He brings out a pair of his sweatpants and a t-shirt for me to wear to bed.

I put them on and pull my unruly brown locks into a messy bun. I walk back into the living room and sit on the couch next to Niall, who's watching derby on the TV.

He wraps an arm around me and pulls me in close, he uses his fingers to twirl the loose strands of my hair. "You look really hot in my clothes."

"Well, according to some people, I'm hot all the time." I stifle a chuckle. Niall gently touches my face and moves my head so I'm looking straight into his bright blue eyes.

He kisses my lips passionately before pulling away and whispering, "No matter what happens, I love you, Cassie."

"I love you, too, Niall."

~

HAPPY FOURTH OF JULY TO ALL THE AMERICAN READERS!!

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I LOVE AMERICA

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I'm proud to be an American idiot. Ahaha I'm lame i know

Comment, vote, & take a mint on your way out :-)

-Anna xo