Zephaniah // z.m

13. Scary tunnel

Zayn

Startled out of sleep was I, when Zephaniah began to move on my lap. The sound of the television was on and it took me a minute to realise that we were laying on the couch, Zephaniah quietly watching an animal program.

Rubbing my eyes, I frowned when I realised I hadn't put on the television and Zephaniah didn't know how it worked. "Zeph?"

Zephaniah removed his head from my chest and looked up at me instead, eyes flickering away when our eye contact was longer than he liked. "Daddy." He said quietly, his voice sounding extremely hoarse, which was probably because of the pain.

"Who put on the television?" I mumbled as I yawned quietly, stretching out my limbs.

"Ms. Hannah, daddy. She's m-mmaking lunch," I noticed how Zephaniah flinched as he talked and my frown became deeper when I noticed some blood on the shirt I was wearing.

Right. Hannah was here. Right. Zephaniah's head is still bleeding and.. shit! We needed to go to the hospital. "Hannah! Why didn't you wake us up?!" I snapped as I quickly stood up, causing Zephaniah to whimper.

Hannah turned around and played with her fingers as a small frown appeared on her forehead, looking genuinely confused. "But why would I?"

"Because we need to go to the hospital!" I huffed as if it was too obvious. It was, right? I sighed deeply, only then feeling a small tug at my shirt.

Zephaniah looked at me with wide eyes, "Baba, are you- you mad?"

I sighed sadly and shook my head as I ruffled his hair, "No, I'm sorry. Zephaniah, we're going to the hospital for your head, okay?"

Hannah bit her lip and finished making our sandwiches, immediately making me feel slightly guilty, but I didn't want to say sorry. I knew it wasn't even her job to make sure I was on time. But then why did I act the way I was acting?

"Sleep- sleep test?" Zephaniah frowned, his bottom lip pouting a little. Surely remembering the time where he had to sleep in the hospital to record his brain activity before he was officially diagnosed with epilepsy, he started flapping his hands right away. He had had an autistic meltdown before he had that test- it was too vague for him, too unfamiliar.

"No. Your wound is still bleeding and you need a MRI scan, you remember that? In the tunnel." Taking the sandwich from Hannah, I gave one to Zephaniah as well and saw how his face fell.

He didn't say anything, though. He just took a small bite out of his sandwich and whimpered when he swallowed it down, his eyes closing and his nose scrunching up as he did so.

Once he had opened his eyes, tears had filled them and he placed his sandwich on the table, wiping away his tears quickly.

"Zephaniah?" Hannah's sweet voice spoke up as she stared at him. "Would you rather have a fruit smoothie with a straw?"

Zephaniah nodded with a blush on his pink cheeks, a few tears rolling down still. I watched as Hannah brushed his tears away with her thumbs. She made him a smoothie and helped him get it down carefully, so he wouldn't be in too much pain and I couldn't help but.. smile.

The way she acted towards him, the way she took care of him, it made me feel warm on the inside, though I'd never admit that. Especially not to her.

"We need to go," I said shortly after they finished.

"Baba?" Zephaniah looked up at me. "Can I b-bring Shephy with me?"

I nodded, "Go get him then, buddy." Zephaniah carefully walked over to the stairs and made his way up, leaving me and Hannah all alone for a while.

"Zephy and Shephy," Hannah smiled softly, dimples showing in her cheeks and I couldn't help but smile again for some reasons. I quickly hid it, though, as I pretended to wipe my mouth.