Remembered Promises

Chapter 15

Jonah's phone started ringing and he jumped up from his bed almost knocking Jenna to the floor.

"Shit baby, I'm sorry!" He said as he climbed over her to get to his phone. It was the hospital. "Hello!?" He said frantically.

"Mr. Hollingsworth, your Mother just came out of surgery. She's stable. We can talk more when you get here." The doctor said.

"Yes, thank you doctor. I'll be right there." He said as he hung up. He got up off the bed and started changing. He felt eyes burning into his back. He had completely forgotten about her being there. He slowly turned around to face her. She looked perfect with her messy bun and rosy cheeks. She stared at him with her big blue eyes. He always seemed to get lost in those eyes.      

"Jonah, what did they say?" She asked breaking him out of his trance. He shook his head from side to side breaking the stare.

"They.. they said she was stable. Can you drive me to your house to get my car? I don't want you to have to usher me everywhere." He said as he walked to the bed and sat down next to her.

"I don't mind." She said.

"Jenna, I want you to go home. The dark circles under your eyes gave you away the moment I saw you. I'll be back tonight. I'll come sleep in the guest house. I promise." He said as he touched her cheek. She sighed but nodded her head in aggreeance. She let him finish getting dressed and then they headed to her house so he could pick up his car. He could tell that she hated the thought of leaving him alone but he assured her that he was okay. He kissed her on the forehead and got into his car. He drove to the hospital with the windows down and the music up, trying to settle his nerves. It didn't help. He walked into the hospital with his hands in his pockets, hoping for good news. He pushed the call button on the ICU ward and waited to be let in.

"Mr. Hollingsworth, the doctor is in your Mom's room waiting for you." The nurse said.

"Thank you." He said nervously. He walked into his Mom's room and up to her bed.

"Jonah, the surgery went well. Your Mom is stable and we were able to stop the bleeding. Tomorrow we will start to wean her off of the sedation. I suggest you be close by for when she wakes up. She'll be disoriented and need a familiar face." The doctor explained. Jonah took a deep breath and kissed his Mom's hand. He turned to face the doctor.

"Thank you sir. You have no idea how appreciative I am for your help." Jonah said as tears came to his eyes.

"Your Mother is a strong woman. And blessed to have you standing by her side." The doctor said as he signed off on the chart and walked out of the room. Jonah sat next to his Mom and watched her sleep and listened to the beep of the heart monitor.

A few hours later his phone beeped. It pulled him out of the deep trance that he was in. He opened his phone to find a text from Jenna.

*Hey, we're going to barbeque for dinner. I'll put you a plate in the microwave for whenever you show up. Love you. 😘*

He smiled and quickly texted her back. He was so blessed to have her by his side. If he didn't, he didn't know how he would survive this.

*Thank you, baby. I'll be there in a few hours.*

He was looking down at his phone when someone behind him cleared their throat. He turned around to find Edwin standing there. He was so shocked to see him he couldn't find any words.

"Hello Jonah." Edwin said curtly.

"Er, um hello Mr. Lancaster." Jonah said confused. "Is everything okay?"

"Yes. Can we please talk somewhere private?" He asked.

"Sure, there's a waiting room outside of this wing. Follow me." Jonah said as he got up and led Mr. Lancaster out of his Mom's room. They both say down. Edwin leaned forward resting his arms on his legs and clasped his hands together. He took a deep breath and looked at Jonah. Jonah couldn't help but tremble on the inside. What the hell was he doing here? Finally he spoke.

"Jonah, I'm worried about Jenna. I have a feeling that she's planning on postponing her start date for college. And that's not acceptable to me. It would be very bad for her future." Edwin said as he bore holes through Jonah's eyes with his own. After a few moments of awkward silence, Jonah finally caught onto what he was saying. Jonah would never let her do that for him. She had a bright future ahead of her. He refused to let her ruin it for him and his messed up Mother.

"I won't let it come to that, sir. She has a bright future ahead of her. And I'll do whatever it takes to make sure she starts college on time. You have my word." Jonah said as he sat up. He was determined to not let her ruin her future.

"I knew I could count on you. Thank you, son." Edwin said as he stood up. "I'm pulling for your Mom and I'm glad they caught the bastard. Such a tragedy." He said as he shook Jonah's hand. In the blink of an eye he was gone. Jonah stood there with his head reeling. How was her going to convince her to start college on time? Maybe he needed to distance himself from her for a few days. Maybe that way she would get her head on straight. Jonah's future may be ruined because of this but he wouldn't let Jenna's become that way. He pulled out his phone. He was already regretting this conversation and he hadn't even had it yet. He dialed her number and pulled the phone to his ear.

"Hey." She said sweetly. Jonah melted at just her voice. He was going to make this short because if he stayed on the phone with her for long he wouldn't do it.

"Hey Jenna. I'm going to stay at my house for the next couple of days. I need some time to clear my head." He said curtly.

"Um, okay. Is your mom okay?" Jenna asked quietly.

"Yes, she's fine. Jenna I need to go. I'll text you in a few days." Jonah said. He almost cracked on that one.

"Jonah, don't push me away. I'll give you a few days but don't expect me to let you drown in your dark thoughts." Jenna said softly. He could hear the hurt in her voice. God how he hated this.

"Okay, bye Jenna." He snapped.

"I love you, Jonah." She said quietly. He hung the phone up as fast as he could. This was the right thing to do. He couldn't let her be distracted by this. Besides, a few days alone would probably be a good thing. Or would it?