The Rest Is History | ✓

29 | the impulse

I woke up on Sunday with a start. Today was the day of Mrs Woods' surgery.

I got ready quickly and had breakfast with Kate, Angie, Beth and a few other girls. Since they all knew Archer had an emergency back home, and they also knew I was aware, they kept on asking me.

"Vivian, is Archer's mum okay now? Or is she... you know...not?" Alia Ahmed asked me tentatively.

I sighed. I was tired of answering their constant questions. "She will be okay, I'm sure of it. Now I have to go, it's getting late."

I bid goodbye to my three closest friends and set off for St Mary's.

°

I spotted Archer and his dad on the third floor lobby. They were talking to a doctor, who seemed to be explaining something in great detail.

I decided not to disturb and waited a few feet away until the doctor had left. Then I walked up to them.

"Hey," I greeted Archer who was standing closer to me. He turned around and gave me a tired smile. "Hi."

Mr Woods also smiled at me. "Thanks for coming, Viv."

"When's the surgery happening?"

"In around an hour, max. They're getting everything ready. It's going to be a complicated surgery."

I gulped, and nodded. Here comes the anxiety.

"Your parents have visited twice over the past few days," Mr Woods said.

I nodded. "I know, they're very worried. Today they can't come, unfortunately, but they've blown up my phone with texts, asking me to give them updates."

He smiled. "I know I've said this umpteen times before, but I can't thank you all enough for standing beside us during this time."

"Mr Woods, you'd do the same thing for us."

He smiled. "You're right. Okay, now I need to go to the reception once for some formalities. You two stay here."

Archer and I sat in silence on the shiny steel chairs. We waited.

Archer was the first to break the silence. He asked me quietly, "What do you think will happen today?"

I looked at him. "Your mum will fight, that's what'll happen. And she'll win this fight. She'll come out of it looking as good as before, and she'll scold you for worrying so much."

He cracked a smile. "You sure know how to cheer people up."

I grinned. "One of my many specialities."

His eyes suddenly widened. "You'd said those exact words to me when I'd said you were a huge chatterbox, remember, when we first became friends?"

No, I didn't remember. "Um, no. Had I said that?"

"Yeah! And then I'd snorted and told you it wasn't a speciality, and you'd punched my arm and called me a good-for-nothing brat. I remember thinking, yeah, this girl is crazy."

I laughed. "Really? I'd called you a good-for-nothing brat just because you said that?"

He started laughing too. "Yeah, you've called me many names over the past year and a half."