Evelyn

I know I've been thinking about him a lot. I always am. But I think I'm seeing him now.

He couldn't actually be there could he? Why would he be hanging around the bank? I didn't think he was in need of money so he certainly wasn't there to rob the bank.

Jenny follows my gaze to Marcel's car and wiggles her eyebrows. I told her about the breakup but for some reason she wants us to fix it. Most of my friends want us to get back together. I guess they remember how in love we were back in college and even after that.

He must have seen me looking so he gets out of the car and stands by the door. I look at Jenny and she nods - telling me to go over to him.

I do.

"You don't plan on robbing the place do you?" I ask him as I approach.

"Maybe. Would you visit me in jail?" He asks with a light smile.

I pretend to think it over. "Nah." 

"Then no. I'm not planning to rob the place. I'm uh...actually here to see you." 

I hate the fact that I'm​ excited by that. I want to be around him. Talk to him. But I don't want to act like he didn't cheat on me and is becoming a father. I hold my chin up and pretend not to be affected by him.

Guess no matter what I do, I'd be pretending.

"Do you need something? Did I leave something at your place?"

He frowns. "No. There's something I need to talk to you about." 

"Uhm...Can it wait? I'm on a clock here." He hesitates. "Or you could just say it quickly."

Shaking his head, he replies, "No. Meet me later? My place?" 

I miss it there. But I don't think I could go back there. "My place is fine. Come by around seven."

When he nods in agreement I look at him for a moment. He looks like he hasn't been sleeping, if the dark shadows under his eyes are any indication. And the stubble on his chin shows he hadn't shaved in a while.

But despite all that, he's still as handsome as the first time I saw him.

He stares back at me and I have to snap myself out of it. This man cheated on me and got another woman pregnant. Surely, I can't be thinking about him that way. 

I walk away, wondering what he could possibly want to talk to me about. 

♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥

Later, as I'm driving home, my phone rings. I fumble around with it trying to touch the answer button. "Hel-"

"Evelyn!" My dad's anxious voice rings through the car speakers. "You need to get to Granville Hospital now. It's your mother."

"Dad, this isn't funny." He and Nessa did this before and almost gave me a heart attack. 

"Sweetie..." His voice breaks.

 I freeze. No. Not my mom. Dad doesn't easily panic. He only did when it came to Mom and I. But he could be panicking for nothing now, right?

I see the bright light before I hear the loud horns of the truck. I had only a split second to snap out of it and swing the car out of the way. Swinging it left is my quickest option but then I swerved straight into a tree. Ow! Damn it. Thank God for airbags. But it pushed my head back so fast that it hurt. "Dad?" I groan. 

I look up to see that the call has disconnected. I unbuckle my seat-belt and grab my purse, shoving my phone into it. I don't even stop to look at my car as I run to the side of the road to hail a taxi. "Granville Hospital," I order the driver. I feel lightheaded but I ignore it. I have to get to my mother.

I try calling my dad's number but he doesn't pick up. A ton of emotions surge through me and I just don't know which one to feel.

Is Mom sick and didn't tell me? Or was she in an accident? I swear if someone hurt her... "Step on it!" I order the driver. 

The drive is so long it makes me anxious and my palms are sweaty. The driver pulls into the hospital's parking lot and I'm out of the car before he even stops. I throw him some cash and run inside.

The woman at the front desk instructs me where to go and I run up the stairs. I'm running on adrenaline and I can't even think of standing in an elevator at the moment. 

I go to Room 215 as instructed. Mom is lying on the bed in a hospital gown, sleeping peacefully. 

"Evelyn." I haven't even noticed Dad. He's sitting next to her, holding her hand. 

"How is she? What happened?" I go to sit on her other side. 

"She's going to be just fine, Lyn." I turn around at the sound of Dr. van Hale's voice. He's my mother's doctor? "Mr. Brady brought her here because she got dizzy and passed out. It seemed she hadn't been taking her meds exactly as instructed."

"Why hadn't I noticed?" Dad mutters. 

"The good thing is you've noticed in good time and we can proceed in the right direction," Dr. van Hale replies.

"What are you talking about? Somebody tell me what is going on!" I snap. Mom stirs and her eyes flutter open. "Crap. I didn't mean to wake you, Mom."

Her eyes widen. "Lyn, what are you-" She pauses and looks at Dad and Dr. van Hale then sighs. 

"Your mother has Type I Diabetes. She was diagnosed a year ago," Dr. van Hale says. 

"Honey, I wanted to tell you but it was never the right time. And I didn't want you to worry."

"So you thought keeping this from me was a good idea because you didn't want me to worry? Mom, I hadn't visited you guys in so long. What if something happened to you? What if you got worse?" I sob.

I feel more selfish in that moment than I ever had before. Here my mother is lying in a hospital because of some sickness she's had for so long and I didn't even know. I didn't stick around because I thought they were hiding things from me and I didn't stop to think it might be that she was sick. "I'm sorry, Mom." She sits up a little and wraps her arms around me. "I'm so sorry."  

"You have nothing to apologize for." I look up at her. Tears threaten to spill from her light grey eyes. I hate myself in this moment. "Don't you dare," she says sternly, as if she could hear my thoughts. 

"But-" I stop as a wave of nausea hit me. I suddenly feel dizzy. 

"Lyn? Lyn, are you alright?" Mom's voice seems to echo. I'm​ seeing two of her. 

I shake my head, trying to clear my vision. That doesn't work and the last thing I see is Dr. van Hale and my Dad reaching for me before I collapse.

💖💖💖💖💖💖💖