I stayed at the hospital with Mom for the better part of the weekend. They allowed us to go home late Sunday evening. I helped Mom pack her clothes for rehab after we got home, then drew her a hot bath to soak in before I cooked a hot meal.
Mom had finished with her bath just as I pulled a casserole out of the oven along with some roasted asparagus. I got two glasses of water for us. I didn't want to tempt mom with wine for this meal. I certainly felt like drinking after what happened, but I pushed the thought out of my head.
"I hope you like it, Mom," I said as I put a plate full of food in front of her.
"It looks and smells delicious. I'm so hungry, I could probably eat a cow right now." She laughed with the biggest smile I'd seen since I was ten.
I smiled back and dug into the food with her. After we both had second helpings of dinner, I turned Mom's electric blanket on for her. I did a quick check to make sure there were no temptations before she came up for bed. After I made sure everything was fine, I got her into bed.
I then went downstairs to clean up the kitchen. I put the leftovers into containers and cleaned up the kitchen. Finally done, I went to get a shower, really wanting a bath but deciding against it. I didn't want to be in there for too long in case Mom needed something.
I went back downstairs with a book to read, thankful that I didn't have any homework to do. I stayed up reading and checking on Mom the whole night, not sleeping for worrying about her.
Early Monday morning I drove her to rehab, knowing she'd be there for a while, she took clothes with her. I dropped her off and gave her a hug and kiss before I went to school in the car.
All morning I had such a hard time trying to focus. I was so tired that I nearly passed out three different times in class and twice in the hallway. On my way to lunch, I had headphones on, listening to my favorite songs on my playlist. When I entered the cafeteria, everything seemed different, but I wasn't sure how.
Everything seemed quieter than usual and people were staring at me. This was new and I didn't like it. It was weird and made me uncomfortable. The only person I really looked at was Angela. She gave me a sympathetic look, unlike most others.
I sat down by myself, my playlist stayed on allowing me to become very lost in my thoughts. Suddenly Angela was at my table. It surprised me, but I tried not to let it show.
"Hey, Angela. How was the rest of your weekend?" I asked, taking my headphones off
"Hey, Druelyn. My weekend was fine, but I have to wonder if yours was. Is everything okay?" She asked, concern written all over her face.
No one ever asked me how my weekend was. So I didn't know how to answer her. I shrugged.
"It was fine, I guess. It could have been a little better." As I finished my sentence, Jasper walked over to my table.
This caused more people to stare at me. Jasper's expression seemed almost unreadable. I thought I saw a smile, but I wasn't sure. He looked at Angela and then to me.
"Hello, ladies. Mind if I sit down?" He asked.
Angela looked at me. She wasn't about to answer and waited for me too.
"Sure," I said, almost confused by his question.
I thought he came over for Angela. His eyes stayed on me for a moment before he looked at Angela.
"Do you mind if I talk to Druelyn alone for a moment? It is very important, Angela," Jasper said.
"Uh… sure. I will talk to you later, Druelyn," Angela said.
"Before you go, why don't I give you my number?" I asked.
Angela nodded. I quickly wrote my number for her on a piece of paper and handed it to her. She thanked me and walked off after that. Then one of my biggest crushes had my full attention.
"I wanted to talk to you about Friday at the hospital," Jasper said, almost whispering it.
"What about it?" I asked.
"I wanted to tell you how sorry I am about what happened to your mom. I wasn't trying to intrude, but I needed to pick Dad up from work. I know you will probably worry about her while she's gone and perhaps be lonely too." Jasper explained.
"Being alone doesn't bother me as much as people probably think it does. Then again, no one has ever really understood me either. I think that's why I cling to being alone so much." I explained, looking down as I blushed.
Jasper smiled at me. I don't know if that means he likes me or he's noticing that I like him. Either way, I think he has a gorgeous smile. It's something he doesn't show off often enough. He usually looks like he's in pain all the time. I always wondered why.
"I'd still like to come and check on you every now and again, if that's okay. Just so I can be at peace," Jasper said.
This was shocking to me and I tried to hide it the best that I could. Before the shock settled in too much, it was suddenly swept away and replaced with a serene feeling. It was odd, but I still liked it.
"Uhh… sure I guess." I stuttered.
Was he really concerned about my well being? No one except my mother ever showed this much concern. It was so new to me and kind of unnerving.
"Why don't you give me your cell phone number? That way if I want to call or text, I can, or if I need directions to your place, I know how to get in touch with you," Jasper said.
The only way I could communicate now was by moving my head. I nodded and wrote my number down again. I handed this copy to Jasper. He smiled at it before stuffing it away in his pants pocket.
"Are you sure you're going to be okay?" Jasper asked.
I suddenly remembered how exhausted I was. It settled back in and I honestly didn't know if I would be or not. I decided to lie to Jasper, although it felt awful.
"I'm sure I will be fine. I just didn't get enough sleep last night," I said.
Which was true, in its own sense. I didn't get any sleep at all last night and hadn't eaten in nearly twenty-four hours. That fact hadn't made itself known yet. Being tired had shown through a few times, but it was hard to tell if anyone noticed.
"Well, if you need anything, you can always talk to me. Okay?" Jasper said.
I nodded yet again. Why did I have such a hard time using my words? Before either of us could say anything else, the bell rang. I wasn't expecting it so I nearly jumped out of my skin. That was embarrassing to have Jasper see.
I got up out of my chair to leave. The second I stood up, I felt very weird. I've never felt like this before. I instantly became very dizzy and felt like I was about to hurl everywhere. I shut my eyes as tight as I could, hoping it would help. I gripped the side of the table in fear of falling over. Every sound went silent. I heard absolutely nothing.
I opened my eyes to see Jasper as alert as ever and trying to tell me something. He held bottled water in his hand. He was offering me a drink. I held out my hand, taking the offer. I usually wouldn't, but I felt like it might help. I took a small sip, setting the water on the table when done. It didn't help; in fact, only making it worse. I closed my eyes again for a moment.
I knew at that moment; I needed help. As I opened my eyes, I looked at Jasper. I was about to ask for his help when everything went black. I saw nothing but a black void. I didn't see or hear anything else. I felt nothing. It was odd. I felt like I was floating in space or something. I couldn't really even tell if I was breathing or not. At some point, I thought I heard someone—a woman—scream my name.
I had no clue how much time passed before I became fully conscious again. I was still only seeing black because I hadn't opened my eyes yet. I was afraid to. I didn't know what I was expecting to see, but I was imagining something bad. I opened them anyway. At first, everything was blurry. I blinked a few times to fix my vision. It helped.
I looked around confused. How did I get to the nurse's office? I was too big for one student to move. Who helped me when I wasn't able to communicate it? Why did my back hurt, my arms and lips tingle, head ache, and my breaths shallow? I don't remember falling or tripping. I felt confused by all of this. I was unable to comprehend what happened exactly. Suddenly Jasper came in with his dad.
Why would he be here? Surely not for me.
