So it's been a while. And I said I would update more, sorry.
Anyway, new chapter.
Please read and enjoy.
Review if you feel like it.
Cress POV
Cress had been in the hospital for a few hours and she still had almost no idea what was happening. She had been close to tears the whole time and nobody had noticed, making her feel very alone. Like back before she had friends. It all reversed so quickly.
Her dad was busy trying to take over the other doctor's jobs. She had no idea what he was trying to accomplish, but he kept suggesting tests and samples and a whole bunch of other things that Cress didn't understand. It seemed like anybody who could fill Cress in on what was happening was too busy dealing with her dad or actually taking care of Aunt Amanda. Cress was also much too shy to actually ask someone about it.
All she knew was that Aunt Amanda was sick, and was currently asleep. Or in a coma. She told herself it would be okay.
Her phone rang again, and it was Thorne. She declined it, then put her phone on the do not disturb mode. The only reason she wanted to talk to anyone would be to figure out why she was here, why Aunt Amanda was here.
It was such a drastic change from this morning and the middle of the day. It felt like forever ago when she was having fun.
It will be okay, she repeated to herself over and over again.
Thorne POV
He had gotten home and waited impatiently for a phone call. He waited for what seemed like hours, but was probably only two at the most. He had never been one to be anxious, but he found himself pacing, and when sitting down, tapping his foot. Eventually he called her. It had rung for only a little while before he had been declined. He called again in another five minutes, and the same thing happened.
After that he felt it was clear that his call was unwanted. He turned on the tv and turned on the show he was watching earlier. He didn't really pay attention to characters or any type of plot. Just watched the people move around on the screen. Then his foot started tapping. Eventually he got up and paced.
She had said she would call right? Yes? Actually he thought she might have nodded. That meant yes, though.
He called again. It only rang once. He didn't bother to leave a message. After a while he called again and was declined. On his next try it didn't even ring, just went straight to voicemail. Another call yielded the same results. Her phone could have died, or she could have blocked him out of annoyance.
He texted Winter to see if she had heard from Cress. The reply was not encouraging. Instead of calling again, he typed out a quick text to Cress.
Thorne:Cress, please call me. You said you would.
The message was sent, though it never updated to say read. Rather than worrying over his phone he tried to watch the show. Again it couldn't hold his attention.
Instead, he turned it off and started playing Cress's song. One Day. One day, it will all be fine, Thorne thought
Cress POV
Eventually her father came and found her.
Cress had previously fallen into an anxious sleep and was easily awakened by what seemed to be a shouting match between her father and one of the nurses. When it had settled down, he had sulked his way to where Cress was sitting.
"Dad, are you going to tell me what's happening?" She sat up a bit straighter, dreading the information while also needing to know.
"It's a rare disease, at least for America, called Letumosis." He sat down heavily in the chair next to her's.
"What does that entail? You know I don't know anything about medical stuff." That wasn't completely true, though any knowledge she did have was irrelevant to this situation.
"Crescent, what time is it?" He completely dodged her question, and that made her worried.
"It's like 10:45, Dad. Are you going to answer my question?" She quickly glanced at her phone to confirm the time.
"We should get you home, Crescent, it's late." He sounded weary.
"I don't have school tomorrow. It's Saturday." She argued.
"This isn't a debate, we're going home. I'll answer you in the car." He stood up, and grabbed his hat. His arms were shoved into an old, favorite jacket of his, and his glasses were pushed back into their proper place on the bridge of his nose.
She followed slower, and grabbed her belongings. She didn't pressure her dad, just mutely followed him as he did what he had to do before leaving.
Traveling across the dark parking lot, Cress rubbed her arms, desperately wishing for a jacket, and hoping to warm herself with the friction.
She got into the passenger side of her dad's small car. He got into the driver's seat and for a moment they sat in the silence and dark. Then he started the car up and the silence was gone, the darkness lessened.
"You said you would explain in the car. Care to?" She felt a certain comfort in the remaining shadows of the car.
"I don't even know much, Crescent," again he called her by her full name. It was almost hard to care about such a trivial thing anymore.
"Tell me what you do know, I can guarantee it's more than I do."
"Yes, well we only know that your aunt is the second case in the US. The first one passed away about a year ago. A 90 year old woman. The visible symptoms we are aware of are rashes, and at the very end, blood loss to the extremities, or in simple terms, blue fingers. In the first case there was a racking cough." He didn't look away from the road, just gripped the steering wheel tighter as they made their way home.
"You said in the US. What about other cases around the world?"
"There wasn't a doctor present. We don't have much of a record from them. We haven't heard of a single survivor." He was growing quieter while Cress's mind was beginning to grow louder with anxiety and worry.
"Is there a chance that she'll survive?" The question was on both their minds and on many others back at the hospital.
"Yes, of course. There is always a chance. Your aunt is much younger and healthier than the other case here in the US."
"What about the other cases?"
"We have better technologies and medicine. There is a strong chance she will pull through."
"She might die though."
"Again, always a chance." It was blunt. And true.
She chose to not think about it. Instead, staring out the window for the remainder of the drive. On the edge of panic, but shoving it down, counting the cars that passed by.
When they got home, she left her dad in the driveway running up to the front door. She only fumbled with her keys for a moment, hurrying inside and up the stairs. She locked the door to her bedroom.
With a sense of dread, finding nothing else to do, she opened her phone. Turned off the do not disturb.
There were a multitude of missed calls from Thorne, and two from Winter. A text from both Thorne and Winter. She turned off her phone before she could read them, not wanting to face reality.
Instead she changed, and slipped under her covers. Her phone was hidden under her pillow playing quiet music to distract her as she fell asleep.
Her dad knocked at her door a few minutes later. She didn't answer or give any indication she had heard him. The knob was quietly turned, but the attempt to open the door was unsuccessful. He sighed, and the sounds of him traveling down the hallway followed.
She closed her eyes and told herself it would be ok.
Thorne POV
He tried to call one more time. It rang, but was quickly silenced, telling him that she had chosen to decline it. He really hoped Cress wouldn't keep avoiding him. Looking at the time, he saw it was late.
He laid down and repeated to himself that it would be fine. It will be fine.