A/N – Well, guys. All questions will be answered...!

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Chapter Twenty-One…Such a Long Road

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Jude felt her world come crashing down. Mason was in the hospital? But…how could that be? There had to be some mistake. She reached out and grabbed Tom's hand. "What happened?"

"Darius wouldn't say. He just said Mason's sister found him unconscious in his apartment this morning and they rushed him to the hospital." Tom rested his head on top of Jude's.

"Folks." Doctor Brown coughed uncomfortably. "We're done here, if you need to go."

"Thanks, Doctor." Tom shook his hand.

"Good luck at your surgery tomorrow, Jude." The three of them shared one last look before the doctor left and Jude and Tom were right behind.

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Jude ran into the hospital waiting room, searching for anyone to help her find Mason. "I need someone!" she said in the loudest voice she could muster without killing her throat, pounding her fist on the front desk. Toronto Memorial Hospital was too big, in her opinion. She wished there was just a neon arrow pointing her to Mason's room. All she wanted to do was see her friend and make sure he was okay.

A nurse walked around the corner, an irritated look on her face. "Can I help you?"

"Uh, yeah. I'm looking for my friend, Mason Fox? He just came in this morning." Jude took a deep breath, trying to calm down.

"Let me check." The nurse sat down in her swivel chair, flipping through some papers. "Ah, yes. Next floor up, second door on the right."

"Thanks." Jude turned to leave, but the nurse grabbed her wrist.

"Miss. He can't have visitors right now. You can sit in the waiting room for now, but he can't have visitors for the next hour or so."

Jude felt the panic rising in her chest. "Why not?"

The nurse sighed, annoyed that she had to give her any more answers. "They just gave him his painkillers. He's a little out of it right now."

"Okay. Where can I wait?" Jude asked, losing patience. The nurse motioned to the empty waiting room behind her. "Thanks."

"Jude!" She turned at the sound of her voice. Tom was jogging over. "What's going on?"

"He just got his painkillers so we can't see him right now. At least that's what the friendly nurse over there told me." Jude pointed to the woman who was now filing her nails and ignoring them completely.

Tom shook his head, sighing. "What do you want to do? Wait here?"

"I guess." Jude shrugged. Tom slunk into a metal chair, burying his head in his hands. "I hope he's okay."

"Why can't I see him! He's my brother!" an unfamiliar voice shouted from the elevators. Jude and Tom both looked over and saw a woman shoving past a doctor, trying to get back into the elevator. "Mason!"

Jude perked up at the name, watching this woman intently. The doctor grabbed both her wrists, holding her tight. "Ma'am, please. Just go wait over there for an hour. Then you can see him, okay?"

Jude stood, walking over to the two of them. "Are you Mason's sister?" she asked quietly. At the sound of another voice whispering his name, the woman went stiff.

"Yes. Who are you?"

"Jude. I'm a friend of Mason's. We work together at G Major."

The woman smiled at her, tugging her arms free from the doctor's grip. "You're the one he sings with." She wrapped her arms around Jude, hugging her tightly. "I'm Flora, Mason's older sister."

"I…Nice to meet you." Jude pulled back a bit. "Would you like to sit with us?" Flora looked over to where she was pointing and noticed Tom watching them closely.

"Who's he?"

"Tom. He's my fiancé. And Mason's producer." Flora nodded and the two of them walked over to where Tom was sitting. Jude cleared her throat. "This is Flora, Mason's sister."

Tom stood and held out his hand. "Nice to meet you. I'm Tom." She shook it, smiling warmly. "I'm gonna go get some coffee. Do you guys want some?" Both the woman shook their heads and he disappeared around the corner.

Jude collapsed in one of the metal chairs and Flora took the seat next to her, eyeing her intently. "Do you ever think Mason wishes he weren't gay?" Jude was a little shocked.

"What do you mean?"

Flora looked at the floor. "Like, do you wonder if he's thinking 'if I wasn't gay, I wouldn't be here right now'?" Jude raised her eyebrows.

"Flora…"

She ignored the younger woman. "I mean, I hope he doesn't feel like that. He's always been really open, especially at home. He was really worried about moving to a big city. He was terrified he wasn't going to be accepted. But he seemed to really fit in here—I was proud. But then this happened and…it's like, he's back to square one."

Jude took a deep breath. "Flora, what happened?"

This stopped the older woman in her tracks. "You don't know what happened?" Jude shook her head. "Oh, my. Well, um…You do know Mase is gay, right?" she asked, with a laugh.

"Yeah…" Jude nodded, feeling the concern rising in her.

"Well, apparently, about a week ago, he went to that gay bar down the road from his apartment. And when he was leaving, a bunch of guys attacked him."

Jude gasped, her hand flying to her mouth. "But why?"

Flora looked up her. "Because they were ignorant and they hated what they didn't understand."

"You mean…they attacked him because he was gay?" she asked, her eyebrows furrowed.

"This happens all the time." Flora set a hand on Jude's knee. "That's why Mason was so afraid to live in a city."

"I can't believe this," Jude breathed, trying to absorb all of this. "But that was a week ago. Why is in the hospital now?"

Flora took a deep breath, running her hands through her hair. "I guess, he locked himself in his apartment after that. He wasn't hurt that bad, but he couldn't face anyone. He faked a sore throat and stopped going to work. Then last night, I called him and told him I was coming to visit. He said he had a gig last night and would be home late. Apparently, when he left for his show, those guys were waiting outside his apartment."

Jude's eyes widened. "No. Don't tell me…" She nodded, a sad look in her eyes.

"But this time, it was worse. They beat him bloody, took all his money and jewelry, and left him for dead. Somehow, he got back up in his apartment, because when I got there this morning, he was lying on the floor, unconscious."

"Oh, my god. How could this happen to poor Mason?" Jude moaned, burying her face in her hands, the tears stinging her eyes.

Tom walked into the waiting room, frowning when he saw the two women. Hurrying over, he set his cup on the table. "Jude?"

"They beat him up because he's gay," she muttered, throwing her arms around his neck and sobbing into his chest. Tom looked at Flora, who was wiping her own eyes.

"Flora? Is that what happened to Mason?" The older woman nodded, blinking back tears.

Jude swallowed hard, her voice coming out hoarse, "Tommy, I can't do this."

"Do what, Jude?"

"This. The cancer. The surgery. Mason. Everything." She sniffled, wiping her face on Tom's shirt.

Tom sighed. "Of course you can, Jude. Remember? I love you, and we're gonna get through this, okay?" He stole a look at Flora, who was looking at the floor, obviously uncomfortable. "Mason is gonna be okay. I promise."

The doctor who had been trying to restrain Flora earlier stepped out from around the corner, heading over to the group. He looked at them, an unreadable expression on his face. "Mason wants to see you."

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A/N – See. I'm not that evil. Mason will be okay. Hope you liked. Leave me some feedback!

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