Page 130 of Breaking Point
Grayson didn’t leave,a small voice in my head whispers.
No, no he didn’t.
“Ithought you were dead!” Layla cries over the phone the moment she picks up.
“I felt like it,” I joke, but it doesn’t land.
Layla huffs. “You better have a good explanation for notanswering your mom or me! I’m halfway back to Colorado and your mom is close to pulling teeth out!”
“Why would she pull her teeth out?”
“That’s so besides the point.”
Groaning, I nestle further into the scratchy hospital sheets. “I know, I’m so sorry. I had a horrible endo flare-up and couldn’t move off the bathroom floor. Mom wasn’t there to help, and it was so bad, L. I literally couldn’t walk.”
I can hear a blinker come over the phone.
“And now I ruined your holiday because my uterus likes to torture me.”
“You didn’t ruin anything. I was just worried. Are you okay now?”
“Don’t freak out.” I pause. “Actually, pull over.”
She sighs. “That is not helping me not freak out.” It takes her a moment but the sound of her car moving stops. “Okay, I’m pulled over. Please put me out of my misery.”
“Grayson also didn’t hear from me for two days because,hello, I was dying. Anyways, he was the one who found me on the bathroom floor dehydrated and called the ambulance.”
I pull the phone away as a shrill scream rips through the speaker. “Oh my god! That man likes you, Bella!” She stops her clapping. “Would it be weird if I send him flowers as a thank you for saving my best friend?”
I snort. “You can if you want, that’s very sweet. I feel like my mom will do the same when she finds out.”
Layla’s cheeriness freezes. I can practically feel the energy change over the phone. “Bella…have you still not spoken to your mom?”
I wince. “No.”
“Go call her right now! Wait, are you at the same hospital?”
“Would it be bad if I said yes?”
“Your mom is stressed out of her mind, literally feeling chained to a hospital bed getting treatment for her cancer that has riddled her body. I know you avoid things that scare you, Bella, but for the love of god please go put the poor woman out of her misery! Do it or I’ll call her and you know she’ll begin looking?—”
“Yes, yes, yes, I know,” I cut in. “I’ll go now. Figured I’d get the easier one of the two out of the way.”
“I’m not sure if I should be offended that I’m a to-do list to you or take it as a compliment that I’m the easy one.”
I let out a small chuckle before I ask, “Now, are you really halfway back home?”
She sighs. “No, I was being slightly dramatic. I’ve only driven two hours.”
“I will Venmo you money for the gas and fast food. Turn back around and enjoy your time with your family. You’re not going to see them for a year.”
The phone line grows quiet. Layla’s parents are emptying their life savings for Layla to go to Germany, so they can’t afford to visit. It’s a sacrifice Layla isn’t comfortable with, but it’s something that is nonnegotiable in their eyes. They’ve both vehemently stated that if she passed and they did nothing, their retirement wouldn’t mean anything without her here.
“Are you sure?” comes her quiet voice over the line.
“I promise. I’m on a wonderful mental trip with medication that is finally working and Grayson is still here taking care of me.”
That lifts her spirits. “He is?” A small squeal rings out over the phone. “That man likes you and you’re a fool if you don’t see it.”
