Dragged to my knees

Mrs. Williams walked me home after our little empathy session and made sure I was okay. She'd offered to make me dinner but I told her I was fine so she'd said goodnight and left after saying yet another prayer with me.

Now, I lie in bed and find myself thinking about my day. It's so funny how everything can be going so well and then at the flip of a coin, it changes. It's all okay now though. It has to be.

Picking my phone up from my bedside table where it's charging, I plug in my earbuds. Then I fall asleep to the sounds of 'Blessed' by Schoolboy Q ft. Kendrick Lamar.

***

I wake up to my alarm going off and see that its a few minutes past 9 A.M. My phone vibrates and I check the texts I've received.

 One from my mum asking how I've been and informing me of the hospital's address. Another from Mrs. Williams checking in to see if I'm okay. Two from Adira and Davina telling me it'll all be fine and one from Alex wondering why I haven't hit him up.

Shoot! I'd totally neglected Alex all day yesterday. I decide to call him and fill him up on all that had happened but it'll have to wait until later because he would still be asleep by now. His parents aren't around, meaning he won't go to church.

After taking a shower, I have a light cereal breakfast and then make my way out the door. I make sure to lock it because I don't want to come back to any more surprises.

The hospital is only 20 minutes away so I get there in no time. 

Making my way to the receptionist's desk, I inform her that I'm here to see my aunt and after asking a few questions, she says to wait because my aunt has been transferred to the ICU so she'll take me up to the receptionist there.

 I decide to text my mum after hearing all that. Didn't she say Aunt Veronica is out of harm's way? What would she be doing in the ICU?

Mum says to go with the receptionist, and that she'll meet me at the reception upstairs and so I do as I'm told.

Audrey, the receptionist leads me down a white washed hallway until we get to the stairs.

"We'll take the stairs if you don't mind." She says. "It's only two floors up."

"Sure, no problem." I reply nodding my head.

We walk silently up the stairs until we get to the second floor and I feel like I all the air has been drawn out of my lungs.

Right there, standing next to a reception desk is my mum. She looks at least ten years older and I let out an involuntary gasp. Her hair is bedraggled, her eyes are red and puffy and she's tried to conceal it all with makeup but I see past that.

My heart goes out to her and I pull her into a hug. She holds on tightly and I can hear her sobbing quietly. Audrey, mouths that she'll be going now and I thank her before leading mum to a nearby chair.

When she calms down, she looks up at me and tries to smile but it's so strained that I wish she wouldn't try at all.

"How have you been mum?" I ask. I can see that the answer is obviously not okay but I don't know how else to begin.

"I'm trying Ricky," She replies. Then tears start to well up in her eyes again. I grasp her hand to comfort her and she squeezes mine.

 "Last night, just after I called you, something went wrong with your aunt. The doctors spoke with me afterwards, said her body had an adverse reaction to one of the drugs and she went into shock. They tried to resuscitate her but they haven't been able to." She starts crying again.