by Maisy Morgan
“You just scared me,” Tripp said and then immediately wished he had phrased himself differently.
“Why don’t you pull up a chair or something?” she said. “You look like an idiot standing there staring at me like that.”
“Oh… yeah… sure,” he said, locating one of the small chairs in the room. He pulled up a chair next to her and flopped himself down, dropping both backpacks on the floor in front of him. As soon as he was beside her, he found himself avoiding eye contact. “Why did they… um…”
“They shaved my head because I’m having freaking brain surgery, Tripp,” she said as though his question, while she had predicted it, annoyed her. “It was stupid. You know what they did? They shaved half of my head. Just half of it because they’re not exactly cutting my whole scalp off or anything. Just shaved one half of my head! I said, no, you’re shaving the whole thing. What did they expect me to do? Rock a comb-over?”
Tripp smirked. “You could have pulled off a comb-over.”
She laughed. “No, I decided the bald look would be better. I told them to shave the rest if they were going to shave half of it. I mean, it would have been one thing if it was just a small patch or whatever, but the nurse doing it just went to town on half my head. I was ticked. The doctor said it wasn’t even necessary to shave as much as they did to start with. Nurse just got carried away, I guess.” She paused and then shot him a filthy look. “You can look at me, you know. I know I look stupid. You don’t have to be all weird about it!”
“I’m sorry,” he said quickly, and then he felt a flood of panic when he realized she had started crying. “Oh!” he exclaimed and jumped up out of his seat. “Um… do you… do you want me to go get your mom? I can… um…” He breathed deeply. He realized he wasn’t being a very good friend panicking like this. He sat down on the edge of her bed, and he pulled her in for a hug. She squeezed him tight for a moment and then pulled away, wiping her face—still crying but looking a little less dejected than a moment ago. “Are you okay?” he asked her.
“No, I’m not okay,” she said. “I’m scared. I’ve got cancer. I already can’t walk. They’re going to cut my head open tomorrow. I had a seizure…” She paused, wiped her face, and then looked at him. “Thank you. You were there. I was so scared, Tripp. I’m still scared. But thank you. I want… I want to do something. Anything. Give me my bag. I want to do some of my homework or something. I don’t want to sit here and talk about tomorrow or about my stupid bald head…Mom told me I could get a wig. I cussed at her for it. I haven’t ever cussed at my mom before. I was being a jerk.”
“I think your mom is okay with you acting a little bit like a jerk right now,” Tripp assured her, offering a smile.
“She’s just as scared as I am,” Hannah admitted sounding more confident in her fear somehow. Tripp handed over her backpack, and she dug through it. She raised a brow slightly; her script fell into her lap. She picked it up. “Why don’t we practice this since we’re both here? We’re, like, way behind where everyone else in class is.”
“We can do that,” Tripp said. “I have mine memorized now. Read it enough. How about you?”
“Yeah. I guess it’s just more about how we say the lines at this point,” she said. “And, you know, what to do with our hands.” Her cheeks went slightly pink. “I bet the idea of kissing some ugly bald chick seems like an absolute nightmare. I guess I will need a wig come show night?”
Tripp frowned. “I don’t care about your hair if I’m being honest.”
“Admit it,” she said softly. “You’re not looking forward to doing this scene at all. I mean… you dated Kara.”
“So?”
Hannah huffed. “She’s cute. She’s smart. Funny. I mean, she’s a cheerleader. She’s older. And, I know you two made out all the time. I’m not stupid.”
“Why are you trying to compare yourself to Kara?” Tripp questioned.
“Oh, come on,” Hannah groaned. “I know you’re not that stupid, are you?”
“What… what do you mean?”
Hannah rolled her eyes and then punched him in the arm. “I asked Mrs. Smitz if we could do this scene, you idiot!” She looked mortified to have confessed this. “And you’ve been acting like it was some sort of death sentence.”
“You asked to do this scene?”
“I found out about the theme from one of the seniors in the advanced drama class, and I asked Mrs. Smitz if you and I could do a scene in Titanic,” she said, too embarrassed to look directly at him now.
“Why did you do that?” he asked, feeling clueless and likely just as oblivious as she thought.
“You really are an idiot,” she said. “Honestly, Tripp, you’re so stupid!”
He wanted to snap back, but truthfully, he did feel stupid. This whole time he had been worried about embarrassing himself, but Hannah was the one who was putting herself out there, and he hadn’t even noticed. “Yeah, I guess so,” he said and reached out and touched her hand. She glanced up at him. “I’ve been nervous about doing this scene because I’ve been really nervous about having to kiss you. And, honestly, it’s not because I don’t want to kiss you. It’s because I want to.”
“Then you should go ahead and do it now,” Hannah said. “Because once I start chemo, I’m off-limits. You won’t be allowed to.”
“Really?” he asked.
“Yeah,” she said. “And I could be on it for a long time, you know.”
“So, er, do you want to practice the scene, then?” he asked.
She frowned at him, as though to silently ask are you really that stupid—seriously?
He smiled at her. “I’m kidding,” he said. He leaned in slowly, amazed at how nervous he was. He had kissed a girl before—Kara. But this was different. Very different. He had kissed Kara because he had wanted to kiss a girl. Now, he was kissing Hannah because he wanted to kiss Hannah. Just Hannah. He thought that he knew just the right way to tilt his head and pucker his lips, but this time felt different. It felt new and much more special. He leaned in, not with intentions of just practicing for their scenes as Rose and Jack. No, this time it was Hannah and Tripp.
When they pulled away, he was smiling wildly at her. She was smiling too, but she suddenly covered her face in embarrassment and shook her head back and forth. Tripp instinctually spun around, and there was Draco. The ridiculous grin on his face was almost too much. He was leaned over, his hands on his knees—his face contorted with a ridiculous amount of excitement like his two favorite characters on one of his geeky television shows had finally gotten together. “Not a word, Draco,” Tripp snarled threateningly as the adults flooded into the room after him, Tripp’s grandmother brandishing dinner for them all at last—his mother and Cindy slipping into the room behind her, none of them any the wiser.
Chapter Twenty-One
Mary and Tripp wound up staying at the hospital until nearly two in the morning, along with Draco, who came back to Brooks with them. Mary allowed the boys to sleep in rather late before calling the Morrises. Ella May was watching the shop for her, but she did take time to call to check in on her that morning. Hannah was being transferred by ambulance up to Atlanta for her surgery that was to take place later in the day. It would be a whole day of waiting around, it seemed.
Much to Mary’s surprise, Tripp and Draco came fumbling down the stairs by ten. She had expected them to sleep in much later than this, but their worried faces told it all. She made them breakfast, but they just picked at it. “We’re going up to Atlanta, right?” Tripp asked.
“Do you really want to go up there and sit in a waiting room all day?” Mary asked him. “We can go if that’s what you want to do, but we could just wait until after she is in surgery to head up there if you would like.”
“No, I want to be there before she goes into surgery,” Tripp insisted.
Draco was rubbing his eyes. “Me too,” he said.
“I don’t know what your parents are planning on doing,” Mary said. “But they’
re on their way to pick you up now.” Draco continued to rub his eyes. He looked like he was going to pass out over his breakfast. “Did you not sleep last night, Draco?”
“I couldn’t sleep,” Draco admitted.
“You might want to go home with your parents for a little while, Draco,” Mary said. “I’m sure they will take you up later today.”
“I’m going to go shower,” Tripp said, running his hands through his hair. “Then maybe we can go?”
“If that’s what you want,” Mary said and smiled at him. He was a good kid wanting to be there for his friend.
Eventually, the Morrises arrived. They took him home, and as Mary predicted, they were wanting him to get some rest. Trip, however, was up and running by the time Draco and his parents had left; he wanted to get to the hospital as soon as possible, and if anything, he seemed bothered that they had not headed out earlier. Eventually, they headed up to Atlanta. It was a long, quiet drive. They met Cindy out in the parking lot and she walked them to the room where Hannah was being kept.
She looked scared, but her face lit up when she saw Tripp. Mary noticed for a moment that the girl's cheeks turned a bit pink, and it caused her to raise a brow for a moment. She brushed it aside; now was not the time. Tripp sat near her, and he talked to her about anything other than the fact that she was going in for brain surgery soon. A few hours went by. Hannah was complaining about being hungry; she hadn’t been allowed any food since Mary’s dinner run the night before.
Eventually, they took Hannah to what they called pre-op. Her mother went with her, and Mary and Tripp were told to go back to the waiting room. “How long will she be waiting before she actually goes into surgery now that they have taken her back?” Tripp asked. “She was really hungry.”
“I know,” Mary said. “Probably a while.”
Within the next hour, Mr. and Mrs. Morris and Draco arrived. Draco was incredibly disappointed that he didn’t get to see Hannah before she went back for surgery. He grumbled a bit about his parents making him go home and sleep, but he wound up apologizing for his attitude and simply sitting by Tripp in a corner.
“How was she doing?” Anna asked.
“She’s very nervous,” Mary said. “But I think seeing Tripp here helped. I told her that Draco would be here when she was awake from surgery.”
“Good,” Roy said.
“Where is Sarah Jane at?” Mary questioned.
“She’s at school,” Roy said. “I’m going to leave later to go pick her up and come back up here. She slept pretty decently last night. We appreciate you keeping Draco. He didn’t want to come home with us. He’s worried sick about her.”
“We all are,” Mary said.
At last, Cindy arrived in the waiting room. She had been strong and unbothered that morning, but now she looked shaky and a bit sick. She came and sat herself down between Mary and Anna. “She was very scared when they started her on the anesthesia,” Cindy said. “But she’s asleep now, and they’re going to be starting the surgery soon.”
“Well, we’ll be here,” Mary promised her and took her hand. “You’ve got some really good surgeons on this, right?”
“Yeah, they specialize in these sorts of surgeries for children,” Cindy said, breathing deeply. “He’s done over two hundred similar surgeries, so I suppose, given the situation, this is as good as it gets.”
They waited around for another half hour when Officer Preston arrived. Cindy stood up and greeted him, and he wrapped her in a tight hug. “You didn’t have to come up here, Preston,” she told him, wiping a few tears that had started to form. “I know you’re working. You’ve got that open case.”
“Yes, well, I’m much more worried about you and Hannah,” he said. “And, I brought you coffee.” He held up a to-go carrier with four coffees, which he passed out to Mary, Anna, Roy, and Cindy. They all thanked him. He gave Mary a knowing look, so she stood up and came over by him. They walked to the far side of the waiting room and spoke in a whisper. “I’m not sure if I’m going to be able to be here long,” he said.
“I’m certain Cindy will understand if you have to leave,” Mary said. “You need to investigate the case.”
“It’s more than that,” Preston said. “I got a text from Matthew on my way up here. He said he found something related to the case that I need to look at, but I guess he’s on set right now filming, so I haven’t been able to get in touch with him. So, I’m going to have to head out that way soon.”
“So he just texted you that he had something for you and then decided to put his phone down?” Mary questioned with a slight eye roll.
“Yeah,” Preston said. “I swear, whatever he found better be worth me having to head all the way back down to Senoia for. I thought I’d see if you had Lilly’s number so I could call her to see if she knows what Matthew is talking about so I can decide whether to leave now or wait it out.”
“I don’t have her number,” Mary said. “She usually calls me from Matthew’s cellphone.”
“I’ll wait a little while longer, then,” Preston said. “Then I’ll—” He paused, glancing up behind Mary. “Lilly?”
Mary turned around. She saw Lilly entering into the waiting room. She had with her some to-go bags, and it appeared as though she had elected to treat everyone and bring them all breakfast. “Mom, has Hannah gone back for surgery?”
“Yeah, she’s already back,” Mary said and smiled at her. “You brought food?”
“Yeah, well, I figured everyone was just going to be doing a lot of sitting around today,” she said, looking around. “Where’s Matthew?” she asked.
Mary stared at her for a moment. “What do you mean?”
“He left this morning,” Lilly said. “I had to take a cab to get up here. He told me that he knew Preston was going to be up at the hospital today and that he needed to talk to him.”
Preston stared back at her for a moment. “When did he leave?”
“First thing this morning,” Lilly said. “We slept in a little bit. They don’t need Matthew on set until later today, so he was going to come up here and talk to you.”
“Must have made a pit stop or something,” Preston said.
Lilly headed over to everyone else, and she pulled out the breakfast sandwiches she had gotten. The food was passed around, and everyone thanked her. They kept waiting around for answers about Hannah, and occasionally, a nurse would step out to give them updates. “Still in surgery,” the nurse would always say. “Probably not much longer.”
Lilly kept watching the door for Matthew. She pulled out her cellphone, texting him. “I tried calling him earlier,” Preston said. “He didn’t answer. You think everything is all right?”
“I don’t know,” Lilly said, growing worried. “I mean, he left probably an hour before I did. He said he was heading here. He didn’t mention any errands he had to run or anything. He never ignores my calls…” She called him again. Now she looked like she was going to be sick.
“Mom, are you okay?” Tripp asked her.
“Just worried,” she said, and Tripp reached over and took his mom by the hand. She smiled at him.
Mary watched the clock. Another hour had gone by, and Matthew never showed up. While she had only known Matthew for a little while, she felt like she knew him well enough to say that this was not normal behavior for him. She, too, was starting to get worried. “Surely there is another way to contact him,” Mary said after a while.
Lilly was fidgeting. Finally, she pulled out her cellphone again and started pulling up some sort of app. “Um… I think there might be a way to find out where he is… I’m getting worried…” she said.
“What is it?” Mary asked.
Lilly looked embarrassed. “Matthew downloaded this app on my phone so that he can track me wherever I’m at. I think there is a way for it to work in both directions.”
Mary frowned. Matthew did not seem like the controlling type. “He has a parental tracker on your phone?” Mary questioned. “W
hy would he do that?”
Lilly’s face went red. “It’s not a controlling thing, Mom.”
“Well, what is it, then?” Mary asked.
Lilly brushed her hair out of her face. “It’s in case I go… go somewhere I’m not supposed to be. For… drugs…” She looked humiliated to admit that her boyfriend had to put a tracking app on her phone because she couldn’t be trusted. “He’s had to use it before…” She handed her phone over to Preston. “I don’t know how to work it.” She was avoiding having to look at Tripp.
“I’ve seen apps like this before,” Preston said. “Give me a second, I’m sure I can figure out how to flip it to where you can locate him.”
Mary put a hand on Lilly’s shoulder. “He’s looking out for you, Lilly.”
“I know he is,” Lilly said guiltily. “I’m just embarrassed that he has to.”
“You’re a recovering addict,” Tripp said in a slight whisper. “It’s okay, Mom, that you need help.”
Lilly nodded, but she kept staring down at her lap in embarrassment. “Got it,” Preston said suddenly. “He’s not too far from here, actually. We can go get him and make sure everything’s all right.”
“I’ll go with you,” Lilly said.
“Me too,” Mary said.
“I’m staying right here with Ms. Cindy and the Morrises,” Tripp said.
Mary nodded. “That’s probably a good idea. We’ll be back in a little bit, okay?”
“Okay,” Tripp said. “I hope Matthew is alright.”
“Me too,” Lilly said.
Mary and Lilly went with Preston out of the waiting room.
Chapter Twenty-Two