Beat Of My Heart

Chapter Seven: Distractions from Distress

Chapter 7

The next morning I woke up to the sunlight streaming in through the window. The curtains were already pulled back. My hair was still damp from the shower I took last night. I groaned as the sun was harsh against my freshly opened eyes.

 I opened them fully now, seeing Nate smiling down at me. "Morning," He stated simply, and then walked over to the other side of my bed to sit down.

 I hadn't been expecting Nate to be here. Lately he had been very distant. I figured it was because he was back on with his girlfriend. So if he was in my room, was he off again? If he was, that had to be very fast.

 His expression made me bothered. He looked unusually uncomfortable. Every time he looked this way, something was wrong. I had gotten to know him really well and I wasn't afraid to ask anymore.

 "Is everything okay?" I asked, not wasting any time.

 He paused for a long moment. "Kind of. I'll let Dr. Reynolds tell you," My thoughts immediately went towards my brain. Maybe they had found something even worse. Maybe I wasn't going to live because the swelling spread. I immediately began to panic. I coudn't help it. It was my first reaction.

 When finally I couldn't take it anymore, "Please, Nate. Just tell me!" I was too eager to wait any minute longer. Usually Nate would do anything I asked him too. It was just his kind nature about him. I was almost shocked when he shook his head in a negative response.

 "I don't want to," He said, before getting up and leaving entirely. I felt bad I had said something wrong to make him leave, but that thought was pushed to the back of my mind. I had more important things to worry about now: what did Dr. Reynolds need to tell me that was so important that Nate couldn't have?

 I laid there for a good ten minutes. I thought Nate had went to go get Dr. Reynolds so he could tell me the supposedly bad news. He was taking longer then I wanted him too. I pressed the little button on the side of my bed that signaled for a nurse. I knew it was obnoxious, but I was never really considered a patient person to say the least.

 Nate walked in, an annoyed appearance on his face. "Yes?"

  "I want to know!" I begged once more to Nate.

 He shook his head again before turning to walk out, "No, not from me."

 "Well can you go get someone who can tell me then?" Pleading was a speciality of mine. 

 He sighed, giving in. "I'll go see if the doctor is busy," 

 Almost twenty minutes later, I had been counting, the doctor walked in along with Nate trailing closely behind him. Nate looked sad.This had to be bad, whatever it was.

 "Charlie." The doctor said, grabbing my hand. He pulled up a chair next to my bed, and Nate sat down in his usual place on the little metal stool.

 "Yeah?"

 "Your mother has been experiencing some financial difficulties, if you hadn't already known that previously. Recently, we contacted your medical insurance to inform them of the costs of the craniotomy, and they won't cover it. When we called to tell your mother of this, both of her phone lines had been disconnected. One of the insurance representatives went to her apartment to meet with her about the predicament because this is something we consider an emergency, but it was found completely empty. All furniture was gone and it was unoccupied."

I was so in shock. I couldn't believe what they were saying, "Are you telling me my mother basically abandoned me?" I asked, incredulous of the words coming out of my mouth. How could she do something like that? That was low, even for her.