Made To Love You - Megan Smith

Jaylinn

It’s sometime in the middle of the night when my phone wakes me. I reach around on the nightstand for it and, of course, it falls off, so with one hand I’m fumbling around on the floor trying to find it.

“What is that?” Cooper’s gruff sleepy voice asks. “It sounds like a cat dying.”

Groaning, I reach over and find my phone under the bed, it’s Hunter on the other end of the line. My heart rate spikes. We haven’t exactly been getting along since the beginning of the year and we only talk when it’s absolutely necessary. We aren’t nasty with each other but both of us are hard headed and don’t want to see the other person’s side of the story.

I slide my finger across the screen answering it. “Hello?”

“Meet me at the hospital.”

“What? What’s wrong?” My hands begin to shake and my stomach rolls.

“Just meet me, okay?” He hangs up before I can demand that he tell me why and what’s going on. I sit with my back against the bed, my heart racing. I try to call him back. No answer.

“Fuck!”

“Jay,” Cooper says from behind me. “Who was that?”

Taking a deep breath I answer, “Hunter. Can you take me to the hospital?”

I hear the rustle of the sheets and then the light flicks on. Cooper pulls a pair of pants out of his drawer and slides them on. He puts his socks and shoes on next and then reaches back in his drawer for two t-shirts. He pulls one over his head and tosses the other on the bed. He holds his hand out for me to take it and I let him pull me to my feet. I follow the motions of getting dressed while thinking the worst. Is something wrong with MacKenzie? The kids? My mom? Why would he just hang up on me?

“Jay, stopping doing that,” Cooper reprimands. “I know you’re thinking the worst. Maybe it isn’t something that serious, let’s think positive until we can figure out what the hell is going on.”

He leaves me in the room and mumbles under his breath as he stomps away, “I’m gonna kill that asshole. What the hell kind of phone call was that?”

The drive to the hospital is long and painful. Cooper reaches for my hand and runs his thumb over the top of it, trying to comfort me. With him by my side I can handle anything.

We arrive at the hospital and Cooper calls Hunter again, he finally picks up.

“We’re here, where are we going?” Cooper snaps. There’s a moment of silence as Hunter is telling him and then he hangs up without a good-bye.

Cooper slides his eyes over to meet mine. “Come on.”

We both climb from the truck and meet at the back. It’s freezing and the snow is still falling. We’ve gotten a few inches on the ground since we got home a few hours ago. I wrap my arms around Cooper’s right arm and together we walk into the hospital. A wave of nausea assaults me when we reach the doors. I need to go to the bathroom, splash some water on my face and calm down. The fear is washing over me.

“I have to use the bathroom, be right back.” I squeeze his hand once more than let go.

“I’ll go get a visitor’s pass for us.”

I check all the stalls to make sure they’re empty, which they are thankfully so when I throw up I don’t feel bad for anyone else who could have been in here. After everything is out of my system I take a few calming breaths and wipe the sweat from my forehead.

“Come on, Jay, get it together. You’re letting fear get the best of you.” I say to myself trying to pump myself up to move.

I climb to my feet, unlock the stall door, and walk over to the sink. I turn the cold water on and splash some on my face. I cup my hand and rinse out my mouth as best I can and grab a paper towel patting my face dry. Something in the pit of my stomach knows something is really, really, wrong. I take one final look in the mirror, fix a few pieces of hair that have fallen loose, and then head out to find Cooper.

I find him leaning against the front desk tapping his fingers against it, visitor’s passes in hand.

Cooper turns when I brush up against his side and puts an arm around my shoulder. “You okay?”

I try