Chapter Five

After the bell for closing hour went off, peter wanted to talk to tanisha to really understand what they were to do at the stash house. He looked towards her seat and she wasn't there. "Where could she have gone is few seconds?" He wondered, he eyes searching the class for any sign of her but there was none. Seeing that she definitely wasn't in class, he stood up slowly and packed his bag. Walking down to the car park felt like a mile cause his mind kept being haunted by all that happened this past few days, all occuring way too sudden than he'll anticipate. What baffled him most was the dream and why he kept getting dayytime nightmares just by having a little flashback, distracting him from doing things the way he usually did. Weird enough, he hears these voices, he could decipher that it's just one person but it echoed continuously whenever it starts. But what it says; this he doesn't know or hear clearly.

      "Hey dude. What's going on? You've ghosted me for days now, man. I call, text, i even reached the library and your house and no one ever answered the gate. Anything up?" Jaden hollered while running towards peter, who was about to get to his car. "I'm really sorry, man. Thing's been rather uncomfortable lately. Mom's ill and I've been rather too stressed out" Peter replied, throwing his bag into the passenger seat through the opened door. "What's up with your momma? It got harder, yeah?" Jaden asked, this time, his facial expression telling his feelings at the moment. Jaden had known peter since fifth grade summer camp when peter stood up with with him to oppose Jamie Granger; the leader of a little gang then, who picked on jaden. Ever since then, they became best friends, standing for each other and always seen together until a week ago.

    "Yeah. She just underwent a surgery. I'll be visiting her today. Wanna come with me?" Peter offered, smiling. Jaden stared at peter for a while, wondering what really is disturbing him apart from his mom issues before he said Yes to peter's offer, grinning back to him. With this, they both got into Peter's car; jaden doesn't own a car due to financial issues going on with his parents. Getting to the hospital, Peter's dad was already there. "Hi dad, how's mom?" Peter questioned, puzzled at why he wasn't inside with her. "She's doing okay. I was about to leave to get her somethings at the store. How're you doing, Jaden?" His dad, observing the pale look in their faces, smiled and kept a cool face while he spoke to them to avoid any further panic. "I'm doing okay, sir. Thank You" Jaden responded, chin up. Due to the eighteen months training he got from military academy, he was used to to being extremely formal even when it wasnt even necessary. With this, Peter's dad grinned broadly, as though remembering something. "Could we go in to see her now?" Peter asked, breaking the sudden decorum inbetween them. "Yeah , sure. Just don't make much noises please" his dad cautioned lightly as peter and jaden advanced into the hospital.

    "Hey momma. How're you doing?" Peter asked as he noticed she was still awake. "Peter. It's nice to see you, baby boy. I'm sorry it's been hard on you" his mom said, sitting up to see them. "It's fine, mom. I understand how urgent it was. Main thing is you're alive" he replied, sitting beside her bed, jaden standing just beside him. "Good day ma'am. How's your health?" Jaden said, his hands crossed at his back. "I'm doing fine, i must say. Doctor said there's been some advancement and the surgery was a success too" she said to them, holding Peter's left hand with her hands. She kept fiddling with it, smiling at intervals before looking up, tears gathered up in her eyes. "What's wrong mom?" Peter asked, surprised at why she should be crying, at least not at this moment. She just said the doctor said there's improvements and this got peter into more confusion. "I'm just happy to see y'all. You've grown really well" his mom said, leaning closer to touch his cheek. "Mom, you're starting to scare me. What's going on?" He pressed on further. She smiled, laid back down and said nothing. Her eyes remained open, blinking slowly with a broad smile across her lips, every perch of beauty surmounting. Her right hand, the only hand holding onto Peter's hand, fell of his hand slowly. "Mom, what's going on?" He asked her again before a number of nurses ran in, a doctor with them. They ran about the ward, all yelling things which he could say were medical terms. "Can someone please tell me whats going on please?! Mom?!" Peter yelled, grabbing his mom's hand. "You both are to evacuate this room now sirs. We are moving her to the ICU" a nurse finally spoke to them, halfminded. "ICU?! What's going on in here!?" He charged towards the nurses and the doctor moving his mom out of the ward. Jaden, who understood what was going on and was halfway to tears, grabbed peter by the waist refraining him from getting to the nurses. "No !!!! Leave me be !. Noo !!" Peter kept on yelling, trying to break free from jaden's firm grip, to no avail. The struggle went on and on until peter got weak and fell on his knees, in tears. Jaden,  conforting peter, called Peter's dad and told him about the incident, just before peter drifted to sleep.