sept

It took several moments for Rebekah to process the information. It felt surreal, like she was in a dream and none of this was real.

"Where is he now?" Her voice was shaking. Every part of her body was shaking. She couldn't help it. Panic was beginning to set in.

"The Princess Anne Hospital. Finn's in surgery. Mum and I- we're waiting for him to come out."

"Okay. I'm coming."

"No, Beck, it's really far for you and you still have-"

"I'm coming," Rebekah repeated, this time more forcefully. She gripped her phone tighter, willing herself to regain her composure. "Tell mum that I'm coming." Without another word, she ended the call and shoved her phone back into her pocket. She took a moment to take a deep breath before turning to her friends. "I'm so sorry to this, but I need to go. My-"

"We know," Elise interrupted her. "My car has a full tank. If the roads aren't packed, we should be able to get to the hospital in a few hours."

Rebekah felt her jaw slide open. "Elise, it's a five-hour drive. I can't ask you to drive me all the way there. Just drop me at the nearest bus port and I'll find my own way to the hospital."

"You didn't ask. I offered." Elise had a rigid set to her jaw and her blue eyes were glittering with a fierce determination behind her glasses. "C'mon. We don't have much time. Danny and I'll share the driving, won't we, Danny? I can drive there and you can drive back."

The boy nodded, all earlier trace of humour erased from his face.

"I really don't want to impose," Rebekah frowned.

"You're not imposing. Your family's in trouble. We just want to help in any way we can," Danny said gently. His careful brown eyes searched Rebekah's face before he shot a quick glance at Elise for backup.

"Let us help you."

Rebekah swallowed and hesitated.

"Take our offer, Beck," Sebastian's gentle voice cut through the silence. "You would do the same if it were one of us, wouldn't you?"

Rebekah felt her reluctance crumble. Sebastian was right and he knew it.

"Okay."

*

The car ride was long and silent. Elise drove the first leg of the journey with Danny riding shotgun and Sebastian and Rebekah in the back. No one said a word and eventually, Elise turned on the radio in an attempt to keep out the deafening silence. Rebekah couldn't blame them; she knew that she'd have no idea what to say either if anyone of her friends were in the same position she was in now.

Rebekah could feel the worry seeping into her bones and settling into her pores as she sat stiffly in her seat and watched the sky fade to black. Glittering silver stars dotted the dark canvas above and a solitary moon beamed down on the open road as Elise's car sped along the highway. Rebekah barely saw any of this as thoughts swirled in her mind like a chaotic twister.

What if Finn died in surgery tonight? Why hadn't she given him an extra kiss when she'd seen him last? What if the last time she'd seen him was the last time she was ever going to see him?

The last thought nagged at the back of her mind and for the first time since she'd received the news, tears pricked her eyes and she choked back a sob. It felt silly to be crying when she didn't know anything for a certainty, but her tear ducts often worked without logic anyway.

Without warning, a hand slipped into hers and squeezed gently. Rebekah wiped her eyes hurriedly and glanced at Sebastian. He didn't say a word as he squeezed her fingers again. He was wearing his trademark sunglasses but his face was tilted towards hers, his lips pressed into a thin line. Rebekah felt a lump fill her throat, making it hard to breathe. Her voice seemed to have deserted her and she couldn't speak. Emotions fought within her- a mixture of fear, anxiety, anger, thankfulness.

Finally, she settled on a simple gesture.

Leaning forward, she pressed her lips lightly on his cheek before retreating to her side of the car, her own cheeks flaming.

"Thank you," she mumbled, so softly that she was sure he hadn't heard.

"What for?" Sebastian seemed confused.

"Just... thank you."

Sebastian paused. The sounds of Adele's voice filled the background.

"No, thank you, Beck," Sebastian said softly. "Thank you for helping me see."

Rebekah felt her eyebrows rise up her forehead incredulously.

"But..."

"I meant metaphorically, of course. I'm still physically blind as a bat. I doubt anything short of a miracle could help me see again physically."

When Rebekah failed to respond, Danny piped up from the front seat.

"You know what else is nothing short of a miracle? The fact that despite all the crazy shit you've pulled, neither Elise nor I have killed your insane butt."

"Preach!" Elise sounded her approval.

"That's true." Sebastian shrugged nonchalantly. "Although as my womb buddy, I thought you'd have grown accustomed to my ways by now, Elise."

"It's hard to get used to you, Seb. It's probably why I was in such a hurry to get out of mum."

"Ah yes. The great 'I'm still eight minutes older than you' story."

"Aren't your birthdays coming up soon?" Danny asked.

"You mean the glorious day of our womb popping?" Sebastian grinned. "Yes, yes it is."

Rebekah could help but snort at this. This had got to be one of the strangest conversations she had ever heard, but as the twins and Danny continued to banter, she realised what they were doing.

And for that, she was immensely grateful.

*

It was close to 11 pm before the four of them reached the hospital. Elise had barely parked the car before Rebekah had jumped out. In the distance, she vaguely heard Elise yell, "Rebekah! Wait!" but she couldn't wait anymore.

The car trip has taken forever. Time had gone past at a snail pace. Every tme she'd checked the clock, feeling as if an hour had passed, only five minutes had. The wait had been pure torture. She had called her sister and mum but no one had answered. The silence was killing her. She needed to see her nephew. She needed to know that he was alright.

"Finnick Salt. I'm looking for him. He's my nephew. My sister said he's here. Do you know what room he's in? Is he out of surgery yet?" Rebekah was so out of breath that she barely managed to get her questions out. The nurse behind the counter looked confused.

"Miss, I'm so sorry but I had no idea what you just said. Could you please repeat it for me?"

Rebekah almost screamed as frustration clawed at her insides and threatened to destroy her sanity. Every moment lost seemed to be an eternity.

"I'm looking for Finnick Salt."

"That's an interesting name." The nurse smiled and tapped the keyboard in front of her. Her chocolate brown eyes searched the screen. "Ah yes. Finnick. I knew I saw his name earlier. He's in room 205 on the second floor."

"Is he out of surgery yet?"

The nurse nodded.

"Is he alright?"

"I'm afraid you'll have to talk to his doctor for that." The nurse looked apologetic. The name on her badge said Gabrielle. "I don't know his case personally."

"Okay. Thank you." Rebekah sucked in a quick breath before taking off down the hallway.

"Miss! No running in the corridors!" she heard Gabrielle shout after her.

Reaching the elevators, she stabbed the button point up, tapping her foot impatiently as she waited. All she could think about was his sweet, innocent face. He was going to be alright. He was a strong kid. He's a fighter. He was going to be fine.

He had to be.

He just had to be.

*

Room 205 was situated at the other end of the hospital.

By the time Rebekah got there, the door was closed and the blinds shut. Without hesitation, she knocked softly on the door, feeling her chest heave as she struggled to regain her breath.

"Come in."

Rebekah twisted the knob and pushed the door open, her heart thumping in her chest. Her hands were suddenly shaking and her palms felt sweaty. She was scared, afraid. She couldn't do this. What if he wasn't there because he never made it out of surgery? She wouldn't be able to live with herself. She wouldn't be able to cope with losing him.

When the door swung to the side, Rebekah was greeted by the sight of her nephew lying on an enormous hospital bed, his little body hooked up to several machines. Her sister was sitting in a chair that was pulled up to the bed and her head was resting on the bed as she snored softly.

"Beck! You're here! How did you get here so quickly?" In an instant, Rebekah felt herself enveloped into a familiar hug as relief crashed through her body. Without warning, her eyes watered and she felt tears roll down her cheeks. Finn looked hurt, but he was alive.

"Is he okay, mum?" Rebekah grabbed a fistful of her mum's shirt and pulled her mum closer.

"He'll be okay," her mum said softly. "He's a tough kid."Slowly, her mum released her from the hug. "Are you okay, Beck? You look like you've been through hell and back."

"Yeah, of course." Rebekah brushed away her tears hurriedly. "These are just happy tears." She glanced over at her nephew who lay motionless on the bed. He seemed altogether too small and too fragile.

"Do you know whose name Finn called out the moment he woke up?" The soft crow's feet around Rebekah's mother's eyes seemed to have deepened since she saw her last. "Yours, sweetheart. He kept saying that he wanted Aunt Beck."

"He did?"

"He'll be so glad that you're here."

"Shouldn't he be calling out for his mum?" Rebekah suddenly found herself concerned. "Chloe would surely have been upset when he didn't ask for her."

Rebekah's mum scoffed. "I don't care one wit about Chloe's feelings right now."

"Mum! How can you say that?"

Her mum's lips suddenly pressed into a thin line. "Your sister didn't tell you?"

"Tell me what?" Rebekah frowned.

Her mum sighed and levelled a sharp glare at Chloe's slumbering form. "That it's all her fault that Finn's in this mess."

A/N Hello fellow Wattpadians!

I'm so so sorry for not keeping to the regular updating schedule. I had a tough week last week (I got some really bad news and it just felt like the universe was imploding). I genuinely hope all of you had a better week than me.

Anyway, I also hope you guys liked this chapter. As always, comment any recommendations or questions down below and I'll do my best to respond!

Love,

Percy