Free Falling

Garrett felt as if someone had knocked the air out of him. He couldn't speak as he watched Aryn storm off. His face stung from the slap and he could feel a red mark forming. The boys and some fans started to come over to the commotion but before anyone could say anything, Garrett dug his keys out of his pocket and stormed over to his yellow car.

At first Garrett didn't know where he was driving. It was all just a blur of lights and signs. He turned on some music to help him concentrate, Ryan Adam's came on calming him enough to realize where he was headed; Phoenix.

He stared at the hospital for what felt like an eternity before walking in. He was nervous, his heart beat faster, his stomach kept churning, his palms were sweating. He never knew someone could be so nervous for visiting their mother. He dragged his feet towards her room before knocking on the door.

"Hey baby it's so good to see you." His mother smiled softly at him waving him in.

"It's so good to see you mom!" He sat on the bed next to her kissing her cheek and hugging her tightly. He took in his mom's appearance, her face had more color than the last time and he could see some hair growing out from underneath the scarf wrapped around her head.

"I heard your new album sweetie, I'm so proud of you, I can't wait to hear some of it live!" His mom gushed.

"Thanks mom, I can't wait for that too, it's a little crazy at home we need you to help keep us in line."

"Well good thing I'm coming home next week, I was going to tell you sooner but you were gone, I can do the rest of my radiation in Tempe!"

"Really? You're healthy enough? That's so wonderful!" He hugged his mom again.

"Yeah I'm healthy as someone on cautionary radiation can be... But I want to talk about you, I mean recently, because we've talked on the phone enough. Like tell me why you weren't here earlier, your dad said you'd be here in the afternoon and it's 10 at night now."

"We had a surprise show, I wish I would've just come here instead."

"Did you not play well? Did Trey do okay, that's why he left with the girls today."

"He did fine, I played fine, I just didn't really like the crowd."

"And by crowd you mean Aryn."

"God why do you know about this."

"Well when a girl who's practically my daughter, comes back to Arizona to take care of girls who aren't her sisters, and then comes here crying about my stubborn son, a mom just knows."

"So I'm guessing you know she was there when Grace got shot."

"She told you didn't she?"

"Well she yelled it at me yes, why didn't you tell me she was there?"

"It wasn't that we didn't want to tell you, it was more that we didn't think it was important, she was going to feel sad either way. That's really why she stayed home that summer though, her mom sent her to therapy that summer and her mom and I didn't want any of you boys to know so we just didn't say anything."

"But now I feel bad for being so mad, I mean if I would have known maybe I would have let her go more gracefully."

"Garrett Daniel, you know that's not true. You'd still be mad about her leaving, but now that you know you know what you have to do... You tell her you forgive her because as your mom I know that you look happier her with her in her your life. Whether you're friends or you're more, you'll never be as happy if you push her away."

"Yeah I'm starting to listen to the advice but I don't know if I can do it."

"Well for God's sake just really listen to your heart and scoot your butt out of here rather than talking to an old lady like me." Garrett  kissed her cheek before getting off the bed.

"Tell dad to take you to the M before you leave Phoenix."

His mom smiled and Garrett began to leave the hospital when he bumped into a girl. Her eyes were the same pale shade of blue as Gracie, before Garrett could apologize for running into her his stomach did a flip making him puke on the floor beside her. He ran outside to his car, thoughts running through his head. Because despite the fact that Garrett wanted to get back home, his stomach had just told him there was still some unfinished business to take care of.