SECOND CHANCES (ORIGINAL WORK)

CHAPTER TWELVE

Aaliyah was walking down the hall back into the kitchen when she heard Samantha speaking over the phone. She stood in corner, away from the oven where she was supposed to be looking over the baking pastries. Not wanting to interfere, Aaliyah checked on the oven, unable to help eavesdropping.

"He did what?" Samantha cried at somebody, sighing heavily and placing her palm on her forehead in frustration. "Yeah, yeah I'll be sure to stop by his place after work and drop off his medicine before I pick up Matthew."

Aaliyah moved closer to Sam in the hallway, and Sam pressed her back against the wall as she dropped her phone in her apron pocket. They were the only ones there and the diner had no customers.

"Is everything okay?" Aaliyah asked, hoping strongly that nothing bad had happened.

"Not really, no," Samantha replied. "Jason refused to make an appointment with one of the doctors at the hospital. He's been down with a really nasty cold for a few days now and it hasn't gotten any better."

"He's sick?" The fear in Aaliyah's heart was evident in her voice. Jason had been sick? Since when? She felt a lump of worry gather in her throat and she swallowed hard.

"I told him he was going to get sick if he continued working out in the rain. He never listens. Now this has happened and he isn't even ready to receive proper treatment by the doctors."

Aaliyah fiddled with her hair, her heart going out to Samantha and Jason. "I'm sorry," she began, wishing there was something she could do for this woman who had done so much for her, comforting her when she told her secrets and taking care of her. She also felt a pang in her chest for Jason. She missed him and wanted to see him in order to keep her heart from pounding with fear that his illness was serious. Although she found it a little funny that a man as big as Jason still got ill from the rain. She would definitely make fun of him for it a lot later.

"Thanks Aaliyah. I'll just grab his medication before I pick up Matthew," Samantha replied, and reading Aaliyah's expression, she continued, "Don't worry, I'm sure it's just a cold. But I will make sure to give you feedback on your sweetheart's progress the moment I get to his house, alright?" That teasing quality that was usually dominant in her tone whenever she mentioned Jason to Aaliyah was there, but the humor seemed forced.

It made Aaliyah a little worried; she didn't want anything happen to Jason, even if it didn't seem like a big deal. A thought suddenly crossed her mind, a solution that would alleviate her friend of the stress of having to run back and forth. She could also get to see Jason in the process.

"I can do it," Aaliyah offered, her eyes lighting up.

"Huh?" Samantha asked, lost in thought for a minute. Aaliyah could see that her friend was working through some things in her head, so she repeated herself. "I can take the medication to him, so you just have to focus on Matthew."

Samantha registered the news in a moment, the worry in her eyes giving way for relief, before that signature Cheshire cat grin spread over her face. "You're worried about him, aren't you?"

"Well..." Aaliyah started, a blush tainting her cheeks. She bit her inner cheeks nervously, unsure of what to say.

"You are!" Samantha teased her again, rumbling with laughter.

Aaliyah bit harder into her cheeks. "I, uh... I have to go now so he can take his medication."

Samantha smiled. "Of course. Thanks for doing this, a lot. I appreciate it. I'll give you the address."