Falling for My Old High School Bully (Complete)

Chapter 35 - Axel's Mom

Emma sat in the passenger side of Axel's car and he was holding her hand and every once in a while he would smile over at her and her heart would melt. She loved him more than she ever thought she was capable of. She used to think that she would never be able to fall in love because she was so guarded and jaded from being hurt.

She had tried to fall in love with her exes but she never could. Now she knew that the reason was because her heart had always belonged to Axel and she never got over him no matter how hard she tried.

"So who do you want me to meet?" she asked.

"My Mom. She's really excited to see you again and to get to know you better. I have to warn you though. She's not doing very well. I went over there to see her earlier and she looked really weak and pale. The nurses don't think she has much time left."

She could hear the worry in his voice as he talked about it and she could tell how much he loved his Mom.

They got to the hospital and parked and rode up the elevator in silence holding hands. Emma always hated the smell of hospitals. They brought back bad memories for her from when her Mom passed away. That smell had always stuck with her through the years.

The elevator doors slid open and then they went into some large double doors that said 'Oncology Unit.' Emma knew that meant cancer patients. As they walked down the hallway with him gripping her hand tight a cold chill went up her spine and goosebumps up her arms from being in this place.

Not just the smells but the sounds of the beeping machines gave her chills. He lead her to the end of the hall and into a room with an empty bed that had no sheets on it.

He looked around and said, "Wait. Did we go in the wrong room?"

He walked out and looked at the number next to the door and said, "This is the right room. Let me ask the nurse."

She stayed in the room and watched him walk over to the nurse's station and she couldn't hear what they were saying but she saw his face drop and he leaned his arms onto the counter and put his head in his hands and her heart fell. She knew they were too late.

She slowly walked out of the room towards him and he didn't move or look up. She got over to him and put a hand lightly on his shoulder and he picked his face up and looked at her with red, swollen eyes full of tears.

"We were too late. She's gone," he choked out. Then he grabbed onto her like his life depended on it and pulled her into a hug, crying against her shoulder.

"I'm so sorry Axel," she said, rubbing on his back to comfort him, wishing she could take his pain away. She walked him over to the oncology waiting room and sat down on a double seat. He laid down, putting his head on her lap and laid there like he was in a daze while she ran her hands through his hair. She could tell he felt lost without his Mom.

"Axel, I'm so sorry we didn't get here in time. I really wish I could've gotten to know her better, but if you tell me stories about her it'll be almost like I did. Her memory can live on through you."

He sat up and looked at her and said, "Yeah," with a sigh. "I could do that."

"Let's walk downstairs and get a coffee and you can tell me about her," she said, standing up and holding her hand out. He stood up and took her hand and they started walking.

"Mom's birth name was Jane but she hated that name. She thought it was plain and boring," he laughed, wiping a tear away. "My Mom was anything but plain and boring so that name didn't fit her. When she turned 18 she went and had her name legally changed to Marley because she was a big fan of Bob Marley."