Rose petals

Chapter 26

"Mason? What are you doing here?" Everly asked, a concerned frown on her face as she looked up at Ben before looking back at me. "Are the twins okay? Are they hurt? Are you hurt?" She asked, the concern growing more and more by the second.

"I stepped on a Lego and fell down the stairs. I had Max drive me to the hospital while Mia watched the kids." I groaned, wincing as I rest my head on my hands while she gasped in surprise.

I hadn't really stepped on a Lego and fallen down the stairs. If I had the last place I would be was the hospital and the very first thing I'd do was throw all the Lego away. I have definitely had my moments with them but there's no getting rid of them no matter how hard I try.

Ben had said we needed to get an MRI of her brain so we could move forward with whatever we needed to do to help her. The only problem was that it was next to impossible to simply tell her she needs an MRI without her asking a million and one questions, and rightfully so. To her she's normal and healthy and there's nothing wrong with her.

"What the heck?! How? Do you feel faint? How much is your head hurting? Any open wounds?" She asked all at once, gently grabbing my head and feeling it.

"He needs an MRI, I've already done up a full examination but he won't go for the MRI." Ben sighed as Everly instantly shot me a glare.

"Why not? What's wrong with you? You could be seriously hurt." She frowned, furrowing w eyebrows in anger.

"I can't do small spaces, love. Claustrophobia does that to you." I shrugged and her expression instantly softened.

"I can hold your hand if you want me to. And it won't even be that scary, it'll be like a five second thing." She reassured me with a comforting smile. I almost felt back for lying to her like that but what choice do I have?

"If you get one I'll get one." I blurted out as she looked at me in confusion. "If I watch you get one then I'll feel a whole lot better about getting one myself. My therapist said it helps when I visualise things enough to go through with it myself." I added, quoting what her own therapist had said to her. I remember after one of her sessions she had asked me to leave for two days and stay at Harry's. She wanted to be alone for the entire forty eight hours so she could visually experience that she'd be fine without me.

Funnily enough one of her fears that she was most vocal about was losing me. She was afraid I'd be gone and she'd be shattered into unfixable pieces. Despite knowing in the back of her mind that I was a wall away from her, she cried for hours after day two. Maybe in a way I'm glad it was her and not me who 'died'. I genuinely don't know what I would have done if I knew she went through what I had if not worse. Id hate myself for doing that to her even if it wasn't deliberately. In our own way, these last four years have been hell for the both of us, the only issue is that I'm not entirely sure that my four years was worse. That unknown fact alone is eating me alive.

"I would but those things are expensive." She said as she bit her lip and gave me a hesitant look.

"Well it's a good thing you've got health insurance here then isn't it." Ben smiled as she shot him a confused look. "Don't question it or we'll be here all day. Shall we get this MRI?" He said as she looked at me before biting her lip and nodding.

"You gotta hold my hand though." She whispered to me as we made our way to the elevator and walked in.

"I wasn't planning on letting go." I smiled, giving her hand a tight squeeze.

The elevator doors split open on the third floor and patients were being wheeled in and out of rooms. Some in critical conditions and others happily chatting away with the nurse pushing their wheelchairs. Athena was already waiting for us in one of the rooms, talking to a nurse before noticing us approaching her.