A Step in the Other Direction

~~Chapter 18~~

--Bowen's Point of View--

Cassidy!

Her name played over and over as I tried to make out what was happening. 

Cassidy!

I was sitting in the floor of the kitchen, trying to get my breaths out. Saige was crouching down next to me, talking to me. I couldn't make out what she was saying. There was a loud buzzing in my ears. My insides were screaming, wanting to know if Cassidy was ok. 

Why wasn't the panic going away? Leave!!! Stop!! God please!!! Please make this stop!! I need to be there for Cass!! 

It took forever, but the panic began to subside. It wasn't gone, but it was less. I could see and hear again. 

"Bowen? Bowen say something for goodness sakes!" Saige was on the brink of hysteria. I nodded, hoping it was enough to give her an answer. "Panic attack?" I nodded again. 

"C-c-cass," I choked out. Saige didn't say anything. Her red hair was dripping, and she pushed it behind her ears. "I-is C-cass o-o-ok?" 

"An ambulance came," she said, "They got her and are taking her to the hospital right now." Her voice was calm. It settled my nerves a little bit, but not much. 

"H-help me u-up." Saige grabbed my hand and pulled me up. I wasn't steady on my feet at all. I grabbed onto the counter. The world was spinning around me. "Is s-she ok?" 

"Not sure. They left about 15 minutes ago." 

"Ok." I began to walk out into the living room, but stopped dead in my tracks. Pain ran up through me as I grabbed onto the counter again. I felt my knees about to buckle under me. Saige was back on me in a second. I couldn't take this. I felt the blackness about to consume me. I tried to fight it off, but it wouldn't stop this time. 

This was gonna be a bad one. 

"Sit down. Just..." The last part of her sentence was lost to a scream. I jumped at the sound. I whipped my head around, trying to find the source of the sound. I heard it again. It was bone chilling. "Bowen? What's wrong?" I looked at Saige. Her face was still calm, but the slightest bit of worry was evident. "What's wrong?"

"You don't hear that?" I asked. 

"Hear what?" The scream rang through my ears again. There was no mistake in who it belonged to. 

Cassidy!

I ran out of Saige's grip. She ran after me, but I was way faster. I ran into the living room, seeing mom and Jimmy cleaning up the soaked floor. 

"Bowen?" Mom asked, looking up from her work. She could see the panic written all over my face. She stood up and I heard the scream again. It sounded like it was from upstairs. Jimmy looked up to see me darting up the stairs before Saige or mom could get to me. I took the stairs three at a time, trying to get up the stairs as fast as possible. 

I had to help her! What was wrong? What happened? 

I mad it to the top of the stairs, the others just reaching the base of them. I could see mom out of the corner of my eye. Worry was written all over her face. She was calling my name. 

"Bowen? Bowen what's wrong?" I ignored her. I whipped my head around, trying to find Cassidy. I heard the scream again. 

Where was she? Why couldn't I find her? 

Her name was screaming in my head, over and over again. I was on the verge of tears. 

Stop! Stop it! Please stop!! STOP!!!

The next scream is what broke me. I felt blackness start to grab hold of me, and my knees buckled. I heard Saige and mom shout. 

Fear was eating away at me. I couldn't breath. This panic attack was one of the worst ones I had ever had. The only one that topped it was the one I had before the visitor came and got me to walk out of my room. This was one that left me with a pain that refused to leave. This one hurt.

I couldn't hear or see anything except the images and sounds that the panic attack brought. I could feel myself slipping from reality, welcoming the dark into me like an old friend. It was an old friend. I couldn't fight. I was weak. 

You let him know he is worth it. He is worth much more than the world could tell him. 

Those simple words poured into me, fighting away all of the darkness and fear. Safe. I was safe. The feeling of when we kissed swam through me, filling me with that feeling of safety. I could feel the brush of her lips on mine filled me with...happiness. 

Cassidy... 

My eyes slowly opened. The world was hazy, but I could make out the figures above me. Mom and Saige were leaning over me. I could see Jimmy next to them. 

I tried to move but Saige stopped me. She shook her head. I could hear Saige talking to mom, yet I couldn't make the words out. 

"...panic attack...heard...scream...freaked out...ran..." 

I almost expected to hear another scream. It never came, and I squeezed Saige's hand. She looked down at me. I tried to cock one eyebrow up, obviously failing by the laugh that came out of Saige. I pulled off a small smile. I could feel the worry slowly slipping off of her. 

"Bowen baby," my mom said, "Are you ok? What happened?" 

I tried to speak but my voice caught in my throat and I started coughing. Mom and Saige helped me sit up as the coughing fit subsided. "I," I started, surprised at how strange my voice sounded, "Really bad one..." That was all I could think to say. Mom nodded. She knew what I meant. Then a thought struck me. "What happened to Cassidy?" My moms face turned grim for a moment. "Is she ok?" I said, worry lacing my voice. I could feel my heart rate picking back up. 

"They have to get her to the Hospital in Atlanta." 

I shot up, trying to get to my feet. "What's wrong?" I lost my balance and propped on Saige. 

"They don't know," she said, "But they think it's something to do with..." She didn't have to finish the sentence. 

Cassidy was sick again.