Cigarette Smoke

Brayden's POV

Her phone rings again and again. I groan as I roll over to wake her but she was no longer in my bed. "Aria?" I whisper. No response, "Aria. Your phone is ringing!" I say a bit louder.

"I'm in the bathroom," I hear her voice from behind the door that I just realized was shut. Her voice cracks slightly but I thought maybe I was imagining it.

"Do you want me to answer it?" I rest my head against the shut door waiting for her reply. Nothing comes. "It's about to send it to voicemail, do you want me to answer it?" I repeat.

The door opens and I see her face. Her eyes are puffy leaving her bright blue eyes looking faded. "Hello?" She mumbles into the phone avoiding me altogether.

I sit at the foot of my bed sliding on my slippers so I could get a smoke. But I stop moving when she responds, "Yeah, the hospital called me. I was getting ready to head there."

Her eyes water again as she sits there playing with the corner of the comforter. "Yeah, I will call them when you hang up."

"No, I am not bringing them up there today. If she's in bad shape I don't want them to see her like that." She argues into the phone. "No. I don't think they should be up there. Yes, I will call them, but I am going up there alone."

She sits there chewing on her bottom lip as she listens to whoever is on the other line. Silent tears fall down her face. "Alright, I'll see you soon. Love you too."

"Who was that?" I ask as she sets her phone down.

She still doesn't answer but this time she crawls across the bed and leans her head on my shoulder. Her tears become heavier as she cries. Doing my best to comfort her, I pull her up into my lap holding her tightly against my chest. "The hospital called, while you were still asleep," she whispers between broken sobs, "Mom was brought in by ambulance. I am not entirely sure what happened. I need to call my brothers and let them know she's at the hospital. Before I head down there."

"You want me to come?" I ask her softly. I brush her light red hair away from her face. Some strands stuck in her tears.

She shakes her head before nodding, "Please." was all she gets out.

I stand up and pull a pair of too small sweat pants out of the bottom of my dresser before grabbing one of my shirts, "Here, put these on. We can swing by your house if you don't want to wear those to the hospital, I just figured they're better than the clothes that are wrinkled all over the floor."

She silently nods before sliding my sweats over her legs. The giant hoodie of mine she slept in falls to the floor before she grabbed my shirt. I watch as her eyes fall to the bra that was discarded in the midst of last night's events. But she doesn't move for it, just slides my t-shirt on. "Put a shirt on." She whispers jokingly.

"Can I change out of my pajama bottoms?" I tease her.

She shakes her head and gives me a small smile before her face drops again. "I am going to brush my teeth, I'll meet you in my car." She whispers.

"We're taking my truck," I correct her as I slide a shirt over my head, "You don't need to be driving right now."

"I'll have to drive to work later, so I don't know why I can't drive now." She argues from the bathroom.

I lean against the open door and meet her swollen eyes in the mirror, "You're still going in tonight?"

"I have to. We don't have anyone to cover my shift. You know that. Plus if I miss, you'll miss and they can't afford to have us both out." She seems calmer now. If it wasn't for her puffy eyes and tear-stained cheeks I wouldn't be able to tell she was ever crying. She washes her face off before looking at me, "Brush your teeth. You can drive, but I am going to work later."