A Hug Before The Storm
1807 Words
The third day felt heavier than the first.
Bethany lay on her bed staring at the ceiling, her phone resting on her stomach. The room was quiet except for the soft hum of the ceiling fan above her.
Three days.
Three full days since Evan left for the hospital.
Three days since the quiet car ride back from the vacation house.
Three days since she had sent him a text saying “I’m glad your mom is awake. Please take care of yourself too.”
He hadn’t replied.
Bethany turned her head and looked at her phone again as if it might suddenly light up.
Nothing.
Her mind kept trying to excuse it.
He’s just stressed.
His mom is in the hospital.
He probably hasn’t even looked at his phone.
Still… a small part of her felt that sting of being pushed away.
She sat up slowly and grabbed the phone.
Her thumb hovered over his contact.
For a moment she hesitated.
Maybe I shouldn’t bother him.
Then she sighed and pressed call.
The phone rang once.
Twice.
Three times.
Just as she thought he wouldn’t answer, the line clicked.
“Hello?”
His voice sounded tired.
And distant.
“Evan?” Bethany said softly.
“Yeah.”
There was a pause.
An awkward one.
She swallowed.
“Hi… I just wanted to check on you. How’s your mom?”
“She’s okay,” he replied shortly.
Bethany waited for him to say more.
He didn’t.
“So… the doctors said everything is fine?” she asked gently.
“They’re still running some tests.”
Another silence.
Bethany fiddled with the edge of her blanket.
“Um… I was thinking… maybe I could come by the hospital? I could bring some fruit or something for your mom and—”
“No.”
The word came out quickly.
Almost too quickly.
“You don’t have to do that.”
Bethany blinked.
“Oh… okay. I just thought—”
“It’s fine,” Evan said, cutting her off. “You don’t need to come.”
Her chest tightened slightly.
“I just wanted to help.”
“I know,” he said, but his tone didn’t soften. “But it’s not necessary.”
She didn’t know what to say after that.
“Anyway,” he continued, “I have to go.”
“Evan—”
“Bye.”
The call ended.
Bethany stared at the phone in silence.
Her heart felt heavier than before.
She slowly lowered the phone onto the bed and leaned back against the headboard.
For a moment she closed her eyes.
He’s just going through something, she told herself.
His mom is in the hospital.
Of course he’s not himself.
She wrapped her arms around her knees.
Everything will be fine once his mom gets better.
Across town, inside the quiet hospital room, Evan placed his phone down on the table.
His mother watched him from the bed.
“Was that Bethany?” she asked softly.
Evan nodded without looking at her.
“You should’ve invited her to come,” she said.
“It’s fine.”
“Evan.”
He sighed.
“I don’t want her involved in all this.”
His mom frowned slightly.
“Involved in what?”
He shrugged.
“This is a family situation. She doesn’t need to be part of it.”
His mother studied him for a moment before speaking again.
“Let me ask you something.”
He glanced at her.
“If Bethany’s father was the one in the hospital,” she said calmly, “and she told you not to come see her… how would you feel?”
Evan didn’t answer.
Because he already knew the answer.
It would hurt.
His mom gave him a small knowing look.
“Exactly.”
He rubbed the back of his neck.
“You shouldn’t shut people out when they care about you,” she continued gently. “Bethany is a sweet girl. I would actually love to see her again.”
For a long moment he didn’t move.
Evan stared at his phone for a long moment after his mom finished speaking.
Maybe she was right.
Maybe he had been a little too quick to push Bethany away.
He sighed quietly and unlocked his phone.
The last message from her was still there.
For a few seconds he just stared at it, thinking about the way her voice had sounded on the phone earlier.
Then he finally typed.
“If you still want to come by… you can.”
He paused, then added another message.
“Here’s the hospital address.”
A few seconds later another text followed.
“Just text me when you get here. I’ll come out and pick you up.”
He read the messages once more before sending them.
His mom watched him from the bed and smiled softly.
“See?” she said. “That wasn’t so hard.”
Evan didn’t reply.
But for the first time since the morning, the tight feeling in his chest eased just a little.
Bethany was sitting on her bed scrolling absentmindedly when her phone buzzed.
She looked down.
Her heart jumped.
It was Evan.
She opened the message quickly.
Her face lit up almost immediately.
“Wait… really?” she whispered to herself.
A smile spread across her face as she jumped off the bed.
Within minutes she was already opening her closet.
“If I’m going to the hospital I can’t look like I just woke up,” she muttered.
Meanwhile, across town, Ava sat on her bed staring at her own phone.
She had been thinking about Bethany all morning.
The last time they talked, Bethany sounded worried.
Evan hadn’t texted her.
Hadn’t called.
Ava sighed and opened Jake’s contact.
She typed.
Ava:
Hey… have you heard from Evan?
The reply came a few minutes later.
Jake:
Yeah. I saw him yesterday.
Her fingers paused over the screen.
Ava:
You did?
Jake:
Yeah. I dropped by the hospital to bring him some food.
Ava leaned back against the pillow.
Ava:
How is he?
Three dots appeared.
Then disappeared.
Then appeared again.
Finally the message came.
Jake:
He’s not doing too well.
Her chest tightened slightly.
Jake:
But he’ll be fine. Y’all should Just give him time.
Ava nodded to herself even though he couldn’t see her.
Ava:
Okay…
A few seconds later another message popped up.
Jake:
Are you okay?
She blinked.
For some reason the question caught her off guard.
Ava:
Yeah, I’m fine.
She noticed the typing dots appear again.
Then they stopped.
No new message came.
Ava stared at the screen curiously.
What was he about to say?
She wondered if she should ask him if he was okay too.
But instead she simply locked her phone.
Across town, Jake sat staring at the unfinished message he had typed.
“I’ve been thinking about you since the party.”
He sighed and deleted it.
He didn’t even understand his own feelings yet.
Later that afternoon, Bethany arrived at the hospital.
Evan spotted her from the entrance and walked toward her.
For a moment they just stood there.
There was a slight awkwardness between them.
Evan rubbed the back of his neck.
“Hey.”
“Hi.”
Bethany lifted the small bag she was holding.
“I brought something.”
She pulled out a box.
“This is for you.”
Evan raised an eyebrow.
“Cookies?”
“I made them myself,” she said proudly. “Without Dad’s help this time.”
He looked suspicious.
“Are they… healthy?”
Bethany burst out laughing and lightly tapped his arm.
“That’s exactly why I brought them for you to eat.”
She handed him the fruit bag.
“These are for your mom.”
He glanced between the two bags.
“So you’re saying I should eat the cookies alone and die alone?”
She grinned.
“Relax. You’ll be fine.”
Then she added dramatically,
“Besides… we’re literally in a hospital.”
For the first time in days, Evan laughed.
A real laugh.
As they walked inside, the awkwardness slowly faded.
Evan kept stealing small glances at her.
How does she do that? he wondered.
How does she always manage to make things feel lighter?
Even on the worst days.
When they entered the room, Bethany greeted his mother warmly.
“Mrs. Lee! It’s so nice to finally see you.”
“Oh sweetheart,” his mom said with a smile, “you didn’t have to come all the way here.”
Bethany placed the fruit on the table.
“Of course I did.”
Within minutes the two of them were chatting comfortably.
Evan leaned quietly against the wall watching them.
His mom was smiling.
Actually smiling.
And Bethany was talking with her as if they had known each other forever.
He shook his head slightly.
I mean… it’s Bethany.
Who could possibly dislike her?
A few hours later, Bethany stood up quietly.
“I should probably head home,” she said softly. “You need to rest.”
Evan nodded.
“I’ll walk you out.”
They walked down the hallway together.
The hospital corridor was quiet.
Bethany turned to him.
“I’m really glad your mom is doing better.”
“Me too.”
There was a pause.
“Thank you for coming,” he said sincerely.
She crossed her arms playfully.
“If you’re so grateful… you could give me a hug.”
Evan chuckled.
Then he stepped forward and wrapped his arms around her.
For a moment the world felt calm again.
When they pulled apart, they walked together to the nearby bus stop.
The bus arrived a few minutes later.
Bethany stepped inside and found a seat near the window.
Evan stood outside watching.
As the bus pulled away, she waved.
He lifted his hand slightly.
Then the bus disappeared down the street.
Evan turned and walked back toward the hospital.
The hallways were quieter now.
As he approached his mother’s room, he slowed down.
Voices were coming from inside.
He frowned slightly.
Before he left, his mom had been asleep.
He reached the door.
The nurse’s voice was low but clear.
“Mrs. Lee, I really advise that you tell your son and start treatment as soon as possible. If not… it will only get worse.”
Evan froze.
His hand tightened on the door handle.
His heart suddenly began to pound.
Slowly, he pushed the door open.
Both the nurse and his mother turned to look at him.
His voice came out quiet.
But firm.
“Tell me what, Mom?”
The room fell silent.
And sometimes the scariest truths are the ones waiting quietly behind a door…
just before someone gathers the courage to open it.
- Writer
