To Hate My Stepbrother

Ava’s POV

The blaring sound of my phone ringing jolted Mason and I out of our deep sleep and I groaned as I picked the phone up.Belonging © NôvelDram/a.Org.

Who could be calling me at this hour of the morning?

Checking the phone, I almost jumped out of bed when I realized that the call was from my mother and I knew she wouldn’t call unless something is really wrong.

“Hey mom,” I called into the phone while also tapping Mason who was already up, “What’s wrong?” I asked after a while of silence.

“I… it’s Danny,” she sniffled and my eyes widened at once as I immediately prayed that it isn’t what I’m thinking about.

“He had a heart attack and they just rushed him into surgery.” She broke down, I knew if she cried any harder she’d be perspiring.

Turning to look at Mason who also looked really worried, I tried my hardest to console my mother while I asked Mason to get dressed so we could join them in the hospital.

We could’ve waited till daybreak but it’s morning already and my mother needed all the support she could get from Mason and I.

Getting ready, it was too early for the babysitter to arrive so we just got the kids ready and took them with us.

I’d thought about calling Nicole but it was also too early, I knew having kids in the hospital was a bad idea but we went with it anyways.

“Do you think I’m gonna lose him?” Mason’s question caught me off-guard while I tried to get the kids strapped to the backseat of the car properly.

“I think he knows how much you love him and how scared you are to lose him, that’s enough.” I answered, I knew it wasn’t even remotely close as an answer to the question he asked.

My chest clenched in fear and I think even Mason already knew the answer to his question before he asked but he just needed my support.

I also can’t bear to lose Danny, he’s been nothing but amazing and supportive of me. Closing my eyes, flashbacks from when we just moved into his house came flooding me and the sight of his smiles, how he tried so hard to be a good father and how supportive he was made me shed a tear.

“Danny is a really strong man and I think we should appreciate that.” I smiled, holding Mason’s hand before releasing it so he could take the wheel.

We drove to the hospital and begged one of the nurses to watch the kids for us while we went to see my mother.

“Ava!” My mother called immediately she saw me, making her way to me she threw herself at me and held me so tightly before releasing me to hug Mason then came back to me.

“Why do bad things always happen to me?” She asked and I didn’t want to but the tears came rushing down as I shook my head.

“Why don’t I have any luck in marriage? First it was your father and now…” she cried as I pulled her into me again and placed my chin on her shoulder.

I knew she was scared of Danny dying, I was scared too. We’re all scared of losing Danny but some things are just inevitable but I knew better than to tell her that.

“It’s Okay mum,” I consoled, pulling her away from me and smiling, “you both spent the best time of your lives together, you shared an unmatched love for each other and I think that is more than enough. Think about those memories and smile at the happy ones you both made.” I consoled her and when I saw that she was calming down I was glad it worked.

Excusing myself when she had finally calmed down, I called Nicole and explained it all to her. It didn’t take long for her to show up almost as soon as I hung up the call.

She offered her support but she had to leave when the kids started running around without caring if they were in the hospital or a playground. Nicole took them home and assured me that she’ll call to check up on me.

“Thank you.” I hugged and watched as she took the kids home. Drying up my tears, I turned to see Mason looking as scared as ever.

He was playing with his fingers and pacing around, his face was filled with wrinkles and his evident fear made me pity him.

He’s going to lose both of his parents because his mother is in jail and his father on the other hand is on his sickbed. It’s too much for even a grown man to handle.

Smiling and bracing myself up to be his shield, I hugged him from behind and I smiled when his tensed shoulders soon relaxed.

Closing my eyes to just calm both of us down, we heard the sound of the door opening and I immediately released him to see the doctor walking towards us.

“How is he now, doctor?” Mason asked, squeezing my palm as he braced himself for the worst news possible.

The doctor told us about how hard they tried to save his life but they couldn’t, “he’s still alive but he doesn’t have much time left.” The doctor finished.

He advised us to make the air more comfortable for Danny and spend most of his last moment with him. The news shattered Mason so much that he couldn’t stay in the hospital anymore, he had to walk out.

Leaving him to himself, I went to Danny’s room and the sight of him broke my heart. Sitting beside him, I took his hand and thanked him for being a wonderful father.

“Where’s Mason?” He groaned and that was when the tears broke free, I’d wanted to explain to him when the door opened and we both looked to see Mason standing by the door.

He joined us and I excused him so he could spend time with his father. Soon, Mason and I left my mother with Danny.

At the end of the day my mother came to break the news of Danny’s death to us.