Page 70 of Love U Down II

“I don’t even know. Mom called me crying and said Dad was in the hospital and I just came running and called you.”

“So you don’t know what’s going on but you’re crying?”

“Well, Mom was crying, Berlin, so it can’t be fucking good.”

“A’ight.” I exhaled. “Is she in there?”

“Yeah.” She nodded. “I don’t know what room because her phone is dead or she doesn't have service or something but Ikeep calling her cell and can’t get her. So I just figured I’d wait for you and we could find out together.” She ran her hand across her forehead. “I, uhm… I was terrified to go up there by myself not knowing what was on the other side.”

“I got you.” I nodded. “Come on. Let’s do it.”

“What if he’s not okay, Berlin?” she asked quietly.

“Then we need to be beside our mom then, huh?” I countered.

Chandler exhaled and nodded. “Yeah.”

“Come on.” I threw an arm around her shoulders and squeezed her briefly before the three of us headed inside.

I went to the receptionist while Chandler and Myome stayed back. Myome had one of Chandler’s hands squeezed between both of hers and was consoling her while she was a damn mess.

Thankfully, the receptionist didn’t give me a hard time because I was prepared to flip her chair while she was in it and everything else in the hospital too, doctors included. She just called the floor my dad was on and got approval to give us the room number.

The trip up to the room was quiet. When we got to the room, I stepped in first. My entire body deflated when I saw our father awake while being laid up. All the tension in my body vanished and a huge smile took over my face while I gestured for Myome and Chandler to walk inside.

My mom, who’d been seated at his side, stood and we each hugged her before circling my father’s bed.

“What’s going on?”

“Nothing. I’m fine,” he snapped.

“He’s not fine,” my mother corrected. “His blood pressure was so high they immediately said he needed to stay overnight and he feels horribly.”

“I didn’t say I felt horribly. I said I felt weird.”

“What did the doctors say?” Chandler asked.

“Nothing yet. They’re going to run some tests on him then have a doctor come in and talk to us about what they’ve collected, but in the meantime, we were told to just stay put.”

“And maybe stop arguing,” I suggested. “If your blood pressure is already high, there’s no reason to bring it up any more than it is.” I looked at my watch then at Chandler. “If you haven’t called Rome already, don’t call him.”

“What?”

“He has one show tomorrow then two days off. I’ll tell him after the show. This is his first headlining tour and the second you call he’ll be trying to book flights home. Let him finish this shit out.” I sighed and collapsed into one of the chairs beside my dad’s bed.

“If something happens and we don’t call him, he’ll never forgive us, Berlin.”

“Pops said he’s fine, so what are we even still talking about?” I asked seriously.

Chandler held my gaze for a moment but didn’t respond. She glanced at our father and gave him a small smile.

“Are you really okay?”

“Yeah. I’m really okay, baby.”

“Okay.” She took a shaky breath and nodded. “You really had us worried.”

“I’m sorry.”