Chapter 22: Scared To Death

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Spencer spent the next week and a half alone in the house, with only Isaac to keep her company, when he wasn't at school. She hadn't heard from Toby since the fight, but she knew he had moved back into his old apartment.

More than anything, she wanted to find him and hug him. She knew he was confused and lost, and she hated that she was just adding on to the amount of stress he was under.

"Mommy, where's Toby?" Isaac asked from the backseat, his voice small. He was in kindergarten now, and he learned to be more vocal and ask more questions. Deep down, Spencer was proud of how far he had come in only a few months. She hated that she wasn't able to be there for him like she used to.

"Toby is at work," Spencer lied. She knew that the entire truth would make very little sense to her five year old, so she decided to lie to him just a little bit. After all, it shouldn't hurt him that much.

"Can Toby come to Hanna's house with us? I haven't seen him. Please?" Isaac practically begged. He missed seeing his best friend every day. He was ecstatic to learn that he'd be living with Toby, but now that he's been gone for a while, Isaac began to wonder what had happened to his friend.

"Honey, Toby is really busy, but he'll see us when he can." Spencer said. She tried hard not to make any promises.

Isaac, confused and feeling somewhat neglected by Toby, began to cry in the backseat. He knew better than to break out into a full-on tantrum, especially in the car, so he remained as discrete as he could with his tears. He knew his mother didn't like to see him cry.

When a poorly-concealed sob escaped Isaac's tiny body, Spencer turned around to discover that her son had been crying. She wanted to stop the car and comfort him, but Isaac was already fifteen minutes late for school. "No, honey, please don't cry. Everything's going to be okay, alright? I'll call Toby right now." She begged, turning around to face her son. She hated having to call Toby, but she knew that it would make Isaac happy. And her son's happiness came first.

Spencer turned back to retrieve her cell phone, struggling to drive the car. Before she could even unlock her phone, there was a sudden feeling of pain hitting her side. She didn't even realize that her entire left side was bleeding until she saw the bits and pieces of broken glass scattered across her body. She looked up for a split second, only to realize that she was upside down. Her seatbelt kept her in her spot, and her arms weren't strong enough to take it off.

Then, before Spencer knew it, everything went black.

-

Spencer woke up in a hospital room. The feeling of dizziness hit her like a train. Every other second, she felt like vomiting.

A pale, blonde woman in purple scrubs entered her room. "Glad to see that you're awake," she simply said.

"What happened?" Spencer asked. She tried recollecting as much as she could, but the last thing she remembered was her fight with Toby.

"You and your son were in a car accident this morning," the woman said calmly, "nothing too extreme happened with you, just some internal bleeding and a few cuts on your left side. But you're fine now."

"Where's Isaac? Is he okay? Where is he?" Spencer said, attempting to get up and look for her son, before the woman forced her to stay put. Spencer couldn't imagine anything happening to her baby boy. If something were to happen to Isaac, and it be all her fault, she couldn't live with herself. Just the thought of Isaac hurt made her uneasy. Isaac rarely got hurt, but when he did, it was bad.

"Your son is in the ICU, he hit is head on the pavement and may have some brain damage. If he does, he'll have to have brain surgery." The nurse said. Those words stabbed Spencer like a knife.

He could die. Isaac could die today.

"We are going to release you in about a half hour, and we called your and your son's emergency contacts, so they should be here in a few minutes."

Spencer thought to herself. She knew for a fact that Isaac's emergency contact was Mark, but she was blanking on who her emergency contact was. It used to be her parents, but that was changed when she left her hometown. Then it was Mark, but she felt like she changed it. No, she knew she changed it.

She continued to think as the nurses unhooked her IV bag and brought her to the lobby. When they arrived, Spencer found the last person she thought she'd see.

Toby Cavanaugh.

"Oh my god, Spencer, are you alright?" Toby asked. A million things raced through Spencer's mind. What the hell is he doing here? Why does he suddenly love her again?

The only thing Spencer could do in that moment was hug him. Neither of them knew whether she was hurt, or angry, or confused. All she needed was a hug from him. She cried on his shoulders for a while, and stopped herself from asking any questions.

"Spencer, whatever happens, I'll be here." Toby finally said as Spencer was anxiously waiting for them to start Isaac's surgery.

"I love knowing that." She said. She wanted to kiss him. She wanted to yell at him. She had mixed feelings about everything. But above all, she wished that she got hurt instead of Isaac. Her son came first, no matter what. The thought of not seeing Isaac every day scared Spencer.

"Miss Hastings?" A female doctor called for Spencer. She made her way towards her, ready for any news- good or bad- that came. "Your son will be in surgery for a few hours. I suggest going home and getting some rest."

Spencer sighed. "Alright. Thank you." She simply said.

"I brought you some clothes," Toby stated. There was an awkward silence between the two as Spencer grabbed the clothes from Toby and made her way to the nearest restroom.

There were a million things that the two needed to say to each other. They were things that couldn't be left unsaid.

Spencer returned from the restroom, clad in a black tank top with jeans. She followed Toby to his car, not saying a word. The two remained silent when they arrived at the house. It once seemed warm when the two were happy and in love. Now, since they had broken up, the house just seemed cold and empty.

"You need anything?" Toby asked. He vowed to himself to help her just like she helped him, despite their current circumstances.

"I just need some rest." Spencer said honestly. She wanted to add how she wanted him to sleep next to her, but Toby didn't need to hear her say it to know that that's what she wanted. Toby reluctantly picked Spencer up, as her entire body was still sore.

The two laid down on their once shared bed, and Spencer ignored the pains in her head and back as she listened to Toby's heart beating, eventually causing her to fall into a deep sleep.

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