Chapter 3

7 2 4
                                    

Jackson woke up the next morning remembering everything, and he was glad that he did. Raising his head from his soft pillows, he threw the covers around looking for his phone. A sigh of relief escaped his lips when he spotted it and he eagerly picked it up, wanting to set up the date with Hope.

Before he could make the call, however, he noticed a message from Rory.

Hey, my grandma had another episode and Im in a meeting with your Dad. Can you check it out for me? -R

Against his hearts wishes, he responded to Rory before leaving the warmth of his bed and starting his day.

Yeah, sure dude. - J

Only a few minutes away, Hope laid awake in her bed, patiently waiting for her alarm to let out its usual, horrible shrieks. As of late, Hope was finding it more and more difficult to be productive before her alarm sounded. The machine let out its blaring sounds and Hope mechanically reached her arm out and smacked it on the top of the machine, effectively turning it off. She let herself up into a sitting position, her lower half still covered in blankets, and checked her phone. An uneasy feeling set in her stomach when she realized that Jackson hadnt called or texted her.

"He forgot," was Hope's first thought. "Of course he forgot."

She hopped off her bed and immediately went to the bathroom to brush her teeth, because one thing that she would never do was eat breakfast with dirty teeth.

After a short drive, Jackson reached the mental institution. He didn't mind being there because Rory's grandmother loved Jackson, maybe even more than Rory. And Jackson loved her, enough to call her Grammy. He loved her enough to drive to a mental institution with a suit on because he had a meeting soon after.

He approached the front desk after walking through the automatic doors and the receptionist instantly knew who he was. Jackson had been there many times, only to visit his Grammy.

Ethel was in the day room today, he was told. The receptionist led the way and Jackson followed behind her. When the woman finally stopped she turned towards Jackson with a bit of a somber look in her eyes. "She had another episode today and we had to restrain her so she might be a bit irritable." She watched his reaction closely.

"I know, that's actually why I'm here," was Jacksons response. Without taking a second glance at the woman, he stepped into the day room and searched for the elderly woman that considered him a grandson. He finally spotted her in the corner of the bright room, working on a puzzle with a frustrated look etched on her face. She let out a shaky hand, withered from age, to flip over a puzzle piece. A scowl found its way onto her face when she noticed it wasn't the piece she was looking for.

Jackson made his way to the woman dismissing the curious glances of the other women in the room. Ethel looked up, and the scowl morphed into a bright smile at the sight of him. "Jack! You came!" She was always this excited to see him.

He took her hand in his. "Of course I came, Grammy. They said you had another episode?"

She snatched her hand away from his and scowled once more. "No one listens to me. These things are happening and no one is listening to me!" Ethel wasnt talking to Jackson anymore, she seemed to be talking to someone next to him, someone who wasn't there.

Jackson grabbed her hand once again before speaking. "Grammy, what happened? Was it another hallucination?"

"They are not hallucinations, Jack! Just because you and Rory and everyone else in this damn world are too dense to see it!" Her face had turned a light shade of red which was alarming on her usually pale face.

Deciding to not anger her further, Jackson said "I know, I'm sorry. What was it?"

She looked around, as if afraid someone might overhear, and leaned in. "I saw robbers," she whispered, unaware of the cameras. "They were robbing a museum. Or was it a bank? Either way, you have to stop them!"

He looked down, trying to hide the disappointment in his eyes. When he finally raised them again, he saw tears glistening in Ethel's eyes. "You don't believe me, do you?" Jackson desperately didn't want her to get angry or sad again because every time she was, a light bulb exploded. Or an old woman somehow found the strength to throw something at the wall and leave a dent. Or someone went into cardiac arrest. Something always happened.

"Of course I believe you, Grammy, but I have to go. I'm going to be late for an important meeting," he said, tapping the face of his watch for emphasis. In his defense, he did have a meeting but at that moment he just didn't want to be the reason for her getting upset. It was selfish, but also reasonable.

This saddened Ethel, but not nearly as much as the other topic did which led Jackson to believe that he made the right decision. "You're always working. You and Rory. I never see you enough. You will come back later, right?"

Jackson smiled at the thought of his date with Hope and when he looked back at Ethel and found a curious look in her eye, a faint pink coated his cheeks. "I might have a date tonight."

She gasped. "A date? Why didnt you tell me before? Whats she like? Tell me about her, I can help you with your outfit."

Jackson let out a few chuckles at her eagerness, it was cute in his eyes. "I said 'might' but I will be by later and you can help me then, but I really do have to go right now." He planted a light kiss on her cheek before leaving the room and the institution. He walked quickly to his car and carefully shut the door. Once he reached a red light, he grabbed his phone from his pocket and dialed Hope's number.

Hope was in the middle of sketching out her vision when she got a call from an unknown number. She was usually wary in these situations, afraid that someone had said something about her powers. Still, with a shadow of a hope, she let the phone ring once, twice before finally accepting the call. "Hello?"

"Tomato." After a few seconds of silence. "That was our code word, right?"

Against her wishes, a smile grew across her face. "Yeah, it was."

"So what do you want to do on the date?"

Hope let out a laugh. "Oh no, you're the one planning this, I need to see if you're worth dating." For the record, Hope wasn't playing hard to get. She meant every word that come tumbling out of her mouth without permission.

It was Jackson's turn to laugh. "Okay, so I'm supposed to do the hard work and you're just along for the ride?" Jackson faked hurt despite Hope's inability to see through the phone.

Hope tried not to take his words to heart, but it was proving to be difficult for her. Still, she laughed. "At least for the first date. And if I think you're worth my time, maybe I'll plan the second one."

"Alright. I'll plan the date, but be prepared because it's gonna be the best date youve ever had."

Hope's smile turned to a smirk. "Cocky, are we?"

"Of course."

She laughed before noticing the time. "Shoot! I have to get ready for work. I'm sorry I'll talk to you later!" She rushed the words out before hanging up abruptly. Hope winced as she ended the call, internally scolding herself.

Jackson found her amusing but he groaned as he pulled into the parking lot of his office building. Don't be mistaken, the man loved his job, but he also loved having time to himself and he loved being alone, both of which his job as the CEO's son didn't allow.

He entered as he usually did, radiating confidence and demanding attention without saying a word. In the elevator reserved for Jackson and his father, he ran his hands down the front of his blazer, an attempt to smooth out non-existent wrinkles. The young businessman put on a smile before the elevator dinged open and he stepped into the conference room.

The JournalWhere stories live. Discover now