Chapter 70: Hardin

                                    

                                          
"How does it feel to be home, Hardin?" Mike asks as we continue our drive to the hospital. I really don't want to talk right now, but I might as well entertain the guy because the woman in the hospital is not only my mum, but his wife.
                          
"Strange. I haven't been here in seven years."
                          
Seven years. Holy shit. I guess after everything that happened between Vance and my mum, I didn't find the need or want to come back. There are so many bad memories here, many of them involving Tessa. I never wanted to come back after what happened that god awful day.
                          
"Not a lot has changed, but you should see what they've built in place of your mum's old house. It's like a mansion."
                          
"Really?"
                          
"Yeah, it's really nice compared to your mum's house before."
                          
Before what? I burned it down?
                          
"Good thing you burned it down then." Tessa remarks as she shoves my phone back in my pocket. I expect to see a smile on her face, but instead, it's pretty stoic.
                          
"It makes my house look like a dump." Mike laughs nervously to break some of the tension.
                          
We spend the rest of the car ride in comfortable silence. I keep looking over at Tessa, but she makes no move to look at me.
                          
I tap her shoulder to gain her attention. "Hey, are you okay?"
                          
"I'm fine." She says those words the way she usually does when she isn't actually fine.
                          
"You sure? Because you're not acting fine."
                          
"Let's not worry about me right now, we're nearly to the hospital." She smiles and turns her head back towards the window.
                          
I guess Tessa is nervous about my mum too, that has to be the only explanation on why she's acting so snippy. I think some of my nerves have transferred from me onto her.
                          
"Well, we're here." Mike pulls into a spot surprisingly close to the entrance. "Looks like something worked in our favor today with this awesome spot."
                          
We climb out of the car, and make our way towards the hospital doors. It's freezing outside. I should not have just packed a sweatshirt to wear in this weather.
                          
"Where's your jacket?" Tessa questions me when she notices me visibly shaking.
                          
"At home."
                          
"Hardin! It's January! You can't go around wearing a sweatshirt when it's five degrees out!"
                          
"Yeah, I know." I just hate wearing jackets. They're so annoying and a pain in the ass to carry around once you're inside a place.
                          
"If you know, then why did you do it?"
                          
"Because I forgot." I tell her honestly.
                          
"Bullshit." I think I hear her whisper under her breath. Why is she acting like this? "You're gonna get sick."
                          
"I'll be fine, Tessa." I snap back because like her, I'm fucking on edge right now.
                          
"Here, follow me." Mike guides us through this massive hospital. Tessa is acting more fragile than she usually does when she's nervous. I can't even think about what possibly could be the reason she's acting so weird when we are only a minute away from seeing my mum. "She should be awake by now."
                          
When we get to the room, I hear a woman faintly crying. I take one step into the room before I have to stop myself at the sight of my mum in the hospital bed. She looks like a fucking mess. She has medical bandages all over her body, plus a cast on her arm and leg. She's connected to a dozen machines. It's truly a terrifying sight.