Sit Back, Gotta Catch My Breath

"It'll be okay, Lex," I said to the sobbing boy as I pulled him closer to me.
"H-How can you b-be so sure?" he asked, burying his face in my chest.
"Because your mom is strong. She's a fighter."
"Sh-she already lost the fight once... Sh-she could very well lose again..." He began to sob louder.
"Lex, the doctors are keeping a close eye on her, and they said that it doesn't look like she's going to have another heart attack."
"D-doctors... could... b-be wrong..." he said between sobs.
"Lex, listen to me. She's going to be okay. I'm going to take you to see her tomorrow so you can see with your own eyes that she's going to be just fine."
He took a deep breath, trying to calm himself enough to speak. "What if she d-doesn't make it through the n-night?"
"She will," I reassured him, "I promise."
He looked up at me with a tear-stained face. "O-Okay. B-But what if..."
I put a finger to his lips and shushed him. "Enough of the 'what if's, Lex. She's going to be perfectly fine. Now, quit psyching yourself out."
He nodded and sat up, wiping the tears from his face. "Okay..." He took a deep, shaky breath.
I sat up as well and pulled him back into my arms. We got a call from Alex's dad from the hospital about an hour ago saying that Alex's mom had a heart attack right as they arrived at the hospital. She was dead for about five-ish minutes, but the doctors were able to bring her back to life. They still aren't quite sure why she had the heart attack, but they were working on figuring it out. I understand why Alex was freaking out, but seeing him like this was so painful for me. I was trying my damnedest to stay stong for the boy, but I was on the verge of tears myself. Even if Isobelle doesn't like me anymore since she walked in on me and Alex, I still kind of saw her as my own mother in a way.
I was quickly pulled out of my thoughts by Alex planting a firm and hungry kiss on my lips. I kissed him back for a second, but then pulled away to look at him when he tried to straddle my lap. "Lex, what are you doing?"
He bit his lip and looked me in the eyes. "What does it look like I'm doing?"
I sighed and shook my head. "Alex, do you really think now is the time?"
He pulled away from me a little bit and hugged his knees. "Well, why not? We're alone... in my room... on my bed..."
"But your mom is in the hospital. I'm sorry, but that thought doesn't exactly create the appropriate mood."
He looked down at the bed and sighed.
I scooted closer to him and wrapped an arm around his shoulders. "Lex, I'm sorry. I'm just not in the mood right now."
He nodded and leaned into me. "It's okay. You're right. Now is not the time."
I looked over at the clock. It was almost 4 in the morning. "Lex, we should really go to sleep."
He looked at the clock as well and nodded again. "Yeah. Okay."
We both curled up under the covers. He rested his head on my chest and almost instantly fell asleep. I laid there awake for about half an hour before I, too, was taken over by unconciousness.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"Will you go in there with me?" Alex pleaded. We were at the hospital, outside his mom's room.
I shook my head. "I don't think that would be the best idea, Lex. You're mom doesn't exactly like me anymore, remember?" I gave him a quick hug before nudging him closer to her door. "I'll be right out here."
He nodded and entered the room, closing the door behind him.
I sighed and ran my hand through my hair as I sat down in one of the chairs outside of her room. Man, this was just crazy. Sure, I was kind of mad at her for not accepting Alex for who he is and trying to keep us apart, but I never wanted this to happen to her. She didn't deserve this. I sighed again and leaned my head back.
I stayed in that position for a few minutes before Alex's dad emerged from the room and tapped me on the knee. I lifted up my head to look at him. "What's up?"
He sighed. "I was wondering if I could talk to you about something. Man to man."
I nodded and stood up to follow him down the hall. We were silent for a few moments until he finally spoke up.
"Do you love Alex?"
I stopped walking for a second before continuing down the hallway with him. "Excuse me?"
He looked at me. "How stupid do you think I am? I know you two have been sneaking around with each other." He sighed and looked down at his shoes as we entered the cafeteria. "And I've seen the way you look at each other. It's the way Isobelle used to look at me when we were teenagers." We sat down at one of the empty tables and he looked at me again. "So, do you love my son? I mean, really love him?"
I sighed and looked down at my folded hands. "Yeah. I do."
We sat in silence for a few seconds until he sighed. "Look, I'm not opposed to you two dating, but Isobelle always dreamed of having grandchildren. And when Tom passed away, it was suddenly all up to Alex."
I looked up from my hands to see him looking at me with a frustrated expression. I nodded, letting him know that I was listening.
He nodded back and continued. "So, when she walked in on you two, those dreams of having grandchildren were ripped away from her. And that is why she was so upset about it. It's not that she doesn't love Alex and it's not that she hates you... She just wants things to be the way they used to be before we moved here."
I nodded again, understanding. "Well," I finally said, "If Alex and I ever decided to, say, get married, we could always adopt. It's not like it's not an option. Even though Alex likes guys, it doesn't eliminate the possibilities of you guys having grandkids. It just means they won't be related to you by blood. But they would be your grandkids all the same."
He looked at me with understanding eyes and nodded. "Do you see yourself marrying my son anytime in the future?"
I shrugged and looked back down at my hands. "Well, I know for a fact that I love him with all my heart. And if I could choose, hell yeah I would marry him. But we're only seniors in high school. Hell, I'm not even 18 yet. And... it kinda depends on whether or not he agreed to marry me." We were silent for a little bit before I added, "Would you be okay with us maybe getting married in the future?"
He rubbed his hands together as if thinking hard about my question. "As long as my son is happy," he finally answered.
"And Isobelle?"
He sighed and his eyebrows pulled together. "I would have to talk to her, but I think I could get her to agree with you two being a couple."
I smiled at him. "Thank you so much, sir. This means a lot to the both of us."
He nodded. "Sure thing."

Notes

See? Alex's dad isn't that bad. :p

-Ryan