Taylor P.O.V

Truthfully, I was dreading school the next day. I was terrified that when I went in, McKenzie would instantly start on me because of that fight she had with Sam yesterday. But I was actually shocked to see that when McKenzie was in her usual spot on the steps with her friends, neither her nor her friends spoke a single word towards me. Matter of fact, they seemed to avoid my eye altogether! Had Sam scared them away or something? If so, that would have been awesome!

Speaking of Sam, I hadn't heard from her since we parted ways  yesterday to go home. I tried calling her during the night, to once again thank her for how she had stuck up for me, even if it wasn't in the most pacifist way. But for some reason, every time I tried to call her, it never went through, and it really was scaring me. 

It didn't help that she only tended to not be in contact when bad things happened. But maybe she just got caught up in something, and would be able to reassure me later. It was fine...

Everything was fine.

****

Sam P.O.V

These were officially the worst days of my life. I'll never forget just how much it felt like my heart sank when I got that call from the hospital last night, telling me to come see my mother in the morning. It was hard not to feel dread when I heard those words.

Sleeping that night wasn't exactly easy, and I went to race off to the hospital as quickly as I could possibly manage, so early in the morning. When I got to the desk, I simply let them know who I was and who I was here to see.

What happened next made me want to scream.

"Listen... You might want to brace yourself for what I'm about to tell you." A doctor was speaking to me minutes later. "Your mother, she... I'm afraid that it is getting worse, and there might not be a whole lot that we can do."

"W-What?" I stuttered, almost like I misunderstood the extremely clear details that he had delivered straight to me. She was getting... Worse? Did that mean there was the possibility that she wouldn't remember me at all? "Can I see her?" I asked, trying to swallow the lump in my throat, as I was trying my hardest not to start crying over the shocking news.

"It may be... Distressing." He warned me, but when I insisted and insisted, he allowed me to see her. Of course, when I got outside her room, I was extremely hesitant. I didn't want her to forget me...

Slowly, I went to go inside, seeing her seeming to be resting with her eyes closed. For a moment, she was sleeping. Until she appeared to be waking up, and when her eyes landed on mine, I had to try even harder to hold himself together.

"Oh, hello." Was the first thing she said. "You must be Taylor."

She had forgotten me, hadn't she...?

"What? No, mom, it's me, Sam." I tried to explain, but she just seemed to give me a look of bewilderment, like I was completely insane.

"I don't know anyone named Sam. I don't know you!" She snapped. "Someone! Someone help me there's a stranger in my room!" When she started yelling bloody murder, that's when a couple of doctors and nurses came into the room to calm her, after telling me to leave.

When I left, it was impossible not to break down into tears. My own mother, who I had known all my life. Who had loved me and taken care of me... She had no idea who I was...

What the hell was I supposed to do now?

****

Taylor P.O.V

Not having Sam at school today really sucked, she hadn't come in all day and I was missing her like crazy. Not to mention she still hadn't called or texted, and I was getting more and more worked up by the hour. It didn't help that I kept staring at the clock on my phone every few minutes, which only caused time to go even slower.

She would call now, I thought at 4:45pm. She would call now, I thought again at 4:50. And then I'd think about just how damn slow time was going, and why it wasn't going quicker.

As if to answer my silent pleads, my phone finally decided to ring out, Sam's name appearing upon the screen. I tapped my finger on that answer call button faster than a gun shooting a bullet into the air.

"Sam!" Was the first thing I said, only to receive sobbing in return. "S-Sam?"

"Taylor..." She quietly responded. "It's my mom... She's gotten worse."