Page 133 of Five Summers

“Yes, Alex is all set for surgery. He has what we call a displaced fracture. Which means that Alex’s bone in his arm needs to be realigned.”

Right then, Xander rushes onto the bus and stops, his eyes fixed on me as I keep listening to the nurse on the phone, silent tears rolling down my cheeks.

“Is he in pain?” I ask.

“No, not at the moment. We have made him comfortable, so he isn’t feeling any pain. He should be going into surgery within the next twenty minutes.”

“Okay, thank you,” I reply, as a wave of relief washes over me.

“I’ll hand you back to your mom now,” the nurse says.

Waiting on the line for my mum’s voice, I’m met with nothing but silence.

“Mom...” I say, waiting for a response. But when I pull the phone away from my ear to look at the screen, I see the call has been disconnected. I can’t understand why my mother would do such a thing to me.

With Xander observing me, I dial her number. It goes straight to voicemail. It’s clear now that she has intentionally turned off her phone.

Feeling frustrated and angry, I collapse onto the lounge, burying my head in my hands and sobbing. I can’t help but wonder why she’s using this situation to retaliate against me. Just because I went against her wishes of coming here doesn’t justify her actions. As I’m lost in my thoughts, I feel the couch shift beside me, letting me know Xander has taken a seat.

To create a sense of distance and regain control of my emotions, I stand up. How can I possibly discuss our son without completely falling apart in front of him? Just as I’m trying to gather my thoughts, Xander’s hand gently wraps around my wrist, offering support.

“Talk to me, Princess,” he says, standing up and lifting my chin to meet his gaze. His calloused fingertips gently wipe away my tears. “Please talk to me.”

“It’s... my son,” I confess, my voice trembling. “He’s injured. His arm is broken, and he needs surgery to realign it. As for my mother... well she was never in favor of me coming here, and now...” I pause, sniffling. “Now she refuses to share any information with me about what’s going on. It was the nurse who let me know Alex is about to go into surgery when I gave her my insurance details."

“When is he having surgery?” Xander asks.

“She said in twenty minutes. My mother called only because I forgot to leave my insurance details and...” Tears well up, and I cover my face with my hands. I never thought I would pour my heart out to Xander again, especially not about my little boy. The little boy he continues to never acknowledge.

“Just give me a moment, Princess,” he says, planting a kiss on the top of my head.

As I gaze up at him, he pulls out his phone from his pocket and walks off the bus.

What the fuck? I just poured my heart out to him, and now he’s walking away.

Outside the bus, I hear someone yelling - it’s Reg. “You need to get your ass into that fucking green room right now to greet those VIP Ticket holders.”

“Fuck off. I’m busy,” Xander snaps back.

“Xander, I swear to god, if you don’t go back in there, there will be consequences.”

I glance out the window and see Xander walking alongside the bus, phone pressed to his ear, completely ignoring Reg as he continues his rant.

Annoyed that Xander is ignoring him, Reg storms onto the bus, stopping right in front of me. “You were supposed to be here to address this behavior. Get out and do your job.”

Sniffling, I quickly wipe my eyes, ready to tell him to fuck off as I have urgent matters to attend to. However, before I can utter a word, Xander comes back onto the bus, phone still pressed to his ear. He firmly grabs Reg by the collar and forcefully pulls him back. “If you ever fucking speak to her like that again, it will be the last thing you do,” Xander declares, his voice seething with anger. He then yanks Reg down the front steps of the bus.

“Get your hands off me!” Reg demands, struggling against Xander’s grip. “I fucking mean it, Xander.”

Peering through the side window, I watch Xander forcefully shove Reg against the bus. He keeps him pinned there momentarily, engrossed in the phone conversation while giving Reg an intense glare. Eventually, Xander releases his grip and proceeds along the side of the bus, still holding the phone to his ear.

With a few quick adjustments to his suit, Reg returns to the building.

A wave of urgency washes over me, prompting me to grab my phone and search for information on a displaced fracture. I feel immediate regret when I discover the severity of my son’s injury. While consumed by distressing thoughts, the sound of footsteps makes me lift my head.

"Here," Xander says, handing me his phone. “A nurse will call you every half hour to give you updates on your son.”

“How...,” I say, staring up at him in disbelief.

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