Page 11 of Please Save Me

“Where’s Mason?” Cameron asked as he slipped his boots off.

“If I knew that, do you think I’d be standing here with my dick in my hands?”I snapped.

Cameron’s gaze drifted down, and he seemed relieved that my words were a metaphor and not reality.

“Did ya call for her?” He challenged.

I shot him a glare over my shoulder, and he placed his palms above his chest.

“Just askin’.” He assured me.

“Oh, quit it with your fake fucking accent.” I grumbled, unable to find anything else to hone in on. “You’re Canadian, not Southern.”

He scratched at his beard and looked at me like I was dumb. “I’d love to get into the semantics of why I talk the way I do, but not knowin’ where Mason is has me on edge.”

Cameron pushed past me, causing me to stumble slightly. I placed Mason’s dinner on the stand near the door before chasing after him.

“Mason!” Cameron’s voice boomed through the house like thunder.

I took a little comfort in the fact she didn’t respond to him either. That was until we discovered she wasn’t in the home's bottom at all. My heart beat a little faster as I turned on my heels and darted up the steps.

“Mason?” I called.

My stomach flipped at the silence.

“Sweetpea! You up here?” Nerves crept into Cameron’s voice.

I expected Cameron’s call to yield the same response as mine.

But from somewhere in the house, Mason weakly responded.

“Yeah…”

I closed my eyes, trying to envision exactly where the sound was coming from.

“Where you at?” Cameron came again.

“B-bathroom!” Her voice was frayed just enough to hint she was in pain.

The idea of that made me sick to my stomach, and worry infested every corner of my mind. Even if Mason and I didn’t currently see eye to eye, I loved her and our daughter more than life itself.

Instantly, my mind was full of the worst possibilities. I envisioned a bathtub full of blood and tissue while Mason sat pale and covered in sweat. Her tearswould patter on the floor as she kept herself barely alive with shallow breaths, silently wishing for this torment to end, completely alone and afraid.

My catastrophizing left me anchored to the floor until Cameron started down the hallway. His strides were long and purposeful. When he was halfway between the top of the steps and Sophia’s room, I was able to shake off the shackles of fear and chase after him. Together, we traveled through the pink oasis of Sophia’s room and into the master bathroom. The lights weren’t on, but the flicker of candles pierced the darkness with astonishing efficiency, allowing us to see Mason in the garden-style tub in the center of the bathroom. The air was thick with steam and the smell of floral vanilla. She pressed her head to the white porcelain of the tub as a squeaky whimper filled the air. The glow of ten small fires cast an orange hue on the water clinging to her back. Mason kept her head down for approximately a minute before she looked up. The lighting caught in the tears she was begging to shed. A small red indent remained on her forehead as her gaze bounced between us.“Go away,” she cried, making eye contact with me and me alone. Her banishment caused me to jerk back slightly as I pointed at my chest. Surely, she had to be talking to Cameron.

But, before she could clarify, he was already on his way to her and kneeling by the tub. Why was he so mentally prepared for this situation? Did he cause it? I tried not to let the anger of that thought cloud my judgment as he reached over and put his gargantuan hand on the small of her back.“Sweetpea, what hurts?” Cameron’s voice was deathly serious. Mason wrapped her arms around him, causing the water from her bath to drench the white of Cameron’s shirt. Her breath was shaky as she collected herself.

My mind was a warzone of conflicting emotions. I was worried for my Princess and our child, but my rage for Cameron burned white-hot. He shouldn’t be the one comforting her. Everything wrong with Mason’s life washisfault.

“My stomach and back.” She sobbed. Cameron used his thumb to rub Mason’s lower back as he shushed her. She seemed to sink into his embrace, which only made this worse. “How long has this been happening?” Cameron asked.

“Since you guys left. The internet said to try to walk, and drink water, and take a bath–but nothing is helping.” Mason rushed through her words despite the panicked breaths she frequently took. “Shit.” Cameron mumbled before looking back at me. “Seb, you gotta take her to the hospital.” He didn’t sound happy about that, but while Cameron was respectful about his disappointment, Mason absolutely was not. “What?” She gasped before looking at me.

Her pale skin was splotchy, and her hair was disheveled. I assumed this was from a mix of bathwater and sweat.

“You’re right here! I want to go with you.” She pleaded to Cameron. “I know.” His tone was ripe with anguish as he smoothed her hair. “But I don’t do hospitals. Sweetpea, you know that.”

Mason argued about going to the hospital with me for over half an hour. When it became clear that we were in a stalemate, Cameron had the audacity to send me away… and I listened because I didn’t want to see Mason get any more stressed. So, I made myself useful and packed her a small hospital bag.

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