I ran my fingers through my hair as I sighed, looking at the plain grey walls of the hospital. I was sitting outside my mother's semi-private room, trying to keep my emotions in check. Daniel went to the cafeteria to get us something to drink since it was almost midnight. I was barely awake but I had to prevent myself from falling asleep. How could I think about sleep when my mother is bandaged up? It's not my priority at the moment. They told that she fainted from lack of sleep and eating, which led to her hitting her head against the tiles of the kitchen.

She's alright now but the worry I had stayed within me. Then after I was told about the case, guilt hit me. Silas reassured me that she was just sleeping at the moment since she hasn't slept in days. I'm glad she's getting the rest she needs but I can't believe I never knew that each time she came home, she never went to sleep or ate anything. If I knew, I would have woken up before she left for work just to make breakfast so she could. I would have made sure she got some rest when she was home. But I didn't because I was distracted and brushed off the fact that she could be not looking after herself. The doctor suggested that she stay home on paid leave once they release her. I agreed. I was at least a little happy that she can stay home for a couple of days without stressing.

"I got you some tea, your favourite." A styrofoam takeout cup with the tag of a familiar tea bag hanging out came into my sight of vision.

I looked up at Daniel. He lips were upturned into a half-smile. He was encouraging me to drink the tea he had gotten me. I smiled tiredly, thanking him as I accepted the cup. Daniel sat next to me with a cup of coffee in his hand. I took a sip from the drink before sighing for the hundredth time since I got here. I leaned my head back to look at the dull white ceiling. Time felt like it was going slowly, seconds felt like hours. My body was physically tired but I didn't want to go home even though the nurse would keep coming back to suggest I go home though I was stubborn and refused. There was no way I'm leaving. 

The familiar touch of Daniel's hand grabbing mine to intertwine them snapped me out of my thoughts. I looked down before glancing up into Daniel's eyes. The worry was evident in them. "How are you feeling?" he asked.

"Stressed" I admitted.  

"She's fine, everything is going to be ok Harmony, she'll wake up tomorrow with you by her side to help her" Daniel reassured me. My lips twitched up. 

"Thank you," I said.

"For what?" he asked, tilting his head with a frown.

"For being there for me, I mean you don't even have to stay here with me, I'm fine with being by myself" I replied. He could have gone home after the doctor told me what the cause of her accident was from passing out. Instead, he decided to stay and keep me company until she woke up. It helped to have him by my side, comforting me. I was lucky he was there with me the whole time, I wouldn't want to be alone.  

"I'm not going to leave you alone, not when you feel like this and need someone, especially after what happened," Daniel stated.

"Thank you, again, I'm glad you're here with me," I whispered before laying my head on his shoulder. I let a yawn as Daniel gave my hand a reassuring squeeze before placing our hands on his lap. He then rest his head on top of mine. It was silent between us but it was comfortable. I had started to ease up my worries and found myself closing my eyes.

"Go to sleep, I'll wake you up if anything happens ok?" Daniel whispered. I nodded.

I allowed myself to drift off to sleep. It was good finally allow myself to rest but I'm not shocked that it was short-lived. I was jolted awake by the constant buzzing in my pocket. I mentally cursed at whoever was messaging me several messages at once. I wasn't bothered to lift my head off Daniel's shoulder to read what was sent to me, though his head was still on top of mine. It was a message from Evelyn. She let me know that Mariah had told her about my mother's situation and was checking up on me. I don't know how Mariah knows unless Daniel told her. It's fine if he did to explain why he wasn't home yet and it was still late.

I messaged back to reassure her that my mother and I were fine. She insisted on coming over tomorrow. I accepted the offer, ending the conversation then. I then messaged Ruby and Kylee back who had left several messages as well fretting over us. I wasn't the one that passed out and got injured in the process. I didn't need someone asking how I was when as of now, I was fine and not as stressed as before. I may not be the one that needs to be checked up on, I still appreciated the care they give, especially after the other two had only known me for a few weeks.

I sighed as I put my phone back into my pocket. The sound of Daniel's steady breathing made my lips quirk up. He must have fallen asleep not long after me. I knew he wouldn't be able to stay up while I slept. I breathed out a silent laugh before giving his hand a quick but gentle squeeze, making sure not to wake him up. I fell asleep again after that. 

"Excuse me? Miss? Sir?" 

My eyes fluttered open as a yawn slipped past my lips. The doctor that had been assigned to my mother was standing in front of us. His name was Mr Hart. He had been kind enough to let us stay here past visiting hours. After Daniel lifted his head, I did the same. 

"I'm sorry about that" I apologised. He gave a friendly smile.

"There's no need to apologise, I hope you slept well, I'm sorry to wake you both up so early but I just wanted to let you know that your mother has woken up, she doing fine, I've given her some mild painkillers to help with the headache she's feeling" he explained. I smiled tiredly up at him.

"That's great to hear Mr Hart, thank you so much" I beamed. He chuckled.

"No worries, she should be good to go home today if you want, just make sure she gets some rest, she's eating right, and if she experiences headaches, give her some of the mild painkillers ok?" he advised. I made a mental note of what he said as I nodded. He left after that.

"See? I told you she would be fine in the morning" Daniel said before yawning. 

"Yeah you did, thank you again for staying with me, sleeping in an uncomfortable chair all night" I joked. He chuckled.

"You don't have to thank me, I would do it again for you" he stated. I looked away as a blush appeared on my cheeks.

"I should probably go inside to greet her" I mumbled.

"I'll head home but do you and your mother need a lift home?" Daniel asked as we both stood up from our seats. I shook my head.

"No, I think I'll be alright, plus Ruby, Kylee and Evelyn are on their way now most likely to visit" I reassured him. He cringed at Evelyn's name. I wanted to laugh but that felt like the inappropriate thing to do in a hospital. 

"Alright, I'll leave go home but call me when you get home and if you need me ok?" he ordered. I nodded.

"I promise I will, now go home and get some proper rest" I jokingly ordered myself. He chuckled before wrapping his arms around me and kissing my forehead. Inwardly I sighed with content as I hugged him back.

"You two do the same ok?"

"We will now go."

"Ok, I'm going, I'm going."

I watched as he walked away. When he was out of sight, I headed into my mother's room. She had her back rested against the pillow, watching some TV that was in the corner of the room. She turned to me when she heard the door open and gave me a weak smile before patting beside her. I sat on the edge of the bed.

"How are you feeling?" I asked.

"I feel better than I was yesterday, that's for sure" she joked. 

"I'm glad that you're feeling better, I was so scared yesterday when I found you passed out across the kitchen floor" I mumbled. She tilted her head and frowned.

"I'm so sorry about that honey, I never wanted to worry you, I guess I overworked myself to the point where I forgot that I needed basic human needs to function but I promise you that I'm fine now and that it won't happen again, I'm happy that you were there but I'm sorry that you had to see me like that, it's not the ideal sight," she said. The corners of my lips curved up in a half-smile.

"It's fine mum, I'm just glad that I got home when I did," I said. 

She nodded before hugging me. After that, she made room so I could put my legs up. We both watched 'Friends' while laughing. It wasn't long until I got a message from Evelyn, letting me know she was here. I excused myself from my mother's room before walking out and gently closed the door so we wouldn't disturb her. She loved the show more than anything. She probably knew the lines better than anyone since she grew up with it. We always watch the reruns whenever she's able to.

"Harmony!" I heard a familiar voice shout.

I flinched at the high volume of Evelyn's voice. Of course she'd shout in a hospital. The most inappropriate place to be loud when patients are trying to rest and doctors trying to do their job. A few of the workers glared at her while harshly shushing her. Evelyn waved them off as she continued to walk towards me with Ruby and Kylee following closely behind. Before I could greet her, Evelyn immediately hugged me tightly. I patted her back so she could let me go and I could breathe again. Once she did, I was able to greet them.

"We heard what happened, how are you feeling?" Kylee asked.

"I'm fine, they told me that she had fainted due to exhaustion and malnutrition but thank god, now she's awake and doing fine, I just talked to her, right now she's in there watching some TV" I replied.

"We're so glad that she's doing alright now, I'm sorry for what happened" Ruby frowned. 

"It's fine, don't apologise, thank you though," I said. 

"Well I'm glad that your mother is fine at the moment, I'm sorry about yesterday though, I shouldn't have been a bitch being all upset because you were late when you were going through all this" Evelyn apologized.

Guilt started to bubble inside me. I didn't correct her though that wasn't the reason why I was late. I know I was being a coward and I can't do anything about my fear of how she would react. Evelyn is kind of like a ticking time bomb. No one knows when she'll blow once someone pisses her off. I try to avoid getting on her nerves. She tells me constantly that I have nothing to worry about and that she wouldn't ever get angry at me but that's true, she forgets that she has at times though not as bad as others have witnessed.

"Honestly Evelyn, there's no need to apologize, we all make mistakes so it's fine" I reassured her. Evelyn sighed with relief. "So how was yesterday with the guy?" I asked as we sat on the chairs.

"Oh you mean Fletcher, yeah he was cool, an alright guy," Kylee shrugged, her voice coming out monotone.

"I thought he was quite funny" Ruby chirped with a toothy energetic grin.

"And since I already knew him, I thought he was cute and that you would like him" Evelyn admitted. 

"Please tell me yesterdays meet up wasn't just so you could set me up with this guy right?" I begged. Evelyn gave me a sheepish expression. I groaned. Of course it was to set me up with the guy. I already told her countless times that I wasn't interested in any more of her setups. I didn't want to be in a relationship, at least, not with any of the guys she knew since they've never seemed to end well. It always ended badly. He could be a nice guy but I don't think I'd feel anything for him. I have doubts about that. 

"Evelyn I told you I'll date when I'm ready and now I'm just not, I don't want to" I argued.

"Why aren't you ready to date?" Ruby asked as she furrowed her eyebrows and tilted her head.

"Well, there's so much going on that I just can't focus on a relationship right now" I admitted. 

It was the half-truth, not the full truth. There was so much going on at home, with my life that I have to get over but truth is, if Daniel asked me to be his girlfriend, I'd immediately say yes without hesitation. Maybe I would be a little hesitant actually but still, nonetheless, I would. I wish I could tell Evelyn, maybe even ask for advice from my best friend but she would go crazy if she knew that I liked Daniel because that's how deep her hatred for him goes and I don't know why. 

Luckily, the rest of the conversation with Evelyn, Ruby and Kylee was normal with nothing that made me uncomfortable or want to scream. I was happy for the distraction from the worry and guilt within that hadn't left since they arrived. It's not usually like me to not tell Evelyn the truth, at least, when it comes to little things like these but I've never done something like this where I ditched her after making a promise. Evelyn may be my best friend but at times I wish I wasn't so terrified of telling her the truth at times.

After an hour, Kylee offered to drop me and my mother home to which I accepted. After signing her out, Evelyn and I helped her to Kylee's car while the other two lead the way in front. When we arrived home, Kylee helped me this time while the other two made themselves at home in the living room. I let my mother rest in her bed before heading into the kitchen to cook lunch for us. None of us has eaten though I don't know if I can make a feast for five people. I decided on making simply pasta since it was easier to make for all of us. 

My mind wandered off to how much of a bad daughter I was with how distracted I've been. I probably should have been more observant. I should have known something was up. It felt like it was my fault and it probably was because I made no attempt to make sure she was eating properly and sleeping rather than skipping both to overwork herself. I guess because she only ate around me, I assumed she was doing fine.

I huffed before shaking the thoughts out of my head. I pushed any negative feeling aside as I placed a bowl of spaghetti onto a tray and headed upstairs while the others put themselves some. I closed the door behind me before taking my phone out to check the time. My eyes widened at the few missed calls from Daniel. He left a couple of messages expressing his concern. I quickly went into my room and made sure to close my door before dialling his number. I chewed on my bottom lip as I waited. He picked up after two rings.

"Are you alright?" Daniel immediately asked. I silently chuckled.

"Yes Daniel, I'm alright, I'm not the one that was injured" I reminded as I sat on my bed.

"I know but I wanted to make sure you're ok and not still upset or stressed like you were back at the hospital" he explained. I smiled as my cheeks heated up.

"Thank you, that's sweet of you to do but you don't have to worry about me, I'll be fine" I reassured him.

"But that doesn't answer my question, how are you? Be honest" he urged. 

"Yes," I lied.

"Is that a lie I detect?" he questioned. There was a hint of humour yet seriousness in his voice. 

"It's not a lie" I denied.

Liar

"I know that you think that I don't notice when you're upset or when you're hiding something but I do" Daniel admitted. I didn't think anyone noticed or that I even showed that side of me. I always try to push my feelings aside so that no one has to worry about me or question anything. It's better for me to hide the intense feelings I experience, bad and good at times, so that no one will know and I can protect myself from getting hurt. I learnt that the hard way. 

"Well, you'd be the first" I mumbled under my breath.

"You know if you need me, I'm not far away?" Daniel reminded. 

"Ok, you better shut up before I start crying" I demanded playfully but inside, I knew it was true. 

"Then I'll be there to comfort you but you just need to open your bedroom balcony door so I could do just that" Daniel stated. I furrowed my eyebrows and frowned.

"Wait what?" I asked.

I looked down at my phone when he hung up. There was a sudden knock from the door that led to my balcony. I jumped and spun around with wide alert eyes. Daniel was standing there with a wide grin across his lips, the phone in his hand and in the other was a plastic bag filled to the top with what looked like a bunch of snacks. He put the phone in his pocket as I chucked my phone onto my bed and rushed over to open the door for him. Daniel put the plastic bag down once he entered and cupped my cheek, using his thumb to wipe a tear away that I didn't know had fallen.

He then pulled me into his embrace and I immediately hugged back, wrapping my arms around his torso. I ended up crying into his shirt while he let me. Daniel was stroking my hair as he whispered reassuring words. I guess after holding in my emotions the whole day in front of the others got to me and I couldn't hold it in anymore once he appeared to comfort me. I hated crying, it sucked but it felt good to let my emotions out.

"What are you doing here? I thought you left?" I asked, sniffing.

"I only left because I knew Evelyn down there would come to visit you, that and I quickly made a pit stop to the grocery store to buy your favourite food" Daniel explained as he motioned his head towards the plastic bag. 

"You know you didn't have to do all this just because I wasn't feeling all too well," I said. I pulled away from him and used my sleeves to wipe my tears from my cheeks.

"Yes, but I wanted to plus I'm way better than the crazy bitch" he declared smugly. I rolled my eyes but my lips twitched up.

"You know Evelyn, Ruby and Kylee are all downstairs, probably getting impatient and wondering why I haven't returned downstairs yet" I pointed out.

"Just tell them to leave and that you need some rest or time to yourself" he suggested as he fell back onto my bed. Maybe it was a good idea. It was probably better if I hang out with them when I'm feeling better. 

"Hold on, I'll be back," I said before exiting. 

The excuse I used was that I wanted to be left alone for today since I was tired. It was partly true but it doesn't mean I'm going to go to sleep. But I had Daniel with me to help take my mind off everything. When Kylee and Evelyn turned to leave, Ruby looked at me suspiciously before doing the 'I'm watching you' signal to me as she walked backwards, almost hitting the wall behind her. I know that she most likely knew what the truth was about why I wanted them to leave. She'll probably question me tomorrow and that's fine with me but just not today.

I made sure to check in with my mother to see if she ate the food that I made. She had fallen asleep with the tray on the nightstand beside her bed. Fortunately, she finished everything in her bowl. I cleaned up before going back to my room where Daniel was on my laptop, scrolling through something as he ate some ice cream with a plastic spoon. He was way too distracted considering he didn't acknowledge me when I entered.

I sat next to him and took the spoon from his hand to eat some of the ice cream. It was my favourite, chocolate chip cookie dough. Daniel glanced at me before putting his arm around my shoulder and pulling me closer to his side. He used his other hand to keep scrolling through some movies on Netflix while I leaned my head against his body. I suggested the movie 'Ladies in Black'. Daniel agreed to let us watch it though I could tell he didn't want to. He took the spoon from me and took a spoonful of the ice cream while the movie played, making me pout jokingly. He chuckled and fed me some while I laughed.

When it got to dinner time, Daniel helped me cook for all of us while my mother sat in the living room. My mother had insisted that he stay when he thought he should leave me to be with her. She wanted to get to know him more after knowing that we've been hanging out together a lot. It was nice to have us all talking. My mother seemed to approve of him. She went to her room to sleep around nine o'clock. Daniel and I spent the rest of the night in the backyard, lying down on the grass, staring up at the night sky while I pointed out some familiar constellations. He was trying to distract me from my own thoughts and it worked.

I appreciated all that he did today even though he didn't need to waste his Saturday on me. I wish Evelyn could see what I saw in him so I didn't have to keep this secret from her. I sighed as I turned to face Daniel in my bed. We had decided to go to sleep around three in the morning when he noticed me yawning and trying to keep myself awake. My mother didn't know he was sleeping in my bed, she probably thought he was going to sleep on the floor or on the couch downstairs. I let him sleep next to me because I didn't want to sleep alone tonight, not in my own room. It helped that he was next to me, soothing my thoughts. I managed to fall asleep in his comforting embrace with his arm draped over my waist, finally feeling calm.