Jace and Amy sat in their seats, waiting for takeoff back to Manhattan. They had boarded the next available flight to New York.Amy didn't imagine her weekend at Charlottesville ending this way.She was stunned by the outcome of the dinner and was surprised at Jace's outburst.Jace stared out the window, his jaw clenched in anger. His phone rang again, and he ignored it, just like he had done the last five times.
"Jace, maybe you should answer that,it could be important" Amy said, concern etched on her face.
"It's Rebecca," Jace muttered. "I don't want to talk to her or anyone at the moment."
Amy placed a gentle hand on his arm. "Jace, what's wrong?,You've been angry since we left the estate. I understand the situation but you should ...." But she was interrupt by Jace.
Jace shook his head, his eyes flashing with you anger. "I don't want to talk about it, Amy."
The phone rang again, and Jace silenced it, his face darkening.
"Amy, I need some space and time," he said, his voice low and rough.
Amy's eyes searched his face, she looked for the man she loved,the man who made butterflies swim in an endless ocean in her tummy but Jace turned away, his gaze fixed on the window.
Just then, Amy's phone rang. It was an unknown number.She hesitated for a moment before answering.
"Hello?" she said, her voice cautious. Jace watched as Amy's expression changed from calm to concerned.
"What? Oh no, I'm so sorry," Amy said, her voice rising. "Where is she?"
Jace's heart sank as he realized who Amy was talking to.
"Amy, what's wrong?" he asked, his voice tight with anxiety.
Amy's eyes met his, filled with worry. "It's Rebecca. Your mom had a heart attack. She's in the hospital."
Jace's world stopped. He felt like he'd been punched in the gut. He knew he had hurt his mom by bringing up everything she was trying to hide and forget but he didn't have a choice, he's just human and he can't bare to loose another important person in his life.
"We need to go," Amy said, her voice firm. "We need to be with your family."
Jace shook his head, his mind racing. "No, Amy. You need to go home."
Amy's eyes widened in shock. "What? No, Jace. I'm not leaving you."
Jace's face hardened. "I don't want you to come with me. It's not safe."
Amy's voice rose. "That's not fair, Jace. I'm your girlfriend. I should be with you,I know you're angry, and hurting and probably terrified,I am too, so go ahead yell at me and try to push me away but I'm not letting you leave here without me." The nearby passengers turned to look at them.
Jace's jaw clenched, he feels overwhelmed by how Amy cares about him. "I said no, Amy."
Amy's eyes flashed with anger. "Fine. But you have to choose,If I don't go with you, I'm never coming back."
Jace's heart skipped a beat. He knew Amy was serious.
"I mean it, Jace," Amy said, her voice trembling. She sincerely hoped that Jace would ask her to come along, she knew she couldn't stand being away from him."If you push me away now, I'm gone."
Jace took a deep breath, his mind racing. He knew he was being selfish, but he couldn't bear the thought of Amy seeing him loose his cool again with her father and any other family feud that may come forth.
"I'm sorry, Amy," he said, his voice rough. "But I need to do this alone."
Amy's face crumpled, and she turned away, struggling to keep tears from streaming down her face.
Jace felt a pang of guilt, but he knew he had to leave. He stood up, his eyes locked on Amy's back.
"I'm sorry," he repeated, his voice barely above a whisper.
Amy didn't respond. She just sat there, her back to him, her shoulders shaking with sobs.
Jace took a deep breath and turned away, his heart heavy with emotion. He made his way to the exit, the flight attendant calling out to him.
"Sir, I'm afraid the plane is about to take off. You need to return to your seat."
Jace didn't respond. He just kept walking, his eyes fixed on the door.
The flight attendant called out again, but Jace ignored her. He pushed open the door and stepped out into the airport, the cool air hitting him like a slap in the face.
He took a deep breath, his eyes scanning the crowded terminal. He knew he had to get to the hospital, to be with his family excluding his father of course.
But as he turned to walk away, he couldn't shake the feeling that he'd just made a terrible mistake.
As the Uber stopped in front of Sentara Martha Jefferson Hospital knowing fully well that it's their family hospital and there's no other hospital his mother would have admitted to.Jace rushed inside, his heart racing with anxiety. He burst through the doors and rushed to the reception desk.
"Excuse me," he said, his voice firm but urgent. "I'm looking for my mom. She was brought here after a heart attack."
The nurse nodded. "Calm down sir,Name please?" She asked. "Jace Prescott" Jace replied hurriedly.
" Oh you're here for Mrs Prescott" She said realizing who Jace was. Jace paced impatiently.
"Yes" Jace said pacing around impatiently and the nurse nodded as she typed into the system "Okay, she's in room 304, the private room,It's on the third floor. You can take the elevator or the stairs."
Jace nodded, already moving towards the elevators. He took the elevator to the third floor and rushed to room 304.
As he approached the room, he saw his dad, James, standing outside, his face etched with worry and guilt. But Jace ignored him, refusing to even acknowledge his presence.
Instead, Jace pushed open the door to the room and saw his mom lying in the bed, surrounded by machines beeping and whirring. Rebecca was sitting beside her, holding her hand.
Jace's eyes twitched in pain as he looked at his mom. He felt a wave of fear wash over him.
"Rebecca," he whispered, his voice shaking. "What happened?"
Rebecca looked up, her eyes red from crying. "After you left, she kept on sobbing and when she finally stood up from the chair,she started yelling saying she was feeling pain in her chest area,we rushed her to the hospital immediately,I hope we are....not ...not late" Her voice broke as she went into Jace's arm.
"It's okay" Jace wrapped his arms around his little sister, his eyes fixed on his mom. He felt a surge of anger and self blame because he knew it was his fault that his mom was in the hospital, but he pushed it aside, focusing on her recovery.
As he stood there, holding his sister, Jace knew that he had to be strong for her and his mom.
As Jace sat by his mom's bedside, his dad, James, approached him, looking contrite.
"Jace, I'm sorry," James said, his voice soft. "I was wrong to argue with you. I didn't mean to upset your mom."
But Jace refused to acknowledge him. He didn't even look at his dad, just kept his eyes fixed on his mom.
"Jace, please," James said, his voice rising. "Can't we just talk about this?"
But Jace remained silent, his jaw clenched in anger.
Just then, the doctor came in, a look of seriousness on his face.
"Doctor, whats going on?" Rebecca asked rushing to the doctor immediately he stepped into the room.
"Mr Prescott,Mrs Rebecca"he said, his voice firm. "Your mom's condition is stable for now, but she needs to rest and recover.We'll be monitoring her closely and running some tests to make sure there's no further damage."
Jace felt a wave of relief. No surgery, at least not for now.
The doctor smiled. "You all need to let her rest but you can see her later.Just give her some time."
Jace nodded, feeling a sense of gratitude towards the doctor.
As the doctor left,they followed suit allowing Elizabeth to some rest.
"You can go home,get some rest, it's late already" He said turning to Rebecca.
"I'll be fine Jace,she's my mom too" Rebecca said smiling weakly. He nodded.
"What about Nick?" He asked. "Well he drove us here and went back to take Alexa home, he'd be here soon" Rebecca said.
"Ryan?" He asked.
"Left for work,said it was urgent " Rebecca replied. Jace smacked his lips nodding.
As Jace stood outside looking at his mom from the opening in the door side,he couldn't help but feel a mix of emotions. He was relieved that she was going to be okay, but he was also angry and hurt. Angry at himself for arguing with his dad and hurting his mom, and hurt that his mom had to go through this.
He looked at his mom, lying peacefully in the bed, and felt a surge of love and protectiveness towards her. He wanted to make sure she was safe and happy, and he was willing to do whatever it took to make that happen.
As he sat outside her room,he couldn't help but think about the argument he'd had with his dad. He was still angry and hurt, but he was also starting to feel a sense of regret. Maybe he should have just walked away, instead of engaging with his dad.
But as he thought about it, Jace realized that he couldn't just walk away. He had to stand up for himself and for his mom. He had to make sure that his dad knew that he couldn't just treat them like that and get away with it.
As they trio sat there in silence, Jace thought about his relationship with his dad. He knew that things would never be the same again, and he wasn't sure if he wanted them to be.
But as he remembered his mom's condition, Jace knew that he had to try. For her sake, if not for his own. He realized that he'd been taking his mom for granted, he knew he shouldn't have left after Emma's death. He knew his mom loved Emma too but he was too grief stricken to notice that his mom was hurting too and need all her children by her side.
But now, Jace knew that he had to make things right. He had to be there for his mom, to support her and care for her. And he knew that he couldn't do it alone. He needed Amy by his side.
Speaking of Amy,he realized he had pulled the wrong card,he frantically searched for his phone in his pockets. He brings it out, dials her number and places it on his ear tapping his foot impatiently on the floor hoping she'd answer but it goes straight to voicemail.
He tried again hoping a miracle would happen but to no avail.