Chapter 21

Seth burst into Horus' classroom, "Where is he?" he asked to no one in particular and a little girl started crying. "Sir---" a teacher was saying but Seth ran out and collided into Mrs. Kim, Horus' teacher. An old biracial woman with lots of grey hair. "Mrs. Kim, where's Horus?" Seth asked and she sniffled, "He was playing with some kids and I don't know...he just collapsed" "So where is he?"

"He's in the hospital!" Brittany said and he looked at her, "Why?" "Cos he's sick and you can't just be giving morphine without a dose. He could get addicted!" "Mind your fucking business Brittany!" he yelled. "And you try to learn to accept some fucking help!" she yelled and slapped her hand over her mouth, "Did I just cuss without censoring?"

"Fucking" a little boy with a teddy bear said and Mrs. Kim gasped, "Please, use good language here. Kids learn stuff quickly at this age" she chided them and Brittany looked at her, "I'm sorry ma'am" she said and Seth walked past her, his shoulder bumping into hers.

"He's at St. Claire's Hospital!" Brittany called out before Seth stormed off. "I'll go with you! I was about leaving" Mrs. Kim said and Brittany nodded then they left together.

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"I'll be fine! It's just surgery!" Yogi said as his goons cried and gushed over him. "But boss you're just a kid! You could die!" one of them said and Yogi glared at him, "Who's just a kid? I'm your boss in case your forgetting!" he hmphed and Raphael ruffled his hair, "You're just a kid even though you're our boss. It's our duty to protect you!" he said and Yogi's cheeks flushed, "Whatever! he looked away. "Also after your surgery, you're getting a haircut!" Raphael said and Yogi pouted, "No!" "Yes! Else no cupcakes for breakfast!" "You wouldn't!" Yogi gasped and his eyes caught a familiar blonde running with an old lady.

"What's she doing here?" he asked and the huge guys looked back. They didn't see anyone. They looked back at their boss, "Who?" "Forget it!" Yogi said and the nurse came in. The boys whistled as they checked her out; dark skinned, ginger hair, tight nurse uniform which brought out her curves, white stockings which shaped her well tanned legs.

"Boys, your time is up! Please exit the ward!" she said and one of the boys, Arthur walked towards her, "Nurse..." he looked at her name tag on her breast pocket. "...Katy, this may be the last time we'll see our boss, so can't we spend more time with him?"

Katy looked at Yogi then at the huge guys in front of her, "It won't be the last time you'll see him. It's just an appendectomy. He'll be fine! Plus I'll also take good care of him" she winked and another guy, Martin's mouth watered, "Wish you could take good care of me too".

"Alright! That's enough! Get out of the way!" Yogi said and Katy held the rail of the bed and started pushing Yogi out of the ward. "Take care of him nurse" Raphael called out and Katy smirked and went to him then she put her hand on his chest, "Oh I will" she purred and left, swinging her hips from side-to-side.

"Shit! Did she give you her number?" Arthur asked as he picked up a paper which had fallen from Raphael's shirt. "I want her number!" the rest of the boys chanted as they tried to take it from Arthur but Raphael snatched it back, "I never said I wasn't going to use it!" he smirked as he watched Nurse Katy wheel Yogi away to the theatre.

~~~~~~~

"How is he doctor?" Seth asked as the doctor came out. Dr. Nojikuru looked at Seth, "Are you his guardian?" "I'm his brother!" "Okay, then I'm sure you are aware about his collapsed lung?" "Yes I am!" "Has he been taking morphine?" "He has" "Then that was his saving grace else that little boy would have been dead!" Dr. Nojikuru said and Mrs. Kim almost fell but Brittany held her and helped her to a chair.

Seth ran his fingers through his hair, "So what can you do?" "The only solution is the surgery" he said and Brittany looked at Seth, "Seth?" she said and Seth headed towards the ward where Horus was but Dr. Nojikuru held him, "Where are you going sir?" "To get Horus out of here!" "But if you do that he'll die!" "He won't! I'll give him some morphine!" "He could get addicted!" Dr. Nojikuru argued and Seth pushed him out of the way.

Brittany ran and stood, with her arms spread out in front of the ward, "Seth stop!" "Get out of my way Brittany!" he spat out. "No! You're not taking Horus anywhere" "Fuck! Just get out of the way Brittany. I don't have the money to pay for the surgery" "I'll pay!" "I don't need your fucking help!"

"Woah!" Max said as he ran to where they were, with King behind him. Seth looked at them, "Who invited you?" "Brittany?" Max said and King groaned as he hit his forehead.

"You need all the moral support you can get!" Brittany said and Seth looked at her, "You're wrong! I don't need any support. I can do it all by myself! I don't need anyone!" Seth yelled.

"No one's an island bro" Zed said and Seth looked at him and saw Taylor with him. "Really? You called Zed and Taylor too?" Seth said as he looked at Brittany, "We're your friends dipshit!" Taylor said.

"Why not just call every single person I've talked to on this planet earth?" Seth said and Brittany clenched her jaw, "Seth stop this! You can't do this alone! Let us help you!" she begged, tears welling up in her eyes.

"I said get out of my way!" Seth shouted as he grabbed her by the collar of her lilac shirt. Max, King and Zed tensed up as Seth squeezed Brittany's neatly folded collar. "If hitting me will make you allow us to help you, then hit me" she said. When Seth did not move, she held his hand slowly, "We all know how you love Horus. Stop pushing us away when we're right there. We are your friends, so allow us to do what friends normally do for each other. You have been strong all by yourself, so please...let us carry your burden together".

Tears dribbled out of Seth's eyes. Brittany was right. He had been strong all by himself and it was really hard. Working hard to get enough money for Horus, school work, being a parent to Horus. It was all too much.

His hand slowly left Brittany's collar and he fell to his knees, holding her hands as he cried. Brittany wiped the tears coming out of her eyes and she patted his head then she looked at Dr. Nojikuru, "We'll do the surgery!" she said and everyone smiled.

Mrs. Kim made the sign of the cross and cleaned her tears with her handkerchief. Taylor hugged Zed, Max was about to hug King but King moved away. "Okay! I'll just hug myself!" Max said and embraced himself.

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"I'm gonna get some coffee, you want some?" Max asked Seth as he stood up. "Nah! It's cool, I can get it myself" Seth said as he was about to stand up but King held him down, "Let us help you, remember?" he asked and Seth nodded, "Also I don't want my sweetheart to wake up" Max said as he pointed at Brittany sleeping on Seth's shoulder. "When did she become your sweetheart?" Seth asked and Max smirked, "Brittany understands!" he winked and left with King.

Seth put his arm around Brittany and she snuggled closer to him. He smiled, "You must really love her" Zed said as he and Taylor sat down. Seth nodded and Taylor laughed, "I can still remember when the both of you used to prank each other till you got suspended" "Yeah! It's like that was years ago and now you guys are snuggling. It's so cute!" Zed said and Seth smiled then he kissed Brittany's nose and she stirred awake and saw Seth staring at her, "Is the surgery over?" she asked but before he could say anything, the doctor came out of the theatre.

They got up and went to him. "How is he doctor?" Seth asked and Dr. Nojikuru looked at everyone. Max and King were back with the coffee and Mrs. Kim was back from praying.

Dr. Nojikuru bent his head and Seth's world came crashing down. He had lost his reason to live. His brother. "The surgery was successful!" Dr. Nojikuru said and everyone breathed a sigh of relief.

"Why would you scare us like that doctor?" Mrs. Kim asked as she hit Dr. Nojikuru's shoulder, "Sorry, I've always wanted to do that" he apologized as he rubbed his shoulder. Seth hugged Brittany and he started crying, "Awww...the lil cry-baby is crying again" Max said as he ruffled Seth's hair. "Fuck off!" Seth said as he slapped Max's hand away and he let go of Brittany.

"Can we see him now?" Seth asked and Dr. Nojikuru smiled, "Not right now, he's still on anaesthesia" he said and gave a little bow then he left but Mrs. Kim followed him, "Dr." she called and he turned, "Do you have a girlfriend?" "Er...I don't have a girlfriend" "That's wonderful! I have a daughter who is..." "...but I have a wife" he said and wore his wedding ring and showed it to her. "I just don't wear it during an operation" "Oh! I'm sorry" Mrs. Kim said and Dr. Nojikuru smiled, "It's okay" he said and left.

"He'll be okay, right?" Brittany asked and Seth nodded, "Yeah! And it's all thanks to you" "Yeah Bluebell, thank you" Zed said and Seth looked at him. "Bluebell? "Yeah! She's my Bluebell" Zed said and Brittany smiled, "And he's my Carrot top".

Taylor looked at the both of them, "Bluebell? Carrot top?" she asked and Zed shrugged, "They're nicknames babe" "Have you ever given me one? You only call me babe" Taylor said and Zed tried to hold her shoulders, "I call you Fighter" "That's not as cute as Bluebell!" Taylor said and walked away. "Babe!" Zed called out as he followed her.

"Why does Zed call you Bluebell and Max call you Sweetheart?" Seth asked as Brittany put her arms around his waist, "Max also calls me Dumb" "I gave you that nickname" he pouted. "Max started calling me Sweetheart since I became his employee and Zed calls me Bluebell because of my blue eyes. So don't be jealous, I still like Britz" she smiled and he scoffed, "Whatever!"

She let go of him and went to look at Horus through the ward's window. Seth put his arms around her neck from behind and snuggled his cheek on her face, "For real Hope, thanks. But won't you get in trouble with your dad?" he asked and she held his arm, "Don't make me think about the trouble I'll get into...but even if I get into trouble, it was worth it".

Seth immediately remembered that they were fighting and he removed his arms from around her neck, "I'm sorry about Sam. But I only slept with her before we got together" he said and she looked at him and sighed, "You promise?" "Yes! I pinky promise and I also double-swear on the chocolate I used to prank you!" he said childishly and she laughed.

"Okay! Okay! I believe you!" "You do? Do you trust me?" "Yes!" "I want you to say it" he pouted and she smiled, "I trust you Seth Michael Williams. You did pinky promise and double-swear---Wait! How did you know I was going to chocolate you on that day?" she asked and he shrugged, "It was my idea! You stole it" "Big no! It was mine!" "Was not!" "Was too!"

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"Seth! Seth! Seth!" Zed yelled and Seth woke up, "What's up?" he said as he stretched. "I'm taking Taylor home now. Her brother has been blowing up my phone about her whereabouts" "Sure thing!" "I'll come back once I drop her". "Don't worry. Horus is already out of danger so just try to get some sleep. I'll stay" "You sure?" "Yep!" Seth reassured him and Zed nodded, "Fine! Stay safe...and look after Bluebell" he said as he walked away. "I'd appreciate if you didn't call her that".

Seth looked at Brittany who was sleeping at Horus' right-hand side and smiled. It was like he was falling in love with her all over. Horus finger twitched. "Horus?!" Seth yelled and Brittany said half-awake, "Why the fudge are you yell---" "Horus!" Seth said again and Brittany opened her eyes fully.

Horus eyes opened slightly and he breathed into the oxygen mask, "Seth" he cried softly and Seth held his hand, "I'm here kiddo!" "Doctor!" Brittany called out as she left the room.

~~~~~~~

Dr. Nojikuru wore the stethoscope around his neck and took the pad from the nurse beside him and wrote something down, "Your blood pressure is okay and your breathing is stable. But you have to rest here for some time" he said and Brittany looked at him, "A word, doctor?" she asked and left with Dr. Nojikuru and the nurse following her.

"Seth..." Horus said as he tried to sit up but Seth held him down, "Slow down kiddo, I'll adjusted your bed" he said and adjusted Horus' bed to be a lounge.

Horus looked outside at Brittany talking to Dr. Nojikuru. "Did I get the surgery?" Horus asked and Seth ruffled his hair, "For sure" "Was Brittany the one that paid for it?" Horus asked and Seth looked at her then he nodded as he looked back at Horus.

"She's really something else" Seth said and held Horus' hand, "She did everything possible for me to accept her help". "Don't let go of her Seth...and don't let her leave" "I won't! If I let go of her, I might die. I'm already getting addicted to her" Seth said and some tears left his eyes, "Fuck! I sound like a simp!"

"If there's anything Horus might need, please inform me" Brittany said and Dr. Nojikuru nodded and she looked at Seth and Horus. "You love him so much don't you?" he asked and she looked at Dr. Nojikuru and nodded, "I know teenagers don't know much about love...but I...I love him...and I don't want him to suffer alone" she said and he nodded and patted her back then he gave her a smile then he left, "Young love" he chuckled.

Brittany's phone pinged and she checked her phone. Her eyes widened; sixty-three missed calls from Angry Bird(Lisa) and twelve missed calls from Stranger with the same surname(Scott). "I'm so dead!" she said as she ran her fingers through her hair.

She barged inside Horus' room and took her purse, "I'm so sorry. I have to leave now. Lisa's gonna kill me, dad probably won't be at home but I still gotta go and---" "Brittany!" Seth said as he held her shoulders and she calmed down, "You've done enough, you can go" he said and she looked at Horus who smiled, "I'm okay now. Thanks for everything" he said and she went to him and kissed his forehead, "I'll be back tomorrow after school" she said and left with Seth behind her.

Seth escorted Brittany out of the hospital, to her car. She was about to enter her car but he held her and she looked at him, "What? I have to get home quickly else Lisa would---" he kissed her. She touched her lips, "What was that for?" she asked with her face and neck a deep shade of red. "Just a thank you kiss" he shrugged and she smirked, "What about a goodnight kiss?" "I don't know if---" she grabbed him by his collar and kissed him. "Goodnight" she breathed and quickly entered her car and drove off.

Seth stood in shock for a while before his hand touched his lips, "Goodnight Britz!" he said and went inside.

~~~~~~~

Brittany gulped as she drove into the driveway. The house looked taller and scarier with a huge dark cloud hovering over it----pretty sure that was her imagination. Gargoyles flew around the house and watched her as she looked at the house in fear----also her imagination. She knew the witch would cry, "Off with her head!"----or is that Alice in Wonderland? Whatever! She knew the witch was definitely going to do something to her. Maybe, tell her to clean the chimneys and make her sleep in the cinders and then ban her from the going to the ball so she won't meet her Prince Charming. Stop bringing other disney stories into the Wizard of Oz! Maybe the witch would force her to kiss a frog and then she'll turn to a frog herself and---"Snap out of it Brittany!" she said to herself as she slapped herself.

"Ow!" she cringed as she held her face. She parked her car in the garage and was about going in when she remembered that there was a small door, in the garage, leading to the attic. But the attic had not been cleaned in ages and the door also had cobwebs around it. She looked at her dress. She was wearing a lilac, long-sleeved shirt with a short, black, pencil skirt.

"But I like this skirt" she pouted "Hey! It's either the skirt or your life!" her conscience said. "Conscience! Where have you been?" "I've always been here. I just didn't want to say anything cos you've been making good choices kiddo". Brittany felt proud of herself. She had saved Horus from dying and thereby, had saved Seth from losing his will to live.

She looked at the small door and took a deep breath then she opened it and crawled through it. As she crawled through it, she forgot about all the dirt, debris and cobwebs on the door. The only thing on her mind was, "I'm a superhero!"

As she got into the attic, she was about to get up and dust herself when she heard, "So you're now sneaking in late at night through the attic?" she looked up and saw...green body clad in a black pleated gown, with a long hat and a broom, shifty eyes with the longest nose she had ever seen(Brittany's imagination🙄🙄). It was...the witch.

Suddenly she found herself wearing a blue dress and a white apron and her blonde hair was in pigtails.

She did the only thing she could do in that situation,...scream.