7

Hailey's pov

After I was done with the stern warning I gave to him, I excused myself only to walk into my room, troubled.

My heart kept racing even when I got into my room,away from him. Why was that? I wondered. It wasn't like I had said something wrong or what I didn't mean for some reason. I didn't like him and wanted him far away from me. Yes!

"But he's your brother's friend. Don't you think trying to create a relationship with him would help in building your lost relationship with your brother?" My subconscious nudged me, reminding me of what I seemed to have quickly forgotten.

Yes. It was right. Jaxon was my brother's friend, whom I had to treat right,but I couldn't bring myself to do so. At least not to him. Anyone but him.

"Bang!" My ears perked up at the sound of what seemed like a heavily fallen object. I followed the direction I had heard the sound from, and it directed me towards his room. I bet my words must have stung him like a bee, and he was provoked to the core for him to trash an object in his room.

"Oh, God Hailey. Get a hold of yourself. Stop thinking about him. " I let out a deep sigh after my words and sat on the bed. My hands ran through my head, which was already rolling in tension. This was totally unlike me.

"What the hell is that? What's that smell?" I suddenly heard from the corridor. Funny enough,I could already recognize it to be his voice.

I hissed the moment I realized and chose that moment to act unbothered and didn't bother moving an inch from my bed. But the moment I heard Adrian's voice and the words that followed,I became alerted.

"Doesn't that smell like something burning?" Thanks to the volume of the Christmas songs which I ended turning down before I left the living room,I could hear whatever it was anyone said.

Burning? What could be burning? I wondered. However,I didn't get a response from anyone, and neither did I hear their voices again, which meant they must have left the corridor.

"Oh, God." I froze at the spot, in terror, as the realization dawned on me. The moment I snapped out of that fear. I zoomed out of my room, my feet taking me straight to the kitchen where I had left it on.

Before I could even get to the kitchen,the living room and dining had been engulfed in smoke.

"Oh my God!" I half yelled, fear dancing happily all over my face at the sight of my brother and Jaxon, trying to put out the smoke from the oven.

Right there on the sink,I saw the pan of cupcakes and gingerbread I had tried to bake. My heart cried in pain and disappointment. How could I have forgotten?

"Mommy." The familiar voice suddenly drew me out of my thoughts. I turned towards all directions until I could pinpoint the direction i had heard it from.

"Aiden!" I yelled immediately,my heart beating frantically. The smoke that had covered every hook and cranny of the living room made it impossible for me to have a clear view.

"Where are you?" I called out again, however choking on my words all thanks to the effect of the smoke.

"Mommy." I heard him call again. He was nowhere in the living room where I left him,not even at the corridor or his room.

"Hailey,what are you doing?" Adrian suddenly gripped me by my arm, turning me to face him.

"Aiden," I cried. " I can't find Aiden." I said, still searching the entire house.

"Wait. What? What do you mean? He can't leave the house." I could tell the disbelief even curled up on his face.

"Then where is he?" I yelled frustratingly at him. It wasn't like my brother had done anything,but the fact that I couldn't locate the whereabouts of my son in a house not too big was terrifying.

"Where was he before you left for your room?" Adrian's voice came on again. I stopped the moment we got to the guest room, which happened to be Jaxon's room.

"He - he -” I stuttered,the thoughts of the previous moments suddenly disappearing from my head.

"Speak up for Christ's sake, Hailey. " My brother half yelled at me.

"He was sitting right at the dinning, playing with his toys while I -”

"Guys! Found him." We suddenly heard Jaxon. Without wasting anymore time, I ran right into the living room, searching, forgetting what I was about to explain to my brother.

"Jaxon." I called out. Although the smoke had already come down,and I could see clearer than the last time.

"Over here." We heard again. And when I turned towards the curve leading to the dining room,I saw Aiden in Jaxon's arm as he carried him out.

"Aiden!" I yelled,my heart freezing at my son, unconscious in him arms.

"Get the car ready, Adrian. " Jaxon said the moment I rushed to his side, trying to get hold of my boy.

“Where are you taking him to? What happened to my son?” The tears couldn't just stop trickling down my cheeks at my poor boy.

“Now is not the time for all these lectures.” He fired back at me as he waited until Adrian had packed the car properly.

I sniffed and swallowed hard afterwards. I wiped my tears off with the hem of my dress.

"Get in. We need to take him to the hospital." This time,his voice was authoritative,and his eyes held a stoic expression. I realized at that moment that I was about to experience another handful of lectures.

I've never experienced Adrian driving as fast as he did. His eyes were strictly fixed on the road, while Jaxon didn't let Aiden out of his sight nor leave him.

What were we going to say once they asked me why he was unconscious? How would people view a mother who left her food burning?