Ashton didn't know what was wrong, only that something definitely was.
The way Em had gone deathly white after picking up the phone made him sure it wasn't just another audition problem.
There had been no explanation. Em just got up and ran, the phone still pressed to his ear.
Ashton chased after him before his brain could even catch up.
If any of his real dates had done this to him, they would have been over before the other person reached the entrance of the restaurant.
In fact, Ashton was sure that no one he dated would ever consider walking out in the middle of dinner.
But this wasn't some random girl he picked up at an event.
This was Em.
Em who was direct and talented, quick-witted and sharp… Who treated him like a real person rather than a walking wallet.
It was no surprise that he was chasing this guy into the street without even knowing why.
His car swung up to the curbside before Em could get into a taxi.
"Get in," He rolled down the window to say, "I'll take you where you need to go."
The fact that Em got in without saying anything was worrying enough.
When Em gave him a hospital as the location, Ashton's worry only tripled.
"Thank you, you don't need to stay, I'm so sorry, thank you," Was all Em said before he disappeared into the rush of the hospital, leaving Ashton in his car.
Ashton contemplated doing as Em said and driving off.
But the thought of leaving Em alone in the busy hospital when he was clearly distressed didn't sit well with Ashton.
Making a split second decision, Ashton haphazardly parked and rushed in, trying to catch sight of the unruly brown mop of hair that had gone ahead.
He caught sight of Em in one of the bubble lifts and made sure to note which floor he got off at before following.
When he reached the same floor, he figured he would have to walk around and be a bit of a creep as he looked for Em, but to his surprise, Em was right around the corner talking to a doctor.
Ashton quickly stepped backward, knowing that this was private. But the sound traveled and he heard Em speaking in urgent tones.
"I thought the new medicine was working well," Ashton could barely hear Em but he sounded tired and upset.
"I'm sorry, but it seems your mother isn't responding as well as we had hoped," The doctor was equally quiet but Ashton caught it all.
He had wondered why Em had agreed to his contract so readily and now he knew.
"What can we do now?"
"I would suggest a transplant, we can put her on the list and start looking for donors," The doctor said gently.
"A transplant?" Em's voice sounded wobbly and Ashton stared at the floor by his shoes, wishing this conversation didn't have to happen. Wishing there was something he could do.
"Alright," Em sounded steadier, "Let's put her on the list. How much would we be looking at for this?"
"You'll need to talk to the administrative services for the breakdown, but I would say between 1.5 million to 2 million dollars."
Ashton straightened up, he had his hand reaching into his suit for his checkbook and was about to turn the corner when someone bumped into him.
"Watch it, man," The guy snapped, before continuing on.
He was tall and a little slimmer than most men but carried himself in a way that seemed elegant, so the general impression he gave was one of cool untouchability.
It didn't matter so much to Ashton who shrugged it off, but froze when the same man threw himself at Em, flinging his arms around the shorter man.
"Em!" He cried, latching on and burying his face into Em's shoulder.
Oh, so Em wasn't just pretending to be gay for Ashton, he really was interested in men.
More than that, he was already seeing someone else.
Not wanting to intrude any further and deciding that he would find another way to help, Ashton backed away and slowly began walking to his car.
***
"Get off me," Emmaline shoved Taylor Reid off her, pushing at his taller frame until he stopped constricting her airflow.
"Aww… Em, is that any way to treat your baby bro?" Taylor cooed.
Emmaline glared at him, folding her arms and taking a step away, "I don't have a brother. Not anymore."
Taylor's handsome face drew into an ugly sneer, "Don't act so high and mighty. Also, why are you crossdressing?"
In her flustered state and rush to get here, Emmaline had completely forgotten that she had been dressed as Emmett!
She stared down at her outfit and then looked back up to counter Taylor's judgemental look, "It's for a role."
Taylor just rolled his eyes, "You and your acting. As if that makes you better than me."
Emmaline was so glad that the doctor had left when Taylor showed up. No one wanted to air their family's dirty laundry out in public.
She refused to look at him.
"I never said that. Now please leave. Not that you care about her but mom needs to rest," She planted herself right outside Sera's door. She wouldn't budge. Not for anything.
Because unlike Emmaline, Sera was weak to her son and would forgive him if he seemed remorseful enough.
And every single time, Taylor would break her heart.
"Move, Em," Taylor growled, "I just want to talk to her."
Pure rage poured through Emmaline as she stared daggers up at Taylor. Their grey eyes were the one thing they had in common and now, they met in a stare-off.
"You always say that," She hissed, "And you always end up walking away with half her savings."
Before he could respond, she jabbed a finger into his chest as she continued, "Do you know how much she needs for a transplant? Do you know how much you've taken from her that she could use so that she can keep on living?"
Taylor grabbed her finger and flung it away, the momentum of it nearly throwing Em off. But she held her ground, not moving an inch from the door.
"You will not see her today and if I can help it, you won't ever see her again," Emmaline spat out.
"You act like you're so much better than me, but I know you're just using her for her connections so that you can get ahead in your acting career," Taylor sneered.
Emmaline snapped.
In a fit of sheer anger, she slapped Taylor across the face.
The sound was so loud that she was surprised by her own actions.
Before she could apologize, Taylor wound up his arm and struck her across the face in return.
The force of the blow was so strong that she landed on the floor before she even knew what was happening.
Gasps resounded from the surrounding passers-by and several nurses rushed over to help Emmaline up.
Taylor looked a little shocked as well but abruptly turned to go.
Then he glanced back at Emmaline, hatred burning in his eyes, "You won't always be around to stop me. We'll see who's really better in the end."