The Stars Are Fading Away

I'm waiting for
The fading floor
To let me fall on through

One week passed, and the pain in my side didn't get better. If anything, it worsened. It was painful even to turn a little to the side. I had no choice left but to get medical help.

I took the bus to urgent care, which was pretty far from campus. I waited for about an hour and a half; urgent care was never really urgent.

The doctor examined my ribs, feeling gently along them. I winced and tried to hold back any noise.

"There may be a small fracture, but we'll need to take x-rays to be sure. Would how you sustained these injuries be of any help to treating this?"

"I-I don't think so?"

"I seems like it was a blow, coming from straight on."

"Yeah, that's pretty much it," I said breathlessly. She gave me a disapproving look, but they had a no-questions policy, so she couldn't ask me any further question.

"We'll have to wait until the x-ray lab is free. It will probably be a 20 minute wait."

"Okay, sure." I gingerly lifted myself off the table and went out into the hallway to wait.

The same doctor came and fetched me. She led me into the room and laid me down on the table. She took a few x-rays and led me back to the same room as before. The pictures took about five minutes to develop and she examined them closely.

"There are two fractures, here and here." She pointed to the picture at something that I couldn't see.

"So my ribs are broken?"

"Yes. You probably shouldn't be walking around. Do you have a ride home?"

"I can get one."

"Good." She nodded. "The healing is already coming along nicely, but you should take it easy. Try to walk as little as possible, and I can get you something for the pain."

"That'd be nice," I nodded.

"Remember, no extreme activities, just try to stay off your feet."

"Yup," I answered, but she had already left to get medication.

I lied about getting the ride home. I didn't want to call Mason. He would wonder why I had the pills, and then I'd have to tell him my ribs were broken. He would flip. So, I took the bus again. I took one of the pills as soon as I got home. I sat down a my desk to try to work, but the medicine made it hard to focus. I was growing drowsy, so I put on my pajamas and crawled into bed.

Before I fell asleep entirely, my mind wandered.

Wren had broken one of my bones. He'd done a lot, but this… this was unbelievable. I couldn't fully understand with my mind clouded, but it did sober me a little.

A bone… Wren had kicked me and it had broken my rib.

Broken a bone.

A rib…

It seemed like that was the only thing I could think about as I finally succumbed to the medicine.



I woke up the next morning and took more of the medicine. It made me woozy, but I didn't really care. I wasn't planning on going to class. Exams were in two weeks, so I just studied the whole day, forcing myself to concentrate. At around 7, I gave up on the studies. I knew I had to call Mason and tell him what the doctor had said. So, I did.

He said he'd pick me up when his class was done, in 45 minutes. I tried to go back to studying, but I couldn't concentrate again. I put on some music and laid on my bed, skipping fast, catchy songs and listening to slow ones.

I had almost started drifting off when there was a knock on my door. I straightened up, wincing a little.

Mason came in and sat on my desk chair.

"Did you go to the doctor?"

"Hello to you, too."

He chuckled a little and watched me as I reached over to the desk to take another pill.

"Is that ecstasy?"

"No. I did go to the doctor, and this is what they gave me."

"Ah. Is it broken?" he asked softly.

I nodded. "In two places," I murmured.

"They didn't give you a brace or anything? What the hell!"

"She said it was healing fine on it's own."

"Amber…"

"I know." I sighed and dry-swallowed the pill, coughing a little as it went down.

"Want to go to my place?"

"Sure." I nodded and gingerly climbed off the bed. Mason looked at me strangely for a moment, before giving me a hug.

"I hope this is going to be okay."

"Me too." I whispered, even though I knew it wouldn't.