Living with a Heartache

Brian’s POV

It was silent. I was sitting in a small ward as doctor inspected my wounds. I stared mutely at the white splashed walls- feeling a strange mix of utter blank in my head.

(flashback)
Patrick helped cradle Alex out of the car as we rushed towards the emergency department.

“Get her checked quick!” yelled Penelope’s mum- Laura. A nurse hastily cluttered over, her white shoes patting violently against the room. I was moments from passing out from exhaustion, but Alex’s condition left me awake and alert. My brain felt like it was bleeding, and my head felt like I had just sucked in mouthfuls of water.

“Get him checked too!” Penelope yelled, her voice echoing her mum’s voice down the hall as I was lead to a room. Everything seemed blank and fuzzy.

“Your name please?” a doctor with a clip board asked as he let his eyes scour over me detecting the blood and bruises.

“Brian,” I rasped, my throat hurt and then, without warning, I blacked out.

(end)

Now I was back here, glancing dejectedly at the room. The doctor wouldn’t let me leave until he had bandaged me up.

“Hey Brian, you listening?” I mutely nodded my head as he rattled off about my injuries. All I heard was that I had a few minor grazes on my wrists from the cutting the rope and a few bruises down to my bone and something about almost breaking my femur and I was lucky and shit like that.

“You’ll be fine- just take enough rest okay?” he asked as he looked at me.

“Alex, is she okay?” I snapped impatiently, I saw the doctor flinch slightly as he probably figured I wasn’t listening to him.

“She… She’s lost a lot of blood, but we’re doing our best,” he muttered finally. My fists balled up and I resisted the urge to scream like a sissy. I was about to ask more when the door flew open as Jenny flew in, her eyes flooded with tears. I glanced at her at bit my bottom lip as I felt her engulf me into a gigantic hug. I was speechless, yet I had so much more I wanted to say.

So I just balled up my words and wordlessly patted Jenny on her back as she wept in my arms.

Patrick’s POV

I stared out at the blank wall I was facing while waiting for Alex, and Brian. Just then Jenny, Alex’s mum, busted herself through the hospital doors. I gulped, the sense of realization coursed through me.

I had caused this; Alex was in the emergency because of me and my bastard of a father. Brian was suffering from all this heartbreak because I, being Alex’s best friend didn’t tell her. I was too busy with Penelope I forgot my best friend. I chewed on my bottom lip nervously.

“Where is she?” Jenny yelled, her eyes matted with tears. A nurse gestured her silently and lead her into a room. As the door swung open, I caught a glimpse of Brian sitting on the hospital chair, in a daze. I gripped the edge of my chair hard, as I looked on at him. He looked forlorn, lost, detached and everything on those lines. Then, the door slammed shut and I was left with silence again. I let my eyelids droop down.

I didn’t know how long I was brooding in the corridor, but I felt a cool hand grip mine suddenly. I opened my eyes and saw Penelope sitting next to me her yellow dress crinkled.

“How is she,” I sat up, alert. Penelope sighed and ran a hand through her hair.

“Kinda bad. She needed a blood transfusion cause she lost a lot. The doctors had to surgically remove some small pieces of glass from her head. They’re not sure if she’s suffering from a concussion or not, but she was beat up pretty bad,” Penelope sighed, before resting her head on my shoulder.

“How about the… test?” I muttered awkwardly. The doctors were afraid if those son of a bitches had really raped her, and had to do a test to make sure since both Brian and Alex were incapable of proper speech now. I didn’t go in because the doctors didn’t want me too, so Penelope went in with her mum so the doctors could talk to them.

“Thank god, she’s not pregnant or anything, nothing happened,” Penelope muttered. I sighed in relief, and ran a frustrated hand through my hair. Penelope looked up from my shoulder and wrapped her arms around me and pecked my cheek.

“It’s okay; you know she’ll be fine. She’s a fighter,” she murmured into my ear. God bless me for having such a great girl, I smiled in appreciation and laced my hands with hers as she fell asleep on my shoulder.

Alex’s POV

I struggled to open my eyes, but I just zonked out halfway with Brian. I couldn’t remember being conscious until now.

I can remember breathing in the coppery smell of blood and every breath was painful as hell. Then I was faced with a sudden blur of whiteness, and then the next thing I hear is doctors muttering all over me.

“All glass removed?”

“Yes, she’s out cold though, been hit hard on the head poor girl,”

“Any signs of brain damage?”

I felt someone pry my heavy eye lids open and shine a small beam of light into my eyes, the light was so slim and dim that I didn’t see anything, just a blurry overshadow.

“Pupils constricted and relaxed sir, no signs of any brain damage,”

“All surgery done?”

“Yes sir, it’s time she got some good rest,”

Then I was thrown into blackness again.

Brian’s POV

I glanced weakly up at my mother who was standing infront of me, her eyes crinkling with horror.

Yes, my parents took the nearest available plane here, at the nearest available time slot.

“Brian, honey, listen to me,”

“I told you mum, this has nothing to do with Jenny! It was those… drunkards, not Alex’s or Jenny’s fault!”

“This isn’t the first time son,” came my father’s masculine voice as he stared infuriately at Jenny who was meekly standing at the side.

“We received the doctor’s records about you. He said you were here a few weeks ago because you got into a fight with a madman and got a swollen eye, do you realize how dangerous that would be if he had a ring on his hand?” I couldn’t resist rolling my eyes silently as I stared at the ground.

“Its final son, you’re following us back to Poland. This is BAD company we put you in!” said my father strictly.

“NO dad. I’m not going back with you. I like it here! I… I’ll stay out of trouble please!” I hollered, oblivious if my voice echoed through the hospital hallway. Dad took a hasty breath in, trying to contain his anger.

“Listen Brian, we just… can’t relax with you being away from us and getting into so much trouble,” whispered my mum, her hand fluttering to my forehead. I shrugged her away and stared angrily at my parents.

“I… If I could say something,” whispered Jenny finally. She didn’t wait for a reply as she took a step forward.

“I… I think that Brian should go back with you all. After all he’s been rather… coped up with Alex’s business. And I’m so so sorry for putting him in such danger, I’ll pay whatever damage that has been caused,” Jenny said.

I couldn’t believe what I was hearing, Jenny of all people was pushing me away.

“Don’t you guys get it? I DON’T WANT TO LEAVE,” I shouted again, my fists balling up into tight circles. I couldn’t leave Alex here, I loved her too much.

“WHY SON, TELL ME A REASON?” retaliated my father. I swallowed harshly, and was about to speak when someone interrupted me.

“Because he’s in love with her,” everyone froze. I turned around to see a young man standing there alone in hospital uniform.

“Who are you?” I whispered raggedly. The man smiled at me and pointed to his name tag.

“Wilson, paramedic. Remember that time, you guys were in the same ambulance when the fight broke out at the girl’s house?”

(flashback)

Alex hands were drawn into tight circles as she sat next to me in the moving vehicle. She looked exhausted, after just recovering from her sickness. Her eyes drooped on the way to the hospital and she fell asleep in the tense atmosphere. Before I knew it, her head had fallen onto my shoulder as she dozed off.
I saw a little smile on the paramedic’s face as he looked at us. I gave him a weird look and he mistook the look for a ‘tell-me-why-you’re-looking-at-me-look’.
“Sorry to ask, but are you two in love?”

(end)
Oh, that guy. I smiled gratefully at him, as Jenny looked at me incredulously and my parents just looked confused.

“Who’s this ‘her’?” asked Mum gently, this was a sensitive topic, and she knew it.

“Alexandra Dawnes, daughter of Jenny Dawnes,” came Patrick as he finally spoke up. This time my parents looked shell-shocked as they glanced at me.

“Is… is this true?” came my dad.

I took a deep breath.

“Yeah, I’m in love with Alex.”