Invisible
(24) Hospital Beds
I answer with difficulty, as my arm is pinned underneath me. "Alec?" I ask. "Where's Ashton?"
"In the hospital bed. He's not dead, but he's close to it," Alec said hoarsely. "He hasn't woken up, and they said he could go either way tonight, he lost so much blood and the shot pierced his diaphragm, so they had to put him on a breathing machine thingy I forgot what they called it... Like I said, he could go either way tonight..."
"Were already on our way."
"Is Corrie okay?"
I look at her, then say, "She will be."
"Are you okay?"
"Just bruised. Rick didn't do anything to bad to me, but I totaled him."
"Good... Good. Could you call your parents, and then mine? Lorrie's already over here..."
"Okay. Alright, man."
"Thanks, mate." He hung up.
"He wasn't breathing when the paramedics got to him. I thought he was dead," Corrie whispered, and her relief is visible. "There was so much blood, coming out of his mouth..." She starts shaking.
"You don't have to go with me, love."
"No, no, I'm going." She wriggles out from underneath the bed and after a lot of swearing I get out too. I straighten up and look at her. She's giving me this dreamy look with a half-smile.
"What?"
"You just saved the day. You're like, a super hero." She wraps her arms around my neck, standing up on tiptoe and says in a really dramatic voice, 'My hero."
I laugh. "You got it babe."
"But if you ever, ever scare me like that again I'll chain you to your bed."
"Kinky," I murmur and she swats my arm playfully. "You know, I think Superman deserves an epic make-out session."
Her smile falters and she lets me go. "After we go see Ashton."
That brings me back down to earth.
~
I'm shaking by the time I pull into the hospital parking lot. "What if Alec does die?" I ask Corrie. "I mean, he said it could go either way."
Corrie slipped her tiny hand in mine. "Whats going to happen will happen. He might die, and then your family is going to go through hell for a while, but you'll make it through. He might live, and you'll make it through anyway. You just have to go with it, because there's nothing we can do to change the future. We aren't doctors."
"I love you," I say to her, looking at the steering wheel.
She leans over and pulls my face to hers with her hand and brushes my lips to hers. "I love you too. I really do."
Just hearing those words makes me feel three times better. I kiss her gently, then kiss her again, harder. "I don't want to go in." All my bravado had gone out the door when I was with her alone.
"Neither do I. Now get out of the car." She kisses me again and slides out. I sigh, turn off the truck, and lock the doors.
I've never been good with blood, or injuries, or needles, or stethescopes, or doctors period. I'd gotten better over the years, but thats why I'd passed out after seeing my arm. Now I was about to go see Ashton and whatever the hell he looks like.
But Corrie looks just a sick as I do.
Grow some balls, Aaron.
I knit my fingers through her and we go off to find the room.
Alec and Lorrie are the only ones in the room besides the mass that is supposedly Ashton on the bed. Its a good thing I haven't eaten, because I'm fairly sure if I had, I would puke. As it is I move over to the little bench and sit down with Corrie beside me. Her voice thick, she asks a shell-shocked Lorrie, "How is he?"
"Alive, for the moment," Lorrie whispers back.
Alec lets out a dry sob from beside the bed. Corrie stands up and wraps her arm around Alec's waist.
"They've got another surgery scheduled in an hour. they just did a tiny one to stabalize him, as they had to focus on the other kid they brought in. Believe it or not, he's in a worse place than Alec," Lorrie continues on.
"If he dies, I'm going to prison," I say, my voice a hiss.
"I'll go with you," Alec chokes.
"Oh no you wont," Corrie says sternly.
Corrie comes to sit with me, tucked against my side. Her heartbeat matches mine and I somehow manage a smile. I can't believe I'm here, with Corrie and my cousin dying and there's nothing I can do about it. I may have been pissed off at Ashton for having a crush on my girlfriend, that was a natural reaction after what happened last time, but now I felt worse than I've ever felt. What if he died now, thinking I hated his ass?
Corrie brushes my jaw with her hand and I twist my head so my face is buried in her hair. Can I really blame him? No. any sane straight guy would love Corrie had they had a chance to actually get to know her.
Then Mom bursts in, scaring all of us. I begin to wonder if Mom ever goes anywhere without a dramatic entrance. That sets Corrie and Lorrie off into crying. Alec, it seems, has no tears left. He just slumps onto the floor with his head in his hands.
Mom doesn't start yelling like I know she wants too, because Dad stops her. Mom, instead, sits silently on Corrie's other side. Corrie's trying so hard to muffle her cries in my shirt, but Lorrie just buries her head in her hands, her body shaking. the depression in the room is maddening. The room seems to be screaming deathdeathdeathdeath and I press my face into Corrie's hair.
A nurse comes in around the time Corrie and Lorrie stop crying. "Were moving him to the surgery room..." I don't hear the rest I just vaguely go along with everyone else as we leave.
"Aaron, Aaron, are you listening to me?"
I snap back to attention and look at Mom. "What?"
"Alec and I are staying here. The rest of you go home. You need some sleep, and the girls need to be anywhere but here. Are you okay to drive?"
I think I nodded, and I don't know how she believed that.
I don't remember walking to the truck either, but Corrie snapps back to reality after she kisses me. "Aaron, if you can't drive, tell me now and we'll ride with Lorrie and your dad."
I shake my head. "I'll drive."
"Are you sure?"
"Yeah. Its not that long of a drive."
The drive back is sort of blurry to me, but its without incident. We get home and Dad and Lorrie are sitting in the living room, tv off, staring at three phones on the coffee table. I take one look, am filled with terror, and drag Corrie upstairs and into my room, shaking. I sat down on the bed and put my head in my hands.
"Sing for me," I beg. "Anything."
She moves around for a bit, then I look up and she's sitting in my desk chair and the music starts from my laptop.
"I am an arms dealer,
Fitting you with weapons in the form of words.
And I don't really care which side wins.
As long as the room keps singing,
Thats just the business I'm in.
This ain't a scene,
Its a God damn arms race.
This ain't a scene,
Its a God damn arms race.
This ain't a scene,
Its a God damn arms race.
I'm not a shoulder to cry on but I digress.
I'm a leading man,
And the lies I weave are oh so intricate,
Oh so intricate.
I'm a leading man,
And the lies I weave are oh so intricate,
Oh so intricate.
I wrote the gospel on giving up,
But the real bombshells have already sunk.
At night were painting your trash gold while you sleep,
Crashing not like hips or cars,
No, more like p-p-p-parties.
This ain't a scene,
Its a God damn arms race.
This ain't a scene,
Its a God damn arms race.
This ain't a scene,
Its a God damn arms race.
Bandwagons full, please catch another.
I'm a leading man,
And the lies I weave are oh so intricate,
Oh so intricate.
I'm a leading man,
And the lies I weave are oh so intricate,
Oh so intricate.
Woahhh.
All the boys who the dancefloor didn't love,
And all the girls whose lips couldn't move fast enough,
Sing until your lungs give out.
This ain't a scene,
Its a God damn arms race.
This ain't a scene,
Its a God damn arms race.
This ain't a scene,
Its a God damn arms race.
This ain't a scene,
Its a God damn arms race.
This ain't a scene,
Its a God damn arms race.
This ain't a scene,
Its a God damn arms race.
I'm a leading man,
And the lies I weave are oh so intricate,
Oh so intricate.
I'm a leading man,
And the lies I weave are oh so intricate,
Oh so intricate.
"I love that song," I say, feeling better.
"Good, 'cuz I do too," Corrie says, pushing me back onto the bed and crawling next to me. The next song that comes on my iPod is some P!nk song that Lorrie put on there, but Corrie sings along to it and I drowse to the sound of her voice.
"In the hospital bed. He's not dead, but he's close to it," Alec said hoarsely. "He hasn't woken up, and they said he could go either way tonight, he lost so much blood and the shot pierced his diaphragm, so they had to put him on a breathing machine thingy I forgot what they called it... Like I said, he could go either way tonight..."
"Were already on our way."
"Is Corrie okay?"
I look at her, then say, "She will be."
"Are you okay?"
"Just bruised. Rick didn't do anything to bad to me, but I totaled him."
"Good... Good. Could you call your parents, and then mine? Lorrie's already over here..."
"Okay. Alright, man."
"Thanks, mate." He hung up.
"He wasn't breathing when the paramedics got to him. I thought he was dead," Corrie whispered, and her relief is visible. "There was so much blood, coming out of his mouth..." She starts shaking.
"You don't have to go with me, love."
"No, no, I'm going." She wriggles out from underneath the bed and after a lot of swearing I get out too. I straighten up and look at her. She's giving me this dreamy look with a half-smile.
"What?"
"You just saved the day. You're like, a super hero." She wraps her arms around my neck, standing up on tiptoe and says in a really dramatic voice, 'My hero."
I laugh. "You got it babe."
"But if you ever, ever scare me like that again I'll chain you to your bed."
"Kinky," I murmur and she swats my arm playfully. "You know, I think Superman deserves an epic make-out session."
Her smile falters and she lets me go. "After we go see Ashton."
That brings me back down to earth.
~
I'm shaking by the time I pull into the hospital parking lot. "What if Alec does die?" I ask Corrie. "I mean, he said it could go either way."
Corrie slipped her tiny hand in mine. "Whats going to happen will happen. He might die, and then your family is going to go through hell for a while, but you'll make it through. He might live, and you'll make it through anyway. You just have to go with it, because there's nothing we can do to change the future. We aren't doctors."
"I love you," I say to her, looking at the steering wheel.
She leans over and pulls my face to hers with her hand and brushes my lips to hers. "I love you too. I really do."
Just hearing those words makes me feel three times better. I kiss her gently, then kiss her again, harder. "I don't want to go in." All my bravado had gone out the door when I was with her alone.
"Neither do I. Now get out of the car." She kisses me again and slides out. I sigh, turn off the truck, and lock the doors.
I've never been good with blood, or injuries, or needles, or stethescopes, or doctors period. I'd gotten better over the years, but thats why I'd passed out after seeing my arm. Now I was about to go see Ashton and whatever the hell he looks like.
But Corrie looks just a sick as I do.
Grow some balls, Aaron.
I knit my fingers through her and we go off to find the room.
Alec and Lorrie are the only ones in the room besides the mass that is supposedly Ashton on the bed. Its a good thing I haven't eaten, because I'm fairly sure if I had, I would puke. As it is I move over to the little bench and sit down with Corrie beside me. Her voice thick, she asks a shell-shocked Lorrie, "How is he?"
"Alive, for the moment," Lorrie whispers back.
Alec lets out a dry sob from beside the bed. Corrie stands up and wraps her arm around Alec's waist.
"They've got another surgery scheduled in an hour. they just did a tiny one to stabalize him, as they had to focus on the other kid they brought in. Believe it or not, he's in a worse place than Alec," Lorrie continues on.
"If he dies, I'm going to prison," I say, my voice a hiss.
"I'll go with you," Alec chokes.
"Oh no you wont," Corrie says sternly.
Corrie comes to sit with me, tucked against my side. Her heartbeat matches mine and I somehow manage a smile. I can't believe I'm here, with Corrie and my cousin dying and there's nothing I can do about it. I may have been pissed off at Ashton for having a crush on my girlfriend, that was a natural reaction after what happened last time, but now I felt worse than I've ever felt. What if he died now, thinking I hated his ass?
Corrie brushes my jaw with her hand and I twist my head so my face is buried in her hair. Can I really blame him? No. any sane straight guy would love Corrie had they had a chance to actually get to know her.
Then Mom bursts in, scaring all of us. I begin to wonder if Mom ever goes anywhere without a dramatic entrance. That sets Corrie and Lorrie off into crying. Alec, it seems, has no tears left. He just slumps onto the floor with his head in his hands.
Mom doesn't start yelling like I know she wants too, because Dad stops her. Mom, instead, sits silently on Corrie's other side. Corrie's trying so hard to muffle her cries in my shirt, but Lorrie just buries her head in her hands, her body shaking. the depression in the room is maddening. The room seems to be screaming deathdeathdeathdeath and I press my face into Corrie's hair.
A nurse comes in around the time Corrie and Lorrie stop crying. "Were moving him to the surgery room..." I don't hear the rest I just vaguely go along with everyone else as we leave.
"Aaron, Aaron, are you listening to me?"
I snap back to attention and look at Mom. "What?"
"Alec and I are staying here. The rest of you go home. You need some sleep, and the girls need to be anywhere but here. Are you okay to drive?"
I think I nodded, and I don't know how she believed that.
I don't remember walking to the truck either, but Corrie snapps back to reality after she kisses me. "Aaron, if you can't drive, tell me now and we'll ride with Lorrie and your dad."
I shake my head. "I'll drive."
"Are you sure?"
"Yeah. Its not that long of a drive."
The drive back is sort of blurry to me, but its without incident. We get home and Dad and Lorrie are sitting in the living room, tv off, staring at three phones on the coffee table. I take one look, am filled with terror, and drag Corrie upstairs and into my room, shaking. I sat down on the bed and put my head in my hands.
"Sing for me," I beg. "Anything."
She moves around for a bit, then I look up and she's sitting in my desk chair and the music starts from my laptop.
"I am an arms dealer,
Fitting you with weapons in the form of words.
And I don't really care which side wins.
As long as the room keps singing,
Thats just the business I'm in.
This ain't a scene,
Its a God damn arms race.
This ain't a scene,
Its a God damn arms race.
This ain't a scene,
Its a God damn arms race.
I'm not a shoulder to cry on but I digress.
I'm a leading man,
And the lies I weave are oh so intricate,
Oh so intricate.
I'm a leading man,
And the lies I weave are oh so intricate,
Oh so intricate.
I wrote the gospel on giving up,
But the real bombshells have already sunk.
At night were painting your trash gold while you sleep,
Crashing not like hips or cars,
No, more like p-p-p-parties.
This ain't a scene,
Its a God damn arms race.
This ain't a scene,
Its a God damn arms race.
This ain't a scene,
Its a God damn arms race.
Bandwagons full, please catch another.
I'm a leading man,
And the lies I weave are oh so intricate,
Oh so intricate.
I'm a leading man,
And the lies I weave are oh so intricate,
Oh so intricate.
Woahhh.
All the boys who the dancefloor didn't love,
And all the girls whose lips couldn't move fast enough,
Sing until your lungs give out.
This ain't a scene,
Its a God damn arms race.
This ain't a scene,
Its a God damn arms race.
This ain't a scene,
Its a God damn arms race.
This ain't a scene,
Its a God damn arms race.
This ain't a scene,
Its a God damn arms race.
This ain't a scene,
Its a God damn arms race.
I'm a leading man,
And the lies I weave are oh so intricate,
Oh so intricate.
I'm a leading man,
And the lies I weave are oh so intricate,
Oh so intricate.
"I love that song," I say, feeling better.
"Good, 'cuz I do too," Corrie says, pushing me back onto the bed and crawling next to me. The next song that comes on my iPod is some P!nk song that Lorrie put on there, but Corrie sings along to it and I drowse to the sound of her voice.
♠ ♠ ♠
:)