Let the Flames Begin

I was dying. I haven't slept, eaten or really moved in over a week. I hadn't heard anything from Hayley since then and it was killing me slowly. The more distant she grew the more I just didn't want to live. I had nothing left to live for without her. Girlfriend or bestfriend she's my reason for existing. She's the reason I smile, breathe, laugh, she's the reason that I'm not in prison or dead on the side of the street from either binge drinking or a drug overdose. She was the reason I was clean. I've tried texting, calling, video chatting. nothing...dead sickening silence.

Carrie? I read the text five hundred times trying to figure out who it was.

ugh, yeah. who's this?

Hi, my name is Taylor. Hayley wanted me to text you.. She's in the hospital. She's not doing so good...She just wants you to come see her. The doctor says they don't know if she's getting out anytime soon and she's a wreck.

WHAT HOSPITAL IS HAYLEY AT?
HELLO?

She's in the Franklin City hospital floor eight, ICU I'll get your name on her visitor list so you can come straight back. please...hurry.

I sat straight up in my bed, I felt like my heart was literally failing me. Hayley was hurt. Hayley was in a hospital and no one knew but some random person named Taylor.. I'm not okay with this Taylor person being the one with her first of all, and secondly I wish I knew she was hurt and who the fuck even decided to hurt her.

I grabbed a pair of skinny jeans and a solid black t-shirt and some toms and raced out the door. I couldn't get to this hospital fast enough if my life depended on it. This was hell. I was hitting every single red light, every single stop sign. Hell, I'm just waiting for a cop to pull me over for a reckless. I just don't care about anything right not other than getting to Hayley and holding her tight and just making sure she's okay and she's being taken care of. I pulled into the closest spot I could find and raced to the elevator. I pushed the button for floor eight I swear fifty times before the elevator started moving. I tapped my foot impatiently until I got the my destination. The sign was huge and read INTENSIVE CARE UNIT OF FRANKLIN TENNESSEE. I felt another piece of my heart crumble. I made my way through the families and nurses to the station.

"Uhm.. Can I help you?"

"Hayley Williams. I'm here to see Hayley Williams. My name is Carrie Seymore. Just. Let me back. Please..." the nurse skimmed through the files and glanced at me.

"Yes ma'am. Right this way Ms. Seymore. She's been asking for you."

"Yeah, I've been asking for her too. Trust me. What happened to her?"

"She got mugged to put it blankly. She's in rough shape. When she got here six days ago she had some pretty bad head trauma and well... She's been in my care ever since. She's a fighter, I will give her that and she made it out with every dime she went into it with. But she's pretty bad off right now. Just. Be gentle, keep her calm. She's been a wreck since she woke up.."

"Thank you." I whispered as she motioned to Hayley's door. I took a deep breath and walked in.

"Hayley?" I said lightly walking into the room hearing the monitors calm down some when my voice broke the silence in the air.

"Carrie." her voice was faint, but it was her voice. I shut the door and walked around the corner. She was in her bed, IV's and wires coming out of her everywhere. There was a brunette sitting beside her watching the machines.

"You brought her heart rate back to normal. It's been above 120 since she got here."

"Well, that's a good thing that I brought it down."

"Tay...You can go home.. She'll take care of me."

The girl nodded before whispered thank you to me and leaving. She was exhausted looking.

"I know..I'm not pretty anymore.. I made them take out the mirrors two days ago.."

"Darlin' you're still beautiful no matter what. How do you feel?"

"Tired, sore, but I'm better now. Why're you so far aay. Come sit next to me.""

I nodded pulling the chair up to her bed and sat indian style in it making circles on her hand.

"I was scared you were ignoring me..Then when that girl texted me I felt my world die Hayley..Where the hell did you go for this to happen?"

"The Bar..I couldn't completely process the way I felt about what oyou said and when I left and started walking back to my apartment these guys were there and that's when it happened. I just..I'm so sorry..I got scared and Taylor, she lived down the block and I managed to get myself to her house and that's all I remember." her eyes started filling with tears.

"No, no hayley no.. don't cry. I can't stand to see you cry and I can't stand that I wasn't with you to stop all of this.." I wiped her face where the tears had streamed down. "When I told you I loved you, it wasn't to scare you away or make it to where you couldn't still tell me everything. It was for me to finally be open with you for once. And to be honest, if I got here and they wouldve told me you were dead I would either die right then or kill myself. I can't live without you in my life Hayley. I just can't."

"Me either...The last thing I remember thinking about before I blanked was that I didn't get to tell you I love you back. I just... I dunno. When I left the bar, I wanted to call and tell you that but my phone was dead so I figured I'd just do it when I got home that night. I just... I went through everything and realized I'm nothing without you. You're what keeps me going and without you I'd be lost. I'd be a pointless soul. All I ant is for us to go home and get out of this hell hole and just... Start over but with me as your girlfriend. I want to really try.. I'm not good at this relationship shit but I feel like with you it might just be easier for me. I've got nothing to lose right?"

"No, but I do. If I lost you Hayley I'd lose everything."

Hayley smiled as the door cracked opened. "Ms. Williams, may I enter?"

"Yes."

"My you're improving remarkably. Might I ask why."

"I've got my strength here now." she said looking at me grabbing my hand."

"Well at this rate we might just be able to discharge you a little sooner than we thought. We might be able to get you out in a few hours if you can get all your levels back to normal."

We nodded and looked at eachother. Hayley was still weak but she already looked better than she did when I got here. I sat in the same position with her hand in mine for the next six to seven hours while she slept. She was beautiful and she was now mine. Only mine, and I'll be damed if I ever fuck this up.