I'm Never Better Only Suffering for You Dear

I opened my eyes, the too white room coming into focus. I panicked for a moment, not quite sure where I was until the rhythmic beeping registered.

Okay, I am in the hospital. I glanced around the room, taking in the vaguely familiar bodies that were draped over various chairs and couches. I looked hard and long at each and every face, some I knew. I knew them all too well.

“Matt.” I spoke for the first time since waking up, trying to shake the sleeping boy next to my arm. “Matt.” I said a little louder

“Wha-?” the dark haired boy raised up, shook his head a few times, and looked at me, and for the first time in two years his hazel eyes connected with my steel blue ones.

“What the actual fuck are you doing here?” I said, trying to put as much venom into the words as I could, after all he lied. He never came back, and full on forgot about me.

“Mack I thought-Oh thank god. I seriously thought you were dying.” He said with genuine concern

“That still doesn’t answer why you are here.”

“The EMT called me. Said that you were being rushed here.” He took a breath and tried to grab my hand, frowning slightly when I pulled it away.

“And you think that you can just show up and that would be alright?” I yelled getting upset, causing the stupid machine to start beeping louder and faster as my heart rate went up, the others in the room coming too at that point.

“Mack! You’re awake!” the ever hyper active Jack yelled as he stood up, causing a brunette girl to fall over on the couch they were sharing

“Hey Jack.” I said, not able to help myself a smiled a little

“Mack, I’m sorry. I’m not making excuses here. I know that I did a shitty thing and not keeping in touch but things just got harder and harder to keep any kind of relationships together. I didn’t even talk to my mom for the first three months.”

“Its been two fucking years James. Two years of me waiting, still, hoping that somehow you would come back. All of you just stopped.” I looked at each and every one of the boys now standing around my bed “Stopped answering your phones, ignored text from me.”

“Phone calls are hard Mack.” Alex said

“Yeah Alex? Phone calls are hard? How’s Raelie?” I snapped at him “Admit it, a friend from school just wasn’t that important.” I shook my head

“I tried to call you Mack.” A voice says to my left

“Did you Rian? When? Last week? Last month?”

“About six months ago. My mom had asked about you, and I realized that we hadn’t spoken in a while, I tried to call but your number wasn’t in service anymore.”

“Yeah well that is probably because Jackson had me change the number.” I mumbled, not able to be too mad at this group of guys, no matter how much I felt hurt by them

“Who’s Jackson?” Alex asked

“My boyfriend.” I sighed out, trying to get comfortable, but every movement hurt “Does anyone know exactly what happened?”

“I think I can help with that.” Came an older voice from the door way, a doctor of about 50 stood with a chart in his hands “You were rushed in her last night, a severe head injury, multiple bruises all over your body, some weeks old, you have three broken ribs, a busted lip, and your eyes are most likely going to be black for a while.”

I just stared at the doctor, feeling a pain in the back of my head, as the scenes from last night came flooding back to me.

“Am I going to be okay?” I asked quietly

“I’m shocked you are awake at all Miss Carson. The head injury alone could have been catastrophic. The other injuries are minor compared to the beating the back of your head took.” He cleared his throat “Do you want to tell me how you got these injuries?”

“No!” I cried out as I thought about what Jackson was going to do to me if he found out I told what he did “I’m fine.” I whispered

“Fine. I cannot force you to make a report. But Miss Carson in my experience, these types of things don’t stop, they get worse, and the victim ends up dead.” He said, nodded to the boys and turned and left the room.

“Mack-”

“Don’t start Matt.” I shook my head at him

“Don’t start Mackenzie? He could have killed you last night!”

“Hey! You don’t get to just come in here out of nowhere Matthew and acting like some over protective older brother!”

“Mackenzie!” He yelled, Alex placed a warning hand on his shoulder, which he shrugged off and took off out the door

“He doesn’t mean to yell at you Mackenzie, he was a damn mess last night when he got the call.” Rian sighed “The way the EMT spoke, Matt thought you were going to die, and it messed him up”
I started to reply when a familiar ringtone filled the room, and I cringed

“Mack?” Alex questioned

“My phone. Where is my phone?” I asked getting louder and more frantic as the ringing grew louder, Alex pulled the purple sidekick out of his pocket handing it to me

“He-hello?” I said as I picked up the call

“Mackenzie?” Jackson’s voice filled my ears

“Yes Jackson?” I said, trying to not give too much to either party

“Where are you?” He sounded overly sweet, and caring. Like he always did after a night like last night

“The hospital.” I whispered out

“Oh?”

“Yeah, the tumble down the stairs last night was a doosy.” I tried to lighten the mood

“If you say anything you stupid fucking bitch. Last night is going to be a fucking stroll in the park for you.” He threatened, my face visibly paled at his words, and suddenly my phone was gone from my hands, my eyes snapped to Alex.

“Hey asshole. The hands you put on my sister last night is the last. You fucking hear me?” Alex threatened; sounding a lot more confident and menacing then he actually looked

“Are you going to make me?” I heard Jackson reply

“I have my ways.” He smirked “Your girlfriend is no longer your girlfriend. Understood?”

“Yeah sure buddy, we will see about that. I don’t lose.” Alex shook his head as he slammed the phone shut, cutting off whatever Jackson was going to say. This was not going to end well for me. Jackson was going to be so pissed when I left here.