Influx (Book Four)

Chapter Twenty-Nine

Chapter Twenty-Nine

"Good job Cabe," I hear someone say and I try to move but everything feels far too heavy.

"This sucks," I hear him whine back. Did I die with Cabe and go to some strange wasteland?

"Hey, be thankful you are alive. Without Hadley, you wouldn't have survived this one," someone else says and I hear a strange stretching noise. There is a rustling noise and more fabric noises.

"Do you want me to help you walk to the bathroom before I leave?"

"Yes please," he says, and I hear slow and unsteady footsteps before a door closes. I try to pry my eyes open, but my lids feel like they weigh ten thousand pounds, barely cracking one open. I watch as Cabe and a woman cross the room and he sits back heavily on the bed before using his arms to swing his legs back into bed.

"Wait, Hadley?" I hear someone say and I pry my other eye open before the second one follows. I recognize one of the Kurning's daughters, one of my cousins.

"She's awake, oh my gosh she's awake!" She yells before darting out of the room. Slowly pushing my exhausted body upwards, I lean against the headboard. My head is on fire and I have too many IVs to even move.

"Hadley!" Multiple voices scream as the nurse bustles in followed by a bunch of people who she waves to the side of the room. She pokes and checks things as I try to wake back up. How did I end up in the hospital and what happened to the back of my head? Slowly lifting my hand, the nurse watches me carefully. Running my finger through my hair, I notice it's all gone on the back, and in its place is a massive scar the spans almost the back of my head. Slowly moving my hand upwards, I find some hair there.

I go to say something, but my jaw is tight, and my face is tense. The muscles that were previously paralyzed have tightened up from my lack of use for however long I was out. The nurse finishes up and asks me if I need anything immediately and I shake my head no. She turns around and warns everyone that she won't hesitate to have them escorted out if she feels my wellbeing is threatened by the volume of people. Looking at everyone in front of me, I slowly start placing everyone as the drugs wear off.

"Click," I say softly before I have to roll my jaw out. She steps over to me and interweaves her arms around all the tubes and pulls me into a bone-crushing hug. The air is knocked out of me and she loosens up realizing I am not breathing.

"You scared me," she says quietly, and I hug her tightly.

"I'm sorry, I panicked and couldn't move," I admit and when I look up, everyone looks surprised. The only thing I could do at that moment was pull her tight, out of the line of the bullet. I make eye contact with Alexander and he looks crushed.

"I need to give someone else a hug," I whisper in her ear, and she giggles and steps back and leans on Cabe's bed as Alexander steps forward. His hug is tight, and I can feel his fear and anguish. Tears blur my vision as I wrap my arms around his neck. The pain in the back of my head kicks up for a few moments before I let him go.

"I really thought I was going to lose you again," he says quietly, and I see my parents and the Hayes family in the doorway.

"Looks like everyone is here," I comment surprised.

"Faith, Orion, and Zana are all out in the waiting room as well," Alexander says, and he steps away and he and Click leave the room with Cabe who wants to try and walk to the cafeteria.

Cathleen doesn't say a word but pulls me into a suffocating hug for the first time since I've returned. I hug her back hard and it feels good to get a hug from her after all these years. My parents follow suit, and everyone sits in various chairs they've pulled from everywhere. This poor hospital, I wouldn't want to deal with our family.