All That I Wanted

Chapter 7: ICU

TW; Mentions of blood, and a good bit of language.

There was a shadow in the corner of the room, when she finally took a look. Her brain told her it was a flicker, another one that she was falling through, but her heart knew that shadow. The fear buried deep in her told her it was Maxine, but no.

It was taller, sharper.

It was Chloe.

Chloe-Her Chloe. Trusty beanie crumpled in her hand, before she tossed it into a nearby chair.

And with every ounce of strength she had she tried to sit up, but all she managed to do was rattle the bindings on her wrists.

Wait.

For the first time she felt the scratchy sheets on her legs, and the bandages on and over her left eye, matting her hair back and sticking to her neck. She felt dirty.

She leaned back, shock turning her body cold. She blinked, watching Chloe scrub at her face, pissed off and sad.

She was strapped to a hospital bed by her wrists and feet, She had enough consciousness to know that. And her throat was sore, as was her head. Her nose was dry, the painful kind, scratching with every breath. She fought off her incoming panic attack, and surprisingly managed to do so. The shadow moved, head whirling back to her, and wow. It took what little breath she had.

Sobbing, absolutely sobbing and crying, running to the bed with a sad squeal and sad rushed words, an embrace that she tried to give back but couldn't right now, so she settled for burying her head on a bare shoulder. The faint pressure made her head throb. "Chloe-" She managed, before she kissed the skin."What happened? I can't see-" it slipped out, but it was setting in that her left eye wasn't working and blinking was painful. Dry, not like an eye should be.

The body grew stiff, and then she was held at arms length. A hand gently urging her to lay back and settle. There was a secret in those eyes, swirling and tempting her, tainting her expression. She swallowed, thickly, rubbing her thumb over her shoulder bone.

"You remember me, right?"

How could I forget?

"Of course I do!" She laughed through the pain, trying to soothe the girl in front of her."Just... not how I got here."

"Promise?" A waver, a wave waiting to be unleashed.

She nodded,"Chloe." Her voice was steel."I promise."

A shaky relieved breath, as she took a seat at the edge of the bed. She looked at Max and smiled small, before biting her lip and letting her expression fall.

"I'm just glad you're alive, you fucking idiot." The words were a shock, as her eyes, or eye, got so big she could feel it, and her heart skipped."My hypothesis, which is very much different from the lie I keep telling the doctors, is that you got trapped in a flicker and almost bled out."

Bled out? What the fuck?

When? Where? How?

The questions were running rampant in her head, but her voice failed her for the moment.

"H-how? I wasn't-" She managed, but scoffed in disbelief.

"You were dreaming. You woke up, woke me up choking and bleeding every... god, fucking everywhere Max. We were in Seattle, at your parents and- I drove you here- we all did but..."

"Were?" She squeaked, focusing on the fear striking word.

"They aren't with us anymore, like here. Their still in Seattle. I called them. They're fine."