Facetime, Travelling, and The Vamps

Chapter 13

I swim to the surface, and just my hearing comes back.

"Will you tell me what happened?" someone asks.

"We were out shopping, just walking around," a voice says. I vaguely register the voice as Kat's. "Alli and I were walking ahead, like we usually do, and I turned around at one point to find Liv on the ground, in a heap, and she wouldn't respond. We called 911 and we were told to come here."

A door opens and closes. "I just talked to the boys. They say they will be here as soon as they catch a flight." I recognize this third voice as Alli's. "What's the verdict, doctor?"

"It looks like she hit her head hard enough to knock her out, but we don't think any other damage has been done. We are going to take advantage of the situation and run some tests and scans to see what the problem is. Hopefully she won't wake up until we're done."




Darkness overwhelms me.




Tristan's POV


"Liv? Our Liv?" Brad asks. Connor just nods, the shock having rendered him speechless.

"I can't believe this," I say, and start pacing. I notice James, sitting quietly. "Do you know something, James?" Connor's head whips towards him.

"All right. I guess it's time to tell you. Do you remember Vail?" he says. We all nod. "Well, the last morning, I found her with ice between her knees. It turns out that her ACLs, which are an inner ligament of the knee, connecting the thigh and the shin, which I Googled, have been stressed lately. She was trying to save them, so they wouldn't snap. I Googled that as well. Apparently if ACLs snap, there is no way to reattach them. A big surgery has to be done, where they take ligament from other parts of the leg and attach it to where the ACL was. It ends sports careers and is very, very painful." He pauses, and we all stare at him, our mouths agape. He looks at each of us in turn. "I think that's what happened."



Liv's POV


I surface again to the sound of murmuring. Slowly all my senses come back. I feel sheets of a bed and someone's hand in mine. I have a cotton taste in my mouth, and I distinguish different voices. My mind starts working again, and I crack open my eyes. All the noise stops, aside from a beeping sound. I swivel my head to see machines beside me. I follow the lines and see one of them attached to me.

"It's just to monitor your heart, sweetie," a woman says. "You were out for quite a long time." I slowly take in my surroundings. I see the girls, and the boys, and who I assume is a nurse, and finally Connor sitting next to me. I realize it's his hand in mine. I use my other hand and take a drink of water. "How do you feel?" she asks when I set the glass down.

"Like someone stuffed cotton in my mouth and hit my head with a hammer," I reply honestly. The nurse cracks a smile. I try to swing my legs out to stand and stretch, but the nurse stops me.

"Not just yet, sweetie," she says. "Okay. I need everyone except the patient and someone of her choice to leave." I lock eyes with James, but I don't say a word. I look over and smile at Connor.

"I'll be okay," I say, and he kisses my forehead before standing and leaving. Everyone files out, James the last one. He closes the door without leaving.

"I'm staying. I have my suspicions." He locks the door so no one can come in and sits on the couch by the window. The nurse picks up an envelope.

"Honey, you were knocked out when you fell. We took some tests. You have a minor bump on your head, but no other issues there. However, upon inspection, your ACLs have a high possibility to snap if you do any walking on them, possibly even putting weight on them. We may have to do a surgery, and you are to remain in bed until we can completely assess the situation," the nurse says. Knocking is heard from the other side of the door.

"James, let us in!" Brad says. James stands and looks at me.

"Tell them just a bit of it," I say. "Don't let them come in." He nods and unlocks the door, opening it just wide enough for him to get through. "Is there any way to stop it before it snaps?"

"You will have to stay bed-ridden for a week at least, during which time we will X-Ray your knees to see how they are doing. You can't put any weight on them, so if you have to go to the bathroom we will have a wheelchair by your bedside. You are allowed to have guests to keep you company, as you're not sick, but I'm afraid the only thing we can do is try to let them heal on their own."

"Okay. I think I can handle that. Can I see the X-Ray?" I ask.

"Are you sure?" the nurse asks. I nod. She pulls something from the envelope and hands it to me. I see my knees, and she points out my ACLs.




They are thin, straw thin.



Brad's POV

The door opens and James walks out, closing the door behind him.

"What's going on?" Connor asks.

"Liv is this close to snapping her ACLs," James says, holding his thumb and pointer finger about a centimeter apart. "She isn't allowed to stand or move without the help of one of us or one of the nurses. She may have to stay here for a while." The door opens and we all swarm towards it. The nurse walks out, and before she can close the door I hear the faint sounds of crying.

"Well?" I ask.

"She needs a few minutes alone, during which time I am going to give you all a stern lecture," the nurse says. "Olivia is to remain here until further notice. You are all allowed to visit, but you are permitted to do so only between 9 am and 10 pm. She needs rest and we need time to do tests. Please, please, please try to keep her mind off of the situation. Do whatever you can to keep her smiling and happy, otherwise I'm afraid she might do something drastic. Bring books, watch movies, play games, hell, I'll even allow you to bring instruments. Just keep her occupied, and don't allow her to stand up. We can't always be here. Understand?" We all nod. "Good." She knocks on the door. "Do you want guests, Olivia?"

"Yes please," Liv says, faint through the door. The nurse opens the door, and we head into Liv's room, sitting on the couch and in chairs and on the floor. "So what do you want to do?" She smiles faintly.