Odd [re-writing]

13. The Chase Cliché

in which, the guy chases the girl

Plot Twist: *who doesn't want to be chased anyway

"LUCKY FOR YOU, most of wounds aren't that deep. Two stitches did the job on the ones that dug in your palm." The doctor said, wrapping my left palm with bandage "Would you like some painkillers?"

I smiled weakly "No thanks. I'm under medication."

"Oh? What are you taking?"

"I used to take SSRI's but now I'm just taking low doses of benzodiazepine."

"Do you take anti-depressants too?"

I swallowed the dryness in my throat "I stopped."

"Your doctor made you stop?"

I shook my head "I just stopped."

He was silent for a while, and then, "Why?"

I shrugged, fiddling with my bandages "It just felt unnecessary. I thought I was fine."

He gave me a cup of cold water and a tablet of painkiller. "Whoever takes those medicines is never fine, darling."

***

Perseus was waiting outside the ER, pacing back and forth, constantly running his hands through his hair. Despite the gauntness, the paleness of his skin, he still looked like he didn't belong in a hospital. I thought if he were in the hallways of a hospital, he would look like he belonged. But he didn't. He looked like someone who didn't deserve to be in here, like it was even too much pain for him to be in here, and I had the sudden urge to push him out into the clean air and demand him to never return.

But then I realized I made him do this. I made him go inside a hospital. When he saw me exit through the doors, he stopped pacing and practically sprinted towards me. But he probably realized the lack of urgency in my eyes and he stopped a meter away, too afraid to touch me. Probably too disgusted to come near me.

He opened his mouth to say something, but I cut him off "Did you call my mom?"

He shook his head.

"Good." I told him, "Give me back my phone." I held out my hand, and he dropped it on my bandage-free palm. I turned on my heel, too embarrassed to say anything else. Why did he have to see me at my worst? The Andy he met, and the Andy he saw were two completely different beings. They cannot possibly melded into two, but they managed. The outspoken, sarcastic and stubborn Andy was reduced to a single mess of crying and difficult breathing, too weak to even be sarcastic.

I exited the hospital, blindly walking towards the parking lot, even when I had no idea where his pick-up truck was parked. "Keep your distance, Perseus." I told him when he was merely inches away from me. He was chasing me. I didn't want to be chased like some goddamn deer.

Percy ignored my warning "Why didn't you tell me?"

"I didn't have to!" I snapped.

"If you told me, we could've avoided this."

That did it. "Are you blaming me?" I turned around, my unruly hair whipping around my face "What were you expecting, Percy? We just fucking met. What was I supposed to say?" I felt tears choking up my throat "Oh, hi, my name's Andromeda and by the way I experience severe panic attacks every now and then. Nice to fucking meet you?"