Fading (A Calum Hood Fan Fiction; Sequel to Pretending)

Chapter 46: The Best Friend

I was about six when one of my darkest unforgettable moment in my childhood happened. If I have to recall it some other time, I probably would just laugh about how I reacted towards everything that day. But back then, I knew I was fucking scared. It was raining that day and stuff like that excites me, so I hurried outside our backyard without even thinking that the rocks that my father had put up in there would be slippery as hell. How would I even think about it, anyway? I was six. I didn't care about anything but my happiness and that was playing outside in the rain. But that wasn't the story. I didn't remember the rocks so I hurried down and I slipped, then all of a sudden everything started spinning until it all turned to darkness. And then the next thing I knew, I am inside of my father's car and I'm sitting on my crying mother's lap with bloodstains on my favorite Storm Trooper shirt.

Hospital hallways always scare the shit out of me. All I ever I wanted to do was fall asleep while I was being dragged into the emergency room with the stretcher. I could see many face up above me telling me to "stay awake" and that was it. I stayed just like that. The pain that I was feeling that time was extremely excrutiating that made me think maybe I'm already dead and everything's just a vision of what would have happened if I wasn't such a stupid six year old boy. But no, it wasn't. I felt the three to four stitches they did on the top right side of my head and saw how it seemed so easy for all of them do just do it to me. I stayed awake for a couple of minutes more, wishing that I could fall asleep soon enough so I could wake up back to where my own bed is because I swore to myself that I am never going back to this place again. I hated needles, stitches, stretchers and mostly, hospital hallways.

But who would have thought, eh? That after a decade and years, the boy who slipped out of excitement and stupidity is yet again walking at the same hallway he was dragged with a stretcher into. But this time, there are no more cuts that are needed to be stitched. No more blood stained shirt. No more crying mum, or a panicking dad. Just that boy again who turned into big guy now, but this time, with a clean black shirt and a broken heart.

It's been a week since Kristen was transferred into the hospital in Sydney. It was a decision made by her dad and her doctors though it was completely risky. Her doctors said that her body is responding quite good into her medications and hopefully she'll wake up soon enough than expected so it wouldn't be that hard to shift her from one hospital to another. Complications may occur but all we could ever hope for is the best. At times like this, no one can talk about her and her condition without shedding a tear or being a devastated. I hate thinking about her lying there without even talking or just hearing her snore. It was hard.

"Hey, Mike." Kristen's dad, Joe, stood up and approached me as I walk towards her room door.

I gave him back the smile he gave me but his was a tired one. "Calum said that uhm– that she can have visitors other than relatives since yesterday so I thought maybe today's a good time to see her."

Joe's eyes clearly says that something had happened but I'm trying not to listen to what my mind is saying. I'm tired of torturing myself that way.

"Kristen is probably waiting for all of you to visit her. It's kinda getting tiring for her to only have me and Sandra visit her all the time." He said as he tried to smile while he looked at his wife who looked as tired as him as well. It made me wonder how hard they must have been going through since this accident occured and I wish it didn't happen at all.

"She almost– we almost lost her, you know. This morning."

He broke the little silence that fell upon us and I felt chills ran down my spine.

"She went flatline and I thought I was going to lose it too but luckily the doctors were so fast to respond to her. She's safe now but I don't think I could ever leave her again just that. I mean, I—"