Colorful || Zayn Malik

49

***Paige's Point of View***

"Yeah, well, she's alive so maybe instead of reprimanding me you all can be a little gracious she's even still breathing!" I heard Zayn faintly yell. My eyes were shut, but I could listen. I was clueless as to what was going on.

"You both could've been killed," I heard another voice speak slowly, sounding like Nathan. He enunciated each word as if they wouldn't be made clear otherwise.

"Well now we're both alive," Zayn replied.

"It doesn't matter!" Savannah snapped. "The past is the past. It happened, everyone's okay, it doesn't matter anymore. Just don't be such a moron from now on."

I heard Zayn sigh, and I opened my eyes. I was in a room. A bed. A hospital bed with Zayn and Nathan and Savannah and Louis surrounding me.

"Paige," Louis spotted my consciousness first. Zayn's attention snapped to me and he rushed to my side.

"Oh my god, are you okay? How do you feel?" he asked.

"I don't know," I croaked, coughing a bit. "Can I have some water?"

I was quickly handed a cup, and I drank up before I answered any of their questions.

"What happened?" I asked.

"It's Hunter," Nathan explained. "He lit the warehouse on fire. I saw him just as he dropped the match. The whole place went up in flames. I haven't been back there to see what's salvageable yet, but I'm sure there's not much."

"Oh my god. Was he...was he trying to...kill me?"

"We don't know," Zayn said. The worry on his face broke my heart. "This is all my fault."

"What? No, okay, Hunter is a psychotic asshole. This is not your fault," I assured him.

"I should've just given him the money. No one would've gotten hurt."

"I'm not hurt. I'm okay. Look at me."

"The doctor said if you had stayed in that building another minute you would've died," Zayn said, his eyes glistening. He blinked a few times and turned away.

"We don't need you two arguing right now," Nathan intervened. "How are you feeling?"

"I don't know. Alright I guess. Where's my mum?"

"She left to call your grandparents. She should be back soon," Louis explained.

A moment later, a man walked in whom I assumed to be the doctor. He glanced up, looking pleased to see my eyes open, and took a seat by my bed.

"Miss Walker, I'm doctor Young. It's a pleasure to meet you."

"You too."

"The good news is that you're going to be fine. You inhaled a lot of smoke. In fact most people would've died with the amount of toxic fumes in your system, but it seems you got out just in the nick of time. In the case of a fire, oxygen levels decrease drastically, and when levels are at six percent death is most common. The fire never spread to your body so you don't have any severe burns to worry about. I understand you were unconscious when you were found. You're very lucky to be alive." He smiled, but I couldn't find it in me to return the favor.

"Thanks, doctor," I said.

"Of course. I think we can have you out of here soon, but I'd like you to stick around for a bit longer just to make sure everything is okay."

I nodded and he left just as my mother entered. Her eyes were wet with tears, but she looked overjoyed to see I had awaken.

"Oh my gosh," she murmured, rushing to hug me. I felt bad, like this was my fault. I'd put this poor woman through so much, and now this.