The Fault In Our Stars: After Augustus

Chapter Eighteen

I woke up in what I'd recognized as room 313 in the east wing of the hospital. (I am always put in this room.)

My Mom saw my eyelids open, revealing my hazel eyes, and called for a nurse.
A petite curly-haired brunette dashed into my room almost right away.

"What the hell," I quietly muttered.

"Well she's fully conscious," the nurse said, "which is a very good sign."
No shit, Sherlock.

My Mother just nodded in acknowledgement of the obvious fact the nurse pointed out, and then turned to me. Tears welling up in her eyes.

"What?" I asked, "how long was I out?"

"Two days," my Mom answered, "your Dad and I were so worried."

I faked a smile in attempt to make my Mom feel better, or at least stop crying.

"Mom-" I spoke, cut off by my Dad entering the room. Followed by a hard smack on the door.

"Goddamn it!" he cried. "Why?!"

I could see the anger built up in him, and the sadness in his eyes.
Then I just broke, started balling my eyes out, and whispered to myself, "why, indeed."

~~~~~~~~~~

That night I was able to leave Children's and go home. Once I got home I noticed 7 new messages left on my home phone.

1st message:
Hazel! It's Nicholas. How would you like to meet up later today? Call me back.

2nd message:
Hazel Grace Lancaster. Remember me? Nicholas Grady! If not, this is awkward.

3rd message:
Don't tell me you changed your number and didn't tell me. Cruel. Hope all's okay.

4th message:
Okay, it's been three days, do you hate me? Silent treatment?

5th message:
H-A-Z-E-L! If you don't get back to me soon I will have reached extreme worrisome.

6th message:
Stop this. This isn't funny. I love you, don't play games. Call me back!

7th message:
Say something! Anything! Even if you just call me say one letter and hang up! I just need to know you're okay.

Wow, I thought to myself.

I like Nicholas Grady, I like him a lot.

I like how he loved me, how he showed it, told it, and simply just cared for me so much. I like having a figure like this in my life. (Also my family, of course. But families are kind of forced to love each other. Then there are loves like the one shared between Augustus and I: we found each other, we started as strangers, and went to star-crossed lovers.)

After listening and clearing out all seven messages, I picked up the house's V-Tech phone, dialled Nicholas' home number, and clicked 'talk'.

There was no answer.

About a good 10 minutes later, I heard a loud - and rather violent - knocking on my door.
I rushed to go answer it.

By the time I'd reached my door I was as out of breath as person, with lungs that didn't suck at being lungs, that ran a lap around the perimeter of my house.

I opened the door to see, the one and only, Peter Van Houten.