Through the Dark

Chapter 3

We were allowed to go inside the room where Reese was in but I denied that notion because there was practically no use. She was unconscious and there was nothing more that I could do after entering the room except face the reality that she was not awake. 

Thea, Aiden and I sat on the benches which were present in front of Reese's room instead of going inside. I kept on looking at the monitors that measured Reese's heartbeat and pressure and how the only movement done was when she was breathing. I was sitting on the middle seat, while both Thea and Aiden sat on either side of me. Nathan had come to check in on  me before night hit and he was sitting there beside Thea. For the most part, we were quiet and I was more than grateful that they were respecting the silence while still staying beside me to give the mental support that I needed. 

"Vee where are you going to stay tonight?" Aiden asked breaking my trail of thoughts.
"I'll stay here don't worry about me," I assured them.
"But will you guys please go home for now. You look exhausted," I added as guilt run through my veins. It was already nine o'clock at night and both of them had been there since the evening. 

"Vianna Austin I heard this same phrase for the hundredth time already and no we are not going to leave you alone in here," Thea stated firmly.
"Come on you guys didn't get to sleep last night too," I began to say but knew that it was of no use as all the pairs of eyes turned towards me with angry looks.

The previous night was certainly a hectic one. I was unconscious in one room while Reese was in another. Throughout the night my friends came to check in on us. Finn, Thea and Addison had stayed the whole night outside my room, sitting on the benches present there. Nathan and Aiden were also there and had left only after dawn. Later this morning Aiden, Nathan and Nathan's mother came with breakfast after which the others went home again to freshen up. All of them were doing all those things for me which made me guilt-ridden.

"I don't deserve any of this, you all are already doing more than enough," I mumbled. Nathan, who was sitting beside me, put his hand over my shoulder and pulled me into a hug. "Silly we are your family and as far as I know family stands for each other when they need them the most," his soothing voice filled my ears.

"You should know that we are not doing all of these because we think that you can't manage this alone. We're more than certain that you'll be able to handle all of these but we just want to be there by your side because as Nathan said, that's what families do," Thea announced. 

"Come on big girl you're coming to my place," Thea got up and pulled me with her.
"But Reese...."
"Reese is not going anywhere. Even if she wakes up it would be wise to not burden her with all the questions right away," Aiden stated which made sense.
"And we will only be a few minutes away from the hospital so we can come if there is an emergency," Thea added. 

I seriously did not know how I managed to come across these people. Their support was probably the only thing that was keeping me from getting all lunatic.

Nathan dropped Thea and I at her place where Thea's mother welcomed me with the warmest smile. Thea had informed her mother beforehand and she had prepared dinner which we ate together, before going upstairs to Thea's room. I did not have any spare clothes but Thea gave me one of her tee shirts and pajamas which I wore after taking a shower. 

We had numerous sleep overs over the years that we friends have known each other but none of those were anything like that time. All the other times, it was all fun and a joyous occasion. However, that time we were not a tad bit energetic as our nerves were frayed due to the frantic day.

I connected my phone to the charger as Thea closed the curtains and switched the lights off. It was almost midnight and both of us were more than willing to indulge ourselves in sleep.

"Thea?" I called her as she got on the bed.
"Yeah?"
"In biology did you read anything about blood clot?" I asked her. Turning on the lamp beside her, Thea turned to face me and propped her head on her elbow.
"Well I read about those but not the detailed part," she replied.
"What's going on?" she asked instantly knowing that something was going on inside my thick skull. 

"After school when we went to Finn's house, that day, I had called Reese but she did not answer so I texted her saying that I was going there. I sent the message around noon but it was unseen when I had checked her phone later. Moreover, I remember the pool of blood that was on the floor and it was not as red as fresh blood should be," I mentioned.

"Yeah Reese always checks her phone and if the stroke happened in the evening it's like a couple of hours from the time you sent the text." she said while pondering about what I had just said.
"But it may also be possible that she was not feeling well and maybe she went to take rest keeping her phone aside?" Thea countered.
"I know," I replied.
"But there's another thing. There was mud inside the house," I added hearing which Thea looked at me with wide eyes. 

"At first it did not look anything suspicious but the mud traced back to Reese's cabinet in the study and to the kitchen only," I affirmed. 
"The cabinet and the kitchen only? Reese always locks her cabinet in her room isn't it?" Thea asked sitting up and pulled her straight brown hair in a bun, which only meant that she getting serious. 

"Yeah, she always keeps her important documents and things that I am not permitted to see," I affirmed.
"Was the cabinet locked?" Thea inquired while doing something in her phone.
"I did not check," I sighed. 

"Found it," she said passing her phone for me to see. 
"Google says that it is possible to have a stroke because of blood clot," she stated. 
"So it's possible that there was an intruder who wanted to take the documents which Reese had but when she denied to give, the person hit her head," I began.
"So the blood was probably due to the hit and later as she laid there for a long time blood clot resulted the stroke," Thea continued. 
"The doctor was also saying that Reese had more risks due to the blood clot," I recalled. 

"This may not be true you know," she said after a prolonged silence. 
"I know."
"However, when Reese wakes up we can ask her if there was an intruder or not."
"Yeah," I sighed.

"You'll stay here until Reese is full of vigor," Thea announced after a moment of silence.
"An no buts. With a possible intruder roaming around you sure do not hope that we will let you stay all by yourself," she added making me grin at her bossiness. 

"Tomorrow when we go to pick up some of your stuff we can look if something else was out of order," she added.
"I think it's best if we go there during daytime," I said because of the obvious reasons.
"Yeah. I just texted this in our group chat."
"Nathan and Aiden will be there. Addi can't come she has a family gathering," Thea announced, her eyes fixed on her device.
"What about Finn?" I asked.
"Didn't answer."

I yawned loudly which made Thea smile. "Go to sleep, we have a big day coming."

I checked my phone to see if there were any important messages that needed to be addressed. Later on, after putting it on vibrate I indulged myself with the much needed rest.

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Stay tuned because the next few chapters will be unforeseen.