For What It's Worth

Chapter Forty Three : Always

Men are seizing Nate who's rolling around, struggling. Everything is like white noise behind us, we can only focus on each other. Her touch is like a pain killer because I can only feel her.

She's panting, searching my eyes. For the first time, it looks like she's actually able to breathe.

Suddenly, I yell out at a shooting pain, collapsing on my side. With my arms still tied around my back, I can't do anything. She rushes beside me, putting pressure on where I was stabbed. Instantly, her hands are soaked and stained red.

"Help! Someone help! He's hurt!" Isabelle calls out to anyone in the room that's listening, her voice cracking with panic.

A man comes over, kneeling down beside me. He assists Isabelle in holding the wound and then speaks into his radio that they need a stretcher.

Looking back at Isabelle, there's two of her now. Both of them are saying my name, asking if I'm okay but it sounds like as if they're in a whole other room. My heart beat thumps in my ears and my head rolls round and round as I get lifted to sit up.

The next time I open my eyes, I'm being wheeled out of the garage, Isabelle at my side and David Wayne behind her with a comforting hand on her shoulder.

The cold air of the night brushes against my body. The stretcher tilts as I get lifted up. There's sudden bright lights and people rushing around, ripping things out of bags and all saying things to each other.

I can only focus on Isabelle who is squeezing onto my hand, her thumb rubbing against my skin. She's now sat on a seat beside me and I go to turn to look at her but everything darkens.

**

With a sniff and a grunt, my eyes slowly peel open three or four times, adjusting to the blinding bright light of the room.

I groan looking at my surroundings. I'm in the worlds most uncomfortable hospital bed, in a room filled with Christmas decorations.

There's a little window with blinds that are open, showing all the people passing by. I shuffle around but pain stings my side so much that I push my head back into the pillow, gritting my teeth.

"Fuck." I curse under my breath, waiting for the pain to numb before I open my eyes again.

The recollections of everything that happened flicks through my mind like a tape up until the moment where I lost consciousness. I don't remember getting to the hospital at all. I have memory of what has happened since I got here either.

I take a deep breath when the door clicks open. I lift my head up a little and Isabelle skulks in. She's still in the same outfit she was wearing on our date but now she's got her dark hair tied back out of her face.

"Hey." I croak. My voice makes her jump and she races over to me.

"You're awake?" She comes to my side, looking down at me.

"I'm awake." I answer and she fondly strokes my face. There's a thick, red line around her neck and a small cut on her cheek that's been patched up.

"How are you feeling?" I bend my arm up, touching her hand that's resting on my cheek.

"Like I've been hit by a truck." I cough and then I wince because that hurts even more. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. I'm not supposed to be in here right now." I chuckle which also stings. "I had to come and see you."

"Do I look as bad as I feel?" She softly smiles and then shakes her head. "You're a terrible liar." I narrow my eyes with a hoarse voice and she snorts.