The Perks Of Being His Roommate

twenty-six | bars and hospitals

However, his eyes went wide as he stared over at something past my eyes. I dropped his collar as I took a deep breath and turned around.

Gabriella Hart

"Have you two heard from Caleb?" I asked as I opened Clara and Kylie's room to see them sitting on the bed, completing some school work together. "No, sorry," Clara simply replied as her eyebrows furrowed at my worried expression. "Is something wrong?"

"I don't know, he just left and never said anything and now he won't answer my calls and—

I sounded exactly like a worried girlfriend.

"You like him don't you?" Clara asked, smiling widely at me, whilst Kylie just simply smirked beside her and closed her textbook.

"Don't be ridiculous," I replied in the loudest, denying tone I had ever used. I swallowed hard as I attempted to look at anything but their questioning eyes. "You like him Gab, just admit it." Kylie said to me, not looking up but scribbling some notes down on a page.

Before I could reply, the phone from downstairs rang. I grinned sheepishly to them as I ran down and picked up the house phone. "Hello?" I spoke into the phone before reminding myself that I didn't actually live here and answering felt a little intrusive.

But then the thoughts of Caleb calling the house made me suddenly run down to answer, and you can't exactly blame my instincts.

"Gabby! Bring Clara and Kylie down to the hospital now!" Katherine's panicked voice entered my mind as my body went into overdrive. "Something's happened to Caleb!" Katherine shouted down the phone.

I dropped the phone, not being able to feel my legs. I felt my knees buckle as I fell to the floor. I didn't even know what had happened to Caleb, but the feeling inside my body was not a good one.

Quickly, I picked up the phone again and told Katherine we would be there soon. I hung up to catch my breath as I sat down on the floor again.

What's happened to him?

Until I saw him, I shouldn't get too stressed. "Clara and Kylie, were going to the hospital, something's happened to Caleb!" I shouted, keeping my voice in a single pitch to avoid worrying Clara about her brother.

"Is he ok?" Clara asked with widened eyes as we climbed into the car. She had redness surrounding her eyes as if she'd be crying which I'm pretty sure she had.

"I'm not sure," I replied equally as worried as I sped towards the hospital. Guilt and panic was surrounding my body as I pressed down on the accelerate.

We rushed in to see Katherine and Mike in the waiting room, he was clutching onto her as she was allowing tears to fall from her eyes. I felt my heart fall into my stomach at seeing their expressions.

"Wh—what's happened?" I stuttered, getting more and more worried by the second. Katherine's tears made me feel sick to my stomach so I ran over to the hospital desk.

"Caleb, Caleb Andrews," I shouted to the woman and she led me into one of the rooms. I turned back to see Clara and Kylie comforting Katherine as I rushed to follow the nurse to where I was.

If this didn't confirm what I felt for Caleb, then I'm not sure what would.

Walking in, I wasn't expecting to see Caleb beaten up and bruised. He had his eyes shut and looked as if he was badly injured. I took a sharp intake of breath and the cardiac monitor sounds registered in my mind.

I couldn't hold it in anymore, I held his hand and cried into it. "Gabby?" A slow, yet quiet voice engulfed my ears. I looked up and he was awake.

"Gabby, I—

He tried to speak but his eyes closed and the sounds sped up.

"I love you," I finished the sentence I was hoping he was going to say. Different sounds cut through my ears as about five different doctors and nurses came rushing in.

"What's happened?" I asked between short breaths again. A woman held my arms and pushed me out of the room, "we need you to stay out here," she shouted and my breath was lost.

If I lost Caleb, I didn't know what I would do. I watched through the curtains to see them holding him and helping him. My breathing hitched in my throat seeing him like this.

I did love him. And I didn't want lose him.

• • •

We all laid across the seats, waiting for a sign from one of the doctors that he would be ok but nobody spoke to us. They tip-toed around us like we were waiting for something much worse than I had hoped.

The doctors looked longingly at us, which made my heart race. "Andrews family?" A nurse called but Kylie and I stood up along with the rest of the family anyway, wanting to know what was happening

"He is stable but he's not woken up yet, we will keep you updated." She said to us with saddened eyes, "you can now see him but I suggest some of you get some food or go home and sleep since it won't be good for your health if you stay here all night without sleep." she suggested, reassuring us slightly but not enough to know that he was actually going to wake up.

"We'll go get the food," I said, dragging Kylie with me so the family could have some time with him.

"How are you feeling?" She asked as she wrapped her arms around me in a slight embrace as we continued to walk down to the hospital cafeteria. "I know you and him were quite close," she said.

"I'm fine, I'm just worried about him," I replied, pulling her towards my side. "Shall we just get a few sandwiches for everyone?" I asked her when we reached the food hall.

She smiled and nodded as she began picking at some food from the cafeteria.

However, my mind was interrupted by the sounds of my phone ringing. I felt sick to my stomach enough and the thought that it could be my father was making me feel even worse.

My heart beat quickened as I noticed the number to be my mother's. I answered the phone quickly as I watched Kylie continued to collect up food for the Andrews family. "Hello?" My voice cracked but there were a lot of emotions going through me at this moment.

"Hi sweetie," the sound of her voice again made another few tears escape my eyes. However, Kylie noticed this time and mouthed to ask who was calling. I smiled slightly at her as mom continued to speak.

"I have been given the green light to come home," she did to me as butterflies ran through me. "Your father isn't going to going to bother us anymore." I felt my heart quicken at the thought of my father but I ignored it, knowing that if she was coming home, then it had to be safer for us.

I wanted to jump up and down with excitement, but Caleb stayed in the back of my mind, playing the denying part in my mind that I needed him more than anything, and I needed him to come out of this ok.

I couldn't stand to lose him when he was starting to mean the world to me.