I Didn't Know I Loved Him

CHAPTER 31: Blast From the Past

"I can't believe it," I gasped and he nodded. He hugged me from behind and I melted into him. "Have I really been out that long?" I asked and I felt him nod from behind me. "No," I whimpered. I covered my face with my hands and Elliot tried to pry them off. "It's not that bad," he tried to comfort me but I shook my head. "How 'bout my legs?" I asked and he frowned. "Your mom kicked your back and she hit your spinal chord. I nerve was touched. You're paralyzed but not permanently. With the help of physical therapy, you'll be able to walk again," he stated. I frowned. "I can't do it," I cried. "You can and we'll help you," Ethan said from behind me. I sobbed. "What about my mom?" I asked. "We haven't heard from her in months. We think she ran off," Elliot explained. "But is she okay?" I asked and he shrugged. "Hayles. that woman almost killed you and you're asking if she's okay?" Ethan demanded. I nodded. "The woman is still my mom, Eth," I said. He sighed. "I'm sorry," he whispered. "It's okay," I said. I pecked his cheek and he smiled at me. "Where's  Aunt Anna? I wanna see her," I said and Elliot smiled. "I'll go get her," he said and then left the room. A not-so-comfortable silence filled between us and I turned my body around to face him. He gave me a small smile and I returned it with a sad one. "Ethan, about what we talked about last time-Oh, wait! What month is it?" I said and laughed at me being so clueless. I poked him in the chest but chuckled lightly too. "It's March," he told me and I gasped. "B-b-bu…" I  couldn't even finish what I was going to say. "Hayley, don't worry about anything," he shushed me. "But I-what about school?" I questioned and he took my hand in his. "It's okay, we've got it all covered. You don't have to worry about anything," he said. Even though I trusted him, I was still upset. It was quiet again for a while until he broke it. "I love you," he whispered and I smiled. "I love you too," I said and he pulled me in for a hug. Do I love him like a brother or do I really love him? I sighed mentally. I have no idea. 

* 

Elliot came back with Aunt Anna and she almost screamed when she saw I was awake. I was grinning at her. "Oh!" she cried and pulled me in for a big hug. I put my arms around her too but my grip was like nothing compared to hers. "Mom! Be careful! You'll suffocate her!" Ethan shouted and tried to pull his mom of me. I laughed and shook my head at Ethan. "It's okay," I told him. He nodded but gave me an unsure look. When Aunt Anna pulled away, she cupped my face in her hands and kissed my forehead. "How you feeling?" she asked me. "I'm great," I told her. She smiled at me and I returned it. "Honey, we have to tell you something," she said and sat on the edge of my bed. "What would that be?" I asked. I took a glance at Elliot and he had a grimace on his face. "Your mother had the police think that you're house was robbed and that the robbers did this to you," she explained. I gaped at her. "H-how?" I stuttered. "You know her, she could've been a great actress," she joked, waving her hands around. I fell back into Ethan and shut my eyes. "The police wanted to talk to you as soon as you woke up. I got a call and they said they'd be here tomorrow morning," she said and I nodded. "What am I gonna say?" I asked. She took her hand in mine and gave me a small smile. "Say what you want to say. This could be your chance to help your mother," she said. I sighed. "I'll tell them what they want to hear. I can't let my mother go yet," I said and she frowned. "Why, honey?" she asked. "Because my dad might be…gone and until I know, I'll take care of the both of us," I told her and she nodded. She was about to say something else but her pager started ringing. "Oh, I have to go. I'm so glad your awake, sweetie," she said and kissed my forehead. I nodded and she smiled at me. Truth be told, I wasn't that happy that I was awake. I wasn't ready to face all these problems. 

"What are you planning on saying?" Ethan asked from behind me. I shrugged. "I'll say that I was home the whole day since I was sick and the robbers probably didn't know that. I was upstairs and I was trying to hide. One of them found me and started beating me up. He pushed me down the stairs and there was glass everywhere. They looked like they were all drunk. A couple of them were holding bottles of beer and I guess they took it from the fridge. So, yeah, they beat me up," I said and Elliot looked at me, impressed. "Well, that's good but what if they ask why you have so much beer in the fridge? What if they ask for descriptions?" he asked me. "I'll say my mom would have a few friends over occasionally and they liked to drink. And if they ask for descriptions, I'll just tell them I can't remember their faces. I've been out for a few months anyway," I said with a shrug. He smiled at me. "Will you be okay?" Ethan asked and I sighed. I took his hand and put my fingers through his. "Yeah," I sighed. I felt him nod from behind me.