What If..?

Chapter Fifteen

|Song: I Don't Wanna Lose You-Jamestown Story|

I finish explaining to her everything before she hugs me and kisses my cheek. "I'm so sorry I slapped you." She apologizes.

I laugh and weakly shake my head. "No you're not, Darlin'," I tease.

She giggles, "You're right, I'm not."

I smile and scoot over. "Lay with me?"

She complies and lays next to me. I rest my head on her shoulder and close my eyes. I want so badly to tell her how I feel about her, but I know that I can't. If I tell her and she doesn't feel the same, it will ruin everything between us. Especially if I finally get the courage to tell her more of my past and how I got tossed into a crowd of people like I did.

She begins running her finger through my hair and humming quietly to me. I've heard her sing a few times since that one day in class, and she is amazing. As if reading my mind she says, "I'm thinking about entering the talent show..."

I smile. "That's wonderful! I honestly think you can win" I tell her truthfully.

"The only problem is, I can't play any intruments... However, I happen to know I blonde Irishman by the name of Niall Horan who does..." She trails off.

I look up at her. "Jade, I don't know about that-"

"Please, Niall? I want to do a duet with you! I think it would be so much fun!"

"What about-" She doesn't even let me continue.

"Niall, I'm not singing with anyone other than you."

I sigh, "Alright.. I'll do it."

She squeals and hugs me tightly causing me to wince. "Niall, I'm so sorry!" She quickly lets me go.

I shake my head and try to calm my breathing to keep the pain from continuing to surge through my back. I bite my lip to hold back tears as the harder I try to calm down the worse the pain gets. I feel the hospital gown I am forced to wear rubbing against my back repeatedly.

"Niall, are you alright?" She asks worriedly as I continue to try calming down.

"N-no, it hurts so much" I gasp. I arch my back off the bed, wishing more than anything for the pain to go away.

JADE

I watch helplessly as a nurse rushes in and turns him over before injecting something into his back. His breathing slows so much so that he almost isn't breathing at all as he slumps against me and that is when I panic more. "What did you just do? What's wrong with him?" I cry out, wishing to be able to help him when I know I can't.

She sighs and looks at me. "Relax, it's Duramorph. It will ease his pain" she says calmly.

"It's what?"

"Morphine."

After she says that, I realize that he is quietly trying to speak. "I'm really sorry. I overreacted..." I trail off, gently combing my fingers through his hair as I try to listen to what he is saying.

"Ya know... 'M only doing this stupid talent show because I like you" he slurs.

"Ni, shh, you need to sleep, alright?" I whisper soothingly as I continue brushing my fingers through his hair.

He nods before beginning to dry heave. "Ma'am, wh-what's wrong with him?" I begin to panic again.

She sighs and hands me a bucket. "Side effects of Duramorph may include: dizziness, lightheadedness, drowsiness, upset stomach, vomiting, constipation, stomach pain, rash, and difficulty urinating. In extreme cases, he will have difficulty breathing or may even faint. If either of those happen, get help immediately." She explains like off of one of those infomercials I see on the telly all the time.

He continues to dry heave but nothing comes out for minutes until he finally calms down enough to breathe properly. Niall lays limply against me as I run my fingers through his hair and whisper soothing words into his ear, not sure what else I should do. I've never been in a situation like this. The last time I was around someone who was stabbed, it was already too late to do anything. I watched him bleed to death while I hid away, too afraid to do anything.

***FlashBack***

He looks around the room before his eyes land on me. A smirk crosses his lips as he jabs the knife into my father's chest again. It takes everything in me not to cry out for him to stop, but there is still a small chance that he doesn't know I am here.

I hide my face away from him and hold in my tears as I hear his fleeting footsteps followed by the closing of a door. He has finally left. I run over to where my parents lay lifelessly on the ground and check their pulses. My need to cry grows stronger the longer I stare at them. How could this happen? Why did this happen?

I collapse against my father's bloody chest and sob. That man just took my parents from me with little to no remorse. I could have done more to protect them.

***End FlashBack***