NO Love Club (Boy × Boy) ✔

31) HE'S SO HIGH.

Cole Walker's POV 

When I was a child, I fell off a swing and slammed my head into the rubber mulch padded ground. I didn't see stars, but a flickering image of Queen Elizabeth II. When I pried my eyes open, I saw blurry faces looking down at me against the bright summer sky. For a moment I had no idea why they were staring at me like that or what I was doing on the ground.

When I woke up from the anesthesia, I was reminded of that scene of my childhood. My head was warm and fuzzy, and I cracked a crooked grin to mom and dad, who were waiting by my bedside. Mom cried out, rushing to me and asking if I was okay, and I just grinned some more. I thought about that image I had had of Queen Elizabeth II and let out a strange, hoarse laughter.

"Oh my God, he's so high." Chloe exclaimed, somehow standing right there with mom and dad. It was possible my sense of time was a little wonky, rather than that she had learned to teleport.

"Out of all people.. of course it had to be Queen Elizabeth II." I mumbled to myself, shaking my head in exasperation.

"Yes, yes, of course it did." Mom agreed, slowly. Then she leaned in to tuck a lock of hair behind my ear, and asked: "Are you in any pain?"

I'm quite sure I told her I wasn't, but for some reason my words made everyone grin. I opted on feeling offended by their amusement, but then just shrugged it off and continued blabbering my thoughts. When I asked them when I would see X, with not those exact words, Cody's eyebrows rose all the way to his hairline and Chloe actually squeaked. 

What's wrong with these people?

Then, either an hour or twenty-five later, I was back in our room. The fuzzy, warm feeling was gone, and I no longer felt like blurting out every possible thought popping into my mind. I was staring down at my knee instead, like it was the most wondrous thing I had ever seen.

In my mind, I had created this horrifying, mutilated image of it. I had been certain that under the cast my leg no longer even resembled a part of a human body. But now, in the light removable knee brace and a dressing, my knee looked almost normal. Swollen, but normal.

"Hi, I'm Dr. Adamson, the surgeon, who operated on Cole's knee." A tall man, with deep black hair and warm, tanned skin, held out his hand to mom and dad. They shook on it, introducing themselves in turn. First of all, my surgeon was absolutely gorgeous, and I was more than glad that my brain to mouth filter was back on check. 

"The surgery went well and there were no complications." Dr. Adamson said, a charming smile on his face. He went on explaining about the rehabilitation plan, but it all went in one ear and out the other. I was still too mesmerized by my leg to pay attention.

"So, will he walk again?" Mom asked, taking a side-glance of me.

"What?" Dr. Adamson turned his focus on mom, confusion written all over his face. "Of course he will walk. A fractured tibia is going to take some time, but the knee should be good as new in no time at all."

"But.." Mom's voice trailed off, blinking. Her eyes filled with tears, when she covered her mouth with her hand. I could hear her swallow, before a relieved smile lit up her face. "The other doctor said that he might not walk again."

"Hm." Dr. Adamson hummed, furrowing his brows in disapproval. "Well, I can assure you that is really not going to be the case we are looking at with Cole."

Behind the curtain, which was drawn to momentarily split up my side from X's, I heard a rather noisy: "Yes!" Then a cough, in an attempt to hide he had said anything. I couldn't help but chuckle, and I could see Dr. Adamson was fighting a grin as well.

Later that day, when my family and aunt Dahlia were leaving, they kept glancing at X and me strangely. Chloe even told me to 'go for it', but wouldn't elaborate what it was I was supposed to go for. Whereas mom told us to take it easy, peering at X warningly, and Cody just grinned before telling me he would visit again tomorrow. 

"What was all that about?" X asked, scrunching up his face while scratching the side of his neck. I just shrugged, having no clue either.

Our last evening at the hospital together was much like all the others. We watched bad TV shows, ate okay-ish hospital food and chatted about nothing and everything. Ever since seeing my not-so-monstrous leg and hearing the doctor's promise I would walk again, I had been in a good mood. But it wasn't just good. It was bitter-sweet. 

I knew I was going to miss X once he had gone home, even though I would likely be discharged soon after. He had been the one to make the hospital stay bearable. He had shared the good moments with me, just as he had helped me through my worst. It scared me to think what it would be like without him, even if it was just for a day or two.

In the morning, X didn't seem to be in any rush to leave. He took his time to collect the get well soon cards and to change on the clothes his mom had brought him. The ones he had worn when he came into the hospital were ruined, torn and bloody, and I imagined it was the same with the ones I had had on during the accident.

"I'll text you once I'm home." X promised, giving me a smile affectionate enough to make a blush creep up my face. He noticed this, only to let that smile turn into a face-splitting grin. Then he pointed a finger at me, warning me: "And just so that you know, I'll be expecting you to answer it."

"Why? Are you afraid you're gonna miss me?" I asked, hiding the fluttering of my heart behind a mocking grin.

"Perhaps." X admitted, his tone making it clear he would. He gave me one more glance over his shoulder, a glint in his eyes. "Just get better soon, so I won't have to miss you too much."

Then he winked.

The motherfucker actually had the audacity to wink at me. I scowled at him, and told him to get lost. He did, laughing on his way out of our room. I was so going to miss that idiot.

When he was gone, I just laid there, alone in the room, which was way too big for one. I let out a heavy sigh, missing X's calming presence already. And he had been gone for less than a minute, dammit. 

I couldn't wait to go home, even if it meant I would probably get back clashing with mom in no time. I couldn't wait to get off that hospital bed, no matter if it meant I'd need help with pretty much everything to get on with my regular routine. I couldn't wait to get back to school, even though I hated it, because that would mean I'd get to see X's stupid face again.

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Question of the day:
When people come to you for help, what do they usually want help with?

(Me: Language stuff. I only just helped my friend with her Swedish coursework.)

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A new chapter already, huh?
I haven't been answering your comments, but I hope a new chapter is enough to compensate it. :) I want you to know that your comments and support mean so, so much to me. Even if I didn't always answer (it's a social anxiety thing, yay).