The Love Plot (boyxboy)

24| Hospital Visits

Lucy woke up in an ambulance, unfamiliar faces swarming above her.

"Wha- Noah?-" Her mouth was a fuzzy mess of syllables.

"She's conscious!"

"We need to keep her awake!" A crowd of hands was fluttering over her abdomen. Her shoulders and chest flared with hot pain and she made a whimper of a noise.

"Patient is lacking appropriate blood flow." A nurse to the left of her was speaking rapidly into a recorder, his eyes flitting over the crumpled notes in his hands. "Dietary concerns causing severe heart attacks. Heart failure may lead her to go into cardiac arrest."

Lucy took a shallow breath and felt her bottom lip tremble, fear elbowing its way into her stomach. She had no idea where she was and why she was in so much pain.

The ambulance ceiling wavered above her, the artificial lights swinging in and out of focus. The screams of the sirens were barely background noise.

She closed her eyes.

• • • • •

Beep. Beep. Beep.

Lucy was drowning in a mountain of scratchy sheets. Her legs were tangled under the covers and she kicked weakly to free herself.

Strong hands pulled the blankets free from her legs, and hesitantly she opened her eyes, turning her head pitifully to look blearily at a familiar pair of eyes.

"Idiot." Chase muttered. "You stupid, idiot."

"Hngh," was all she said. She looked around the room, recognizing the hospital decor. The beeping sound she had heard originally was a heart monitor. A tube was sticking from her arm and she looked at it in disbelief.

"Mama burst into tears when they called," he continued, oblivious to her confusion. "She's shaken up, but ok. They're out in the hall. I can get them if you-"

"No- it's ok." Her voice sounded strange to her ears. "How long was I out?"

Chase almost cracked a smile. "This isn't some crap soap opera. You were out for a couple hours. No big deal."

Lucy tried to giggle, but the pain in her rib area wasn't permitting it. She winced.

Chase pushed his chair closer to her, placing his elbows on the edge of the bed, resting his chin against his closed fists. "You scared me, Lu."

"Sorry." She touched his head, stroking a piece of his golden blond hair. "What happened?"

"Doctor says when the ambulance got to you, you were out cold. Woke up half way to the ER and..." He shook his head. "You had a heart attack, Lucy."

That news startled the younger girl, and her eyes widened in disbelief. "What?"

"Apparently your blood flow got blocked on the way to your heart due to... Due to lack of nutrients in your body."

She frowned. "What does that mean?"

Chase gritted his teeth. "It means that I know you've been starving yourself."

Lucy went silent, the pain in her chest momentarily disregarded.

"Why didn't you tell me?" He asked, his eyes dark with hurt.

"Chase..."

"Just," he let his shoulders slump with a sigh. "I get it, ok? I've got secrets too."

Lucy watched him fiddle for a moment.

"I felt hopeless," she said quietly. "I still feel hopeless; like I can't do anything right."

"I'm gay." Chase shrugged. "Like, really gay. I've been crushing on Kyle since the beginning of high school, but now he's with Haydn and I keep thinking about... well... someone else."

Lucy didn't even look fazed. "Ok," she sighed. "We're a mess, you and I."

Chase grinned properly this time. "I guess so."

The door swung open and in walked Mr. and Mrs. Lovelorn. Heidi looked tear-stained, her nose blotchy red, but she beamed when she saw Lucy.

"Oh my baby girl." She wrapped her arms around her daughter. "You gave me a real fright."

"I'm sorry, mama."

Her mother leaned back to look at her. "Don't ever feel like you can't come to me with your problems. I will always be there- even if it's just to talk. Understand?"

"Yes, mama." They embraced again.

When his wife stood back, Scott Lovelorn stepped forward, placing a hand on Lucy's forehead.

"Young lady," he said sternly. "If you ever scare me like that again, I will ground you until your grand-babies are parents."

"Yes, daddy."

He cleared his throat, blinking quickly. "I'm glad you're ok."

"Me too."

The door once again swung open as a nurse walked in. She looked uncertainly towards the family.

"There's a very large gentleman asleep in the waiting room. He's been sitting out there since you got here, ma'am. Should I tell him to go home?"

Lucy sat up with some help from Chase. "No! Please, let him come in."

A moment later the nurse returned with Noah, who was looking tired, but alert. His auburn hair had been pressed to one side in his sleep, but he didn't seem to care.

In one stride he was kneeling next to Lucy's bedside, his eyes raking over her person.

He seemed to be asking her a silent question.

"I'm ok." She nodded. His features visibly relaxed, the tension leaving his face.

Heidi cleared her throat behind them. "We'll be in the waiting room, Lu." She grabbed Scott and Chase by their collars and forcefully dragged them out the door. The sudden silence felt awkward.

"You didn't have to sleep here," Lucy told him. "You could've gone home. You look tired. If you had gotten a good night's rest then maybe you wouldn't be as worried. You're going to get worry lines. I heard they cause early graying. I wouldn't want that to happen. I wonder what you'd look like with gray-"

"I love you," Noah blurted.

Her voice failed her. She opened her mouth to speak and only air came out.

"Oh," she finally managed. "Well I wish I had known that sooner."

Noah smiled nervously and let his hand trail through his hair. "It feels good to get that off my chest."

"Noah..." Her head hurt. "Really?"

"Yes, of course. Yes, yes, yes."

"Are you sure?"

He laughed loudly and she marveled at it. "I've been in love with you since I saw you in that gym class."

"Ok." She nodded. "Because I think I love you too."

He looked dumbfounded. "Really?"

"Yes!" She giggled. "Yes, yes, yes."

"But- Adam? How?"

Her thoughts were a jumbled mess as she tried to explain herself. "Noah, even before Adam, I felt something for you. But I misinterpreted your feelings for me and thought you could never like me like that." She gripped his hand. "I tried to move on and Adam was the closest thing I found to that."

"If I had known..." Noah trailed. "If only..." His hands were suddenly firm on her shoulders as he leaned in and gave her a gentle kiss.

"You know now," Lucy said. They're mouths pressed together again, soft and sweet. Lucy thought it was strange and wonderful how terrible experiences could become beautiful memories.