Captive (Sequel to Infatuation)

Chapter 30

SONG(s) FOR CHAPTER:

♬ Drag Me Down by One Direction ♬

♬ The One by Kodaline ♬

♬ Breathe by Pink Floyd ♬

♬ Trade Mistakes by Panic! at the Disco ♬

CHAPTER 30

❀ GRACE WALKER ❀

SEEING A CLOSE friend in horrible shape was not how I intended to spend my week off. However, being proposed to also hadn't made it onto my list of intentions, but life is stuffed with surprises. Beautiful ones, horrific ones, happy ones, sad ones--you can't control how the cards will land.

I attempted to find comfort in the ring around my finger whilst walking down the hospital corridor, but to no avail did serenity wash over me. Mentally preparing yourself for such a thing was implausible, utterly impossible. You could try to hype yourself up the entire day, assuring yourself all would be well and happy in the end, but your brain isn't capable of deciphering lies from truth when you haven't been informed which is which. 

Torn between wanting him awake so I'm certain he's still conscious and hoping he's getting rest, Harry snapped me out of my stupor by placing his hand gently on my arm. We were standing in front of the room the receptionist told us he was staying. The ICU area, room 430. The vicinity where people severely injured or ill go to get better or released from their struggles permanently. Hardly any of my thoughts were positive, though I tried my hardest to make them. 

Inhaling a sharp breath, I opened the door quietly, peeking my head inside. The blinds were drawn but the television was on. I warily stepped into the room, making it around the sliver of wall before seeing the fragile boy himself. Laid on the bed with a neck brace and his left leg in a cast hanging from a sling.

"Oh, Jacob..."

His eyes roamed in my direction, locking on my face. Tears filled them and that was all it took for me to rush over, finding his hand and holding onto it. He squeezed, letting me know it was okay to grip him tightly back.

"I don't know what happened," he whispered, a few tears rolling down his cheeks. I wiped them away with my free hand while he kept talking. "Gabriel and I got into an argument and then..."

"Shh, it's okay."

Jacob laughed a little before flinching, using his other hand to wave Harry over. "Stop acting like you don't know me, fool."

Harry smiled some, scratching the back of his neck. "Sorry, I just... not a big fan of hospitals."

"Who is?" He grabbed Harry's hand as well and all three of us just sat there for a while in a silence that was far from peaceful, but not even close to being uncomfortable. It was just silence.

"How bad are your injuries?" I finally asked in a soft tone, glancing over at the cast on his leg.

He pursed his lips. "Two cracked ribs, which is why I have these..." He took his hand out of mine long enough to pull the blanket down, showing the bandages wound tightly around his bare torso. "Broke my leg, as you can see, and the neck brace is just a precaution. The impact caused my head to jerk around, so the doctor wanted to be sure it was fine." He sucked in a breath, shaking his head.

"Thanks for coming," he said, mustering a smile. 

I nodded. "Of course we would come."

He squeezed my hand again before I felt him grab my finger, his eyebrows pulling together. He yanked my hand up, his eyes widening when they landed on the ring. "Hold up!" he practically yelled, looking to Harry and then back to me the best he could with the brace. "Is this what I think it is? I'm not dreaming, am I?"