The Willow - On Hold

Take me home

Chapter 5

Take me home

When Lillyal came to the first thing she realised was that she was currently lying in a bed. The second, was that the bed wasn't hers. When she opened her eyes she saw Rob, Matt and Eugene all looking worriedly down at her. The three all breathed a collective sigh of relief as she winked at them. 

"Jeez, you sure gave us a fright Lil we thought you'd never wake up." Rob told her relief evident in his voice. She smiled at his show of affection. 

"Where's He- I mean, where's Chase?" The name felt simultaneously strange and yet familiar on her tongue as she spoke. The three boys parted and she saw him sitting in a chair,sleeping. 'That can not, be comfortable.' She thought looking at the position he was in. 

"Been here the whole time. We'll, uh, leave you two alone." Eugene whispered. The boys left and the door quietly clicked shut. Lillyal took in her surroundings, she realised she was in a hospital. Reaching up to her head, she felt bandages instead of hair. She remembered Hero-no Chase telling her his name, the memories. She remembered a lot,she sighed, but not everything. She stared at him, he looked different now that she had her memories back; or maybe it was her that had changed. 

"Hero? Hero?" Lillyal whispered, "Oh right." She face palmed, "Chase?" 

"Waahh?" He replied, still half asleep.  

"Uhh, sorry to wake you sleeping beauty, buuut where are we...exactly?" She asked, resorting to sarcasm to hide her new (okay, technically 'old') nervousness around him.His eyes snapped to attention at the sound of her voice.  

"Lillyal? You're awake!?" Relief and amazement were evident in his voice, but there was something else, it sounded like...guilt. 

"What happened?" She asked 

"It's my fault." He sighed running his hands through his hair, making it even more dishevelled. "I shouldn't have told you my name like that especially not in a TREE!?!?!" Lillyal jumped, slightly taken aback by his anger. 

"Chase, what happened?" She asked timidly, relieved when she saw him relax as she said his name.  

"Well I told you my name and you just froze, then you dropped your pepper spray and...wait why'd you have your spray out?" He asked frowning 

"Uhh. I'll...tell you later." She said blushing and smiling ruefully. 

"Well, you froze and then your whole body started to tip backwards. We only I just had time to grab your feet before you hit your head on a lower branch. You were out cold, what happened Lil?" He asked worriedly. 

Lillyal recounted everything she had experienced. 

"Wow that's allot!" Rob exclaimed when she was finished with her recount. He had come in with Matt and Eugene as she had started telling Chase what had happened. "No wonder you were out so long." Rob reasoned. Lillyals face blanched "What do you mean so long? How long have I been in here!?" She screeched growing panicked. 

"Well you've been asleep since Friday afternoon and it's now...early Monday afternoon." Matt replied checking his watch. 

"WHAT!?! Why didn't you wake me up!?" 

"We tried, honest." Eugene defended cringing in the face of confrontation. 

"What did you tell my parents?" She asked in a softer tone, trying to calm down for his sake. 

"Well we used your and told them that you were staying with friends. Which I might add, is true; and that you would be home on Monday after school." Explained obviously not half chuffed at their accomplishment. 

"Speaking of, what did you tell the school, and how?" Lillyal asked, curious.  

"We used your key to get into your house at about 11pm and sent them an email from your 'mum'" Eugene recounted, making air quotations around the word 'mum' "then we simply deleted it and the reply." He finished. 

"The hospital?" She fired. 

"We gave them fake names and told them we were your brothers," Chase (who had been uncharacteristicly quite) said his glance flitting to Eugene as he said brother before returning to Lillyal. "and that our parents were overseas. Also that they wouldn't want to be bothered so they shouldn't be contacted." He looked at her as she processed all of this. 

"No one would recognise you with what happened to your face anyway." Rob assured her casually. She blanched  

"What happened?" She said racing towards the bathroom searching frantically for a mirror. She found one and searched her face....Lillyals eyes narrowed. Nothing (apart from her bandages) was any different from how she normally looked. Lillyal stomped out of the bathroom and punched Rob in the arm. They all burst out laughing as she sulked in her bed, shooting daggers at them through narrowed eyes. A nurse walked in and saw Lillyal poke out her tongue at the boys. She looked from the three tearing boys to a petulant patient and said "I see you woke up? I trust your brothers filled you in?" 

"Yes they did." Lillyal replied still shooting daggers. 

"Boys," exclaimed the nurse, noticing her patients annoyance. "can't live with 'em, can't live without 'em." Lillyal rolled her eyes.  

"All to true I'm afraid." She grimaced. The nurse-Vikki. Told Lillyal that although she might have a few headaches, everything else was fine and she was free to leave as soon as she was ready. Half an hour later Lillyal was dressed back in her own clothes (which had been washed at the hospital) and was headed home. 

"Are we there yet?" She whined at Chase, who just smiled at her cliche question. 

"Patience young grasshopper." He replied going his best Mr.Miagee impression Lillyal laughed as his attempt feel flat. Eventually she turned to look out the window, all her unasked questions circling in her mind, finally she settled on writing a list and tuned into the conversation among the boys. 

".....all I'm saying is, why would they have such a big ticket item when we're the only ones out here?" Eugene remarked to no one in particular. 

"For occasions such as this,  

dumb-ass." Matt replied dryly. 

"What are they talking about?" Lillyal whispered to Chase indicating to the boys in the backseat. 

"This car and why the council owns it." He replied tapping the steering wheel. 

"Riiight." She sighed. 

"You still have more questions don't you." Stating it more than asking her. 

"Yes." She answered "But I was think of writing them all down in a list instead of just asking straight out." 

"Mmm, good idea." He agreed. Lillyal covered her mouth trying her best to stifle a yawn. 

"Tired?" Chase asked. She smiled wearily. 

"You wouldn't think that after three whole days of it that I would need sleep but, I'm actually really tired." She explained giving a dry chuckle and another yawn. 

"Well," he said trying to tank off his jacket without crashing the car, "here use this as a pillow." Lillyal smiled at his gesture and thanked him for the jacket. She rolled it up and propped it against the window. As she leaned against the soft leather she was surrounded by Chase's scent, she smiled to herself and started drifting off. 

"Hey Lillyal, don't say anything about this to Cole alright?" Was the last thing she heard before succumbing to dark oblivion. The next thing she knew she was being carried upstairs. 'I must be home.' she thought 'but who's carrying me?' She opened her eyes and immediately closed them again, the hall lights were blazing. 

"Shhhh, it's just me. It's Chase." 

"Mumphm." She mumbled back snuggling into his chest before relaxing in his arms.

A/N: just wanted to give a shout out to my friend @morethanthis14 I'm following her so you can find her there. Her prof. pic is of a love heart over water. It's pretty cool and so is she you should check her out. =)