Festering Wounds

Salt in the Wound

I woke up in a strange place with white walls and loud beeping noises. I was a wake for only moments when I fell again. I climbed the cliff and jumped off several times before I finally awoke. I opened my eyes and the first thing I saw was Ethan he was sitting on the chair staring out the hospital window. His fingers were hanging deathly close to mine. He shifted and his finger brushed mine. Suddenly the beeping in the room increased. Ethan turned, looked at me the grabbed me and hugged me. This caused the heart monitor to pull off and the beeping was 1 long beep. He held me tight and squeezed. I limply lifted my arm and wrapped it around his neck “What are you doing here?” I whispered. He only hugged me tighter in response.  We sat in hugging silence for several minutes. When Ethan pulled away I could see something was horribly wrong.  “You had a panic attack at school, and you stopped breathing. I called 911 and they told me I couldn’t leave until a relative showed up.” It took me a while to process what he said due to the drugs. I knew that no one would come. “I was so scared.” His voice was husky and ragged. He reached up and cupped Ella’s face, “I know, you don’t like me but can we at least try to be friends.” I couldn’t think right now, my head was on fire as was my throat, “Please get me a nurse.” I cringed at the sound of my voice it was raspy and sounded like death itself. Ethan just smiled and giddied me back down onto the bed and left. The nurse returned and did the usual work, “The reason your throat hurts so much is because you were screaming or nearly 5 hours straight.” After she was done she un-hooked me from everything and gave me an envelope, “You can go home now.”

Ethan helped me sit up in bed I was still under a lot of drugs. He presented me with a package, it contained my clothes. That’s when it dawned on me; all I was wearing was an open back hospital gown and my underwear. He wrapped his arm around me and his skin touching my bare back made me gasp, he didn’t seem to notice. He helped me walk to the bathroom were I sluggishly got changed when I was done. He had to open the door because I was too weak to turn the nob. He wrapped his arm around me again and started to lead me down the hall towards the elevator. Inside I started to fall asleep leaning on him. He sighed, “Okay princess up we go.” He put his other arm under my knee and picked me up. I barley had the strength to wrap my arms around his neck. I rested my head on his strong chest and nodded off to his heart.

I woke up to someone stroking my hair and calling my name, “Ella…wake up now.” It was Ethan. I curled deeper into his chest, “No” I mumbled. I yawned and he chuckled, “I can’t drive with you sitting in my lap.”

Ethan’s POV.

I didn’t want to wake her. When she’s sleeping her face isn’t a whirlwind of emotions, it’s peaceful. It’s beautiful. With her in my lap asleep I felt… different. I brushed my lips across her forehead, what did I just do? Then I started to brush my fingers over her cheek and stroke her hair. “Ella… wake up now.” I whispered. She stirred and burrowed farther into me, “No.” she said groggily. Then she yawned she looked so adorable. “I can’t drive with you sitting in my lap.” She turned her head into my chest and reached out and hugged my arm, “Then don’t drive.” I was stunned. She would never talk like this at school, it must be the drugs. She mumbled something about not going home. I sighed and wrapped my arms around her. She adjusted herself so that her forehead was resting in the crook of my neck, her warm breath fawning over my neck. That’s when I decided to be brave; I brushed my lips on her cheek. She instantly froze. Shit.  She pulled back from me and blinked over and over.  She turned and looked out the car window, then back to me. “Are you okay?” she didn’t respond she just scooted her but over my lap and onto the passenger seat. She buckled her seat belt as did I. she looked out the window silently, I watched her features but nothing showed. “Please just take me to the school.”

“No can do.”

She whipped her head around to me her green eyes aflame, “Why not?”

I crossed my arms, “You are in no condition to drive, Doc said so himself.”