Colors Always Bleed Together [DUFN]

Chapter Four: The Woman in Boots

I wipe the blood from my leg, but fresh starts to run down the moment I do. I try again only to have the same result. I give up and let it run.

The other leg is nowhere near as bad. A bit of blood, a speck of glass here and there. Nothing I couldn't handle on my own.

I wash off my stomach and chest, but I can't reach my back all that well. I'm sure there's not much blood on it anyways since it was against the seat.

I slip the hospital gown on. Remembering what Doctor Yates said about sitting in the waiting room, I grab my pants and start to put them on. I don't want to sit anywhere with only my underwear and a thin shirt on - let alone someplace public. After a few minutes of struggling with a single hand, I get them up and zipped.

Someone knocks frantically at the door. I unlock it and open it. I expect it to be Doctor Yates again, but a couple doctors rush in with a patient. They quickly transfer him from a gurney to the bed and get to work immediately.

Doctor Yates emerges from around a corner. "I'm sorry you had to leave the room so unexpectedly, but we had another emergency."

"It's fine." I say. She gives a slight nod and start to walk me back to the waiting room.

Her footsteps echo through the halls as we walk back toward the waiting room. I regret not putting my shoes back on. The floor is colder than the air. My feet are freezing.

She opens the double doors that separate the waiting area from the emergency part of the hospital. She steps aside to let a doctor through. "Doctor James." She adresses him.

"Evening, Doctor Yates." He gives a slight smile as he passes by and then disappears into a nearby room.

All of the band members' eyes are on my when the doors open. I'm not sure if they have looked up every time or if they just had a feeling this time. They all have different looks in their eyes.

Eddie looks terrorized, Zach looks concerned, Drew surprised. And then there's Brent, who looks like he's either questioning if I'm really standing in front of him or if he's gone mentally insane.

Zach is the first to say anything, to stop staring at me and actually do something. "Ryan, are you okay?" He stands up and starts to walk my way. Doctor Yates walks back through the door as a nurse hollers her name.

"They probably wouldn't let me back in here if I wasn't." I say as-a-matter-of-fact. "Though this arm they haven't looked at yet feels like fucking rainbows and sunshine."

"Yep, he's fine. He's spitting out sarcastic comments." Eddie states and leans back in his seat; all his troubles seeming to melt away.

There are a few seats in an "L" formation that they have decided to sit at. There are three seats to each side with a table connecting them at the vertex. Drew, Zach, and Eddie sat in the three seats facing the double doors. Brent is sitting alone next to the table, which doesn't seem to bother him. He's charging his phone on it.

Zach says that he's going to the cafeteria for something to eat, and for someone to come and get him before they take me back into a room. I sit in his seat next to Drew.

I hear the entrance open and the running feet seconds before a woman runs up to the front desk; tears in her eyes and sweat on her face. "Is. . ." She tries to catch her breath. "Nicole Benwell. Is she okay?"

"Let me check." The woman behind the desk says calmly and starts to type in the computer.

The girl keeps breathing hard, whimpering and not caring who sees. She keeps repeating, "Nicki, please be okay," until her voice cracks and she can't any longer. She's broken. She's broken because Nicole is not okay. I broke her. . .

"Miss?"

"Barnes." The woman in boots replies to the lady behind the desk.

"Miss Barnes, it seems she's still in surgery. I don't know when she'll be out since it was an emergency surgery."

The woman chokes and a tear slides down her face. "But will she?" She whispers, "Will she ever be out?"

The woman looks at her sympathetically. She doesn't say a word.

"No," Miss Barnes drawls. "Oh my God, this can't be happening. No." She clutches the counter and forces her teeth together, fighting a war to keep the tears in her eyes.

"Have a seat, Miss Barnes and I'll make sure you're the first to know as soon as I get some news. All right?"

She nods her head, lowering it. More tears stream down her cheeks.

Eddie squints at her. Brent seems shocked by her at first, but then tries to hide his emotions. Still, you can see the shadow of worry and sadness across his features.

"Safire?" Eddie asks, a little dumbfounded.

The woman turns around and dries her eyes. "Eddie?" She asks, her long brown hair flying across her shoulders from the momentum. "Not to be rude, but why are you here?" She moves her gaze over to me. It must be a sight. She gasps a bit. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. Thank you." I say.

She nods in response. She looks over to Brent. They lock eyes for a split second, his deep blue eyes asking her something, but they both look away from each other almost as soon as they swap gazes.

"You okay?" Eddie asks her.

She nods, and then shakes her head. "I don't know." She whispers.

"You can sit with us, if you want too." He offers.

"Thank you." She says and takes a seat next to Brent. He looks at her with a sad expression as she hugs herself and holds back her tears. She glances at him and looks down again. He puts a hand on her shoulder and smiles. The smile spreads onto her own face slowly.

I lean closer to Eddie. I whisper into his ear. "Who is she?"

"Safire."

"Well, no shit, Sherlock."

"You asked." He defends. Then he starts to smile. "How about we all get to know each other over some food in the cafeteria? I'm half starved!"

"When are you not?" I think to myself.

"Why not?" I agree. What else would I do anyways, besides have my mind destroy me from the inside out?

"I could go for some food." Drew says.

Eddie looks to Safire. She looks up from her hands, the smallest hint of a smile lingering on her face. "I think I have a few dollars."

Brent nods in agreement.

"So it's settled." Eddie claps his hands together. "Now, to the cafeteria!"

Everybody stands. Eddie practically runs in the direction of the food. Drew follows him. Brent and Safire next. And as I walk in the back, I can't help but to notice how Brent's arm keeps rubbing against hers, and how his eyes are begging for her to understand something. Something. But what?

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Happy with that mini cliffhanger? 😏 I thought you might be.

Chapter Five Made me cry. I don't think I'm emotionally ready for Chapter Six, which is supposed to be even more sad. But then again, nothing usually goes as plan when I'm put in charge of it, so Chapter Six may end up being the happiest yet.

Well, onwards to Chapter Six!