The 8 Days Of Dakota Grinn (boyxboy)

Day Five

Shaking my head, I pretend to think. "Maybe I panicked so much because his date was the very next day; most people our age don't have such a short time to live."

Andrew huffs angrily. "But what about when you hugged Dylan that one time in your room? You fr-"

"Can we just stop talking about it for now?" I snap at him with a glare. I'm sick of this bullsh*t. I just want it all to be gone; to let my pain and misery die out with the rest of me.

We pull into the hospital's parking ramp and I fum in my seat while Andy circles around a few times to find a parking spot. I lazily roll my head to look out the window and my eye catches someone I once knew.

Daniel Stedderman. He's wearing a flimsy blue hospital gown and has thick, black blood flowing in ropes down his wrists. He glares at me through his matted ginger hair, his eyes entirely a foggy white color.

As quick as he came, he vanished. Andy drove right past him. I crane my neck in my seat to see if I can catch another glance at my dead foster-brother, but Daniel has already faded back into my memories.

Three more days, three more days, three more days.

Andy parks and gets out of the car. I follow suit and quickly wrap my arms tightly around his waist. He pulls me into him even more and I bask in the drugging effects of his touch. Luca's here. I need Andy to help me through this, and I'm guessing he needs me too.

We walk in together, holding hands, and Andy looks back at his car. "We're in row 9, level C. remember that, Kota-Bear; 9-C."

I roll my eyes but keep that info tucked in the back of my mind. We take an elevator to the Lobby and Andy works his people skills so we can find what room Luca was transferred into. I zone out and allow him to steer me in he right direction.

Last night is still a blur. It's like my mind is purposely blocking the memories out, but a few things slip by. For example, I now recall the last few moments before I passed out; I was watching them try to shock life into Luca's stiff body, the heart monitor offering a strand of white noise and the clock reading 11:59. I buried my head into Andy's chest and when I look back, there's a flimsy beat signaled on the monitor and the clock says 12:01.

Yes, technically Luca did die on 08/01/2012, his Number, but he is supposed to stay dead. He isn't anymore special then, say, Daniel or Lucy or any of the other people who's Numbers were seen by me. Don't get me wrong, Luca seemed like a nice guy, but he should he dead right now. Pushing up daisies, six feet under, kicking the bucket, croaked, dead as a door nail. There's no explanation for why he didn't die and honestly, that scares the sh*t outta me.

I realize we've stopped and jump back in surprise at Andy's fingers snapping right in front of my face. He lowers his hand to my own and squeezes it reassuringly. "You good?"

I nod nimbly and follow Andy into the room where his mother is sleeping softly on one of the visitors' chairs. "I think Mrs. Johnson is asleep," Andy whispers to me, "And the doctors said Luca probably wouldn't wake up for about forty-two hours because of all the sedatives."