If Red Means No, Invert The Color

Alternative Ending- Happily Ever After

Everest's POV

A white light blinded my vision as I opened my eyes, causing me to jerk my hands up towards my eyes, but I couldn't. Something was holding me down. I felt a hand rest on my shoulder, holding me down harder and I began to panic. Then my eyes began to adjust and I looked down. I was restrained by leather straps to a metal frame in a hospital bed. Where was I? 

I then heard a calm but familiar voice ringing softly into my ear. 

"Ev. Ev!" Kieran whispered. "Calm down! It's just me, you're in the hospital. Shh" 

My heart rate immediately began to decrease at the sound of his voice, I began to take in my surroundings. I was in a hospital, I knew that much. I was restrained, but why? My memory was dazed and I couldn't remember much about what got me here. All I could remember was my father, and his words, and his punches. I could remember the cutting. But I couldn't remember the rest. It felt as if all my emotions were coming back to me at once, and it was almost as if a tidal wave of emotion had washed over my body, taking control. I opened my eyes and looked over my body. My wrists were bandaged and my skin was pale. I looked sickly thin. I didn't look like myself, from what I could see. I then looked up and saw him, tears springing in my eyes, as I saw the broken look in his retinas. 

"K-Kieran." I forced out, my voice was hoarse. "Kieran, what happened?" 

His ocean blues looked down at me and he sighed, pinching the brim of his nose as he sat down gently on the bed next to me, taking one of my hands in his, well the best he could given that they were restrained. 

"Do you not remember?" he asked me, unable to look at me. 

I shook my head. 

He sighed heavily. "Everest, you tried to kill yourself. You... You took a whole bottle of pain killers, and slashed at yourself with a broken CD case. You overdosed. They, they didn't think you would make it through the night." He was beginning to cry, and my heart ached. 

"Kieran I.. How long have I been here?" I asked him. "And, how long have you been waiting?" 

"Three days." 

My heart dropped. He had waited for me, by my side, for three days. "You... Really?" I asked, feeling as if i were about to cry. He simply nodded and squeezed my hand. 

A single question lingered on my mind. "Where are my parents?" 

Another sigh. "Your mother stayed until this morning, your father skipped town. I told your mother to get some rest, and that I'd keep watch over you, she didn't argue with me, I could tell she needed her sleep. 

This time it was me sighing. But more or less, a sigh of relief. I wasn't ready to face either of them, yet alone my father. The last thing I wanted was to be anywhere near him. I suspected the police were after him. He was a smart man, but not smart enough to get away with this. I just hoped I wouldn't have to face him any time soon. I shifted slightly in the bed, feeling much more awake, and turned slightly onto my side. 

"Do you want to lay down? I can tell you're tired. You didn't have to sit here and wait for me to wake up. You really didn't." I say, giving him some room. 

"I would love that, but let me get the nurse and have them take those restraints off first" 

I nod and waited for him to come back. I had a lot of sorting out in my head to do, so I took the few minutes I had to do so. I could remember the pills now, it had all came back to me. I could remember why I did this, I had felt hopeless. Defeated. I couldn't see a future, I wasn't sure If I still could. I just felt numb to the world. 

I was shocked back into reality as a nurse came into the room. 

"If I take these off, you have to not hurt yourself, got it?" he said to me in a stern voice. 

I felt like a small child in that moment. I simply nodded and with that, he took them off. 

"I'll be back to check on you in an hour, Kieran, watch him." 

Kieran appeared from behind the door and slipped swiftly into the bed next to me. He wrapped his arms gently around my torso and cuddled closer, breathing me in, and I couldn't help but do the same. His smell and touch were comforting enough to make me feel somewhat human again. And right now, that was enough for me. It was better than being numb. 

"Kieran?" 

"Yeah Ev?" 

"I love you" 

"I love you too." 

And with those words, I felt alive again.