It's All Over

chapter 7: The Light at the End of the Tunnel

I woke up the next day, the beeping of the heart monitor in my ear. Everybody had already gone home. I glanced around, nobody else was in the room, no nurses or doctors, or people who wandered into the wrong room looking for their hurt or sick family member.

Suddenly, there was a knock on the door and a nurse walked in. She pushed a cart with pancakes, an apple, and a glass of milk. The nurse smiled at me and pushed the cart next to the bed," Are you hungry?"

"Yes, please," I nodded, pressing the button to raise my bed. Licking my lips, I picked up the small pack of syrup and ripped it open, pouring it on the pancakes. I held the knife and fork in my hand and cut the flapjacks.

I was about to take my first bite, when Derick burst into the room, causing me to knock over my milk that spilled all over me. Derick laughed," Are you feeling better?"

"I was, but then some idiot decided to give me a heart attack," I fold up a napkin and start dabbing my hospital gown.

He chuckled," How much longer are you gonna be in here?" He takes my hand.

"They haven't told me," I shake my head.

"Well, I want you to get better soon. Somehow, I feel that this is all my fault," Derick drops my hand and turns away.

"No it's not," I reasure him.

"Really? If I hadn't invited you to go out that day, we wouldn't have been in that car. And you wouldn't be here in this hospital bed with a broken leg," He burries his head in his hand and then kicks the chair next to the bed.

Wincing, I get up and hold his shoulders. I balance on my good leg. Silently, I lift his chin up and wipe away one of his tears. Derick's eyes stare back at me, a mixture of blues and grays, but slightly red as if they hadn't blinked in awhile. He had bags under his eyes, and his mouth twitched. His dark hair hangs in his face in a tangled mess.

"How long was I out?" I ask.

"I don't know, you were unconcious for a few days, almost a week," Derick shrugs.

"Have you had any sleep?" I worry.

"No, I can't sleep knowing I hurt you," He whispers.

"Again, it wasn't your fault."

"Yes, it was! I invited you out. I drove the car. I wasn't paying attention, and now you're here. You have a broken leg, bruises, you wince in pain with every movement, you were unconious for 6 days..."

He doesn't finish. I lean into him, shutting him up with a kiss. I wasn't going to let him beat himself up.

When we break away, I say," You also saved me from drowning, you knocked out those bikers, took me to your weekend apartment and took care of me. But you shouldn't have. You should have let me die. Because I am a wreck. At only 16, my life is already messed up."

"You want to know why I did those things? Not because it was the right thing to do, but because I loved you. I haven't stopped loving you ever since I laid eyes on you in the fourth grade. I love you, Tess," Derick says.

I hold back tears," I love you, too, Derick." He embraces me in a hug, then lifts me up back on the hosptial bed," Now get some sleep, I can tell your leg is killing you."

"You get some sleep, too," I sigh.

"Ok, sweet dreams," He plants a kiss on my forehead.

"Hope so," I smile.

Derick leaves me to sleep. I lay down, expecting the nightmares to come, but they don't.

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It's kinda short, but this felt like the perfect place to stop. Enjoy!