The College Room [THE KISSING BOOTH #2 - FAN FICTION]

Chapter Twenty-Seven

I woke up the next morning feeling groggy, my eyelids heavy and my cheeks puffy. There was an ache in my head that almost felt like a hangover, except that I didn't have the unsettled stomach to match. I'd been crying so much I was dehydrated. 

Noah had pulled up a plastic chair at some point during the night and had fallen asleep on the other side of Dad's bed. Brad was still curled up next to me, leaning his small body on mine. 

I got up slowly, being careful not to wake Brad. I made my way through the intensive care unit until I found a nurse, who greeted me with a warm smile.

"Any news?" I asked, my eyebrows pressed together.

The woman frowned at me. "We've been slowly reducing your dad's sedation over the last couple of days. We're hoping for him to wake today or tomorrow," she said. "Although there are no promises. We have a few tests to do today, actually, and we may need to ask you to leave for those. Is there somewhere you and your brothers can go?"

I almost corrected her, until I remembered that Noah had lied his way into the unit late at night, claiming to be my brother. Let's just hope the nurses hadn't seen us kiss each other goodnight, or they'd think something incestuous was going on.

"Yeah," I replied. "Yeah, we can just go home."

The woman placed a hand on my shoulder and squeezed. "You're being very brave."

I tried to thank her, but I certainly didn't feel like I was being brave. "What happens if he doesn't wake up?"

"We'll keep reducing the sedation until his body should be able to automatically wake itself," she said, clearly in simple terms. "But, if he can't wake...then we'll know if he's suffered a brain injury."

"You can't tell already?"

The woman shook her head. "Yes and no.  There's certainly inflammation, and he suffered a blow to the head. But we won't know the extent of the injuries until he's out of the coma."

I nodded my head very slowly. "Thanks," I said. "I understand."

I made my way back to Dad's bed and noticed that Noah had woken up while I was gone. He was sitting up straight now, his brown hair thrown messily all over the place. He gave me a small smile and opened his arms for a hug.

I pulled the curtain closed around us, careful not to let the nurses see just how close I was to my 'brother', and then I sat neatly on his lap with my arms around his neck.

"Ew," Brad said weakly, rubbing his eyes as he sat up in his white chair. "You two are so gross."

"Sorry little bro," I said, smiling. "Gotta do something to get Dad's attention, right?"

"Maybe you should make out," Brad said, poking out his tongue.

"Hey!" I said. "You're not supposed to know what that is."

Noah broke into a laugh and gave Brad a thumbs up. Oh no, I thought, hoping Brad wouldn't grow up to be the next Noah Flynn. There was something unsettling about the idea of girls falling at Brad's feet, always vying for his attention.

"I watch TV, you know," Brad said with a squeaky voice, and then I started laughing too.

"Come on," Noah said, lifting me off his lap and standing tall in our tiny curtained room. "Let's go get you dorks some breakfast."

We let Noah lead us through the hospital and to the cafeteria, and I was surprised by how happy he was to take charge. We shared elevator conversation on the way to the cafe, and I asked again if he was sure he could miss class. He said he was only able to stay for the weekend anyway.

I actually wasn't disappointed when he said it, more just confused because I'd lost track of what day it was. "I understand," I said to him, kissing him on the arm as we waited in line by the cafe register. "I'm just so glad you came at all. You must have missed some classes getting on the plane yesterday."

"Like I said," he added, opening the glass display case and reaching for a muffin, "you're worth it."

I smiled at him and followed suit, grabbing a fruit salad from the display and letting Brad choose his favourite flavoured milk and hot pie. If I wasn't careful, that boy was going to have major health problems.

"I know what you're thinking," Noah said when he saw my face. "Let him be a kid. Besides, you can't complain. You and Lee eat burgers like they're going out of fashion."

I laughed then, and struggled to compose myself when it was time to pay. The woman at the register smiled at me nicely, telling me how good it was to see someone finally smiling in the hospital.

"Trust me," I told her, "it's the first time in days."

We made our way to one of the circular tables and enjoyed our food for a couple of minutes. We talked, smiled, and even laughed.

But our laughter was cut short by a frantic nurse, dressed in his baby blue uniform, almost running through the cafeteria.

"Evans family?" He shouted, his eyes wide.

I dropped the fork from my fruit salad onto the table, my heart stopping when he spoke.

"Yes?" Noah asked for me, knowing full-well I wouldn't be able to speak.

The nurse broke into a run as he made his way closer, his body language clearly anxious. I felt my stomach drop to the floor, and I prayed to God that it wasn't more bad news.

"What is it?" Noah asked, placing his hand on my leg under the table and giving it a squeeze.

"Your father," he said breathlessly as he reached the table. "They told me to come get you as fast as I could."

"What is it?!" Noah demanded again.

"He's," the nurse said, catching his breath. "He's awake."

___________

Author's Note:

Hi everyone! I've just started a new romance novel "Saving Lainey" that I'd love for you to check out if you're interested in seeing more cutesy love stories like Noah and Elle's. I'd love to hear your feedback on whether I should keep writing it! Thank you so much!

xo

Hayley