Chronicles of a Fat Teenager (Complete - Sequel coming soon)

Chronicles of a Fat Teenager - Chapter Thirty One

The whiteness of the hospital hurt Beth’s tired eyes. She waited on the cold, plastic chairs while nurses, doctors and other hospital staff whisked past her, hurriedly tending to the people in their care. Beth wondered numbly if any of them knew anything about Miles.

The last few hours seemed to pass in a blur. She vaguely remembered being bundled into the back of Jessica’s car and taken to the hospital not far behind the flashing blue lights of the ambulance. Beth hazily recalled Jessica becoming upset on the steps of the hospital building, being back there so soon after her miscarriage was too much for her and Beth went in alone, numbly assuring them she would be OK.  She remembered being surrounded by his family, assuring her they’d keep her informed as they were ushered away into a family room down the corridor. She remembered the harrowing howls echoing down the corridor as Charlie was taken away with his independent living carer and towards a waiting policeman. Beth had briefly spoken to another police officer, a pretty young woman who gently asked her what she had seen on the field. She had used the words “assault” “unprovoked” and “witnesses” but they had little meaning to Beth as she sat there, desperately wanting to hear that her beloved Miles had woken up and was fine.

The previous few hours had also seen Michael and Paul put in an appearance on the emergency ward. Beth, too paralysed to react watched blankly as they paraded haughtily past her in the corridor.

Minutes, possibly hours later, Beth didn’t know, she was joined by a pale, drawn Andrew. His shoulders were slumped and eyes sunken as he told Beth the news that she didn’t want to hear.

There were no witnesses other than Charlie and Beth.

Their statements may not be enough, particularly as Charlie was deemed a less credible witness.

Paul and Michael had been at the hospital, seemingly to treat an injury they claim Miles inflicted on him during an altercation. Andrew cynically claimed this was to have a hospital visit documented if they needed to develop a defence case and also to surreptitiously find out how badly injured Miles was.

Injured.

How Beth hated Andrew using that word.

More words followed from him, tumbling from his twisted mouth, thick with emotion and terror.

Unconscious.

Swelling.

Critical.

Bruising.

Damage.

Unknown.

Each word stabbed and clawed at her heart. Andrew returned to his family and Beth sat alone, blinking at the brightness of the corridor and exhausted with worry.

Not Miles.

Not now.

This can’t be happening.

Hours past and her mobile’s pinging with constant messages of enquiry and well wishes irritated her and she furiously switched it off. The outside world could just fuck off. All that mattered in her life lay beyond the walls in front of her and down that corridor, lying in a room somewhere with monitors surrounding him.

An endless time past and Beth woke up with her head hitting the back wall behind her. She glanced up at the clock that had been tormenting her since her arrival.

8.30pm.

How could that be? Eight hours after the attack. How could that time have elapsed without her seeing him?

Beth stood up, testing her legs at first as she had been sitting motionless for hours on the same plastic chair. She walked slowly down the corridor to see if she could see into the family room, but the door was open and no one was inside.