Emilie's POV
I looked at him and saw him sitting on the same little wooden chair as before, his arms crossed on the bed, his chin resting on them. He was just looking at me, smiling. I smiled back at him. He took my left hand gently and held it with both of his. He looked up at me and smiled again. He seemed so happy I had woken up. How long had I been asleep anyways?
-"Hey Justin?"
-"Yes?" he asked cheerfully.
-"Did you seriously stop eating and sleeping while I was unconscious?" I whispered out.
He nodded cheerfully. Well, as cheerfully you could be when you're practically falling asleep.
-"But... Why?" I asked curiously.
He sighed.
-"Well, I felt bad because it's my fault Mark and Mary beat you, so it only felt right that if you suffered, it would only be fair that I suffered too. And I don't think I could've gotten to sleep anyways, I was way too worried." he said, smiling at the end.
My eyes widened.
-"Justin! You didn't have to do that! It's not your fault!! It's mine! I'm the one who decided to spend time with you; I'm the one who disobeyed them! And they're the ones who beat me, not you! Stop doing this to yourself!" I begged him.
He just shook his head.
-"Not until you're healed. If you suffer, then I'm gonna suffer too." he said calmly.
-"I'm fine Justin! I'm not suffering!"
I tried sitting up, but felt a sharp pang in my stomach. It hurt really bad. I squealed in pain and layed back down on the pillows, clutching my stomach.
Justin hopped out of his chair.
-"Are you okay?" he asked worriedly.
I nodded weakly, groaning in pain.
-"Do you want some pain medecine? I can call the nurse if you want to.." he said, reaching for the button above my head. I shook my head.
-"Nahh, she'll probably give me sleeping pills too, and I don't wanna sleep now."
He nodded and sat back down.
-"So, for how long have I been here?" I asked.
-"Take a guess." he teased me.
-"Okay.. Errrr three days?" I guessed.
He laughed softly.
-"Guess again."
-"Ughhh I'm bad at guessing! I'll say... six days." I guessed.
To me it was a bit unrealistic, but whatever.
He shook his head and laughed quietly.
-"You're so bad at guessing!"
I stuck my tongue out at him. It hurt my cheek a little, but not too much.
-"Okay you're never gonna guess it. Emilie, you were asleep for twenty-three days."
My jaw dropped. Was I really asleep for that long? No, I didn't lose THAT much blood! Did I? I shook my head.
So does that mean Justin went without eating or sleeping for more than three weeks?! Oh my gosh!!
-"Justin! How could you do this to yourself! It's not alright! No wonder you look like you've never eaten in your life! You're so skinny! I didn't recognize you when I woke up!!! And you need some rest Justin, it's not healthy!" I scolded him.
He laughed a little.
-"I'm fine Emilie, I'm not tired"
I looked at him with a "are-you-fricken-kidding-me" expression on my face.
He raised his hands in the air in surrender.
-"Okayyy maybe I am a little, but I could never fall asleep on these wooden chairs or on that lumpy couch, and I'm not going home! I'm staying here!" he crossed his arms.
I sighed.
-"Okay then."
I scooted over in the bed, leaving a big space for Justin. The bed was big enough to confortably fit two people, so we weren't squished together. He looked at me wide-eyed. I patted the spot next to me.
-"C'mon Justin, you seriously need some rest! You look like a zombie!"
He looked at me and raised his eyebrows, a smirk spreading on his face.
-"Justin, get your dirty mind under control and just come on! Jeesh I'm trying to be nice here but you're making things so complicated!"
He smiled and slipped next to me on the bed.
-"Are you sure you don't mind?" Justin asked caringly.
-"Justin, I've been asleep for the last TWENTY THREE days!! Do you really think I'm tired right now?"
He nodded and slowly closed his eyes. A few seconds later, I heard his light snoring. I gently lifted my hand and patted his hair back into place; it looked weird sticking up like that. He smiled in his sleep. It was so cute. I just rolled back on my back and stared at the ceiling.
The door slowly peaked open.
-"Justin, I know I said I wouldn't bring you M-... EMILIE! YOU'RE AWAKE!"
Pattie screamed and ran over to hug me. I awkwardly hugged back, having trouble lifting my arms. She pulled back and looked next to me. Her eyes widened.
-"How'd you get him to fall asleep?" she asked wonderingly.
-"I told him I was fine, I wasn't in pain anymore. I kinda feel bad for lying, but it was the only way to get him to sleep. Pattie he really does feel bad. He shouldn't!"
She looked at me and smiled slightly.
-"He really cares for you Emilie. Whatever he does and whatever he says, never forget that, okay?" she said quietly.
I nodded and looked back at Justin. I gently wrapped my hand around his wrist; my fingers could touch each other. I sighed.
-"Did he seriously not eat AT ALL? He looks like he's lost like 35 pounds or something..." I whispered.
Pattie nodded sadly.
-"Yes, h-"
Suddenly the door opened.
Justin jumped up from his sleep. It scared me, so I jumped too. Pattie just laughed.
I looked over to it and saw a man with a white lab coat.
-"Hello Miss Smith, I see you're awake. How are you feeling?" the doctor asked, glancing down at his clipboard.
-"Uhmmm I'm still feeling a little dizzy, and my stomach hurts a lot. And my arm and legs are sore. And my cheek stings. But I'm fine..." I replied.
The doctor chuckled.
-"Yes, when you get past the fact that you're practically hurting everywhere, you're fine.."
Everybody burst out laughing, even I did. I felt my cheeks burn.
-"Ow..." I whined
My stomach was really hurting. Mental note: don't laugh, it hurts. Once the laughter died down, the doctor spoke up.
-"Okay Miss Smith, you've been doing great progress, you're healing really well; which is surprising, considering the seriousness of your injuries. You must have some darn nice guardian angels!" he said jokingly.
My eyes widened and I felt tears sting behind my eyes. I immediately thought of my parents. I bit my lip as I felt a few tears fall on my cheeks. Justin lightly squeezed my hand.
-"It's okay, they're looking out for you" he whispered so only I would hear.
I looked up at him through my tears and smiled. He wiped my tears away with his thumbs, looking into my eyes. All I could think of doing was smile at him.
He leaned over and gently kissed my forehead. He pulled away and turned back to Pattie and the doctor, who were looking at us confusedly. Then, Pattie's eyes widened and she whispered something to the doctor. He nodded.
-"Oh, I'm sorry Miss Smith I didn't know..." he looked worried
-"It's fine, and call me Emilie.." I replied with a smile.
He nodded and looked down on the clipboard.
-"Well, since you've been healing so well, I was thinking you might be able to go home in about two to three weeks, if you keep healing at this rate. Now I'll come back to check on you later today. Goodbye!" he declared, smiling.
I smiled back and nodded. Once he left the room I sighed. Pattie moved closer and sat next to Justin. She took a deep breath.
-"Emilie, Justin and I have been thinking... You need to call the police on Mary and Mark".
My eyes widened and I shook my head.
-"No, no no no you can't do that! They'll get sent to jail, and I'll get put up for adoption, and I'll have nobody!" I nearly screamed, I was panicked.
Tears started pouring out of my eyes again at the thought of going in an adoption center again. I had to go in one for a few weeks, until my aunt and uncle decided to officially take custody of me. It was horrible. Kids were screaming and crying all the time for their parents, it was so depressing.
Justin took both my hands in his and squeezed them gently.
-"It's for your own good, Emilie. We can't stand seeing you getting hurt, it's so hard, especially for me." he looked down.
I just shook my head frantically, which made me dizzy.
-"No, I can't! I'll be all alone, and I'll be adopted by complete strangers! I won't get to see you guys ever again! Pattie, you're like the mother it's been so long since I've had! You're so nice and sweet and you make me feel like I'm your daughter! And Justin, well... I couldn't stand the thought of never seeing you again!" I looked down and blushed.
Justin suddenly jumped up and pulled Pattie in the hallway, closing the door. What's going on? I just ignored them and rolled over to the side. Would it really be good for me if I called the cops? It would, in a way, because then I could be with Justin, but at the same time I couldn't, because for all I knew, I'd have to move far away from here! And I don't want that. The door opened again.