Once the stretcher went through the two doors, Lauren wasn't allowed to go beyond that point.
"I'm sorry ma'am, but you're restricted from going back there." the nurse said.
She had to wait and she had to get a hold of Laura and Lance. But she didn't know their phone number. Wait, she thought, but we live right next to them. I can call my dad and he can tell them.
She took out her phone and dialed her father's number. She grew more impatient with each ring. "Come on, pick up, Daddy. It's an emergency." she whispered.
When Kyle finally answered Lauren was relieved. "Daddy, I need you to get Laura and Lance if he's home."
"Why? What happened? Where are you?" Kyle asked.
"I'm at the hospital, Daddy. We were attacked by some random guys and Landon was stabbed."
"Is he okay?"
"I don't know, Daddy." She began to cry then. "I have to wait here for him and they haven't said anything to me. I don't know what I'm going to do, Daddy. He was protecting me Daddy. He was protecting me."
"Okay, baby girl, listen to me, okay?"
Lauren nodded even though he couldn't see her.
"I want you to wait there, okay? Call if anything has changed. And tell me where you are."
"I'm at UC Davis Medical Center. Close to it, it says Sacramento Campus."
"Okay, baby girl. Stay calm. Okay? We'll be there later. As soon as we can. Don't worry." Kyle hung up.
She was left there with all the worry in the world.
Anxiety was going through her whole body. He was the one who was protecting her. The reason why he's here was because Landon was protecting her from those two men. The reason why Landon was here in the hospital was because he was fighting them for her. Why in Earth's name would he do something like that?
She thought about it and she couldn't find an exact answer except that he was such a great person. She started to cry again. Anguish clutched her heart between its hands and she didn't want to think that anything would happen to Landon. She wanted him to be okay. She wanted him to be fine and great and amazing.
There were three weeks left for the start of school and every time she thought about starting school without Landon, she wanted to scream and yell, She didn't want to go to school without him. She wanted him to be with her, but most importantly, she wanted to be with him. They made a good team together. Thay had fun and Landon was an amazing guy. She hated that he couldn't see that, but she was determined to show him how great he was.
And for that, Lauren needed Landon to be okay. All she wanted was for Landon to be okay.
She walked from one end of the waiting room to the other. "Why are they taking so long?" she asked herself.
There was nothing she could do and she hated feeling so helpless. She hated that all she could do was wait here for the results, not being able to even see him. She felt like she was doing nothing, which made her feel more guilty.
What am I supposed to do, she thought. What am I supposed to do?
'You wait,' her heart responded. 'And you pray that he comes out okay.'
What will I do if he doesn't turn out okay? He was losing a lot of blood.
'You like him, Lauren. As much as you want to hide the truth, you like him. I like him. And if he doesn't turn out okay, we'll suffer greatly.'
I like him? Maybe it was because he saved me.
'No, Lauren. You've liked him a lot before that. And this I do know. I was always right here.'
Stop talking, please. You're making me more nervous.
'You needed to know the truth. You need to know it now. And I am telling you that you've liked him for long before that. Don't you feel how I practically jump out of your chest when you see him, or when he stands close to you or when his hand accidentally brushes against your hand. Don't try to fight it. Just go with the flow.'
You're making me nervous.
At this moment, Kyle and Laura rushed in. Laura was crying, her face damp with tears.
"Where's my son?" she asked Lauren.
"He's in there." she pointed to the doors. "They didn't let me go in. I just wanted to see if he was okay. After all, he's in there because of me."
Laura paused abruptly and turned to her. "What do you mean, he's here because of you?"
"Some random guys were following us and they wanted to get me, but Landon, being the gentleman he is, protected me from them. And the main thug pulled out a knife and threatened Landon, but Landon stood his ground." Tears started running down Lauren's cheeks again. "On the last try to get to me, the thug stabbed Landon on the side. He was laying there, and his shirt was stained with blood. I don't want anything to happen to him, Daddy."
Kyle pulled Lauren into his arms. She calmed down a little, but she pulled from his father's embrace and turned to Laura. "I'm so sorry, Laura. I'm so sorry. He's not supposed to be here. Maybe I should have gone with the thug. That way Landon wouldn't be here."
Laura saw that Lauren was hurting, that she genuinely felt guilt and instantly told her that she was wrong. "No, sweetie. It wouldn't have been better because we wouldn't know where you were and Landon would be the one to tell your father that you were gone. He would be hurting as much as you are right now."
Then Laura hugged Lauren. Laura noticed how worried Lauren was and it broke her heart. Just hearing that Lauren felt guilty for what happened to Landon, made Laura's heart ache.
She needed to know what was going on with her son. She needed to know because she felt that if someone didn't tell her soon, her whole world was just going to stop and she wouldn't be able to make it move again. If something happened to her son, Laura would die. She already lost her husband, it would definitely kill her to lose a son.
"I'm so sorry, Laura." Lauren kept repeating. "I'm so sorry."
It was obvious that this was nobody's fault. "Please, Lauren. This wasn't your fault. Don't worry about it. Well, I know you're worried, but you don't have to feel guilty at all. None of this was your fault."
"Laura-- I can't stop feeling like everything was my fault. I should have told him to stay at the restaurant. We went there, but it was too crowded. So we decided to leave amd keep walking. I should have convinced him to stay."
"There was no way you could have known that this was going to happen."
Kyle walked in and hugged Lauren again. It was his duty to be comforting Lauren. He was Lauren's father. "Laura's right, baby girl. You didn't know this was going to happen. I know you didn't want this to happen, but you can't blame yourself for it."
Lauren looked up at her father and she saw that he was worried. He was probably worried about both Landon and her. All she wanted was to find out if Landon was okay.
Laura and Lauren looked from left to right every time a nurse or a doctor passed by. They wanted someone to talk to them about it, but nobody was coming their way. The desperation and anxiety that coursed through both Laura and Lauren was killing them.
Lauren knew that she liked him and she couldn't stop thinking about him protecting her. She still didn't understand why it had all happened. She would have preferred that she was the one who had been lost. At least if she was the one lost, Laura would be okay, and she didn't have to be this worried.
She stood up, because the waiting was unbearable. How was it possible that it took this long for someone to give them news about Landon? How long does it take?!
Again, Lauren started pacing. The anxiety grew and so did the frustation as more and more time passed. There was still no sign of anyone.
After what seemed like forever, a doctor came out and addressed the family members of a Landon Valentine.
"That's us!" Lauren yelled and practically ran over to the doctor.
"How is he, doctor?" Laura asked. "How is my son?"
"Fortunately, the knife didn't go too deep and it didn't reach any vital organs. But a few ribs were broken, so we have to bandage him up. He'll have to stay here for a few days for observation purposes. He's still not awake yet, but you can go in and see him."
Laura and Lauren both exhaled. They didn't even know that they were holding their breath.
"But he's okay, right?" Lauren asked the doctor.
"Yes, he is. The injuries were not life threatening. He'll be able to live his life normally."
"Can we see him?"
"Of course." He gave them directions to the room that Landon was in. He even asked a nurse to accompany them. His orders were that only one person at a time, that way it wouldn't be so crowded in the room.
"Thank you, doctor."
The doctor nodded and turned away to leave. "Wait." Lauren stopped him. "We didn't get your name."
"William Bradshaw." the doctor answered.
"Thank you, Doctor Bradshaw. Thank you so much."
Laura walked after the nurse. She was his mother and therefore she needed to see him first. Lauren and Kyle stayed in the waiting room.
Lauren turned to Kyle. And sighed a breath of relief. Kyle hugged her, happy that Landon was okay.
"I need to thank that young man for keeping my baby girl safe." Kyle said.
"I need to thank him, too." Lauren added.
"Everything's fine sweetheart. Don't worry about it."
"What he did for me, Daddy, I will never be able to pay him back. Maybe I'm overreacting, but he saved me. He saved me from the hands of those thugs. I will be eternally grateful for what he did."
"You like him, don't you?"
Lauren's eyes went straight to the floor. Then she looked up at her dad, and gave the slightest of nods. It was true, she now knew that she liked Landon.
~~~~~~~~~
Laura enetered Landon's room. She couldn't believe how cold it was in the hospital. It felt like they didn't need any warmth. It was something that she hated about hospitals. The day of the accident, in the hospital, it had been freezing like it was now.
Her baby boy was lying in the bed, his eyes closed. Grabbing the chair that was next to her, Laura placed it next to Landon and then sat down. She didn't even know where to start.
Tears began rolling down her cheeks. She was so grateful that Landon was okay. She had been terrified when Kyle had told her that he was in the hospital. Lance was off to work unexpectedly, and she was all alone.
Her hand went automatically to Landon's hand. All she could do was pray and thank all of the saints that he was okay. She would have died if something bad would have happened to Landon. Landon was the sweetest boy to walk this earth. There was absolutely no doubt about that.
He saved Lauren. He wasn't scared to take care of the girl who was with him. And that made Laura proud of her son. He had a good heart and she felt that Landon liked Lauren. A mother's heart is never wrong, and she felt it. Maybe he didn't know it yet, but she was absolutely sure that he liked Lauren.
With Landon's hand still in her hand, Laura began talking to him.
"I don't know if you can hear me sweetie, but you had me so worried." she began, but she stopped because tears were rolling down her cheeks again. When she was more calm, she kept going. "I was so scared that I was going to lose you, too. I was terrified of getting here and finding out that you were no longer with us. I was so scared, but thank all the powers above you're okay.
This is why I always tell you to be careful. This is why I always tell you to come back early, to not go too far. It's because I don't want this to happen. I was scared to death and...."she trailed off. When she regained her composure, Laura turned back to him.
"I thought I was never going to see you again. Maybe I'm overreacting but after the accident, this is one of my biggest fears. But I want you to know that I'm proud of you, because you were so brave. You protected Lauren and I'm proud of you because of that. Your father always told you to be a gentleman. And you did just that.
I love you, sweetheart. I hope you can hear me and I'm so happy you're okay. I'm going to let Lauren in to come to see you. I get to see you at home anyway, so I think it's fair that she gets to see you. After all, I think she's been waiting to see you."
She got up and she kissed Landon's forehead. She checked that he was still breathing just because she was paranoid. When she confirmed that he was, she walked out of the room.
On her way back, all she thought about was the day of the accident. That day, Landon wasn't supposed to be with them. He was supposed to have been with a babysitter, but the babysitter canceled because she had other things to do.
If the babysitter hadn't cancelled that day, Landon wouldn't be blind. He would have still been able to see and his life would have been different, but there was no point in thinking about the what ifs.
Every time she looked at Landon, she was reminded about the accident. She felt guilty about being the only one that came out of the car accident okay. But that was a lie. She wasn't okay. The pain that the accident left her to live with every day of her life was something that had no cure.
She cheered herself up before going to talk to Lauren and Kyle.
When she made it to them, she turned to Lauren. "He's alone now. You can go in to see him."
Lauren didn't even think about it. "I don't think I should."
A frown crossed her face and she asked, "Why not?"
"Because I'm the reason that he's in that bed in the first place."
"Sweetie, don't blame yourself for what happened. It wasn't your fault. There's no way you could have known it was going to happen. I'm sure that if it were to happen again, Landon would do the same thing."
"Really?"
"I'm sure. Now, go and see him. You've been shaken up since you got here. You deserve to have some peace of mind."
"Okay." Lauren agreed. "Okay."
Laura smiled and told Lauren to follow her. Lauren followed Laura until they reached Landon's room.
"This is my stop." Laura broke the silence.
Lauren nodded and said, "Thank you."
Laura nodded and turned back around. A knowing smile crossed on her face as she walked away.
~~
Lauren walked in and as soon as she saw him lying down on the bed like that, seeming lifeless, tears streamed down her cheeks.
She walked over to him and sat down. She took a few deep breaths for her to calm down. She was so grateful that Landon was okay. Ever since she got to the hospital, she was a mess and she just couldn't take the waiting. It was ridiculous how much they had to wait for news of Landon's condition. But it was worth it in the end.
She took his hand in hers. "How will I ever repay you for everything you've done for me, Landon Valentine? How will I show you how grateful I am for having met you? You've made my stay here all the better. And I found out today that I like you, even with all your insecurities. I hope you didn't hear that part. I just want you to know that. I needed to tell you that.
Goodness gracious, Landon. My heart stopped when that thug stabbed you. My heart stopped and you have no idea how scared I was. I thought you were going to die or something. I know that's exaggerating, but I was so damn scared.
Even when we got here, I was scared. Nobody told me anything and I was growing impatient. All that time felt like an eternity. It felt like I was waiting for an eternity and I was going insane.
You're the only friend I have here, the only one who has actually showed me how much you care. I know I've hurt you, I know my mother has hurt you, and yet you're still here with me.
You have such a big heart and I don't understand how people can be so cruel, especially to you. You're the sweetest person ever. And I can't express with words how grateful I am to have you here. The only thing I can say for now is thank you. Thank you for saving me from those thugs."
"You're welcome." a hoarse voice answered.
Lauren looked up and saw that Landon had opened his eyes. An extreme happiness overcame her.
"Landon," she practically yelled out of happiness," you're awake."
Landon laughed, but grabbed his right side when pain coursed through it. Lauren saw this reaction and added, "The doctor said that you have broken ribs. So you should be careful. I'll be back. I'll call Laura and Daddy."
Landon pulled on her arm. "Don't call them just yet." he pleaded.
Lauren thought about it and nodded. She then sat down and asked him something that was nagging at her. "How much of what I said did you hear?"
Landon acted a little innocent and then he answered, "All of it."
Lauren's eyes went huge. "Really?"
"No. I just heard when you were thanking me for saving you from those thugs."
"Oh." she turned away.
"But if it happened again, I would do it all over again. I'd protect you all over again."
She turned back around. "You would?"
Landon nodded.
"Why?"
"Because I wouldn't let anything happen to you. I know I'm blind and not many people think I can protect myself but I would do anything to protect the people I care about."
"You care about me?"
"Of course. Who wouldn't? You're a wonderful girl."
~~
Laura opened the door and Kyle was right behind her. They had been standing there for a while now. They had heard pretty much the whole conversation between Landon and Lauren. Laura and Kyle turned to each other and decided to let them be.
"They're perfect for each other. I hope they become a couple." Laura said after the discovery.
"Me, too." Kyle confessed. "I hope they become a couple, too."