Ashton's POV:
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I keep staring at the same blue tile trying to ignore the persistent voice at the back of my mind. I wish I could just turn my mind off for a while. I keep asking myself all these questions that I don't have the answer to.
I cock my head and look closer at the blue tile. I jump when somebody drops into the seat next to me. For the most part, people have left me alone. They could tell I didn't want company and only came up to me when they needed to.
"You have been staring at the same damn blue tile for the two hours you've been here," the annoying person beside me says. I should've guessed it'd be Emmet. "You do realize it will not be changing anytime soon, right?"
"I know that dumbass," I grumble and continue staring.
"Why don't you come with me to get something to eat? Drink?" He asks.
"Hospital food? No thanks," I decline.
"C'mon," he begs.
"I'm not that hungry," I reply on a sigh.
"Then watch me scarf down the disgusting food," he fights. "You need to get out of this fucking room. It's depressing."
"Of course, it's depressing. It's a hospital," I retort and finally swivel my head towards him.
"There he is!" Emmet exclaims joyfully, but I can see he's tired.
"Let's see how bad the food is," I resign and stand up.
"Finally," he cheers. "I bet the pudding is delicious."
"I doubt that, but having hope is good," I offer.
We fall into a comfortable silence as we follow the signs to the cafeteria. I just get more depressed as we pass by open rooms. Some have visitors and others are alone. I turn my head and focus my eyes on the floor.
The cafeteria is practically empty as we enter. There are only a few scattered sparsely throughout. We enter and walk over to the counter where some things are laid out. I scan the options with disinterest. I grab a bag of chips and pudding to appease Emmet. Meanwhile, he is practically taking everything.
"I hope that you don't plan on eating all of that," I tell him as we pay and sit down.
"Don't be ridiculous. Some of it is for your parents and Caroline. I would've got some for Archer, but he completely passed out," he informs me.
"Caroline?" I ask suggestively.
"Please," he scoffs. "I have zero chance with that girl. I mean, I'm a catch, just not in her pool."
I laugh so hard I choke on the pudding I'm trying to consume. I take a deep breath and wipe the tears that have formed from laughing and choking. He shrugs sadly and viciously bites into his Twinkie.
"You know, I haven't seen her with anyone before," I comment.
"Me either," Emmet hums. Then he frowns. "That doesn't mean anything, though."
"Maybe it doesn't. Maybe it does," I say with a shrug.
He shrugs and shakes his head. I don't think he wants to get his hopes up, and I don't blame him. I finish my two items and stretch out in the chair. I check the time to see it nearing midnight. The doctors said the surgery should only take a few hours. It's only an exploratory surgery, but it doesn't make me worry any less.
I wait for Emmet to finish eating and then help him gather his pile of food. We pass it out and I resume sitting in my original chair. I almost get to look at that damn blue tile, but Caroline drops into the seat beside me. I send her a glare, not even trying to hide it.
"Hush," she commands as she opens her bag of chips. "I gave you over two hours. Now, your time is up."
"How about one more?" I bargain.
"No," she denies.
I huff and sink into my chair. She laughs at me and continues eating happily. I squint my eyes at her. "Why are you so happy?"
"She is a fighter, and if anyone can pull through, it's her," she explains.
"I wish it was that easy," I complain tiredly.
"You can't expect it to be the same way for you," she informs me with a munch of her chip.
"Why not?" I huff.
"You care for her on a completely different level, and I don't just mean because you've known her longer. I love Cece like she's my sister. You, on the other hand, you're in love with her. It is impossible for you to see reason. You are blinded by love," she explains to me.
"If I wanted a therapist, I would've found one," I mutter.
"Please, you can have me for free," she scoffs.
"No thanks, I would rather pay," I deny playfully.
She bumps her shoulder against mine. We fall into silence, but it's comfortable. I can hear her munching on her chips and Emmet talking rather loudly with my parents. He has always been able to get along with them like they were his own. It's weird.
"You know, I'm scared too," Caroline says.
"Hmm?"
"Just because I know she's strong, doesn't mean I'm not scared. In fact, I'm terrified. We have no control," she explains.
"Only time will tell," I offer solemnly.
"I have to tell you something," she informs me and twists her body to face me.
"What's-"
"Grace Mcallister?" The doctor interrupts.
Caroline and I are up instantly. I shake Archer awake and he stands groggily. I stand impatiently as he looks over something on a chart. Couldn't he have done this before?
"The surgery went well," he finally tells us. I physically feel relief sweep through my body and I lean on Emmet. He squeezes my shoulder and smiles at me.
"The knife didn't hit anything vital, but the wound was bleeding heavily and it was hard to stop. She's in ICU right now. It's just a precautionary measure and in an hour I'm hopeful to see her getting moved to recovery," he adds.
"When can we see her?" I ask.
He looks at me almost apologetically. "For now, only Grace. When she's moved, she can have visitors."
I just nod and everyone besides my mom takes a seat. I'm just glad she's out of surgery. As long as she's okay, I can wait one more hour. I take a deep breath and let it out slowly. I look over at Caroline and see her in deep thought.
"You were saying before?" I prod, trying to bide my time.
"Hmm?" She asks distractedly.
"You said you had something to tell me," I explain.
She turns and stares at me with narrowed eyes. I raise my eyebrows questioningly. I catch Emmet staring at us from the corner of my eye and make a help me motion. He turns his head with a devious smirk. What a jerk. I hesitantly look back at her and smile.
"Did I do something?" I ask.
"No," she says with a hard sigh. "I just don't know how to do this. It wasn't supposed to be this hard."
"Right," I drag out slowly. I'm so confused right now.
"You're not helping," she snaps and I put my hands up defensively.
"Do you want me to give you a minute?" I ask tentatively.
"I'm going home. I'll be back in an hour," she says. She stands abruptly and walks away. I stare after her, opening and closing my mouth like a fish.
"What was that about?" Emmet asks as he moves into the seat next to me.
"I have no idea," I tell him with a shrug.
"Girls are so confusing," he groans.
"She'll tell me when she wants to."
"I wonder what it is," he says and stares at the door she left through. He's in deep.
"I'm scared to know. She got snappy. Snappy. Caroline doesn't get snappy. Sassy sure, but not snappy," I admit.
"Stop saying snappy," he snaps.
"That's ironic," I jest. I look at him with a suggestive smile and he stares at me like I'm crazy. He finally gets what I'm saying and punches my arm with a groan.
"Caroline and Emmet sitting in a tree. K-i-s-s-i-n-g. First comes-"
He cuts me off by pushing me off the chair. Violently I might add. My dad looks up from his phone, but once he sees its just me he rolls his eyes and goes back to scrolling. I pull myself back in the chair, laughing.
"You guys have so much in common," I tell him once I stop laughing.
He rolls his eyes and doesn't bother replying. I pull my phone out and reply to the text messages about Cece. Coach says he'll stop by tomorrow when she's awake. When I put my phone away, Emmet has dozed off. I put my jacket under his head and go sit by Archer.
"Hey," he greets. "How are you holding up?"
"Good now that I know she's going to be okay. You?"
"Same," he agrees.
It's silent for awhile before I break it. "Did you talk to your parents?"
"Yes," he says with a loud sigh. "I told them what happened and my mom immediately used it as an excuse as to why I shouldn't want to move here."
"Oh," I say. Cece would be pretty sad to not have the chance to get to know him. I mean, there's texting and stuff. They could drive, but it wouldn't be the same.
"Don't look so sad," he jokes. "You don't have to worry about missing me. I argued that she could've died and I wouldn't have gotten to know her. My mom had no response to that. My dad laughed at her and told me they'd be here in a week."
"Awesome! Cece is going to be so happy," I say.
"I know you don't like me Ashton, but I'm trying. I want to know my sister and everyone in her life. Including you," he tells me
"You're growing on me," I say with a shrug.
For the remainder of the hour, Archer and I bother Emmet. I wrote "call for a good time" on his forehead and Archer used his phone to post a bunch of stuff on Facebook. We're taking a picture of him when Caroline walks in.
"Hey," I greet with a smile.
She looks at him and rolls her eyes. "I passed your mom on the way here. They moved Cece. She's not awake, but she can have visitors. Only one at a time. There's also another waiting room."
Dad gets up and heads out of the waiting room. I wake up Emmet and we all head towards the elevator. Archer and I keep looking at each other and I try not to laugh. I pray that the elevator doesn't have mirrors or anything.
Thankfully they don't and Caroline doesn't say anything either. As Caroline leads us, we pass staff. Some of the women give him dirty looks and one even winks at him. He keeps looking at us and asking what he did. We shrug innocently.
We finally turn the corner and enter a waiting room. My parents are already there, talking. "Hey honey," she greets.
"Hey," I reply and side hug her.
"She's stable and now they're just waiting for her to wake up. Someone can go in and see her," she informs us.
They all look towards me and suddenly I'm nervous. I shouldn't be. I take a deep breath and nod. My mom gives me directions and I follow them slowly. I pause with my hand on the handle. I'm scared to see her, see what he did to her.
I open the door slowly and the sound of beeping meets my ears. My eyes land on her and tears form in my eyes. I shut the door and walk up to her bed. There are bruises on her face and I feel like it's my fault. If I could've just been there faster. Or not let her get taken at all.
"Hey," I whisper, taking her hand. It's cold and I feel tears slip down my face. "You scared the hell out of me, you know that?"
I close my eyes and take a deep breath. "I miss you so god damned much baby girl. I really need you to wake up. I need to see your eyes. I need to see you smile. I need to know your okay because this, this isn't okay."
I open my eyes and take in her still face. "I'll be here when you wake up. I promise you that. Take as long as you need because I'll be here. I'll always be here." I pause and laugh. "We'll not for the next few minutes because there are few other people who want to see you. After that, though, I'm here."
I lay her hand down gently. I stare at her for a minute and finally wipe my eyes. I lean down and gently kiss her forehead. "I love you, so much."
Cece's POV:
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I feel really groggy. I roll over and bump my head into something. I scrunch my face up in pain, but that only results in more pain so I stop. I roll back over and sigh. I move my hand to turn off my stupid alarm clock, but I hit my hand.
I open my eyes but immediately close them at how bright it is. I open my eyes more slowly this time. When I finally adjust I'm confused. I recognize my surroundings as a hospital, but I don't remember getting here.
Then the memories start flooding in. My backyard. Steven. The knife. I touch my stomach and sure enough, there's pain. I look to my left and see Ashton passed out in a chair. He's emitting small snores and his mouth is wide open.
"Ashton," I say, but my voice comes out as a whisper. I need water. "Ashton," I try again, but he doesn't stir.
I see a teddy bear on the stand beside me and slowly reach for it. I sigh in relief when I get it and can move my arm closer to my body. I toss it and it hits him in the face. He shoots up and looks around. When he see it's me he rolls his eyes. He looks away, but then he does a double take.
"Cece!" he exclaims, getting up and moving towards me. "You're awake. How are you feeling? Are you in pain? Do you need anything?"
"Water," I say.
He pours some into a glass and hands it to me. I drink it slowly and the burning in my throat eases. I hand it back to him and he puts it on the table.
"How do you feel?" He asks softer and less frantic than before.
"It doesn't hurt too bad if I don't move," I explain.
"I'm so, so sorry," he tells me, tears forming in his eyes.
I almost laugh because he has nothing to be sorry about, but it doesn't seem like it would help. I sigh, scoot over, and pat the bed. He sits on the edge hesitantly, as if I'm fragile.
"Why are you sorry?" I ask.
"It's my fault. If I would've-"
"Don't let me hear you say that again," I interrupt angrily. "You had no part in what happened. I don't and I will never blame you. It's his fault, not yours. Do you understand me?"
He doesn't respond and looks away. "Do you understand me?" I ask with more force in my voice.
He looks at me now, but I can see that even if he says the words, he wouldn't mean them. He really believes it's his fault. "Hey," I say softly and lay my hand on his cheek. "You're not the one that took me, he did, and you couldn't have stopped it. Nobody saw it coming. I'm here now, okay? That's all that matters."
"Okay," he whispers, laying his hand over mine.
"They got him, right?" I ask after a minute.
"I wouldn't have it any other way," he tells me.
The door opens, interrupting us. Emmet sticks his head around the corner and smiles when he see me. He holds up a finger, telling us to give him a minute, and shuts the door.
"Before the cavalry gets here, I just want you to know something," I tell him, bringing his attention back to me.
"What's that?" He asks.
"I love you," I say with a smile.
He laughs. "I love you, too."
"He's been keeping her all to himself in here," Emmet complains while he barges in with everyone behind him.
"Leave him alone," Caroline chides.
"Just saying," Emmet pouts.
"Hey sweetie," Grace greets and leans down to hug me, careful not to hurt me.
I also give Samuel and Archer a hug. Emmet drags Ash off the bed and lays down in his place. Caroline, in turn, pushes him off and takes his place. I laugh and give them a what can you do look.
"How are you feeling?" Caroline asks.
"I've been better, but the pain isn't too bad right now," I explain.
"The doctor is on his way," Grace informs me.
They all spend the next few minutes filling me in on all that happened. It makes me feel loved that so many helped. I'll have to thank them. The doctor comes in and checks me over. He has a nurse take blood to check.
"When can I get out of here?" I ask him
"If everything goes as planned, I would say two days. Three max," he tells me.
Everyone just hangs around the small room after he leaves. It starts feeling claustrophobic after awhile. Caroline must sense my unease because she leans in to whisper in my ear.
"They haven't been home the entire time. I went home once, but they all stayed. You should tell them to go home get some rest and clean up," she suggests.
"Hey," I call out to Grace.
"Yes?" She asks as she walks over to my bed.
"Why don't you guys go home for a bit. Shower, rest up, and you can come back tomorrow. It's nearing sunset anyway. I'll be fine here," I assure.
She seems to think it over before finally nodding. "C'mon everyone. Time to go home," she orders.
"I'll stay," Ashton says immediately. I'm not surprised.
"I'm fine," I tell him. "Go and sleep. I'll be here tomorrow."
"I'm going to stay with her for awhile," Caroline adds.
He goes to protest, but I stop him. "I will see you tomorrow."
He sighs. "First thing," he promises. He walks over and I give him a quick kiss. I wave to everyone else and finally relax into the bed when they close the door.
"You want to get some rest?" Caroline asks me. "I can watch TV or something."
"I'm good for now. Tell me what I missed," I command.
"Not much," she tells me honestly. "We've all been pretty busy tracking you down."
"Thank you for that," I say sincerely.
"I would do it again," she says and we sit in a comfortable silence before she breaks it abruptly. "We missed the masquerade!"
"Halloween passed?" I frown.
"Yea, we were looking for you," she explains.
"I was really looking forward to that. I was going to win the talent show this year," I pout playfully.
"Sure you were," she jokes.
"I can't wait to put this behind me," I confide.
"I think we all want that," she agrees.
"I'm getting really sleepy," I say on a yawn.
"Your medicine is kicking in. Go to sleep. I'll be right here."
****
"Wake her up! I want to see her," a voice breaks through my sleep.
"Leave her alone. She's tired," someone protests.
"Both of you shut up," someone else says.
"You are all ridiculous," a different voice chimes in.
"All of you shut up," I groan.
"Would you look at that! She's awake!" Emmet cheers.
"Everyone out," nurse says.
"She just woke up!" He complains. Ashton gives me a smile and ushers everyone out.
"They've been here all morning," the nurse tell me.
"I don't doubt that," I laugh.
The nurse gets me to the shower but thankfully doesn't have to help me any further. I dress and everyone is lounging in my room when I enter.
"Make yourselves at home," I mumble as I ease onto the bed.
"We did," Emmet assures as he watches TV.
Caroline fidgets next to me and I furrow my eyebrows. "You okay?" I ask.
Her leg starts tapping and she just utters a bunch of incoherent words. She stands abruptly and walks determinedly over towards Emmet. She grabs the front of his shirt and hauls him to his feet. She kisses him and I almost laugh at his shocked face.
"I'm not gay," she says when she pulls away.
"You thought that was the best way to tell us?" I say with a laugh.
"I didn't know how else," she says with a blush.
"You could've just said it," I suggest.
I look at Emmet to see him with his jaw open. "Stop trying to catch flies," I scold.
"I don't understand," Archer pipes up.
"Me either," I agree. "I mean, I knew you weren't gay, but I didn't know why you were lying."
"You did not," she argues.
"Give me some credit. Besides, you're the worst gay person I've ever met."
"What's that supposed to mean?" She asks defensively.
"You showed no interest in girls," I explain.
"It was a social experiment for a class," she explains with a sigh.
"You used us?" Emmet finally speaks up.
"In a sense," she says hesitantly. "If it helps, I think I'm going to pass the class."
"No, it doesn't," Emmet says and storms out. She sighs and follows him.
"That was weird," Archer comments.
"No doubt," Ashton agrees and takes Emmet's chair.
"My parents are moving next week," Archer tells me.
"That's great!" I tell him.
"I was hoping you'd think so," he laughs.
"You going to enroll?"
"Sometime this week," he informs me.
Emmet and Caroline come back in and I see that she's flustered. "Get everything sorted?" I tease.
"Shut it you pig," she throws back.
"Leave her alone," Ash defends me as he climbs in bed next to me.
"Tell her to leave me alone," she demands and falls into the seat.
"That's my seat!" Emmet protests and tries to squeeze into it.
"Technically it belongs to the hospital," Archer butts in.
"Not helping!" Emmet says as he struggles to move her.
"I need new friends," I tell Ashton.
"They're family," he tells me. "And you don't get rid of family. Especially not these leeches."
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The end is near guys, the end is near.