Song of the chapter: The Climb by Miley Cyrus
Emily's POV
Why was it always me that ended up in the hospital? I swear, I was a walking disaster.
My eyes fluttered open to see the familiar white room, the familiar pink gown, and the ever so familiar IV in my wrist that was dripping blood into my body. Perfect. My brain felt weird, as if I wasn't really comprehending things so well.
I caught sight of Austin sitting on my bed. He grinned widely when he saw me and brushed my hair out of my face. "Hey, Ems," he said softly.
"Hey rockstar," I croaked quietly. "Sorry, I was awake but I must have dozed off."
"Yeah, Cara told me you punched her when she tried to fix your IV."
"It's painful, alright?" I stopped. "What exactly happened? The last thing I remember was talking to the police in the house."
"You passed out from blood loss," he told me, taking my hand.
"What?" Then I remembered I had cut my arm open on the broken lamp and glanced down at my arm. It was stitched up from my shoulder down to my elbow (I know the cut isn't that long in the picture, but it's the only one I found online so I used it). "Oh, god. I didn't think it was that bad."
"You lost twenty five percent of your blood."
"Jesus," I said, eyes widening.
"How are you feeling?" Austin asked.
"Drugged," I breathed, resting my head back on the pillow. I cleared my throat to try and help my voice but it didn't work so well. "Where's Lucy?"
"Taylor has her. Don't worry, she's okay. The one detective grabbed her before you collapsed. Jesse and Alex are in the waiting room."
I sighed. "Thank god she's okay. My head hurts. And my arm is throbbing."
"The nurse said you might be a little hazy for a while," he said. "And sore. I'm just so happy you're awake. You were out for almost four days."
"Four days?" I repeated. He nodded, and I spoke again. "Wow. Well, sorry about your tour, but you really didn't have to come all the way back."
"I don't care about the tour; I care about your safety. I was downright terrified when I got to the house. You were lying in a pool of your own blood," he said. I put my hand in his hair making us both smile.
I shuddered. "Gross." I spoke again after getting a good look at him. "Are you okay? You look a little shaken up."
"Uh, nothing. Just a dream I had about you earlier when I fell asleep in the waiting room," he said.
"Dream? What happened?"
"It's nothing."
"Austin," I said sternly. "Tell me. You look scared."
He sighed shakily. "I dreamt you woke up and didn't have a clue who I was."
I softened at the look on his face. He seriously looked like a stricken child. "Austin."
"It was so real, Emily, I literally thought it was happening. I ran back here to make sure," he told me. "Do you have any idea how heart broken I would have been if it was true?"
"C'mere," I said, holding out my arms. I pulled him into a hug, and he just completely broke down, burying his face in my neck. "Hey, hey, it's okay, Austin, I'm right here. And I very much know who you are."
"I almost lost you again," he sobbed. He was shaking.
"Shh." I ran my good hand through his hair and rubbed his back. "I'm okay, babe. I'm fine. If it makes you feel better, just let it all out."
"Am I not already doing that?" He muttered, making me laugh a little. I just held him while he cried. I didn't think he would be like this, but it was good to know that he would be okay now that he saw I was fine.