((Ezra’s POV))
My footsteps echoed in the small, private hospital’s lobby as I ran to the nurse’s desk. The echoes of my footsteps kinda made me claustrophobic but I decided to ignore it. The thing I only had on my mind was to see and know if Aria is okay.
“How may I help you?” The old, bubbly nurse asked me.
“May I know where Aria Montgomery’s room is?” I said while panting heavily.
“Come again? I don’t think I caught the name correctly.” She said and my patience is barely hanging by the thread.
“Aria Montgomery.” I said as slowly as possible.
“Oh. Sorry, young man. She’s in Room 357, West Wing.” She said and offered me an apologetic smile and I nodded my thanks.
“I’m really sorry, young man.” She apologized again and I smiled back.
“It’s okay, nurse—“
“Nurse Eli, short for Elizabeth.”
“Nurse Eli.” I said and ran to God-knows where Aria’s room is. I was mentally beating up myself because I was inconsiderate to the kind nurse and I should have understood her situation, the fact that she was old. I offered a long litany of prayers while I was on the elevator and I felt my forehead sweat and I didn’t like it.
The elevator finally stopped at the third floor and as soon I stepped out, I was welcomed with the sanitized smell of hospitals. I didn’t want Aria to stay here for long so I better look for her room. I was walking past the white corridors until I saw her room number.
Room 357—Aria Montgomery
I knocked on the door and entered the room. Emily, Spencer and Hanna were crying and comforting each other in the corner, Byron was consoling his wife, Ella and Mike was sitting at the chair near Aria’s bed, void of any emotions. When I entered, it’s like time stopped.
My eyes landed on Aria’s unconscious body and I died a thousand deaths.
I can’t say anything except a, “Holy crap.”
Ella turned her head to me and she beckoned for me to go to her. I followed and when I was in front of her, her tears stopped flowing.
“She accidentally hit a post and it looked… horrible. The rescuers said she was crying while she was driving because her cheeks were damp, her eyes were puffy and her nose was red and runny. What happened?” She said with shaky voice and before I could even explain and tell what happened, a doctor with blue scrubs entered the room.
“I’m Dr. Smith, Ms. Montgomery’s doctor. I’m here to tell you her prognosis.” The good doctor said and everyone nodded, urging for him to continue for they no one trusted their voices.
“She is in a coma, her ribs are fractured, she received multiple cuts around her body causing blood loss, and she attained severe brain contusion. She’s in a very critical condition and she died for about three minutes but we were able to get her heart beating again but we’re afraid that it would take a very long time for her to recover. We also took CT scans to her brain to see her brain activity and it wasn’t active which means she could have lost her memory or it’s because of her being in a comatose condition.” He said and all hell breaks loose.
The room was filled with laments of sorrows, the walls starting to close in as Ella cried her eyes out at Byron’s arms and I was too weak enough. I was blaming myself for everything that has happened.
“What did you do to my best friend?” Hanna suddenly screeched and she started punching me but it was useless.
I was too numb to feel anything.
“Han, stop!” Spencer said and grabbed Hanna away from me.
“I swear to God if you’re still on your A-mode, I will kill you myself! Lay one finger on Aria again and I will—“
“Hanna!” Emily scolded and Hanna stopped, and started to bawl.
“I-I’m sorry, okay? I just don’t want her getting hurt… by Ezra.” Hanna murmured and the girls nodded in agreement. “She deserves someone better than you.” Hanna said and I gulped.
It was true, anyway.
It’s the ugly truth.
And in that moment, I wished that the ground could have swallowed me whole.