36. Nightmare Between Us
"How do you wake up from a nightmare when you're not asleep?"
•°•°•
My eyes shot open and the first thing I saw was white. Blinding white. I quickly closed my eyes and opened them slowly to adjust to the bright light.
I looked around for anything familiar, but there was nothing but white. I was wearing a white dress, I was sitting on a white bed, the curtains were white, the fan whirling above was white, the tables and cabinets were white too. There was too much white in this room.
I moved my left hand to my face, rubbing it, acutely aware of a crick in my neck. I hissed when I felt a sharp pain when I tried to turn my head to the side.
As I tried to move my right hand, I felt something holding it back. My eyes fell upon a hand in my own. It was Claire. She had her hand in my hand, resting her forehead on our hands.
"Claire," I called, my voice sounding a bit hoarse and rough. She lifted her head from her hands and I cringed at the sight of her face. Her eyes were red and dried tear marks were on her cheeks. It was clear she had cried a lot. Her lips were chapped and her skin was pale, as if she was about to pass out. Her hair was messy and looked like it hadn't been combed for a few days. She looked like a mess.
"Are you okay?" She asked, her eyelids appearing heavy as if she hadn't slept for a few days.
"I'm okay. How is Brian? And Jake?" I asked, too afraid to hear the answer.
She looked down at our hands. "I don't know."
"How long have I been out?"
Claire shrugged, "A couple of hours, I guess."
I got up from the hard and uncomfortable hospital bed, "I need to know how they are." I said, as I grabbed the clothes which were lying on top of the table. I quickly slipped into my clothes. I checked the time. It was 6:07 in the morning. My mom would still be asleep. However, I was wrong because when I checked my phone, I had twenty eight missed calls and fourteen text messages, all from mom in between two to six in the morning. Gosh, didn't she sleep at all? I had seven missed calls and one text message from Ryan.
I quickly scanned the texts, they were nearly the same, asking me to call them back as soon as possible, what I was doing at the dead of the night, where I was and what was taking me so long to reply.
I sent a simple text to mom.
I'm in the hospital. Two of my friends are not okay. But now everything's fine. Long story, will tell you sometime. Get some rest, I'm fine. Love you xx
I sent a text to Ryan too.
I'm fine, two of my friends are in the hospital. Everything's fine. Don't worry. Take care of mom. All the best for the football match. I'm sorry I can't make it to your match xx
We walked out of the room. There was a long hallway with rooms adjacent to each other. The hospital smells were starting to give me a headache and I thought I would nearly throw up. There were a few seats lined opposite every room.
"Where are they?" I asked Claire who was trailing behind me.
"Brian is in room 301 and Jake is in 201. They took out the bullets from their bodies, and they are fine but the doctors said that anything could happen and they are not sure if their condition will remain the same, either it will get better or worse." Claire's voice broke in the end.
"And where is Jesse?"
"He killed himself. He shot himself in the head and died on the spot. Brooke, he really was mental. He tried to rape me because I was the first girl who broke up with him, and not the other way round. And his actions were also triggered by the slap I gave him in the cafeteria."
"I knew it. I need to see Brian and Jake," I said, walking in the direction of the elevator.
"I'll grab a coffee, do you want one?"
"No," I said as I got into the elevator. I pressed the button for the second floor where Jake was. I got out on the second floor. He was in room 201. I looked up, above the door of the room, there was written 'Room 201' in big, black and bold letters. Just as I was about to open the door, it opened itself and a doctor stepped out, a nurse following him. He gave me an inquisitive look.
"Um...I'm here to meet Jake. Can I see him?" I asked.
"Are you his sister?" The doctor questioned.
"Well, I'm kind of his sister. Not his real one though."
"I'm afraid I won't be able to allow you to meet him then. Currently, only his immediate family is allowed in. And also not right now because the patient is resting. The bullet caused great damage in the chest area, where he was hit."
"He will get through this, won't he?"
"I can't tell. There is a fifty-fifty chance of his survival. I can't tell you anything more about him."
"Oh, okay."
He dismissed me with a nod and walked away. I stared at Jake through the small glass window. His eyes were closed. He was wearing an oxygen mask and several needles were attached to his hands. Adjacent to his bed was a huge beeping machine, the heart rate monitor.
I hope he would be alright.
I walked back to the elevator and pressed the button for the third floor. Brian was in the first room on this floor. I looked through the door and found him lying on the bed. He too, had his eyes closed. Deciding that I wouldn't be allowed in here too, I sat on the chair in front of the room.
Claire came after a few minutes, holding a cup of coffee for herself.
"I called everyone. Jake's parents are with him. Sam, Darren, Josh, Tyler and Gemma are here too. They are in the cafeteria as they were hungry. But when I called Brian's mother, she said she doesn't think she'll make it here. She's in Malaysia right now. She said she would come if she gets the time. I still can't believe she said that. Is she even his mother? Why would she say that?" Claire asked, her eyes conveying her disbelief.
"Long story, and it's personal. I don't think Brian would appreciate it if I tell you."
"I understand," She said and nodded.
"Is Sam okay?"
"Yeah, he got some stitches though."
My phone began ringing in my shorts' pocket and I took it out to see it was mom.
"Hi," I said, picking up the call.
"Brooke!" My mom shouted and I pulled the phone away from my ear, cringed at the volume of my mom's voice. "Are you alright? Who got shot? I hope it was not you! Oh my God! I knew I shouldn't have allowed you to leave! I knew something bad was going to happen! Come home right now! Which hospital are you in?! Tell me! I'll come there right n-"
"Mom, I'm fine!" I said, cutting her off. "I'm fine, okay? It was not me who got shot. It were two of my friends. I'm at the LifeStart Hospital."
"I'm coming there right now!"
"Mom, yo-" Before I could say the whole damn thing, my mom hung up on me.
"Is your mom coming?" Claire asked from beside me.
"Yeah, she is," I looked down at my clothes. I was still in my night pajamas, and it was chilly here at the hospital. "Claire, do you have some extra clothes. It's cold," I said, noticing she had changed into different clothes.
"Yeah, I brought some clothes. Here," She said, digging in her bag for a while before throwing a pair of dark jeans and a sweater at me.
"Thanks." I said, getting up to change.
~
My mom came to the hospital an hour later. I was still sitting on the chair outside Brian's room, my eyes drooping every now and then as I tried to remain awake. Claire was with Jake.
My mom wanted me to go home but I told her I would go home tonight. She wanted to wait with me too, but I pushed her to the elevator when she mentioned she had to go to work. And now, I was back at my seat in front of the room. Sam, Darren and Tyler were with me for sometime but even they had to go home because of their parents. Claire didn't leave her place though.
I guess we were the only ones waiting for them to wake up. I waited all day, ate the bland food of the hospital cafeteria, my phone's battery was about to die and I was feeling miserable. I wanted to know if they were going to be okay. Every time my mind wandered to that incident, my eyes welled up in tears as I thought about how Brian threw himself in front of Jesse to save me. He shouldn't have done that. I was so going to make his life hell when he gets better. And Jake, I'm going to beat the shit out of him. I didn't know why, but I would like to beat him up when he gets better too.
It was night time now, 10:23 pm as I checked the clock. My mom visited again in the evening and I told her that I was going to stay the night at the hospital. Of course she was hesitant but I told her that I would go home in the morning. Claire had given me a blanket to keep myself warm. I requested her to stay with me and she agreed, seeing that both of them were not going to wake up anytime soon.
I tried to sleep in the uncomfortable chair, my mind jumping back to Brian. How we first met, the first time I went to his house, the time at the beach, the day when he admitted he liked me and then finally the kisses. I missed kissing him. It felt different on a whole new level, feeling his lips against mine. It felt surreal.
I didn't know when I fell asleep, but I woke up when I heard voices and loud noises. I heard someone run past me, shouting something at someone.
"The patient's condition is worsening! Where is the doctor?!" Somebody shouted.
I heard hurried footsteps down the hallway, nearing me.
"What is it?" An alarmed voice asked someone.
"Emergency at Room 301! The patient is having a hard time breathing. Irregular heartbeats."
I pulled down the blanket from over my head and opened my eyes. My eyes took sometime to adjust to the bright light.
"Send a nurse to Room 301!" The alarmed voice shouted.
Room 301? Room 301! That was Brian's room. Oh my God.
My eyes shot to the room in front of me. The door suddenly opened and I saw the doctor bent over Brian's sleeping figure. I jumped out of my seat and I felt Claire stir a bit before her own eyes shot open.
I rested my palms on the glass door, my breathing getting heavy as the doctor checked his vitals and the heart rate monitor. What was happening?
The heart rate monitor was beeping faster than usual.
I saw the nurse filling an injector with some sort of a liquid. She gave it to the doctor who injected it in Brian's arm. That didn't have any effect as Brian's heart continued to beat fast. He was visibly breathing heavily but he still had his eyes closed.
I couldn't see it anymore so I turned around, my forehead covered in sweat and my own heart beating fast. Please don't let anything happen to Brian, please.
The suspense continued for about five more minutes before it ended. It became silent. Dead silent. I could even hear the sound of silence. Then I realized that it was because the heart rate monitor stopped...
I heard a gasp from Claire as she slapped a hand on her mouth and stumbled back, nearly falling on the chair. I felt a sudden, intense pain in my chest and I rubbed it softly.
I heard the door open and someone walked out of the room. I turned my gaze up to meet the sympathetic eyes of the doctor. My throat suddenly went dry.
"We're sorry, Miss Parker. We couldn't save your friend," He said calmly and put a hand on my shoulder before walking away with the nurse trailing behind him.
My legs felt weak, as if I lost the energy to do anything. I sank to the floor, drawing my knees closer as I hugged them. It felt like my heart crumbled within me. And I couldn't control my tears anymore. I cried my heart out.
I just lost Brian. He was dead.
~~~
Oh my God! I'm about to cry, I swear! Did I make you cry this time?
What do you think is going to happen next?
Vote, comment, share and follow me. I'll see y'all later. I'm just going to grab a tissue or something and go, cry in a corner.