"Hey, I'm glad to see you're awake," Dr. K said cheerily as she came into my room.
Awake was a bit of a stretch. More like "barely conscious," honestly, and extremely pissed off.
Any time someone bothered me, I practically bit their head off over something as simple as what I wanted to eat, or drink.
It wasn't quite the best way to talk to my friends and family who were just trying to help, but obviously, my cold infected body decided being nice wasn't a necessity.
"How are the meds working? Are you feeling better today?" Dr. K asked.
I bit back a groan as I sat up, deciding I should at least answer her questions. "I guess, and barely," I responded simply, wanting nothing more than for her to leave.
She nodded and wrote something down on -I'm assuming- my chart, then she turned
to mom. "I'm going to up the dose of his antibiotics and see if that helps him."
"Okay, whatever will help him feel better because he's been a real pain in the you-know-what to take care of here lately," mom responded, a smirk pulling at her lips as she glanced pointedly at me.
Dr. K laughed and replied, "I know. He's been quite cranky to me as well, but that's understandable. Who's actually nice when they're sick, right?"
"Cranky is an understatement, more like unbearable." Mom grinned at me mischievously.
"Oh, come on. I haven't been that bad," I interrupted, only half serious.
Mom and Dr. K both turned to me, and gave me the same 'yes, you have' looks.
A felt a hot burn creeping up the back of my neck, as I realized I was acting like a complete asshole lately. I technically had an excuse as I felt like complete shit, but taking my anger out on everyone around me was really douchy.
"Yeah...sorry..." I awkwardly scratched the back of my head, my face ablaze with embarrassment.
"It's fine, Eath. Just maybe tone down the attitude a little," mom teased, a wide smirk on her face.
I didn't think it was possible for my face to get any hotter -not only because of my fever but because of my embarrassment- but it did.
I awkwardly slid back down in bed, hoping Dr. K would leave for a different reason this time.
"I'm gonna go grab your new dose of antibiotics. Is there anything you want before I go?" Dr. K's lips were twitching as she struggled to keep her composure.
"No. I'm good, thanks," I swiftly replied.
She nodded, then turned around and walked out, quietly closing the door behind her.
I hoped the extra dose of meds would make me feel better because I was so tired of feeling like complete crap the last few days, hell the whole week, honestly.
I felt like shit before I even went to the hospital, and now that I'm stuck here -again- I still don't feel better.
"I'm back, asshole," Abby announced with a wide smirk as she closed the door -not so- quietly.
"Damn, close the door a little louder next time," I muttered.
Abby glanced at the door, then back at me with a 'whoops' look and a shrug. "Yeah, wouldn't want to bother your neighbors. Considering we're in a hotel and all," Abby said slyly, then glanced pointedly at mom.
A blush stained mom's cheeks as she muttered, "My God, you kid's never forget anything."
Abby burst out laughing as I remarked, "We forget all kinds of shit. Just nothing that hilarious."
"I swear. Kids live to embarrass their parents," mom sighed.
"Well, I guess it's payback for you and dad embarrassing Drew and me all the time," I retorted with my own smirk tugging at my lips.
Mom snorted, though she didn't offer another reply as she turned back to her laptop.
Abby grinned devilishly at me and sauntered over to my bed, before dropping down on the end of it.
"Soooo, how are we feeling today?" she asked, dramatically dragging out the so, her auburn brows dipping in concern.
"Slightly better than yesterday." I shrugged.
"See! A little improvement is better than nothing, right?" Abby responded overly excitedly, her overenthusiastic cheerleading side coming out.
"Yep," I said with forced enthusiasm.
"Oh come on, Eath. I know it sucks right now, but positivity! It works wonders for your mood," Abby said smugly, no doubt referencing my asshole-like behavior lately.
"Whatever," I muttered, my cheeks burning.
She turned her head to the side like a confused puppy and analyzed every inch of my face.
"What?" I was slightly uncomfortable under her stare, wondering why she was staring at me so intently.
"When did you get a cannula?" Abby asked, confused.
I reached up, self consciously touching the plastic tube in my nose, feeding me pure oxygen so I can breathe much easier. "Oh, I got it this morning. Apparently, Dr. K thought it would help."
(Just in case your wondering), A cannula is a thin tube of plastic that connects to some type of tank -mostly oxygen- that separates under my chin, loops over my ear's, and then reconnects in my nostrils, feeding the oxygen straight to my lungs when I breathe in; making my lungs ache a little less when I breathe.
"Does it?" Abby questioned.
I didn't really wanna admit that it was helping as it's embarrassing as hell that I need it, but it was. It helped a lot actually. "Yeah, it's actually helping me breathe without it hurting like hell," I replied, only mildly serious, a grin tugging at my lips.
"That's good. At least it's helping. The only problem is, you look like a total dork with it." Abby smirked, twirling the plastic tube around.
"Well damn. I thought I was rocking the whole 'dying kid thing' pretty well," I remarked.
Abby laughed, a smirk tugging at the corners of her lips. "Yeah...not really. Hazel pulls it off much better."
I picked up one of my pillows and chucked it at her. Newsflash, it missed; sailing straight over the end of the bed, and fell on the floor behind her.
Abby glanced from the pillow to me with a 'wow' look in her eyes.
I glanced at the pillow lying abandoned on the floor and burst out laughing.
There was absolutely nothing funny about me -miserably- failing to throw a pillow at my best friend who was no more than a few feet away from me, but it just felt good to laugh.
To be in a semi-good mood after days of being miserable.
Simply laughing with Abby, or joking around with my mom made me much feel better.
Honestly, as cheesy as it sounds, sometimes the simplest moments in life were better than the big ones. Don't get me wrong, the big things are fucking amazing when they happen, but sometimes all you need is something small to make you laugh or smile.
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'New message from an unknown number,' popped up on my phone as I scrolled through Instagram, seeing all of my "friends" at parties or having fun with their friends, and feeling insanely jealous.
What the hell? Who the hell, actually?
Hey Ethan. It's Leo. Leo Malone. :P
I heard you were in the hospital. I'm sorry to hear that...
You looking for a visitor?
I laid there staring at my phone wondering 4 different things at the same time.
1. How the fuck did Leo get my number?
2. Why is he texting me?
3. Who told him I was in the hospital, and why did he care?
4. And why the actual fuck is my heart pounding a stuttery beat in my chest? From a fucking text?
Leo knew I read his texts, as all phones tell you when someone's read them, so I couldn't just leave him on read, that would be extremely douchy...but what the fuck do I say?
Umm...hi?
How did you get my number?
I nervously answered and awaited his response; embarrassingly staring at the screen way too intently
Leo responded within 30 seconds, and I practically jumped out of my skin as my phone vibrated in my hand.
Hi. :)
Abby gave it to me. Is that okay?
Uh, no.
...I mean yes, it's fine! I don't mind.
I silently cringed at how awkward my answers were.
I mean come on, Eath. It's just a fucking text. It's not like he's here; he's just texting me.
Calm. Take deep breaths, and calm down.
Cool.
I could've gotten the number from you, of course, but since you're in the hospital I can't obviously. :P
Leo added to contact list.
Why I instantly added Leo's number to my contact list, and didn't keep texting him for a while before I did? I didn't know.
It felt like my fingers clicked the create contact button and typed his name in without any help from my -apparently useless- brain.
Well, you could have, technically, but you didn't.
:P
And how could I have done that?
I would have to visit you first, and you haven't told me whether or not you wanted visitors...
;)
The guy had a point. He had asked me if I -and I quote- was looking for a visitor, and I hadn't answered him.
Yes.
I'm looking for a visitor. :)
'Leo's typing...' That's what the screen said for a solid minute, and he never actually sent anything before it disappeared.
What? Why did he...?
"Hey, Ethan, I just wanted to make sure you knew this person before I let him in," my favorite nurse Allison asked, peeking her head in the room.
I looked over to see who she was looking at, I and saw Leo standing there with a smile on his face.
Oh fuck...
"Uh, yeah. He's okay, Allison. He's my friend," I responded awkwardly, never taking my eyes off Leo. He waved and sent me a grin; even from across the room, I could see his hazy blue eyes twinkling.
"Okay. I just wanted to make sure, as he's never requested to see you before," Allison said.
"Yeah, he recently moved here, so we haven't been friends for long." I tore my eyes away from Leo, turning back to Allison.
She curiously glanced between Leo and me. "Alright. Would you like anything before I go?"
"Uh, can I get some water or something to drink?" I pushed myself up to a sitting position, gritting my teeth through the pain.
"Sure, I'll go get you a pitcher, okay?" Allison lifted her eyebrows, silently waiting for my answer.
I nodded and said something along the lines of "okay" as she left, closing the door behind her, leaving me alone with Leo.
"This place is...nice," Leo said glancing around my room. He leaned against the aggressively white wall, crossing his long, sinewy arms over his chest, pressing his shirt against his skin.
I noticed he was wearing a navy blue button-down with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows and a pair of khaki pants.
I hated how much attention I paid to his outfit. I also hated how much attention I paid to how his outfit...fit; his shirt hugging his lean muscles, and his pants showing off his long legs. I hated all of it...and loved it at the same time. Confusing the hell out of me...but what's new there? It's not.
"Yeah, its nicer than the other hospitals I've been in." I shrugged, self consciously attempting to fix my hair and failing miserably, so I just grabbed my beanie and decided to cover every inch of my hair with it.
"What's wrong with your hair?" Leo apparently noticed me attempting to cover my hair, and he was amused about it as he was standing there grinning at me.
I froze mid-tug of my hat, my cheeks inflaming with a flush. "It looks like shit," I admitted, fully yanking my hat down as far as it would go.
He smirked at me as he strode over to the chair beside my bed and sat on the arm of the chair, leaning forward and resting his elbows on his knees. He stared at me intently as he reached over and yanked the hat off my head. "I like your hair when it's messy," he murmured, twirling the hat around on his finger.
My heart rate picked up -even more than it already had- as I made the mistake of looking into those steely, blue eyes. He was staring at me with a lazy grin on his face, his eyes deepening to a quicksilver as his gaze slipped across my face, the hat halting on his finger.
I felt my cheeks burning as I dipped my head and stared at a loose thread on my blanket. "Why? It looks like shit," I mumbled to the blanket, unable to look up.
"That's why I like it..." he murmured. "Because it looks shitty."
I glanced up from the blanket, confused as to why he liked it when my hair looked shitty. And why does he like my hair at all? Why do I even care..?
"What?" I asked, unable to hold the question back.
He grinned at me, returning to spinning my hat around. "I like when you show your vulnerable side."
Why? Who likes seeing someone's vulnerable side?
"I'm not vulnerable. I look like a fucking mess," I retorted, turning back to the blanket, unable to show just how much that comment affected me; making my heart swell with affection at how adorable he was that he actually wanted to see my vulnerable side.
I was unable to show how it affected my already incredibly wrong feelings for Leo. Incredibly...romantic...feelings for Leo.
He stared at me silently for a moment, intently taking in every feature. "Abby told me you were pretty sick..." Leo trailed off, obviously expecting me to fill the awkward silence that settled around us.
I glanced up from the blanket, and he was still staring at me, though I could see the concern in his gaze as he flicked an eyebrow up, silently asking me what the fuck was wrong with me.
"Um, yeah. I have a cold..." I trailed off, awkwardly awaiting him to laugh as everyone does since they don't know the severity of my cold.
"I get it. Your shitty immune system can't fight the virus right?" Leo apparently understood the severity of my cold, where everyone but my friends and family didn't.
"Something like that," I murmured with a shrug not sure what else to say.
Leo was silent for a minute before asking, "So, what do you do to keep yourself from going insane in here?"
I looked up from my blanket to him again; he was sitting there smirking at me with an expectant look in his eyes, and one dark eyebrow raised.
He dropped my hat on the table beside him and he slid down onto the seat cushion; sprawling across the chair and draping one arm over the back of it. A lazy grin tugged at the corner of his lip, causing my stomach to do summersaults.
I felt a grin pulling at my own lips, just being around Leo for a few minutes already making me happier. "Well, obviously sleep, but when I'm awake: I read, scan the internet for anything that's not depressing or anger-inducing, and play Call of Duty on Drew's Xbox.
"That's certainly a cliche set of hobbies," Leo remarked, his lazy grin turning mischievous.
I was staring at his lips wondering why they looked different than the last few times I've seen him; his whole face looked different, honestly. It was smoother, and shinier, for some reason.
Is he wearing makeup?
Then it clicked; he was wearing makeup. That's why he looked different.
Why his lips looked shiny, and his eyes were more on the gray side because he was wearing eyeshadow, and probably some type of lipstick.
What the actual hell? Why do I even care, honestly? If he wants to wear makeup it shouldn't bother me. Right..?
"If my hobbies are so cliche, then what are your's?" The words easily flowing off my tongue for once.
"Uh...exactly the same as your's." His eye danced with amusement, the color changing from smoky blue to straight, baby blue.
"Why are you calling me cliche then?" I retorted.
He lifted a shoulder in a nonchalant shrug, his sly grin turning into a full-on smirk. "Tell me something about your very obviously cliche self." Leo ignored my question, asking one of his own with that damn smirk, his eyes twinkling with amusement.
"There's not much to tell. I'm almost 18. I've lived in this same city all my life. I have a younger brother and a sister you've already met. My dad's an accountant..." I trailed off, realizing that was more than just something.
Leo nodded, his gaze was fixed on my face -specifically my eyes- as he said, "See? Now I know you better"-he paused, his gaze dropping to my mouth as he murmured-"I'd love to get to know everything about you."
My heart actually stopped beating at the intensity in his quicksilver eyes.
His every word dripped with a sensuality that made a certain part of my body throb under my blanket. Thank God it was under the blanket so he couldn't see how hard his gaze was making me...
I was speechlessly staring at him, my mouth hanging wide open.
He leaned forward, his fingertip hooking under my jaw, and he gently pushed my mouth closed. "Don't you look cute when you're shocked," he murmured, sensuality smoldering in his gaze.
"...Uh...um...I..." I sputtered, unable to concentrate under his gaze.
He wasn't just staring at me. No, he was staring straight through me like he knew exactly what I was thinking even though my mind was completely blank.
His finger slid off my chin and down my neck, sending hot tingles down my spine that made me shiver at the gentlest caress of his hand before it curved around the nape of my neck. He leaned forward in his chair so our mouths were lined up, and they were mere inches apart.
"Don't hate me for this..." he whispered, his lips hovering over mine so closely I could feel his hot breath fanning against my skin, and I could smell the intoxicating scent of his cologne mixing with the fresh scent of soap.
I was wondering what he was about to do that would make me hate him, but I very quickly realized what that was...when he kissed me...
The smallest contact of his lips sent an unexplainable feeling g rocketing through my veins. An unexplainable happiness...rocketed through my veins.
He gently brushed my lips with his, the contact soft, gentle...a question, like he was silently asking if this was okay.
Apparently, my lips thought it was, even though my brain was saying fuck no, my body was completely ignoring it.
I pressed my lips against his, my eyes fluttering closed as my hands gripped the blanket so tightly my knuckles were probably turning white..but did I care? No. All I could focus on was the delicious, fruity taste of Leo's lips, and how unexplainably soft they were as Leo pressed...no, more like molded them against mine.
The kiss started off slow and gentle then deepened into something stronger, hotter, and more...sexual.
My (useless, leukemia filled) blood surged through my veins, shooting directly southward, causing an almost painful erection to press against my pants.
Leo's hand slipped off my neck, and delved into the back of my hair, his fingers tangling in the knotted strands.
One of my hands let go of the blanket, and it was on its path up to Leo's neck but it stopped as he slipped his hand off my head, he broke the kiss, and he sat back all in one solid movement.
My eyes popped open and I didn't realize how hard I was breathing until now.
I sat there raggedly panting as I stared at him (probably wide-eyed, and looking like someone out of a fucking insane asylum) confused as to why he just suddenly broke the kiss.
"You should....probably...get some rest..." Leo panted, breathing as raggedly, and heavily as I was, and for the first time since I met him, he looked completely caught off guard.
Gone, was the cool, easy demeanor. Now he sat there awkwardly fidgeting like he wasn't sure what to do.
"I have to go." He suddenly jumped out of the chair and trotted out of the room without so much as another glance.
After he left, I sat there staring at where he sat only a few seconds ago, even more, confused than ever.
He'd flirted with me, hell, he called me cute. Then proceeded to kiss me. Then he just left without so much as a goodbye?
Why did I like the kiss so much, fuck...why did I like him so much? I'm straight right? I've never wanted to kiss guys before... Yes, you have...in fact, you've already kissed a boy before...
I've never thought they were hot, or... sexy like I did Leo. Yes, you have... And I sure as hell, have never gotten a boner, from one. Girls sure. I've dated plenty, and found them attractive since I was like 12, but never a guy...
As much as I lied to myself, none of that was true.
I've experienced this all before...I just block it all out. Never wanting to think about it. Never wanting to remember it...
I groaned frustratedly as I dropped my head in my hands, my lips still tingling from Leo's mouth on them, my dick still throbbing painfully in my pants.
There were a million questions swirling around in my brain, many of which I had absolutely no answer for. Unfortunately...
"Alrighty, here's your water! Sorry, that took so long; I had to check in with another patient," Allison said as I heard the door opening.
"Are you alright?" she asked concerned, most likely wondering why I was sitting the way I was.
I lifted my head and saw the concern and nervousness in her slightly widened eyes.
"I'm fine. I'm just tired," I lied, wanting her to leave me alone to mull everything that just happened over.
"Alright, alright, I'll get out of your hair; just let me set this"-she said referencing the pitcher of ice water in her hand-"down, and pour you a glass, then I'll leave you to your nap."
"Thank you," I mumbled as I took the full glass she held out to me. I had no intention of sleeping. I probably wouldn't be able to sleep even if I wanted to, which I didn't... I wanted to sit and analyze everything that Leo told me, and memorize the feeling of his lips on mine. It sounded creepy as hell, but I was still gonna do it.
"Your welcome. I'll come check on you later, but you should get some rest. Remember, sleep fights infection, right?" she replied a kind smile on her face.
I nodded and brought the cup to my mouth.
I downed the entire glass as she left, the ice cold liquid doing nothing to cool the fire still burning through my veins.
What the actual hell just happened?
Alrighty, another chapter for you guys! I'm actually really proud of this one, and extremely happy with the way it turned out, so I really, really hope you enjoy it!! ☺
Now. Question time!!! Sorry, that was very enthusiastic for something that's not quite that exciting...well, at least you guys probably don't think it's too exciting, but I do. 😋
1. Sorry, have to ask. Did you guys like the chapter? If not, what could I do to improve it? And please don't be harsh, constructive criticism only, as I don't tolerate haters. 😐
2. How do you act when you're sick? Are you bitchy, asshole-like, or semi-polite? I'm personally the needy, whiny, pathetic type, but you know...we're all different. Right?
3. Have you guys ever gotten stuck in the hospital before? If so, what for?
4. Have you ever felt more confused after kissing someone, of the same or opposite sex -no judging here, ever 😙- or have you felt less confused. And to those here -like me, unfortunately- who haven't kissed anyone, we wouldn't know, right? 😅
5. Lastly, how often do your parents, siblings, friends, etc. embarrass you? Mine do it all the time, but to be fair, as do I. 😎
Love you guys!
-F1oridaLov3r