Grateful
"You're awake." Frankie simply said as his cobalt eyes rotated toward her sitting form by the bed.
He did not answer her, but stared. His look grew icy as she continued to sit there, hands folded in her lap. His mind swirled the images in front of him as a wave of pain washed through his system.
The girl sighed, shifting herself into a more comfortable position. "You're banged up pretty badly. Mike was worried but he's at Fliss's right now. Kenny and the others are waiting for me at the Game Shop."
Somewhere in the back of his mind, he felt relief. Relief that Mike was not here to witness the pathetic state he was in. To Mike, he was almighty, strong and immune to all things. He was the epitome of strength which held the McKnight name high in the world.
But if his brother knew what had caused him to degrade into such a level… he'd rather kill himself.
"I know that what you did, you didn't do it out of kindness," Frankie started softly. This caused him to inwardly snort. "You also had a choice to not do it. You could have just hanged back and let someone else do it or let it happen. It didn't matter to you at all, did it?"
She looked at him, as if expecting him to respond to her rhetorical question. And she shook her head when he didn't retort. "No, of course not. At least, you won't admit it. It must be a male thing." She chuckled at the spoken thought.
"What you did… is something that doesn't happen everyday. Not everyone can do it because they're afraid. You probably were as well. I won't assume to know you, but I can say that even though you were afraid, you did the right thing. A brave thing." Her brown eyes no longer lingered on him, but moved to the curtained windows.
"I know that you don't like Rosie. And that Rosie doesn't like you. Even though she won't say it to you, I think that she regards you with some level of respect. Especially after this. Your actions definitely changed his perspective of you. Because now, she owes you one." She had a small grin on her face. "Rosie doesn't like being one up after all."
Heaving a breath, Frankie exhaled in a satisfied manner, as if she just made up her mind. Her eyes now fully focused on him, glowed with warmth and gratitude. "What I really want to say is… thank you."
He felt his eyes widen a fraction, his mask cracking the slightest.
She saw his reaction and smiled gently. "Yes, I want to thank you for saving Rosie's stupid butt from the accident. She should have been the one to take the hit, not that I would've like it either way, but you saved her and took the blow. And for that, I'm gracious. I don't know for what reasons you did it, but you did. And I'm happy that you saved Rosie. I'm also sorry that you have to be in this condition. And that Rosie's not here herself to thank you but she feels just as bad to see you like this."
The teenage girl stood up, brushing the wrinkles from her red skirt. Her hands dropped to her side and she looked down at him. "I'm also glad… to know that there's more than a frozen heart inside of you. That there is some part of you that worries for others aside from Mike."
He closed his eyes, refusing to listen to any more of her words to him. He had expected her to leave after that but was surprised when he felt her lips smooth over the skin of his cheek. His body gave no reaction to her actions but his heart skipped a beat and his eyes snapped open.
Frankie gave him one last smile, a radiant smile, before she walked over to the door. "I'll be sure to come back and visit tomorrow. And I'll bring Mike along too. Rest well, McKnight."
Matthew turned his head away from her, staring at the white curtains to his left.
An unsaid 'you're welcome' lingered in the room.
He looked from the other side of the street, where the leftover club was fooling around dangerously close to the curb. Cars passed by unblinkingly.
There! Kenny's forceful, but playful shove, tipped Rosie to a crack in the street. As she stumbled to regain her balance, her foot caught onto the curb, tripping her. She fell forward, but looked almost assured since the roads had quieted momentarily.
He meant to look away, pretending not to care as the redhead fell to the ground. She would get back up in a few moments. But he heard the loud roar of a truck's horn and turned to the sound.
It was headed toward Rosie at an impeccable speed, much too fast for the common busy road. The driver seemed to be slamming on the brakes as the vehicle continued to move in the forward direction.
Time seemed to have frozen itself for him to make the quick decision. He could turn away, and leave Rosie to be road-kill but see that girl back on her feet in a few days or he could... no, he shouldn't. It wasn't his obligation.
He heard a scream, an ear splitting scream, desperate and afraid. Startled, he didn't realize his actions until he felt the unexplainable pain coursing through his body.
His body hurt. Terribly as if it was on fire. Something was cool underneath him, but there was also something wet, sticky even. Voices turned muddy around him. One male, pitchy, almost like Mike's.
There were distinctly feminine voices, unlike the one who screamed. Something new fell upon his cheek as he felt his body being lifted carefully. It was also wet, but cleaner. His head was cushioned on something warm, soft. There was a soothing scent. A voice called his name, it was hoarse and panic ridden.
"McKnight! McKnight! Stay awake okay? The ambulance, it's coming right now!"
Painfully, he peeled open his eyes, blinded by white. A blurry figure hovered above him. He could make out brown eyes, clouded with tears and fear. Eyes of a woman, thick with lashes and round like a doe. Her face framed by ebony black. So familiar… so agonizingly familiar.
He opened his mouth to speak, but no words came out. Where was his voice?
"McKnight? No, shh. Don't talk. The ambulance is almost here okay? You've got to keep your eyes open."
That voice, it calmed his jumbled mind. It eased the pain, although not entirely, but a bit. Everything seemed to have evaporated, leaving only him and the voice.
His eyes drooped. Tired, heaviness bore down on his bones and mind. The voice picked up a frightened tone. "No! McKnight! Stay awake! Where's the ambulance?!"
Darkness… it was quiet, soothing, inviting. He surrendered himself, feeling nothing but sleep and numbness.
The voice was distant now, but he heard the final word. "Matthew!"