Disclaimer: None of it (minus the plot) is mine.
AN/ I hope you enjoy the Chapter I've written. (I don't think it's half bad) It's longer than Chapter One so yay! The Warnings are all the same except for the fact that I forgot to put that there is gay people in the story. It isn't really a big part but I don't want to be flamed because of some stupid homophobe so I figured I should just include it in my author's note. Also, thank you for the four wonderful reviews that I received, it just made me so happy and motivated me to get this chapter out sooner. I hope you enjoy!
Chapter Two
Ding, Ding. Came the annoying sound of Trent's cell phone. The exhausted teen rolled over in his bed and blindly flailed his hand around in attempt to locate the source of the noise. The teen had stayed up way to late the night before and when he finally did fall asleep he was restless.
"Hello?" Said Trent, still half asleep.
"Hi. Um… It's me Hunter." Came the nervous sounding response from the normally confident boy.
"Oh God! Are you all right? Do you know where Sebastian is? Is he in-"
"I'm fine." Interrupted the Warbler Captain in a tense, stern voice. Hunter let out a sigh before continuing in a gentler tone, "Sorry, its all just been so hectic and I'm really on edge right now. In fact, I've been on edge since that first gun shot."
"I'm so happy that you're okay! We tried calling and texting you and Sebastian but nether of you answered." Responded Trent enthusiastically.
"Yeah, the shooter made us take out our phones and he stomped on them so I couldn't get your calls and stuff."
"You were in the room with the shooter! Is Sebastian okay?" Trent practically shouted.
"Sebastian is in the hospital." Answered Hunter in a worn out tone.
"But- but is he okay?" Stressed the normally happy Warbler.
"He got shot in the stomach and was in surgery for a couple hours. The shooter- he also had a knife. I didn't really have a clear view of what the sicko did to Sebastian but he carved him up pretty bad too. They said he's going to make it but that's all they'd tell me as I'm not immediate family."
"Oh God, oh God. Oh God, oh God, oh God." Responded Trent. The teen said the first two normally as if he was trying to stay calm before the last three 'oh Gods' followed in rapid succession.
"Whoa Trent! Calm down, panicking isn't going to help anybody." Said Hunter, "Listen why don't you text all the Warblers on that group chat we have set up for Warbler business and tell them that I'm alright and Sebastian is in the hospital but he's gonna make it."
"Right, yeah." Whispered Trent as he did as Hunter suggested. He nearly dropped his phone twice in his post-hysteria shaking and the bittersweet knowledge of what had happened to their team mates.
"Umm... Hunter?" Questioned Trent as he repositioned the phone back up to his ear.
"Yeah, I'm still here."
"If- If you were in the same room as the shooter does that mean you know who it was? Does it also mean that- that you know who- who died?" Stuttered the Warbler, his voice getting quieter as he continued his question.
"Yeah." Gruffly responded Hunter.
"Oh, um, can you tell me who they were? Not that you have to if you don't want to. It's totally up to you I mean. No need to be uncomfortable and-."
"Trent." Interrupted Hunter in a warning tone, "I don't know who the shooter was because he was wearing a ski mask. The dead person however…"
Trent silently waited on the other end for the Warbler Captain to start talking again. He was dying to know who it was inside but he didn't want to make the other teen uncomfortable or push him to do something he didn't want to do. He really didn't need that after all that he'd been through, that they'd all been through.
"It was Mrs. Sobel. The freshman Algebra teacher." Solemnly answered Hunter.
"I had her." Answered Trent in shock, "She was so nice. A little bit strict but so nice. I remember last year when we were singing Uptown Girl, she walked by and tried to quiet us down. We went out into the hallway and serenaded her during the song." The Warbler dissolved into sobs as he wished he could take back wanting to know who died.
"I'm going to go. I'll keep you posted on Sebastian, I'm still in the hospital." Answered Hunter uncomfortably.
"Yeah, bye." Said Trent thickly before hanging up.
The Warbler just didn't understand why someone would want to hurt such a nice lady. It just didn't make any sense to him and it probably never would. All he could think, now more than ever, was that the man who attacked Dalton was one sick, sad individual.
LINE BREAK
Sebastian woke up slowly. His consciousness slowly drifting to the front of his mind as sensations became clearer. The muffled buzzing separated into the beeping of machines and soft whispers of people talking above him. The crisp feeling surrounding Sebastian became recognizable as the feeling of clean cotton sheets and cool, fresh air.
The light slowly became brighter as it pressed against Sebastian's still closed eyelids. The teen shifted slightly causing a harsh spark of pain to erupt in his stomach. An involuntary grunt of pain passed from Sebastian's lips causing the people around him to get louder and start touching him.
When they touched him it hurt, why were they doing it? Couldn't they just leave him alone?
Yet the voices were insistent. They kept telling him to wake up, to open his eyes. It was with great difficulty that Sebastian finally managed to pry open his heavy eyelids. Immediately bright colors and lights assaulted the poor boy.
It was because of this that the teen snapped his eyes shut as soon as they had opened. All he wanted to do was sleep again, why were they bothering him? Suddenly it all came back to him, the shooting and the man in the black ski mask. He had loomed over Sebastian with a knife even after shooting him in the stomach and had ruthlessly cut into the teens pale flesh.
With this memory fresh in his mind Sebastian's eyes shot open once again. This time he ignored how much the light burned in favor of finding out just what had happened.
As his eyes adjusted the Warbler saw several nurses and a doctor bustling around the small room he was in and several people standing over him.
"There he is." Said the doctor in a soft and calm voice as he greeted Sebastian.
"Mhnnn." Groaned Sebastian as he attempted to hide under the covers from the nurses. His plan to face the crowd, of like five people, was being momentarily abandoned.
"Wake up. I know it's hard but we need to talk to you about some stuff." Came the kind voice of one of the nurses.
"What?" Asked Sebastian in a hoarse voice.
"Just some things regarding your injuries and dealing with the press that's covering the shooting." Answered the Doctor as the same nurse gave him a cup of water.
"Okay." Answered the Warbler after taking a sip of water. The nurses were leaving so it was now just the Doctor in the room with him.
"Well first of all, you were shot in the stomach. Unfortunately the bullet got stuck in your spine and we don't want to remove it yet because there is a chance doing so will paralyze you from the waist down. Until it is removed you won't be able to walk without extreme pain but you can still move your legs. We wanted you to be able to make the decision for yourself."
"What?" Asked Sebastian breathlessly, "What is the chance I'll be able to walk if I do go through with the surgery?"
"It's really a fifty fifty sort of thing. We just don't know." Admitted the Doctor.
"What about my other injuries. I remember he had a knife and- and he-."
"You don't have to talk about it if you don't want to. He cut pretty deeply into your left arm and your right hip. There will be scars left behind there but the cuts on your legs are relatively shallow and we are confident that they will heal up fine."
"Oh." Answered Sebastian, feeling lost.
"I think that you have enough on your mind at the moment so I won't spend too much time bothering you about the press. The only thing I really need to know right now is if you want your name to be released to the public."
"No. I'd rather it didn't."
"Okay that's perfectly fine. You do have a visitor that wanted to see you. His name is Hunter Clarington and we wanted to clear it by you first. Seeing as your out of surgery we can now allow non-family visitors but its hospital policy to make sure you, a family member or someone already cleared to visit you, unless you say they can visit but not clear other visitors to see you, knows the visitor and clears them to visit you." Responded the Doctor.
"Yeah, I know Hunter. He's fine." Replied Sebastian tiredly. Did they really need to dump all that on him the moment he woke up? The reality that they weren't sure he would be able to walk again scared him senseless. While it wasn't something that he did in front of other people much, Sebastian had always loved to dance. His mother loved ballet and dancing and had signed him up when he was little. Even though it had been the cause of much bullying over the years and it fueled his belief that his mother had really wanted a daughter he had such with it.
He hadn't signed up for new classes since moving back to the United States but he had kept with it in private and occasionally did things out of state. Not to mention that not only would he never be able to dance again but he'd never be able to walk or run. He'd be another wheel chair bound pity fest like that Lima Looser, Artie.
Sebastian had been so caught up in his own thoughts that he didn't even realize that Hunter had entered the room and the Doctor had left.
"Hey Sebastian." Awkwardly stated the Warbler Captain. Sebastian was startled by the sudden noise and finally looked up and realized his friends presence.
"Oh, um, hi." Answered Sebastian, just as awkwardly.
"Are you alright?" Asked the worried teen as he sat down.
"Sort of." Responded Sebastian, reluctant to give information.
"Sort of! What's wrong? Are you going to be okay?" Panicked Hunter.
"Um, well it's… I just- ImaynotwalkagainbecauseIhaveabulletinmyspine."
Hunter blinked slowly as he tried to comprehend what Sebastian had just said, "Could you repeat that? Maybe a bit slower this time."
"Right. You see they didn't remove the bullet from my spine because there is a fifty fifty chance I'll end up paralyzed. And I can't just leave it in there because I'll be in terrible pain every time I try to stand. So I can either go through with the procedure and maybe be paralyzed or I can not do it and keep the feeling in my legs but never walk."
"What!" Gaped the elder teen. Hunter felt like he had been run over by a train when he heard the heart breaking news.
Tears gathered in Sebastian's eyes as he confessed his situation for the first time. Somehow saying it aloud made it even more real than it already had been. The teen turned his head to the side and tried to wipe his tears without Hunter noticing. The Warbler Captain had most likely seen the unshed tears anyway, but it made Sebastian feel better to think he didn't.
"What about Mrs. Sobel? I mean I saw what happened but is she really-?" trailed off Sebastian.
"Yeah." Answered Hunter thickly. All this shit was happening because one stupid man who decided it would be a good idea to shoot up a school. It was bad enough that he'd killed such a nice woman but now Sebastian may never walk again. There was no punishment great enough for destroying lives like that.
Hunter knew that realistically they had been lucky. There could have been many more people killed, both Sebastian and himself among them, but he really didn't feel anything close to lucky.
"Do-do you know where my parents are? They aren't here and the doctor didn't say anything about them." Asked Sebastian timidly.
"No, I haven't heard anything. Sorry."
"Don't be. It isn't your responsibility to know these things." Answered the lanky Warbler.
"Do you want to use my phone to call them?" Offered Hunter.
"That would be great. Thanks." Responded Sebastian as he reached for the offered phone.
Sebastian nervously dialed his mother's cell and waited as the dial tone rang.
"Hello. You've reached Abigail Smythe. How may I help you?" Came the caring voice of his mother.
"Hi mom, uh, it's me Sebastian."
"Oh, hi honey! How are things? Your father and I decided to fly over to Paris for a couple days. Visit your Grandmother and all that."
"Well I guess that explains where you are." Chuckled Sebastian without any mirth behind his laugh.
"Sweetheart, are you okay?" Questioned Mrs. Smythe, sounding worried.
"Not really. There was a shooting a Dalton. I'm in the hospital." Nervously answered the teen.
"What!" Shouted Abigail Smythe in her son's ear, "Oh my God! Your Father and I are coming home this instant! Are you- Is it bad?"
"I'm fine. I'm not in any danger of dying. So yeah, I'm fine." Answered Sebastian as he avoided the question.
"As glad as I am that you're not going to die, that's not a real answer and you know it." Sternly responded Sebastian's mother.
"Well, I was shot in the stomach. And-and the bullet got stuck in my spine so if they take it out I-I may be paralyzed from the waist down."
A loud sob tore through Mrs. Smythe's through as she heard of her son's predicament, "Can't they just leave it in!"
"They said if they do that I won't lose feeling but I won't be able to stand without extreme pain." Answered Sebastian thickly.
"Oh my God! This is a nightmare. It isn't real. It can't be. Oh my baby!" Cried a hysterical Abigail Smythe.
"Mom. It's going to be okay. I just would really like it if you could get here soon."
"Of course." Whispered Sebastian's mom, "I'll go and start packing our stuff. I'll have your Father book the soonest flight. We'll be there as soon as possible, okay honey."
"Okay mom, I'll see you soon. I love you."
"I love you too. Bye." Responded Mrs. Smythe as Sebastian hung up.
The Warbler handed Hunter back his phone. The elder teen had been awkwardly standing in the corner as he didn't want to intrude on the private conversation but needed his phone once his friend was done.
"Are they coming?" Asked Hunter.
"Yeah, they were in Paris which is why they didn't get the school's phone call. There coming back as soon as they can get a flight." Answered the injured teen.
"Paris? Wow, no wonder they weren't here in the hospital."
"If it's okay the painkillers are kind of making be tired and I just want a bit of a break from all the craziness that is happening." Said Sebastian as he made himself comfortable on the hospital bed.
"Of course. I'll be back soon to check on you." Responded Hunter as he hastily stood up and made his way to the door.
"See you later." Answered Sebastian with a huge yawn.
Hunter chucked at the sight of his sleepy friend and softly shut the door behind him.
Sebastian was burrowing himself into the sheets as much as he could and happily letting sleep claim him.
AN/ Hi! I hope you enjoyed it and didn't find it too painful to read. Please Review!