For the One You Love
Chapter 4: Emergency Room
Breana shook her head in disappointment. Then put her hand on her head as if she had a headache. Logan had his hand on her back.
"I told him to stop," Zoey said.
"This is all your fault!" Lola blurted to Jason.
"Why is it my fault?" he asked.
"You kept testing him. You wanted him to play basketball with you. When he finally does, you both get tired of playing and he ends up passing out."
"I still don't see how this is my fault."
She groaned and popped him in the head.
"Lola, it's not all Jason's fault."
"Thank you, Breana!" he threw his hands in the air.
"But she is right to a certain extent. If Michael had sense, he would've called it quits."
Michael Jr. was sitting next to Mrs. Barrett and Daren. He just kept shaking his head.
"Why?" he asked. "Why did this happen?"
"Sometime things happen for a reason," Daren said rubbing his shoulder.
"But… Dad is so young. I thought this stuff happen to old people."
"It can happen to anybody, I guess," Nicole said.
The doctor came out. Everybody stood up.
"I guess you're Michael Barrett's family?" he smiled.
"Yeah," Logan said. "How is he?"
"What happened?" Jake asked.
"Hold on. I'm gonna tell you. Michael just had a mild heart attack—"
"What?" Justine said. "But he's 29 years old."
"Age obviously doesn't matter anymore. It's common between the ages 25 to 40. It happens all the time."
"You still didn't answer my question," Logan said. "How is he?"
"He's just fine."
"Is he gonna have to stay here?" Breana asked.
"Just a day to monitor his heart."
"Can we go see him?" Dana asked.
"Yeah, you can go. But some at a time."
"I'll go," Daren said.
"Me too," Nicole said.
Logan and Jake followed. They walked in his room.
"Hey, Michael," Nicole smiled.
"Hey," he smiled.
"You doin' okay?" Daren asked.
"Yeah. Couldn't be better."
"You gave us quite a scare," Jake said.
"Yeah. I sacred myself too."
"You gotta take it easy, man," Logan said.
"That was just a minor setback. Just one little thing. No problem."
"It wasn't just a little thing," he almost yelled. "You passed out."
"I think what he's trying to say," Daren said, "that you need to slow down."
"Yeah," Nicole said. "Cause this might be a sign that you're really getting old."
"You know what? Your visit is really bringing me down. How about I see you guys later?"
"Okay," Logan said. "Get some rest."
Nicole smiled and kissed him on the cheek. Daren hugged him. Jake did that special guy hand shake. Then the next group came in, which was Mrs. Barrett, Michael Jr., Justine, Chris, Victoria, Lana, Dugan and Little John.
"Wow," he smiled. "So many visitors. Now I'm really happy."
"Are you okay, Mr. Barrett?" Victoria asked.
"Yeah. I'm great, now that I see y'all," he smiled.
"Are you sure you're okay, sweetie?" Mrs., Barrett said.
"Yeah, Mom. You don't have to worry about me."
She rubbed his head caringly and smiled a frown.
"Really," he took her hand. He looked at the kids. "You can come to me," he laughed. "I don't have cooties."
"Lana might have," Michael Jr. mumbled.
"What was that, sweetie?" Lana smiled holding his hand.
"Nothing," he taking his hand back.
"But, Daddy, you're hooked up to every machine in the world," Justine exaggerated. "You sure you're good?"
"Yeah. All this stuff is just to monitor me while I'm here."
"Sounds like an invasion of privacy," Little John said.
"Sounds annoying," Dugan said.
"Why?" Chris asked.
"Just in case something goes wrong."
"Don't say that," Mrs. Barrett said. "Nothings gonna go wrong."
"Maybe, Mom. You gotta think about the possibilities."
"You're not gonna die?" Michael Jr. asked.
"No."
"Well, Mr. Barrett," Victoria said, "I hope you feel better."
"Thank you, Victoria," he smiled and nodded.
She walked out the door. Michael Jr. hugged his dad and followed her.
"I'll see you tomorrow," Mrs. Barrett rubbed her son's head again.
"Okay."
She walked out the door. Chris and Justine both went to him and hugged and kissed him. He felt a lot better. Then Zoey, Chase, Dana, Lola, and Jason came in.
"Hey," Zoey smiled.
"Hey. Before you ask anything, I'm good. I'm feeling better, so you don't have to worry."
"Well, I guess there nothing to ask, huh?" Chase said.
"Michael, I feel so guilty," Lola said.
"You don't have to. It's not your fault."
"But I feel like it is… because of Jason. So if there's anything I –we—could do, just let me—or Jason—know."
"Don't count on it," Jason mumbled.
Lola elbowed him in the stomach.
"You don't have to anything. I'm good. I'm cool. I can bounce back."
"But Michael—" Dana tried to say.
"Guys, how many ties do I have to tell you—"
"Okay," Chase said cutting him off. "We'll take your word on it. I can see that you're getting agitated. So we're gonna go."
"I'll see you tomorrow," he waved. Lola and Zoey kissed him on the cheek. Chase hugged him. Dana smiled at him.
"Feel better," Zoey said before leaving.
Breana was still in the waiting room.She just hadwrapped a conversation with her mother and brother on her cell phone when Zoey, Chase, Lola, Dana and Jason came out. Zoey put a hand on her shoulder.
"You gonna go in there, aren't you?" she asked.
"Yeah, I'm just about to."
"You want us to wait out here for you?" Chase asked.
"No, you go ahead."
They smiled at her and left. Breana got up, ready to go in Michael's room. But she went to a coke machine to get something to drink to calm her nerves. Then she stopped at his door. After what seemed to be a minute and a half, she stepped in a smiled at him.
"There she is," he beamed. "I was waiting for you. I thought you would've been one of the first ones to see me." He looked at her. "What's wrong?"
She walked towards him with her hands in here pocket. "Nothing. What about you? You okay."
"Couldn't be better. I'm just glad they let me keep on my clothes instead of wearing a dress," he chuckled.
"It's a gown."
"I know. It was a joke, you know to lighten up the mood. I see you got a problem. What is it?"
"I told you I don't have a problem. I'm good."
"No, you're not. I can hear it in your voice. Come on and tell me," he patted a spot next to him. She resisted a little, but then though she might as well. She wasn't going anywhere.
He smiled at her and put his arm around her. "Now… tell ,e what's going on with you."
"Nothing," she said looking into his face, examining every feature.
"Listen, Chain James… I know you more than anybody. I've know you form almost 13 years and we've been together for almost 9."
"I know that, Michael."
"Then how come you won't tell me what's bothering you?"
"You know me more than anybody, remember?"
He laughed.
"You trying to test me?"
"No, not really."
"I have all night."
"So do I."
"Come on, don't make me beg," he almost whined.
"You know as much as I wanna hear you do it, I just don't have the energy to put up with you so I'm gonna tell you."
"I'm listening."
"You really sacred me."
"I know. I sacred everybody."
"I thought…."
He concentrated on her. Her expression was as if she was trying to gather her thoughts together, when she was really trying to keep herself crying. Because if she did, Michael would hold her close and she's be spilling out everything. Not that she didn't want him to hold her, just not a this particular moment because she'd break.
"You can take your time."
She opened her mouth to speak, but nothing came out. So she just covered her face with her hand to keep Michael from seeing her crying. He pulled her closer to him. She held onto him tight and buried her face in his chest. Then she let the tears flow silently.
"I know what you thought. I know everything."
He rubbed her back. Then it came to him. His friends cared about him. Well, he knew they cared about him—with the exception of Jason. He wasn't his friend; just his enemy. But he didn't know they really, really cared about him. With Logan almost screaming at him, his mother really worried, and Breana crying, he knew… that he really was needed.
It seemed like Breana was sleeping because she wasn't crying anymore. She was just laying on his chest. He kissed the top of her head.
"You okay now?" he smiled.
"Yeah."
"You know I could never leave you or anybody else, right? I have so much do. I gotta see Mike get his first girlfriend. I have to threaten and beat up Justine's boyfriends. I have to make sure Chris doesn't die of chocolate cake. I gotta make sure that you don't die in a fire."
She punched him in the arm.
"Hey, I'm in a hospital."
"I'm not gonna die in a fire the way you're watching me."
"That's right. Besides, I gotta see the baby," he smiled touching her stomach. "But there's only one thing I don't know about you."
"What?"
"Thirteen years ago, the day you came to PCA. I asked you what kinda trouble you got in. What kinda trouble did you get in before you came here?"
"Remember when I told you I came from Toronto?"
"Yeah."
"I got expelled from a school up there."
"What?" he asked shocked. "How'd you get expelled?"
"I was dating my brother's ex best friend behind his back. He cheated on me with this other girl and I guess I beat her up… pretty badly."
"My girl," he smiled.
They bumped fists and he kissed her.
Michael fouind the meaning of life, cool. nothing to say about this chapter. but... next up: Michael comes back from the hospital, nothing really special in that chapter, but it's gonna be good. so go head and review and let me know about his chapter. oh and central-gurl101, i will get to Michael Jr. and Victoria, just gotta get the adult stuff out of the way