Wow, updated in less than a day 00
Thanks again for the reviews guys! I luff you alls!
We're nearing the end now! But don't worry. I'm planning on at least 10 chapters.
Enjoy!
Everybody Loves Claire part 7
The next thing she saw, it was a very bright light.
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A very bright fluorescent light. Then something was blocking it.
"Hey, she's awake! Doctor! Guys! She's awake!"
"What?"
"Finally!"
"She's awake?!"
"Claire, how do you feel?" a very familiar voice asked. Claire opened her eyes but she couldn't open the left one…why?
"Huh…?" she managed to mumble. "Doc…tor…?"
"Are you okay?" Doctor moved to her side. "Does anything hurt?"
"No…" Claire analyzed the situation. She saved Cocoa and fell down a cliff. Then she wakes up in a bright white room and she can't see out of her left eye. Conclusion? She was blinded in her left eye by the fall. And Doctor here patched up all her wounds.
"Sigh…good," a different voice sighed. Claire turned her head to the direction of the sound. It was Cliff. And Rick and Gray. They were all here!! Why?
"Don't scare us like that!" Gray angrily said. "We thought you were gonna be a goner!"
"Good thing Gotz saw you down there and called us." Rick added.
"You were bleeding so badly…" Cliff uttered softly.
"I'm so happy you're okay, Claire!" Elli hugged her delicately, avoiding the bandages. Claire still winced. "Good thing we were able to find a blood donor! We were so worried!"
All her friends (minus Popuri) were there to attend to her. They still all cared for her. They've forgiven her. They still loved her. Claire was touched.
"Um…Doctor?" Claire asked, sitting up on her bed, wincing a little at the wounds.
"Haven't I told you to call me Alex?" he insisted. Claire giggled a bit.
"Hey, Alex…"
"Yes?"
"Am I blind?"
Then there was unison of gasps in the room.
"You're blind?! What happened to your eyes? You can't see?! Ad lib ad lib ad lib…"
Claire touched the left side of her face. It was bandaged heavily, covering her left eye. "Wait, no I'm not blind! Sorry…my left eye was just covered." She giggled.
"Didn't I just tell you not to scare us like that?" Gray annoyingly commented.
Everyone laughed.
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"That was some fall, Claire…" Elli said. Everyone was in the room Claire was lying in. Doctor was checking the bandages and the wires while the other boys did what they could to help.
"We were all worried. Look, you have wounds all over you! Plus, you got three broken ribs and a broken arm. What were you doing there in Mother's Hill's peak? It took Doc Alex hours do minor surgery on you." Elli said, leaning on the bed. Claire was lying down, looking at her with a quizzical look.
"S-surgery??" Claire said. "I h-had surgery?" Claire winced.
"Yes. I had to reconnect your dislocated bones and stitch up some gashes. But you should be fine now. All you need is rest." Doctor explained wile replacing the bandages on her leg.
"We'll take care of ya, don't worry!" Rick said with a thumbs-up.
"W-why are you all here?" Claire said. "I thought you all hated me…"
"Hate you!?" Cliff said, standing up from his chair. "Why in the world-"
"Was it because of you cheating on us?" Gray interrupted. Claire's tears were starting to fall.
"Y-yes…" she managed to mumble. "I j-just wanted to say I'm sorry…"
"Hey, don't cry now." Rick comforted. "I've forgiven you ever since I found out you…were cheating. I was waiting for you to come back and be my friend again. But you didn't. I thought YOU hated me."
"I did hate you for some time…and I regret that." Doctor confessed. "But I came to forgive you for what you did. I don't blame you. We all look so handsome, that's why."
They all chuckled. Claire was feeling better now.
"Sure…we were…hurt that day. But I don't think I can hate a person forever, especially one who has loved me. And provides our food and wool, don't forget that." Cliff added with a smile.
"It seems like…we've all forgiven you." Gray concluded.
"Thank you, guys!" Claire cried tears of happiness. She was glad that they've all forgiven her. Her hell was gone now. She could relax and talk to them again.
"By the way, how'd Gotz call ALL of you? He only knew I was with Gray. He didn't know I was also dating all of you." Claire questioned, wiping her tears.
"Gotz called me." Gray replied. "He probably saw that we kept dating in the mountains so he knew we were together. Then I called Doctor to help me out."
"I saw Gray running with Doctor going to the mountains. I thought something was up so I followed." Cliff said.
"Same here." Rick added.
"Gotz led us to where you were and…we brought you to the clinic." Doctor said while securing the bandages.
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Doctor, Cliff, Rick, and Gray chatted in the waiting area as if they've been best friends all their lives. Claire was happy that she managed to bring them together…even if it was painful for her and for them. She had never seen them so happy before. Talking with men their own age made them feel comfortable.
"So how long have I been out?" Claire asked Elli. They were the only ones in the ward.
"About two days. Doctor Alex had to sedate you." The nurse said while peeling apples.
"Those are my apples, aren't they?" Claire said; smiling.
"Only the best. And you get to eat them here." Elli giggled her girly little giggle. Claire thought she was girlier than Popuri, yet her pinkette friend was ditzier. And liked talking about boys more.
"So who are you going to pick this time?" Elli asked.
"Pick? You mean the guys in the waiting room?"
"Yes." Oh boy, she's beginning to sound like Popuri! When will the boy-talk ever end??
"I heard Doctor Alex proposed first. Are you pushing through?" Elli continued on another apple.
"Yeah he did. But I don't think we're pushing through. He took the feather back after all." Claire said in a melancholy way.
"I suppose…but I bet they're going to ask who you will pick." Elli chopped the apples into bite-sized pieces.
"I hope they don't. I'd rather they not fight over me and become rivals. Since they're best friends now, I'd rather keep it that way." Claire was contented with the way things were. She didn't want it to change. But also she wanted a one to call her own. A husband. She hoped it wouldn't have to be one of them.
"Ah, you have a point." Elli said. "Apples?"
"Sure, thanks." Claire tried to sit up but the excruciating pain stopped her. Claire let out a wail of pain.
"Claire! Elli, is she alright?" Doctor called from the waiting room. The other men silenced.
"Oh, she's fine. She just tried to sit up." Elli answered. "Claire, don't move around so much. Here, I'll feed you." She got a fork and began to feed Claire with apples.
"I feel like a frikin' baby…" Claire mumbled.
"Hey, no talking with your mouth full!" Elli scolded teasingly and shoved another apple slice in.
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Two days after Claire was released from "hospital captivity", as Claire called it; she, Elli, Doctor, Gray, Rick, and Cliff started having picnics together as best friends. There were no more confusions as to who Claire dated. Everyone in Mineral Town soon came to know about Claire's account on romance, even Popuri and Kai, who were now living overseas. It became a thing of the past, something to look back and laugh about.
Yet Claire longed for a husband.
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"So, can we PLEASE stop this boyfriend nonsense now? It's all over." Claire said while brushing her hair on the bed. She was in her purple polka-dotted pink pajamas. A gift from Popuri and Kai.
"Sigh…too bad it's over now…I used to love talking about them!" Popuri crossed her arms over her pajama top. She was in a pink polka-dotted purple pajamas to match.
"Well too bad. It's over so we can't talk about it anymore." Nyehehehehehehe…right back atcha, Potpourri, Claire thought.
"Awww…" Popuri pouted. She had already heard the whole story in detail from Manna. No need to have to retold.
"So how'bout you and Kai? Things going well?" Claire inquired as she put back the brush into place and carried Cocoa onto the bed.
Popuri rolled her big rose-colored eyes. "We're doing great…but the city's so different. So many cars and people always rush. We live in an apartment on the twenty-third floor. It's so high up and the elevator's always broken. I miss living here in Mineral." She complained.
"Then why not stay here for good? Ask Gotz to build a house for you." Claire suggested. Cocoa broke free of her loose hands and buried himself in Popuri's hands. "Then again, it would cost a lot. Even I can't afford a new house."
"Yeah, too bad." Popuri was unthinkingly combing Cocoa's fur with her hands.
"So you're celebrating you anniversary here, right? That's fabulous!" Claire chimed. "Your Paper anniversary. I bet Kai's giving you a card."
"Yeah, most likely. That cheapskate!" Popuri giggled. "But it's the mere thought that counts." She arranged a bow on Cocoa's fur. He let out a soft whine of annoyance.
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On Summer 28, Popuri woke up to a kiss from Kai. He waved at her face what seemed to be two wide strips of paper, which turned out to be two plane tickets to Hawaii.
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Claire and friends were on another picnic. The food was prepared by Elli and Claire, much to the boys' liking (the girls cooked way better, no duh).
This time, the girls and the boys were chatting separately, which they did sometimes. Four guys hunched together while the girls chatted.
"So should we ask her? Seems like she really needs one." Rick suggested.
"She's wanted one. That's why she was dating us." Cliff said.
"I'm sure she'll be happy with any of us. We are her best friends after all." Gray implied.
"No hard feelings when it's not you, okay? No jealousy issues." Doctor commanded. "It can all end badly."
"But what if she can't decide?"
"She has to!"
"But most likely she won't be able to now .It's such a surprise for her. You all know how she is!"
"Yeah, you're right."
"It'd probably be better if she decided on her own…or if that special someone wasn't one of us."
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"Look at them! They're hunched over like they're planning something weird!" Elli complained. "I can't believe that Doc Alex would do such a thing."
"Ells, they've been doing that a lot." Claire sipped her tea.
"That's the prob!"
