The chapter titles are from The Fray songs, "Over My Head (Cable Car)" and "Look After You"
Chapter 6A "I'd rather run the other way than stay and see, The smoke and who's still standing when it clears"
Present Day
"I never want to stop loving you. Ever."
My body shakes and judders, my torso flying forwards, white-hot vomit flowing over my lips. My stomach lurches again, and I heave all the liquid contents of my stomach out of my mouth.
I hate vomiting alcohol. No matter how much you've drunk or, what you've drunk it always stinks of a mix of beer and vodka – the stench is enough to make you want to vomit again.
Wait, where in the fuck am I? White, white, white everyfuckingwhere; white walls, white bed sheets, white floor, white coats. Hospital, oh joy!
My throat burns, my head is pounding and someone is stroking my hair. I glance down at a disposable bowl that's being held underneath my chin; with a shaky hand I push it away. I watch as a tanned arm moves the bowl out of sight, their body still in close proximity, logically there is only one person it could be, but… but it can't be.
"Ah, Miss. Carlin you're awake, how are you feeling?" What the…? Where'd he come from? Whatever, I… ah, my throat, wait, where the hell is my voice?
I can feel her hand on my back, rubbing gentle circles, it's oddly comforting, "She just suddenly woke up and starting throwing up, is that normal doc'?" her voice has more concern in it than I can ever remember, her hand is still rubbing my back and I wonder how I got here.
"Considering how much alcohol was in her system, that's perfectly normal, Miss. Davies."
I close my eyes, their voices drifting away into a sea of nothingness, this can't be right. Maybe I'm dreaming?
Chapter 6B "If ever there was a doubt, My love she leans into me"
(Cont)
I want to go back to sleep, back to the warmth of my subconscious, I want to drown in my memories, I need to get away from here, but I can't. I want to leave my body and float back to Ohio, annoyingly it's not possible. Fuck.
I focus on the words whizzing past my ears, the doctor's and Ashley's. She's so close; I can smell her perfume over the vile stench of my own vomit, her arm wrapped around my torso, her body closer to mine than it should be considering how we left things.
"I understand that you're concerned about your partner Miss. Davies, but we would like to keep her in over night." Huh, partner?
"A hospital will only make her feel worse, if you let me take her home, I promise to keep an eye on her and bring her back if she gets worse."
"Miss. Davies…"
"You don't know my Spencer, she's a fighter. She'll get back to our apartment, back to our bed and she'll feel a thousand times better…." Our, our? Did someone just turn over two pages at once?
"I can appreciate that, but…"
"You're not listening, my baby…." I think I just felt my eyes pop, baby? When has she ever used the word "baby"? I block them out again, my head a blur. None of this can be right, if it weren't for the burning feeling running down my throat I'd swear I was still asleep.
Ashley and the doctor are still arguing about me, and I still can't talk. They're both morons, if they just gave me a little water I'd be able to speak for myself. Speak and ask what the fuck is going on.
I have no idea what the doctor's name is, so I'm naming him Doctor. Twatbag, anyway, Doctor Twatbag looks like he's agreeing to let me go, Ashley's arm tightens around me and I'm torn. Torn between wanting to rip it off and spit in her face and wanting to snuggle into her, cocooning myself in her natural warmth, I do neither and remain sitting stiffly on the bed.
Doctor T eyes me nervously, if they release me and I end up dead, he's in the shit, if they don't release me, he'll have to face the dreaded Davies wrath. I glance over at Ashley, she's standing her ground, well she would be, if she weren't sitting down. Her body moves away from mine, and I have to fight the urge to grab her back, fucking emotions! Ash' hands me a styrofoam cup filled with water and sits back down, pulling my body into hers. I want to swoon, really I do, but I'm worried that I will vomit again, seriously I maybe a raving homo', but swooning is just too gay even for me.
Twatbag looks up from my chart, and glances at us sitting on the bed, I wonder what we look like, I wonder if you can tell that we're no longer a couple? I wonder if I look half as confused as I feel. Ashley shifts next to me, this has to be a façade, right? I catch her smiling at Doctor T, in my peripheral vision, like she's trying to prove something. Whatever, ugh, I can taste my vomit breath, fucking alcohol! Before I know what's what her mouth is on mine, her soft lips moving against my chapped ones. It all feels so right and so natural. But it's not, it's a lie, but I don't fucking know why.
