Hunter groaned, as he began to wake up. Forcing his eyes open, he adjusted it to the sun's light that was shining into the white room. Moving a bit, he noticed that he was in a hospital bed. Parts of his body felt sore and the other part felt numb. He wasn't sure what to think, what kind of emotion he should be having now. He was all drained out of them anyway. He didn't care about anything, his breathing was steadily and his head was pounding. He didn't know how long he was out of it, or even what happened. The last thing he remembered was storming into his dorm room, angry at himself. Angry at everyone. He tried moving his body, but he was so weak. He felt a warmth coming from his left hand as he saw Tori lying fast asleep with her hand on top of his, her head resting on the bed. She had dark circles under her eyes and tear tracks down her eyes.
"Tori…" Hunter whispered as he watched her. He took his free hand and brushed a few strands of her blonde hair away from her face. He rubbed her cheek where the dried tears had been and sighed.
"Why is she here?" He thought. He sat his back on the pillows and adjusted himself trying to get into a more comfortable position. He looked down at the angel beside him as he removed the hand she was holding and placed it back on top of hers brushing over her knuckles with him thumb.
After a minute the blonde began to stir as she sat up a bit, rubbing her eyes.
"You're awake..." She whispered.
Hunter smirked, "Yeah." Hunter said casually.
Tori rolled his eyes. Hunter grunted, coughing a bit. Hunter tilted towards her direction and forced a smile.
"So anyone miss me?" He curiously asked.
Tori looked away and sighed before facing him again. Hunter bit his lips, afraid of what she was going to say.
"Do you know how long you were out?" She whispered.
Hunter arched his eye brows. He shook his head, waiting for her to tell him exactly how long he was out. At the same time, he had a strange urge to get wasted again. He could feel the with drawls in his body. He tried to ignore any outrages thoughts and listened closely to Tori as she spoke.
"2 and ½. weeks" She informed him.
Hunter's eyes widen, "Are you serious? What's today?" The dirty blonde repeated the fact again in his head. It explained why his body was feeling weak and craving that familiar drug that sent him here in the first place. He sighed.
"It's Wednesday." Tori answered.
"What else?" Hunter wanted to know.
"Well, all your grades are on hold. Shane won a skateboarding tournament. Prom is this weekend." She said as she looked away and sniffed.
"What's wrong?" Hunter asked her as she looked at him with an outrageous look on her face.
"What do you mean what's wrong?" She asked him angrily. "My best friend is in the damn hospital because he almost died of an overdose and acts like nothing happened! That's what's wrong!" Tori cried angrily at him with a fresh set of tears running down her cheeks. Tori sobbed as she put her head in her hands and brushed her hair from her face.
"Don't cry…" Hunter told her softly as he placed a hand on her shoulder. "I hate it when you cry."
"Was this on purpose?" Tori whispered as looked up from the bed. Her blood-shot eyes pierced straight threw him. She ignored his request as her eyes swelled up.
"Well?" She pushed as he looked down.
"I don't know." Hunter answered truthfully. He looked down at his hands which were now in his lap; he had to avoid her eyes or it would be the death of him.
"I just needed things to change." Hunter murmured.
"You could've died you know." Tori said tearfully. "You could be dead." She whispered. Hunter took a hold of her hand, which she gave without hesitation. Tori let out of staggered breath trying to calm her tears as she held his hand in both of hers.
"Was it because of me?" Tori whispered as she locked eyes with his, searching for some kind of an answer.
A knock on the door interrupted them.
"Ah, Mr. Bradley." The doctor said as he walked holding a clipboard and had an assistant behind him. "Good to see your awake."
"So were not gonna tell him?" Dustin asked skeptically staring back at Blake with his arms crossed over his chest as he listened to the shorter man.
"No. We're not. I couldn't tell him that." Blake answered as he sat with his head in his hands.
"I think that's pretty ridiculous if you ask me." Shane joined in as he sat opposite of Blake. "I mean if I died and you guys didn't tell me, I'd be pretty ticked off."
Blake sat contemplating both Dustin and Shane's words as he remembered getting a phone call from the hospital about 2 hours after they had left….
Flashback
"Hello?" Blake asked groggily into the phone. He checked the clock on his bedside table and saw that it was 3:42 A.M.
"Hello this is Doctor Webster from Blue Bay Memorial, is Blake Bradley there?" As soon as the word 'doctor' left the receiver Blake sat up in bed and was awake.
"This is him, what's wrong is Hunter okay?" He asked worriedly. There was a slight pause before the doctor spoke.
"I think you should get down here as quickly as you can Mr. Bradley, it isn't looking good." The doctor spoke with a deep sigh as Blake hung up ad rushed around his room throwing on whatever clothes he could find.
Xxx
Blake had made it to the hospital and rushed in to see Hunter being taken away into the Resuscitation Unit, which had big red letters above the doors, he felt a hand on my shoulder as he turned to look who it was,
"He's going to make it Blake. He's a fighter" Shane told him. Blake had called everybody while he drove over to alert them of the news.
Blake pulled away and pushed through the doors to be met with a constant tone, just a flat line tone no breaks like it had been jammed in to make it carry on, as his eyes scanned the room they fell upon Hunter surrounded by machines and doctors as the nurses were rushing about.
Doctor Webster, he recognized, had picked up the defibrillators as a nurse placed two orange pads onto Hunter's chest, she shouted something as everyone stepped back and it all happened in slow motion as the doctor placed the pads onto Hunter's chest one at the side just above his ribcage and the over near his heart she shouted something else as she looked around her then pressed both triggers, Hunter's body jolted up wards and but his head was strapped down to the bed. The sound of flat line slowly becoming more distant as Blake's eyes trained on Hunter, he was once again rooted to the spot no one had noticed him, they were too busy were running around following the doctors orders as she looked around herself again pulling at both of the triggers.
Just then the doors burst open and Tori and Dustin were by his side asking a million questions. 'What happened?" "Is here aright?" Hunter's heart monitor was still flat as his body jolting up again and again with the nurse taking over in between doing CPR. . . . .
"You guys can't be in here." Blake just ignored the voice and continued to stare over at Hunter silently begging him to wake back up but he wasn't, an arm touched my shoulder as I violently shook it off
"Don't touch me"
"Sir you can't be in here, the doctor's are-"
"Don't you dare tell me what to do that is my brother I am not moving from this spot until I know that he is alright!" Blake hissed not removing my eyes from Hunter.
It had been 6 minutes now might not seem much time to some people but to me it seemed like a lifetime, Dustin, Shane and Tori were all in the waiting room praying for a miracle.
15 minutes now and still nothing they were injecting Hunter with fluids but it wasn't working and they looked like they were about to give up. Blake ignored the calls from the nurse as he walked over to her they were still performing cpr the nurses hands clasped together one on top of the other over Hunter's chest as she was leant over his body pressing her hands down onto his chest. With one last rep Doctor Webster looked over his shoulder at one of his assistants.
"Time-" The Doctor said as he stopped his movements. Blake was starting to protest as the Doctor stepped away.
"Just once more, please." The nurse stepped down from her block she had been standing on as she walked around to the other side she picked up the paddles as the other nurse stepped up to help as she fiddled with the machine, starting to put it away.
Blake staggered out of the room holding himself up with wall. He found the entrance to the waiting room; the door was already open as everyone was spread out through the room I saw Tori sitting beside Dustin with his arm around her. Shane was sitting in the chair with his head in his hands staring towards the floor. Blake stepped into the room as everyone held their breath for what he was about to say.
"He . . . Hunter. . ." He couldn't say it. "He's gone" Blake whispered and his legs buckled and he fell down into the hospital chair.
Xxx
"I still can't believe they resuscitated him after that long." Dustin commented as he ran his hand through his already messy hair.
"I know…I couldn't either." Blake agreed.
xxx
5 hours later…
Tori laid in her bed that night, still listening to Hunter's voice echoed in her head. She couldn't sleep, it was 1 in the morning and the crickets where chirping. She pulled the cover over her body and starred at the moon light that shined through her window.
She sighed deeply; upset how things had turned out. She wished she could have been there for him, but his pain was hurting her too much. She couldn't bear to see her friend in that situation. Thoughts raced through her mind as she turned over and looked at the dark ceiling above her. She wasn't sure how she felt for Hunter anymore. She loved him, as a friend and cared for him dearly but after everything that has happened, she was afraid to love him more then a friend. That something may happen, that would hurt both of them.
Tori sighed as she turned over, that night was an eventful night ;She almost lost one of her closet friends. She closed her eyes and attempted to sleep, trying to forget it all, but every time she shut her eyes she could see Hunter's lifeless body lying in the hospital bed. It was getting late and she had to get up early to go shopping and then lunch with Blake. The question was, could she really go through with it without Hunter on her mind?
TBC…
Hope this Chapter was better; let me know what you think. Thank you to all the reviewers who have reviewed so far or favorited/followed it means a whole lot!
And also a special thanks to JasonLeeScottFan for sticking with me and helping throughout this fanfic
