By the time the sun went down, the large group of teenagers found their get together on the beach moved to Peeta's house. He lived with a few other friends not too far from the shore with an ocean view. Emma and Gunner walked in hand in hand while Indy chatted her ear off about random things. Gunner held the door open for all the girls and they immediately walked into a haze filled room. The smoke irritated Emma's eyes and lungs and she pressed the tube to her nose so she could breathe better. She tugged at Gunner's hand to get his attention.
"Is there anywhere we can go where there isn't smoke?" she managed to cough out.
"Shit. Yeah, yeah, sorry. I forgot about—you know." Grabbing her hand tighter, he weaved his way through the crowd of people. This party must've been going on for hours because people were already wasted. When they made their way out back, Emma saw a few guys standing on the roof of the house. A zipline had been made from the roof to a tree across the pool, allowing people a creative way to get in.
Gunner wrapped his arms around her and they absorbed the atmosphere together. "You know, I've never been to a party before," she mentioned.
"Do you like it?"
"I like having friends," she decided, not actually answering the question.
"Why don't you have many friends up there," he asked cautiously.
She turned around in his arms to look at him. "People think I'm weird, not just because of the tank but I also have a strong personality."
Gunner chuckled. "Oh yes you do." Emma raised her arm to hit him but he caught it in his hand. "That's what I love about you. You don't take any bullshit and you speak your mind. It's so hard to find someone who's so real nowadays."
She smiled and almost melted inside. How did she get the best boyfriend in the world?
They stayed for a few more hours and drank some fruity drinks (or girly drinks as Gunner calls them) before they headed back to the car.
"Are you sure you can drive?" Emma giggled a bit; she was slightly drunk.
"Please, I have the tolerance of a bear," he grinned at her before sliding into the driver's seat. "Do we have anymore cupcakes?"
There was a lone cupcake in the back seat when Emma looked. He asked her to pass it to him as he started the car and began the twenty minute drive back to his house.
"Are you really planning on moving to White Pine Bay?" she questioned as she grabbed the pastry from the back and gave it to her boyfriend.
"Well, yeah. Unless we break up between now and summer," he smiled.
A flash of panic went through her. What if they did break up? Would she never see him again?
"I hope we don't break up," she mentioned quietly. "You're seriously one of my best friends. Who am I kidding, you are my best friend and pretty much only friend."
He sadly smiled as he ate the cupcake. "It shouldn't be that way."
Before Emma could respond, bright lights flooded her eyes. The cupcake dropped as Gunner tried to see where he was going but it was to no avail. The last thing she remembered before everything went black was his hand gripping hers.
Everything came in flashes afterward. A loud beeping sound. Some movement. A bright light going in and out of view.
Emma couldn't breathe, couldn't move, couldn't think. Words were being thrown at her but she had a hard time putting them together.
What happened?
Those two words were the only things ringing through her head as she felt her body being moved.
"Is this a breathing tube?"
Emma tried to open her eyes but they wouldn't cooperate.
"There was an oxygen tank in the car, she probably has a lung condition. Let's intubate her first before she stops breathing."
Yes, lung condition, Emma thought. I can't breathe.
A tube was shoved down her throat and it was the first time her eyelids opened. There was a bright light above her that made her squeeze them closed again.
"She's conscious," a worried voice observed.
"We don't have time, she could bleed out if we wait."
What happened?
Multiple pricks were going through her skin but she couldn't move. Suddenly, the pain all came back. It was crippling, worse than anything she'd felt before. After a few seconds, she blacked out.
The next time she awoke, she was in a bed. She didn't open her eyes right away, remembering the burn of the lights the last time she did that. A few voices were murmuring at what she supposed was the end of the bed.
"We have to save both of them," a feminine voice whispered.
A few papers were shuffled and the other person sighed. "I don't know if we can."
Emma's heart froze. Gunner. She involuntarily gasped, wondering where her boyfriend was, if he was even alive.
She felt a weight placed on her arm after a second. "It's okay, honey, are you awake?" the woman asked her.
Slowly, Emma cracked open her eyes. The nurse in front of her was staring at her in sympathy.
"Gunner," she managed to choke out. Her throat was incredibly dry.
"The young man in the car with you?" Emma nodded. "He's in the ICU right now. He might have to be there for a while."
She felt like she couldn't breathe again. "But he'll be okay?"
The nurse looked at the man behind her. He grimaced and looked away. "We're giving him the best care that we can."
Emma felt like crying. Her eyes began welling up with tears so she closed them. "You're not from here, right?" She shook her head, still willing herself not to cry. "We have to transfer you to the hospital where you live. Your doctor is there and he can help you better."
Her eyes shot open. "You want to take me away from Gunner?" her voice broke in disbelief.
"We don't have the right facilities to accommodate your breathing condition, and added to the fact that you're under 18, you need to go back to your home state."
Not knowing what to say, Emma closed her eyes in defeat. "When do I leave?"
"We're setting up a helicopter to take you in about a half hour. We have oxygen here in the meantime for you."
Emma didn't respond. Her time of departure arrived quickly and she was situated into a helicopter. It took a while to get back to Washington but she slept most of the time. She couldn't believe that her perfect week with her boyfriend had to end like this. She didn't even get to stay the entire time and now she didn't know if she'd ever see him again.
They landed on top of the hospital she'd spent most of her time in while living in White Pine Bay. One of the attendants walked her to her room, where she found a surprise. Her dad was sitting in a chair and jumped up as soon as he saw her. Tears were running down his face as he pulled her into a tight hug.
"Emma, love," he cried. "I thought you were gone."
"It's okay, Dad," she mumbled into his shoulder. "I'm okay."
He pulled her to an arms length away. "What happened?"
"I don't know. Gunner was driving and then there was a light, and then…" she couldn't finish her sentence.
He pulled her close again. "I'm just glad you're safe and here now."
Safe, yes, but she would rather be anywhere but here at that moment.
I know it's been a few months since I've updated and I'm so sorry. Every time I sit down to write this, nothing comes out. Then I started college again and my schedule got hectic. And if you've noticed, I've written a few fanfics for other fandoms so I've kinda been out of the Bates Motel mood. I have an idea of where this story is going but writing it is so much slower than I anticipated. I'm going to try to at least update once a month from now on.
Just a reminder, reviews really motivate me to write ;) So tell me what you liked, disliked, or want to see in upcoming chapters.