Chapter 22

I saw blinding light after blinding light. I was on a gurney being rushed down a long hallway. The fluorescent overhead lights beamed in my face. They actually hurt to look at so I shut my eyes again. Suddenly I felt something very familiar. It was a seizure. I had them all the time when I was little because of Ghostfreak, but he wasn't causing the problem now. I felt my entire body being lifted as I was placed on a hospital bed. My legs jerked and my muscles contracted. I felt hands on my body holding me to the bed. My head hurt the worst. I had no idea what was going on. One nurse propped me up on the pillow on my side. The moment she did my ears began to bleed.

"Head trauma and internal bleeding..." I heard someone say. The pain was far too great for me to really pay attention. I let out a scream, although it was hard for me to tell if I did it out loud or in my head. I heard nothing but a constant ringing in my ears. They gave me a spinal tap and took my blood. I was then placed on an IV, and heart monitor. I was given diuretics to reduce the swelling to the back lobe of my brain. According to my doctors it had hit the back of my skull, and caused a hemorrhage. I fell asleep soon after. I woke up in the same room with a bandage across my head. It was deathly quiet. I shifted my eyes and mom and dad were asleep near my bed side. Dad was asleep in a chair with mom in his lap. I tried to speak but felt myself unable. I sighed and looked for any sign of Charlie or Deanna. They weren't there.

"You're awake!" I heard mom's voice.

I turned back toward them.

"Ben honey!"

Dad brushed Mom off his lap and he grabbed my hand.

"You're awake..." Dad teared up. He stroked my hand softly.

"Daddy..." My tired voice spoke out.

"Yes, I'm here honey...we both are."

Mom stroked the bandage on my head softly.

"How do you feel?" Mom asked.

"Daddy..."

"Yes?"

I began to cry. My head hurt really bad. Dad just held my hand even tighter. Mom kissed my cheek.

"My head..." I sobbed.

"I know pumpkin."

Suddenly I gasped and covered my mouth.

"The cheer competition!" I screamed and more tears ran down my face.

"Don't worry about that..." He said. "The squad did really well...you got bronze."

I just continued to cry. Dad's eyes shifted from me to mom.

"Not all at once but go get the others...uh bring Deanna and Charlie first." He told her. "They'll be on the 4th floor waiting area."

Mom nodded and left. I sobbed loudly and I couldn't stop. Dad rubbed my arm.

"Hey...it's okay Princess."

When Mom found my friends and family on the 4th floor; they were all anxiously awaiting news about me. My grandparents were there, and my great Grampa Max was there. They stood in a huff. Gwen met my mom halfway. Deanna was sitting next to Charlie. Charlie had his head in his hands and his knees bobbed uncontrollably.

"She's awake...but for right now, just Deanna and Charlie please."

Deanna took Charlie's hand and they followed my mom back to my room. I was still crying when they entered. Mom took a seat next to Dad. Dad had his head in his hand. Even seeing them made me cry more.

"Harmione..." Deanna began. I looked at her arm. She had a tourniquet wrapped around it. I just covered my mouth with tears falling over my hand. She leaned down and kissed my cheek and hugged me.

"Everything's gonna be okay...okay?" She whispered.

"But the contest and...and...and you didn't have to do that..." I sobbed and touched her arm.

"Yes I did...you're my sister remember...your mom or dad would have but they weren't gonna make it here in time...and Charlie can't because he's diabetic."

"Charlie..." I mumbled. Deanna gently moved away from me. I tried to lift my arms up to him. He leaned down and kissed me. My tears hit his face.

"Hey..."

I sniffled.

"Baby stop..."

He wiped my face with the side of his hand.

"Stop crying..." He said as tears came to his eyes. I turned away and reached for the back of my head. I was in a lot of pain.

"Don't..."

He pulled my hand down away from the bandage.

"Don't rub it."

"It hurts really bad Charlie." I cried softly. He just stared and kissed me, then placed his head on my chest. I stroked his hair. I heard him sob softly into my breasts. I looked at Deanna, she was crying too.

"I wish I could take the feeling away from you." Charlie breathed through his tears.

"Daddy my head..."

Dad nodded and asked for a nurse. She brought me more pain medicine. When the pain in my head started to subside, there was nothing stopping the pain in my heart. I felt as if I had let the whole squad down. Not to mention the fear and worry I sparked for my family. I was going to be there a few days. Maybe even a few weeks. Deanna and Charlie kept me up to date on my studies. I missed school actually. I missed my friends. More importantly I missed the time. I sat up in my hospital bed late one night. Visiting hours were over, and only Dad remained. He was fast asleep. I just stayed up biting my fingers and looking at the moon. Was I really ready to leave Earth? I felt too clumsy, too stupid and just incompetent to do so. Not to mention I wanted more time with everyone that I was severely missing out on.

As the days passed my swelling went down and the doctors saw an improvement in me. Each day I got better, and each day I thought I might go home. I wasn't at the Bellwood hospital, I was in another hospital near the gym where we had our cheer competition. It was about 3 hours outside of Bellwood. Charlie and Deanna drove those long hours everyday just to see me. I cried everyday they left.

They told me the yearbook is almost finished. Adam proposed to Kim, Jaynie's going out with a new guy named Frankie, Lacey and Irene both came out as bisexual and they are now dating each other. Sierra is dating a boy named Matt, and Deanna found a boy named Rodney. Everything was happening so fast, and I was missing everything.

"And Rodney is super laid back." Deanna said during one of her visits. She even told me she's slept with him already and gave me all the dirty details. Some details I didn't want to know.

Each time Charlie came he brought me flowers. He would always stay until they just about kicked him out. Finally, I was discharged from the hospital. When I got back to Bellwood, the thing I missed the most was my bed.

I slept good every night. A bump on the head and it was like I was a new woman. With me finally back in school, I tried to make up for lost time. I spend every second I could with my friends and with Charlie. It was so surreal. Around spring time we had our prom, and our last party together. Of course, I went with Charlie who else would I dare go with it. I even got close with Rodney when he brought Deanna. He was super sweet and incredibly funny.

That night on the dance floor Charlie held me close and swayed back and forth with me. I missed being that close to him. We slow danced and kissed each other passionatly. That kiss made the yearbook. During prom, all of my friends wanted to go out to eat instead of eating our prom food. We all agreed on Chinese, whenever everyone got ready to head out. Before Charlie and I left though we wanted to do something wild and crazy. We ran down the empty school hallways and into the choir room. We laughed loudly.

"Ssh...ssh!" Charlie said.

Our friends had no idea where we were. We went inside one of the practice rooms. Charlie smirked at me as he shut the door. I smiled back and wrapped my arms around his neck. In the dark he pushed me up against the wall kissing me. He bent down and pulled up my dress, and pulled down my panties. I groaned as he began to finger me. It wasn't as painful as before. Charlie put one hand on the wall, and had the other inside me. He kissed me to prevent me from getting any louder. As he kissed me I squealed. He stopped and looked at me breathless.

"You alright?"

"Yes..."

He kissed me again, pulled his bow tie loose, and pulled his pants down. We made love in the old practice room against the wall. It was for some reason way hotter than our first time. I think it was because we were both afraid of getting caught. When we left the choir room, my hair was a mess and my dress was wrinkled. I pulled it down, and tried to fix my hair. Charlie fixed his bowtie and brushed his bangs to the side.

"Do I look good?" I asked.

"Perfect...me?"

I brushed the lipstick off his neck.

"Good."

I blushed at him and he blushed at me.

"Well here you are!"

We gasped. It was Sierra.

"You ready to go get Chinese or what?"

"Yeah..." Charlie breathed. He held my hand and we followed Sierra. When we got to the Chinese place, Charlie brushed my hair with his fingers. He then kissed the back of my head. He kissed the spot where the swelling once was. I smiled at him. Everything was happening way too fast, I just wanted it stop. And just when I thought I got my life back, it was ending again because graduation was right around the corner. I had a huge decision to make.