~Chapter 8~
"So, when do you wanna get married?" Joanie asked Sean. "I dunno. Does it matter?" He asked, kissing her passionately. "No, not really. So do you want the wedding to be big, small?" "Small." "Yeah, that sounds good.but how many people?" "Thirty..each." "That's not very small." "I know, I was just kidding. Who do you wanna invite?" Riiiiiiiiiiiing! Riiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiing! Riiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiing! The phone woke Sean out of his dream, right when it was getting good. Half- asleep, he glanced at the clock to see what time it was, it was a little after four. Wow, what a dream that had been, he thought to himself. It had seemed so real, so lifelike, it was like you could just reach out and touch it. Sean tried to hold onto the memory of the dream now because soon, he would forget about it and it would vanish. Yet again, the phone brought him out of his thoughts and back into reality.
"Hello?" Sean said, sounding dreary even though by now he was completely awake.
"Sean? Finally, you answer the phone!"
"Well, I'm sorry Kev, but I normally aren't up at four in the morning to answer the phone."
"I know, and I'm sorry for callin' so late but we got an emergency on our hands."
"What?"
"Scott's in the hospital," Kevin said, without much expression; he wasn't very surprised.
"Oh no, what happened this time? Was he drunk driving?"
"Nope, he claimed he was attacked."
"By who?"
"He said that he doesn't know who. He said it was dark, and they just attacked him out of nowhere. Doesn't make very much sense, though, if it was the kidnapper, like Scott says it might be. Why would he just attack Scott? Why wouldn't the person just take him away like everyone else?"
"I dunno. Are you sure he wasn't drunk or hallucinating or something?"
"Yeah, pretty much."
"So what's the damage?"
"Broken arm, cuts, bruises. Nothin' too serious, ya know? He just said that its mandatory that I'm at the hospital with him, because he doesn't feel safe by himself."
"So you decided to drag me along with you?"
"Exactly. So.did you ask her out yet?"
"No, Kevin. Nothing changed.although I did have a dream about her last night."
"Really? Well, that certainly counts as a change. What about?"
"Us getting married. It was really realistic too."
"And a sign that you two should be together."
"But it won't happen."
"Why? Because you're scared?" Kevin asked, all of a sudden becoming very angry. "Because you think that she may not have feelings for you too, that you may be rejected? Well, the only way you're gonna find out if she has feelings for you or not is if you ask her, and if you're too afraid to take the chance, then you'll never know!"
"I was gonna tell her..eventually."
"When? When she's getting married to some other guy, or maybe never?"
"No.I was just waiting for the right time."
"Well, guess what, Sean? That right time is never gonna just come on its own. You have to decide when the right time is."
"Okay, okay. So are we going to see Scott or not?"
"Yeah, we are. Meet me at the hospital," Kevin said, cooling down now. Sean was really confused as to why Kevin would suddenly have an attitude about a matter that he couldn't control and really wasn't any of his business. He wanted to know, but now didn't seem like such a great time to ask him why he was freaking out about Sean's personal life when he couldn't do a thing about it, so he didn't." "All right. I just gotta call Joanie and tell her to get a ride with someone else." "Okay, call your girlfriend. I'll meet you at the hospital." He repeated, then hung up before Sean could start lecturing him about he and Joanie not being together.
"Hello?" Joanie said once Sean called her. She sounded just as tired as he had when Kevin called him just a little while ago.
"Hey Joanie, its me, Sean. Did I wake you up?"
"Yeah, but I was gonna have to get up sooner or later."
"Listen, Scott's in the hospital and he and Kev wanted me to go visit him so could you get a ride from someone else today?"
"Scott's in the hospital?"
"Yeah."
"What happened?"
"He said he was attacked. I don't really know if that's entirely true, though."
"Oh."
"Hey, do you want to go to the hospital with me?"
"Really? Sure, why not."
"Okay, I'll meet you out in the parking lot, then."
"Alright, bye."
Sean couldn't believe he had just said that. And that she had said yes. It seemed as far and distant as that dream this morning, which was slowly fading into the darkness of forgotten memories. Okay, so it wasn't like a date, it wasn't anything like a date, but she had said yes, and that was all that mattered right now. Sean got dressed, and, all of a sudden it occurred to him that Joanie wasn't even really that close with Scott. Okay, so she knew him, they were co-workers, of course she knew him. But she didn't really know him. She definitely didn't consider him as one of her friends, and vice versa. So maybe..just maybe, she said yes to spend time with Sean. Maybe she did have feelings for him. He didn't know for sure, but somehow, it just didn't seem like she was going to the hospital just to see Scott.
"I am so happy that you all came to see me!" Scott exclaimed once everyone got there. "Especially since its so early in the morning. Thank you, I really appreciate it."
"So what exactly happened, Scott?" Sean asked him, eager to know at least some of the story. For all he knew, Scott could have been drunk and walked into a wall or something.
"Well, Sean, I'll tell ya the same thing that I told Vince and the police. I was attacked. I don't know by who, or why, all I know is that I was attacked."
"Are you sure?" Kevin asked, not entirely convinced of Scott's wishy- washy story.
"Yes! Positive! You just don't wake up with a broken arm and bruises! I was attacked! That's all I know!"
"I dunno..I think he's hallucinating." Kevin said; Sean nodded his approval with the idea.
"I am not! I know that the story doesn't sound believable but I'm telling the truth!"
"Okay, Scott, we believe you," Kevin said, walking off. "I'm going to the bathroom, I'll be right back."
"Sooo," Scott began, "you guys going out?"
"No! Who told you that?" Joanie asked, speaking up after being silent all this time.
"Sean."
"I did not!" Sean yelled in protest. "Why would I say that if its not true?!"
"Well, I thought that's what you said."
"Is that what this is all about?" Joanie asked, enraged, and the stormed out.
"Joanie wait.this is all your fault, Scott! I hope you're happy!"
"Joanie wait! It really is my fault. They put me on all these medications! I'm not thinking straight!" But it was hopeless.
"So, when do you wanna get married?" Joanie asked Sean. "I dunno. Does it matter?" He asked, kissing her passionately. "No, not really. So do you want the wedding to be big, small?" "Small." "Yeah, that sounds good.but how many people?" "Thirty..each." "That's not very small." "I know, I was just kidding. Who do you wanna invite?" Riiiiiiiiiiiing! Riiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiing! Riiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiing! The phone woke Sean out of his dream, right when it was getting good. Half- asleep, he glanced at the clock to see what time it was, it was a little after four. Wow, what a dream that had been, he thought to himself. It had seemed so real, so lifelike, it was like you could just reach out and touch it. Sean tried to hold onto the memory of the dream now because soon, he would forget about it and it would vanish. Yet again, the phone brought him out of his thoughts and back into reality.
"Hello?" Sean said, sounding dreary even though by now he was completely awake.
"Sean? Finally, you answer the phone!"
"Well, I'm sorry Kev, but I normally aren't up at four in the morning to answer the phone."
"I know, and I'm sorry for callin' so late but we got an emergency on our hands."
"What?"
"Scott's in the hospital," Kevin said, without much expression; he wasn't very surprised.
"Oh no, what happened this time? Was he drunk driving?"
"Nope, he claimed he was attacked."
"By who?"
"He said that he doesn't know who. He said it was dark, and they just attacked him out of nowhere. Doesn't make very much sense, though, if it was the kidnapper, like Scott says it might be. Why would he just attack Scott? Why wouldn't the person just take him away like everyone else?"
"I dunno. Are you sure he wasn't drunk or hallucinating or something?"
"Yeah, pretty much."
"So what's the damage?"
"Broken arm, cuts, bruises. Nothin' too serious, ya know? He just said that its mandatory that I'm at the hospital with him, because he doesn't feel safe by himself."
"So you decided to drag me along with you?"
"Exactly. So.did you ask her out yet?"
"No, Kevin. Nothing changed.although I did have a dream about her last night."
"Really? Well, that certainly counts as a change. What about?"
"Us getting married. It was really realistic too."
"And a sign that you two should be together."
"But it won't happen."
"Why? Because you're scared?" Kevin asked, all of a sudden becoming very angry. "Because you think that she may not have feelings for you too, that you may be rejected? Well, the only way you're gonna find out if she has feelings for you or not is if you ask her, and if you're too afraid to take the chance, then you'll never know!"
"I was gonna tell her..eventually."
"When? When she's getting married to some other guy, or maybe never?"
"No.I was just waiting for the right time."
"Well, guess what, Sean? That right time is never gonna just come on its own. You have to decide when the right time is."
"Okay, okay. So are we going to see Scott or not?"
"Yeah, we are. Meet me at the hospital," Kevin said, cooling down now. Sean was really confused as to why Kevin would suddenly have an attitude about a matter that he couldn't control and really wasn't any of his business. He wanted to know, but now didn't seem like such a great time to ask him why he was freaking out about Sean's personal life when he couldn't do a thing about it, so he didn't." "All right. I just gotta call Joanie and tell her to get a ride with someone else." "Okay, call your girlfriend. I'll meet you at the hospital." He repeated, then hung up before Sean could start lecturing him about he and Joanie not being together.
"Hello?" Joanie said once Sean called her. She sounded just as tired as he had when Kevin called him just a little while ago.
"Hey Joanie, its me, Sean. Did I wake you up?"
"Yeah, but I was gonna have to get up sooner or later."
"Listen, Scott's in the hospital and he and Kev wanted me to go visit him so could you get a ride from someone else today?"
"Scott's in the hospital?"
"Yeah."
"What happened?"
"He said he was attacked. I don't really know if that's entirely true, though."
"Oh."
"Hey, do you want to go to the hospital with me?"
"Really? Sure, why not."
"Okay, I'll meet you out in the parking lot, then."
"Alright, bye."
Sean couldn't believe he had just said that. And that she had said yes. It seemed as far and distant as that dream this morning, which was slowly fading into the darkness of forgotten memories. Okay, so it wasn't like a date, it wasn't anything like a date, but she had said yes, and that was all that mattered right now. Sean got dressed, and, all of a sudden it occurred to him that Joanie wasn't even really that close with Scott. Okay, so she knew him, they were co-workers, of course she knew him. But she didn't really know him. She definitely didn't consider him as one of her friends, and vice versa. So maybe..just maybe, she said yes to spend time with Sean. Maybe she did have feelings for him. He didn't know for sure, but somehow, it just didn't seem like she was going to the hospital just to see Scott.
"I am so happy that you all came to see me!" Scott exclaimed once everyone got there. "Especially since its so early in the morning. Thank you, I really appreciate it."
"So what exactly happened, Scott?" Sean asked him, eager to know at least some of the story. For all he knew, Scott could have been drunk and walked into a wall or something.
"Well, Sean, I'll tell ya the same thing that I told Vince and the police. I was attacked. I don't know by who, or why, all I know is that I was attacked."
"Are you sure?" Kevin asked, not entirely convinced of Scott's wishy- washy story.
"Yes! Positive! You just don't wake up with a broken arm and bruises! I was attacked! That's all I know!"
"I dunno..I think he's hallucinating." Kevin said; Sean nodded his approval with the idea.
"I am not! I know that the story doesn't sound believable but I'm telling the truth!"
"Okay, Scott, we believe you," Kevin said, walking off. "I'm going to the bathroom, I'll be right back."
"Sooo," Scott began, "you guys going out?"
"No! Who told you that?" Joanie asked, speaking up after being silent all this time.
"Sean."
"I did not!" Sean yelled in protest. "Why would I say that if its not true?!"
"Well, I thought that's what you said."
"Is that what this is all about?" Joanie asked, enraged, and the stormed out.
"Joanie wait.this is all your fault, Scott! I hope you're happy!"
"Joanie wait! It really is my fault. They put me on all these medications! I'm not thinking straight!" But it was hopeless.