Leaving Through The Window: Chapter 8-Not Meant To Live His Father's Dream
There's a pain that sleeps inside
It sleeps with just one eye
And awakens the moment that you leave
Though I try to look away
The pain it still remains
Only leaving when you're next to me
*****
The single room was quiet, save for the beeping of the heart monitors and the dull hum of a few other medical devices.
Hallie stepped quietly into the room, smiling sympathetically when Logan looked over at her from the hospital bed. "Hey," she said softly, trying to keep up her facade, but failing miserably as tears began rolling down her cheeks.
"Hey, don't cry." Logan said hoarsely, tilting his head to the side as she sat herself in a vacant chair left beside the bed.
Sniffling a little, Hallie furiously wiped the wet tears from her cheeks and smiled tightly, taking Logan's hand as he moved it toward her weakly. "Sorry." she whispered, absently staring at the IV tube that ran from his arm.
Just then the doctor stepped in, carrying a medical chart. The man adjusted his thin-rimmed glasses, then brushed his light brown hair to the side as he looked at Logan. "We've checked out your medical history son." he told him with a kind, sympathetic smile. "I suppose you know you shouldn't have even been playing football in the first place," he started with a questioning arched eyebrow.
Logan just nodded a little, while squeezing gently on Hallie's hand.
"Well," the young looking doctor continued, "I assure you there'll definetly be no more of that. Your heart is incapable of such an extreme physical workout, you've got to understand that."
"I do." Logan answered back sharply with another nod.
"Mm-hm." the doctor mumbled quietly before attaching the chart to the end of the bed and walking out of the room. "A nurse will be on call if you need anything," he said as he left.
Grunting softly, Logan looked to Hallie again. "Is my Pop here?" he questioned with a worried grimace.
Hallie sighed, "Yeh, I told him he couldn't come in." she smiled a little.
Logan chuckled quietly, raising his other hand to his chest. "Does he...look mad?"
Raising both eyebrows, Hallie shrugged as she tilted her head to the side a little. "No..actually, he looks kinda...guilty."
Brows furrowing for a moment, Logan grumbled, "Good." he drifted off a little bit, then looked to Hallie sadly as if he was regretting the anger towards his father right then. He sighed. "Eh, it ain't all his fault he's like this." he started lowly, "When my Ma got cancer, Pop did everything he could ta get her taken care of, get treatments, everythin' he could. Then...when she died, he must o' felt so damn useless. That's when he started drinkin' an' bein' so sour all the time..."
"Yeh..." Hallie started to drift off, slowly pulling her hand away from Logan's and resting it on her lap. "It still doesn't excuse all his behavior." she grumbled, speaking of when Mr. Howlett would take out his frustrations on Logan. Hallie found her gaze drifting to the faded bruise under his right eye from a few days ago and she frowned, changing the subject. "So, how ya feelin'? Are you okay?" she asked, noticing his hand over his chest.
"Nnh, yeh." Logan mumbled quietly, "Chest still feels a little tight, that's all." after a moment he added, "They're givin' me some new meds ta take with my other ones too. But they're only for when I get sudden attacks. The doc says it'll work quicker."
Hallie nodded slowly. "That's good."
A short moment's silence went by between the two friends, before Logan interjected lowly with a question.
"What time is it?"
Glancing back into his dark eyes, Hallie lifted her wrist and glanced at her watch. "Almost ten." she answered quietly.
"Damn.." Logan breathed, his eyes widening a little. Brows furrowed in thought he asked, "How long was I out?"
"Uh..." Hallie tilted her head to the side, squinting one eye as she tried to remember. "Well, ya went down around 7:30...an' uh...the doc said ya woke up not too long ago....so a little while..." she drifted off, her eyes getting a sad look to them. "The paramedic's hadta shock your heart in the ambulance...you were dead for a full minute.."
Logan just stared at Hallie, his face going a little paler than it already was. He hadn't known about that apparently...
Hallie forced back the tears that threatened to spill from her eyes at the thought of losing him. "You were pretty out of it after that. When they brought you back, you'd passed out after an' they hadta give you a shot of adrenaline or somethin' an' make sure ya didn't go flatline again." she told him quietly.
What Hallie didn't want to tell Logan, was that the paramedics said after two shocks of his heart, if he wasn't back they wouldn't be able to try again because his heart couldn't take it. She'd pleaded with them to try just one more time when the second jolt did nothing, and that third time he was revived.
Logan noticed the sad, far away look in Hallie's eyes, and finally decided to tell her what his teenage heart wanted him to say. He shook off all the thoughts that told him he didn't know what he was really feeling, and went with his heart. "Hallie...before ya say anything...I just want you ta listen okay?" without waiting for her to respond he continued, "I know you might still think we're too young ta feel this way, or that I might be dilusional...but I'm not Hal, I ...I think I'm in love with you."
Staring at him with widened eyes, Hallie leaned forward in her seat by his bed and absently took his hand. Her lip twitched for a moment until the right side of her cheek rose in the funny way that she half smiled. "That's funny..." she said quietly, clearing her throat and staring into Logan's deep dark eyes.
He looked hurt for a moment and almost frowned, then grinned as Hallie finished with;
"...'cuz I think I'm in love with you too." she grinned back at him, then rose a little from her seat and pecked him on the cheek before sitting back down.
"That's all I get?" Logan asked with a teasing smirk, his voice low and gruff.
Hallie laughed. "For now." she winked at him slyly. "I'll kiss ya good an' propper when you're outta this place," she gestured around the room. "Hospitals are icky for a first kiss."
Chuckling softly and still holding onto his friend...no, his girlfriend's hand, Logan leaned back on the bed, resting his head against the pillows that were propped up high so that he was sitting up.
"So when are you gettin' outta here anyway?" Hallie asked him seriously, edging her chair a little closer to the bed.
"Tomorrow." he answered with a nod, then glanced toward the door.
Hallie turned as if someone had stepped in. She turned back to Logan, noticing the door hadn't opened but he was staring at it none-the-less. "What?"
"My Pop still out there?" he asked lowly.
"I'll check." standing up, Hallie walked toward the door and peeked out the little window. Shaking her head bitterly she reclaimed her seat. "He took off."
"Hmph...prob'ly out fer a beer." Logan mumbled, feeling a little disheartened that his father didn't even come in to see him, despite the fact Hallie had told him not to.
Smiling tightly, Hallie turned again as the door opened, the young, brown haired doctor from before stepping in.
The doctor smiled kindly at the two as he began filling a syringe with a clear liquid. "I'm going to need to administer a sedative so you can get some sleep." he addressed Logan. "With your irregular heart-beat at the moment you won't be able to rest otherwise."
Logan just nodded, watching with mild interest as the doctor stepped beside the bed and injected the drug in through his IV. He didn't like hospitals and doctors much, ever since he needed his heart surgery, though this particular doctor didn't make him feel so uneasy.
The doctor adjusted his glasses, smiling at the two as he finally introduced himself. "My name's Dr. Adams by the way."
Hallie nodded to him, figuring he obviously knew Logan's name, she introduced herself. "I'm Hallie."
Dr. Adams half smiled, then checked his watch. "Well Hallie, visiting time's over, but if you'd like to stay I won't say anything." he told her with a wink as he began leaving.
"Thank you." she called after him, looking to Logan and taking his hand again. She could tell he was getting drowsy, and the sedative was quickly working it's way through his system.
"You don't...hafta stay.." he slurred sleepily. "Go'n...get some sleep..."
Hallie patted his hand with a little laugh from his stumbling speech. "I'll stay for awhile." she told him, jokingly kissing his hand as he closed his eyes and fell asleep.
Do you know that everytime you're near everybody else seems far away?
So can you come and make them disappear?
Make them disappear and we can stay.........
*****
2ndNote: Thank you very much for your reviews; TheWolf and wolvster, and a special thanks to Jaenelle Angelline. Your review really encouraged me ta put in a little back-history with Thomas Howlett this chapter. I realized from another reviewer that I was makin' him too completely cold-hearted and mean without any other emotions or anything. I wasn't going to put in the reason for his behavior, but I'm glad I did. Man, now I feel sorry for him. lol. Thanks so much, to everyone!!