Chapter 6

            "Where am I?" I wondered to myself.

            "Cristina? Can you hear me?" someone asked; a boy.

            I slowly opened my eyes. It took me a minute to get adjusted to the light. I tried to look around, but I couldn't; a sharp pain shot through me.

            "I wouldn't try moving yet if I were you," another boy said, "you had a nasty fall."

            I managed to turn my head to my right to see who was talking to me; Taylor and Stephen were here.

            I tried to sit up, but had to have the two of them help me. Finally I was sitting up in a bed, but not in my dorm room; I was in the Hospital Wing.

            "What happened to me?" I asked, seeing the bandage on my right hand and feeling another wrapped around my head.

            Taylor answered me: "Well, it's a fairly interesting story. You had Quidditch practise, the Slytherin team wouldn't leave the field, you beat the shit out of their Captain, and then our team finally got the pitch. The next thing anyone knows, you were being chased by Bludgers."

            "I remember all of that. I fell from my broom, landed on Oliver's, and then we crashed to the ground. I couldn't move; I was in so much pain. I saw Oliver crawl over to me as we watched the three Bludgers shoot toward us. Then he said that he wouldn't let them hurt me; then he got on top of me to shield me from the attack, and then he said……. he loves me," I said, trying to think about what happened after that. "That's all I can remember."

            "It's no surprise that you can only remember that much," Stephen said. "The Bludgers went at the two of you at that moment. They were relentless in their attacking. We all rushed from the stands to try and help, but they had suddenly stopped, frozen right above you, as though they were stuck in the air. When we reached you, Oliver was on top of you; he had protected you from the attack, except for one which seemed to have hit your head pretty hard. He pretty much saved your life."

            I didn't know what to say. How could I; one of my best friends had just put his life at risk to save mine. That's when it occurred to me:

            "Where's Oliver?!" I exclaimed, looking frantically for him in the room.

            Then I saw him, in the bed next to mine. I got up and went over to his bed, despite my pain. He looked so terrible; bruised, broken, and alone.

            I couldn't help what I did next: I dropped to me knees, threw my head and arms over him, and cried. I just cried like I hadn't before.

            Someone put their hand on my right shoulder. I turned and saw through blurry eyes that Rebecca and Brian had come to see us. But I turned back to Oliver and cried even more.

            That's how I discovered my next heartbreaker: in the other bed next to Oliver was Andrew, looking almost as bad as Oliver did.

            I got up and went over to Andrew, where I just stood in disbelief, before dropping to my knees again.

            That's when Rebecca and Stephen came over and helped me back onto my feet. Once I was on my feet, I sat down at the end of Andrew's bed. I kept looking back and forth between him and Oliver.

            "Why?" I asked. "Why is Andrew here too?"

            No one answered for a few minutes.

            Then Rebecca spoke up: "After Oliver caught you on his broom, Andrew got up and took off somewhere, running with his wand in his hand. No one bothered to follow him. I was really too busy trying to think of a safe way to stop the Bludgers. A minute later, he came running back saying 'If you look behind the stands over there, you'll find some Petrified Slytherin team members. They tampered the Bludgers.' Then we saw the two of you crash. Before too long, Bludgers were attacking you, but Oliver was protecting you from them. The next thing we know, Andrew was running over to both of you, still holding his wand. He stepped into the line of fire; that's how he got so beaten up. Then, no longer standing, he pointed his wand into the air and said 'Immobulus' right before a Bludger slammed him into the goalpost that you were against. But they stopped, right before hitting the three of you again."

            My friend Krista was also in the room, she picked up from where Rebecca left off: "As soon as we saw the Bludgers freeze, we ran over to the three of you. We didn't find a pretty site. Andrew was slumped against the same goalpost you were against, battered and bruised. Oliver was on top of you, also bruised, but much worse. When we got you out from under him, you were almost perfect, except for your hand and the large bruise your head got. That's why you've been out for the past two days."

            I just lost it again. But this time, no one bothered to try and stop me from crying.

            I kept looking at the two of them, battered because they wanted to protect me from harm. They had never done anything like this before. Now they decide to, and look where they are now.

            "Let's go. I think she needs some time alone," I heard someone say. I didn't bother to see who it was.

            I heard my friends leave, not knowing what else they could do for me. Though I had just woken up, I laid down at the foot of Andrew's bed and cried myself to sleep.

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            Bright lights. I hate bright lights. I especially hate bright lights when I'm trying to sleep. I also hate it when my pillow moves.

            Wait, pillows don't move.

            I opened my eyes and sat up. I looked around. Oh yeah, I was still in the Hospital Wing. But I was lying on the end of a different bed, not mine.

            I looked to see whose bed I was on. That's when I remembered: I had fallen asleep on the end of Andrew's bed. Someone had also put a blanket on me at some point.

            I got up off the bed to better see my surroundings. Still being very sore, I had to hold onto the bed to walk to the window between the two beds.

            It was very bright outside; I'd guess it was about noon.

            I walked over to Oliver, still out cold. I grabbed his hands and squeezed them in my own.

            Putting my head against our hands, I said to him, "Oliver, I don't know if you can hear me, but I'm here. I really don't know how to thank you for protecting me like that. I mean, you put your life at risk for mine. And look at you now because of me. I'm not that worth it. All I wish for right now is for you to wake up. I can't stand seeing you so helpless here. Please, if you can hear me Oliver, please wake up soon."

            Saying that, I started to cry again. Letting go of his hands, I took off my whale's tail necklace, which I never take off, and slipped it around his neck. I was still crying when I heard something move behind me, so I stopped crying. I turned to see Andrew moving around in his bed. I got up and went over to his bedside.

            I got down to my knees and started stroking his head.

            "Andrew? Andrew, it's me; Cristina. Can you hear me?"

            He must have heard me, because he opened his eyes to look at me.

            "Cristina?! You're….you're…"

            Before he could finish what he was saying, and before I knew what he was doing, he had his arms around my neck and was actually crying!

            "I thought that something terrible happened to you! I'm so glad that you're safe!" he said, still crying all over me.

            "I'm glad that you're awake now Andrew. I too was worried about you," I said, thanking the stars he was alright.

            "By the way, nice headband you've got there Cristina," he said, still being sarcastic.

            "Even though you got beaten up by Bludgers, you're still your annoying self. And I'm grateful. Oh, and you also have a nice headband Andrew," I said, finally being able to smile.

            "Should we start a club for those with bandaged heads?" he asked.

            "Maybe," I said, climbing onto his bed and sitting next to him.

            "Andrew?" I said.

            "Yeah?"

            I then did something very unexpected; I kissed him, on the lips too. I don't know what came over me, I just……I just kissed him, right there. Then I pulled away and slapped him.

            "What the hell was that for Cristina?!" he asked me in shock and alarm.

            "The kiss was my way of thanking you for what you did," I said, making up the reply quickly, since even I didn't know the truth. "I slapped you because I never want you to do something that stupid again. Trying to save me and Oliver by……"

            That's when I remembered that Oliver was still in the bed next to us. I felt my eyes water. I put my head against Andrew's chest and started to cry again.

            Andrew put his arms around me. "Cristina, what's wrong. You can tell me."

            I looked up at him and said, "Andrew, you saved us, but……" I pointed over to Oliver's bed where he still lay asleep.

            He got the idea. "It's ok, Cristina; Oliver will be ok. It just takes some time. He'll be fine."

            "I hope you're right Andrew. I hope you're right," I said, falling asleep in Andrew's arms.

            I hope you're right……