I walked as fast as I could to the elevator. Don't know why I did though, I guess I wanted to tell everyone Duke was fine. But, in the back of my mind, I kept thinking about Justin.
"How is he? Does he look alright?" Questions bombarded me as I stepped off the elevator.
"He looks amazing for someone who just had 6 hours of surgery. He was really scared when he first woke up, but calmed down a bit when he realized I was there. Umm, Becky said that you could go up and spend the night with him if you wanted. As for the rest of us, we gotta go home and wait til tomorrow afternoon when they take him out of intensive care."
"Alright. Thank you sweetie. Now, for the rest of you, go home and get some sleep. We'll call you when visiting hours start." Dukes mom said as they turned to get on the elevator.
When the doors closed we all turned and walked out of the hospital. We all decided not to go home right away, but go to the beach and watch the sun come up.
"I can't believe the cops never caught Justin. You haven't told Duke, have you?" Kia asked as she took a sip of her latte.
"No, why would I tell him that when he just had brain surgery? For as long as we can, we're not gonna tell him about Justin. Everybody ok with that."
Everyone nodded in response. We all sat in silence until the sun fully came up.
"Right, well, I don't know about you guys, but I need a shower," Toby announced. "Why don't we all go back to our houses and change and meet at the mall at 10?"
Everyone agreed and got in the car.
Sebastian and I got home at around 7:30am. We walked into the house as quietly as we could, but were still ambushed by mom.
"Oh babies, I'm so sorry about what happened. Justin's parents called and they apologized to what he did. The police caught him, he's downtown waiting for Dukes parents to press charges. Mr. Orsino called too. He wanted you guys to know that the doctors were taking Dukes breathing tube and brain pressure monitor out. He'll be moved into a new room at 11:30. Now, go shower and change. I'll make breakfast when you're finished."
After we thanked her, Sebastian and I ran upstairs and took showers. After changing and eating a quick breakfast, we walked to the mall where we found the gang sitting in the food court.
"So, here's the plan. We're gonna put our money together and get Duke some presents." Andrew said as we all emptied our pockets.
We had a total of $125.63. With it, we bought a huge card, some balloons and a couple of teddy bears. One had a bandage around its head and a cast on it's left leg, just like Duke. The other was decked out in a soccer player's uniform. After signing the card, we all piled into Andrew's van and headed for the hospital.
Just a little while after we got there, Becky came downstairs.
"I bet you're all excited to see Duke. Now, he's still on a lot of pain medications but he's more alert and talking now. His appearance might scare you at first, but it's still Duke. Whenever you're ready, get in the elevator and go up to the 2nd floor. When you get off, take a left and walk to the nurses' station. After you get there, hang a right. Dukes room is 261, the fourth door on your left."
We all composed ourselves and got into the elevator. Once we followed Becky's directions, we stood outside the door for what seemed like ever. After composing ourselves, we walked in. Duke was sitting up in bed, looking way better than he did the last time I saw him. After putting the card on the table, tying the balloons to the bed, and handing him the bears, we all sat down and started talking.
"So, did they find him?" Duke asked out of the blue. His voice was still a bit raspy from the tube, but everyone knew what he said.
"How'd you know Justin was still on the loose?" I asked as I played with his fingers.
"I heard my parents
talk about it before I fully woke up. Did they get him or not. And
there's no point in not telling me, cause I'll find out some
other way."
"All right. Yes, they found him. I can't
remember where Mom said he was, but the point is, he's in custody.
They're waiting for your parents to press charges. I guess they
want you to decide." I told him.
"Well, I don't know. He should be put away, but he's still only a kid. But, for right now, I wanna pretend that this never happened. So, anything else happen?" Duke asked.
We all had small conversations until it was time to leave.
"Stay with me, for a little while longer?" Duke pleaded as he grabbed my hand.
Everyone else left and I made my way back to the bedside. He patted the side next to him, and I got into bed with him.
"It's been a while since we've done this. I love you baby."
"I love you too Vi. Now, I want you to take care of yourself and stay away from Drayton, encase he gets let out on bail or something."
"Alright, no worries. Now, I'm gonna fall asleep soon. I'm spending the night, you better start getting used to this"
Duke laughed and tilted my head up to meet his. Our lips met in a soft kiss. After kissing for a little while, we settled down and slept.
I was in the only place I wanted to be, in my soul mates arms.
A/N: Sorry that I've been taking so long to update. I'm on vacation and am only home night. Time is limited. Thank you so much for your reviews, I'm glad you like the story. If any of you have any suggestions in what you'd like to see in the next chapter, please feel free to put them in your reviews and I'll use them the best I can!
Thanks
Charlixx
