Anna's POV

I woke up with the worst possible headache. Really, I had my fair share of hangovers during my student years, but this was nothing like it.

The room was dark; the curtains were closed even though it was 9:30 am. The lights were turned off, except for one at the door. I recognized the room as the hospital room I was brought in last night. I groaned.

Last night was a nightmare. It started off so well, meeting the Starkids and having a great time. Well, if you didn't count Thomas. I still didn't understand where this possessive jealousy came from all of a sudden. Everyone was jealous sometimes, even I didn't like it when other girls hang around Thomas. But I didn't act on it. Not like Thomas did.

When we had arrived at the hospital, I was conscious again. It turned out I had a minor concussion and a dislocated shoulder. They put the shoulder back in its place – something I don't want to go through ever again, so painful – and they brought me to this room to recover. They had asked if they needed to call someone, but I didn't think anyone would care. Thomas didn't apparently and I hadn't been in contact with my family for years. They didn't need to call anyone, but that meant I was stuck. Where could I go to after this? Back home, to Thomas? Did I have another choice?

I was pulled out of my thoughts by a knock on the door. A police officer came into the room. I knew what he wanted. This was something I really wanted to avoid and the very reason I didn't want to go to the hospital in the first place.

"Good morning, Miss Grant. I'm Officer Brown. This will only take a moment. You need your rest, and we already have the statements of your friends, but I would like to hear what you have to say as well." He took a seat next to my hospital bed and took his notebook. The officer was a middle-aged man but there was no grey hair to be seen. His brown eyes were really kind and they gave me the feeling I could talk to him. But I wasn't going to. Wait… what did he say about my… friends?

"I'm sorry, sir. But what friends are you talking about?" I asked him. "I didn't know anyone there."

He raised an eyebrow but gave me a friendly smile. He looked at his notebook, holding it close to his face because of the darkness in the room.

"I have a Joey Richter and Dylan Saunders. Does that ring a bell? They were with you when the paramedics arrived yesterday."

Those names did ring a bell. More than one actually. That's why those voices sounded so familiar! Oh God, this was so embarrassing.

"Yes, I do know them. I'm sorry, I forgot they were there. But they're not exactly my friends. They are members of Team Starkid, they were performing at the convention I visited with my boyfriend Thomas."

"Mr Richter stated he was your friend. You're lucky they were there, and that they called us. He said your boyfriend, Thomas, was bothering you? He was the one who attacked you, correct?" Officer Brown awaited her answer, pencil ready to start taking notes.

I took a deep breath and gathered my thoughts. What was I going to say? If I told him everything, there would be consequences for Thomas. Did I want that? Did I want to continue my relationship with Thomas? But if I denied it, I needed an explanation for my injuries. I hadn't had the time to overthink all this.

"Miss?" he tried again.

"Yes, I'm sorry," I cleared my throat. "Yes, Thomas was the one who attacked me in the alley. He was acting like that because he was jealous. I didn't do what he wanted me to do. So he lost it. He… he tried to take me with him but I resisted, so we struggled and then I kicked him. He shoved me aside, against a dumpster when I tried to run. That's when I bumped my head and hurt my shoulder. But I didn't think he really meant to hurt me…"

Officer Brown started flipping through his notebook. When he found what he was looking for, he started speaking again.

"Actually, Miss Grant, and you can tell me if Mr. Richter's statement is incorrect, but he told me that Thomas had hurt you before. During a concert?"

Oh God… He had to tell them everything. I couldn't deny it, that's basically calling Joey a liar and I didn't want that. He was so sweet and concerned for me, and now I found out he made sure I was taken care of. I needed help, and they looked after me when Thomas didn't. I could see it now that he did meant to hurt me, so I would stay with him. That's not what a good and healthy relationship should look like. You know what? I could do this. Screw Thomas. He didn't deserve me! I would find a way to collect my things and start over. Not sure how, but I would manage.

"He did… he grabbed my shoulder, the same one that got dislocated. It bruised by the time we left the convention," I sighed. There… I knew what question would follow, but I wasn't sure how to answer it.

"Do you want to file a complaint against him?" Officer Brown asked me.

I shook my head without hesitation.

"Are you sure, Miss Grant? We can't really do anything without an official complaint," he tried.

"I'm sure," I confirmed.

"Okay, as you wish. Here's my phone number and the address of the police office, in case you change your mind." He gave me a card with the address and wrote his number on the back.

When he left the room, he was replaced by a doctor.

"Good morning, Miss Grant. How are you feeling today?" she asked me.

"Fine, I guess. My head still hurts," I answered.

She came towards me and started shining a small flashlight in my eyes, and ordered me to follow her finger with my eyes.

"The headache will fade eventually. You took a big blow to the head, and that gave you the concussion you have and the headache. Do you feel nauseous? Dizzy?"

I shook my head. "No, I'm fine."

"Luckily your concussion is a minor one. The only thing you can do is rest and try to stay away from bright lights, because that would only make your headache worse. Your shoulder should stay in that sling for the next couple of days. I'll give you a prescription for painkillers," she explained while writing it all down. "As far as I'm concerned, you're good to go. Is there someone you can call to pick you up?"

"I… uhm…" Shit… who was I going to call? And where could I go? "I don't…"

"She's coming with me," a voice sounded from the door.

We both looked towards the door opening, where a young woman was standing.

"Julia?" There, at the door, in my room stood Julia Albain. From Team Starkid.

The doctor looked towards me, verifying if I was okay with it. I nodded, since I couldn't shrug my shoulders yet.

"I'll fill in the necessary paper work so you can head out. I'll be back in a moment."

"Not to be rude or anything, but… why are you here and why am I going with you?" I asked Julia.

She came towards me and sat on the end of my bed.

"Well… I'm here partly because of Joey. He really feels bad about what happened to you. That heart of his is way too big for his own good sometimes. He's doing an interview with the rest of the gang right this moment, so it was the perfect time to visit you. And I'm also here for you," she answered.

I raised my eyebrows in question.

"I actually came to visit you to check how you were doing, so I could tell Joey and the rest of the group that you were going to be okay. He needs to stop worrying so much," she said smiling. "But then I heard you're allowed to leave the hospital and that you couldn't think of someone to come and pick you up. So… maybe you could come with me? To the hotel I mean…"

"I don't know…" I sighed. "It doesn't solve the problem really. Instead of being stuck here, I'm stuck in the hotel. Plus I don't want to be a bother, you've all done more than enough."

"Oh stop it. You're not bothering anyone. They're going to be thrilled to see you. We'll see what we'll do afterwards. We have a plane to catch tonight so we don't have much time left to argue. I'm taking you with me."

Well I couldn't argue with that. I was given the opportunity to see the Starkids again and I could thank them in person. I could probably take a cab home or something… but I wasn't sure I was ready to face Thomas again.

The doctor came back with the release forms and a plastic bag with my belongings. Apparently Thomas didn't take my bag with him when he ran away, so I had everything I needed. Including the keys to our house. Maybe I could stay in the hotel a little longer and wait until tomorrow to go home. Thomas would be at work so I could easily go there and pick up some things.

Julia helped me get out of the bed since I couldn't use my right arm yet and handed me my shoes.

"Ready to go?" Julia asked me.

"Yeah, let's go," I said, giving her a grateful smile. I had a plan now, sort of. It was going to be okay. I was going to be okay.