Disclaimer: Gallagher Girls is most definitely Allie's, not mine!
Author's Note: Hey everybody, how have you been? I really hope you liked the last chapter, and love this one even more! Someone mentioned last time that Cam's injuries were a bit extreme, I know and I'm sorry. I'm not a doctor or a dancer, so just bare with me! I really appreciate all of your reviews; they mean so much, so keep em coming! ;) I won't keep you any longer, so here is Chapter 8 :)
The car ride back to school was tense to say the least. I could tell Madame Dabeney was disappointed in me, heck, I was disappointed in myself. Whenever I said something along the lines of "I'll get better" or "I'll be dancing in no time" she'd just shake her head, or not even acknowledge that I'd spoken. Zach was another matter. Not that I was even talking to him in the first place, but he'd reply with a sarcastic "Okay" or "Riiight". It was infuriating to say the least.
When we reached the school, it was time for dinner. Madame Dabeney wheeled me to my dorm room, and before I rolled myself into the bathroom she said, "I only want for you to heal Cammie. Do not worry yourself with dance anytime soon. Now hurry and wash up. Dinner is about to start. Since Headmistress Buckingham is out at a meeting, I have to make the announcements, so Zach will come and collect you in around 20 minutes to bring you to the dining hall."
I said a simple, "Okay," and with that, she left.
Once I had managed to awkwardly wash my face with a warm washcloth, I put some chap stick on my lips. Brushing through my knotty hair was a pain and a half, and I'm not going to even try to go into detail of the hassle of changing my underwear. My attempt to make myself look mildly presentable was a failure, the bags and bruising on my face standing out since my skin looked so deathly pale. Feeling disgusted with myself, I hurtled the hairbrush at the mirror in front of me, watching as the shards rained down over the counter.
Suddenly, the door burst open, and Zach was standing there with a worried look on his face.
"What are you doing in here?" I screeched at him. "I could have been naked for all you know."
"Cammie, what have you done?" he asked softly, looking between the broken mirror and me.
"I know what you're thinking, seven years bad luck right? I don't think my luck can get any worse than it already is," I tried to joke, but soon enough my laughing had turned into crying.
"Cammie, don't cry." Zach said, and came and hugged me lightly, not wanting to hurt my already sore body. He just held me until the tears stopped, and when they did, he said, "I'll go find a dustpan and brush to clear this lot up."
I nodded at him gratefully, and said, "Thank you…thank you so much Zach. You didn't have to do that you know."
He replied with, "I know, but I wanted to," and then rolled me out of the bathroom and towards the dining hall. I was not looking forward to this.
As a dancer, I am used to having people watch me, but as Zach wheeled me into the room, I couldn't help but feel as if the entire Gallagher population were 'car crash staring'.
As I was wheeled closer to my friends, they rushed up to me, pushing Zach out of the way. As he walked to sit with his friends, I sent him a grateful look before I was pushed away by my friends. I gave them a small smile, I could tell they were trying to act as normal as possible for my sake. That was, as it happened, after the interrogation of what the doctor said and when I'd be out of the chair. The one question that they really wanted to know was the question I couldn't possibly try to answer, "How are you". I honestly had too many emotions at that moment to express in words how tired, sad, worried, scared and hurt I felt. The weirdest feeling I had though, was a feeling of relief. Sure I was still being pressured to dance by my mother, but nobody else expected anything of me. I just felt relief.
When I'd finished my dinner, Macey took the back of my chair and pushed me out of the room. The kids I went past all looked sorry, upset, pitiful, sympathetic, and the worst of all, happy for the loss of 'competition'. That was mainly Tina and her friends, and when she gave me a sickly sweet smile and waved at me, mouthing, 'Sorry, but I told you not to get in my way' she confirmed my assumptions. She made this happen to me. I put 'ram over Tina's toes' at the top of my mental to do list. At least this wheelchair had its perks!
Over the intercom, I was called to the headmistress's office. I guess she was back from her meeting. I told Bex, Liz and Macey that I'd make my own way there, saying that I needed the practice anyway. They gave me unsure smiles, but still agreed, and after 20 minutes of struggling, I made it the office.
As I came in, I saw some of the school's governors, sponsors and staff sat around a long desk, waiting patiently as I pushed myself through the door. "Hi," I said nervously.
"Hello Miss Morgan," Mrs Buckingham started. "As you know, you will not be able to participate in dance lessons for quite some time. All of the members present, including myself, have agreed that it is in your best interest to choose another art to replace dance, this means music or art. For the time being, you will have mentors who will meet you outside of the art and music blocks for one week, whenever your year is scheduled an arts subject. They will show you the ropes of the course, so don't worry about not fitting in. We expect you to decide which subject you would like to permanently transfer to by Friday at 6.00pm."
"But I can't change! I have a solo in the musical!" I protested.
"No dear, we have spoken to your doctor, and he has confirmed that you will not recover in time for the musical. Your solo has been given to another student, though the other art's teachers are willing for a late application of work to audition to play an instrument or paint for the musical." She said sadly.
"Another student, well who is it?" I demanded.
One of the governors cleared his throat and said sheepishly, "My daughter, Tina Walters. Are you friends?"
"You're her dad? Well that explains some part of this mess," I mumbled to myself. "Um, I do know Tina, through dance mainly, though I wouldn't say we were great friends Sir," I said politely, though I think we both know what I said was an understatement of how much I hated Tina. Her father just nodded in response.
Once I was dismissed, I rolled myself out of the office, rather shell shocked. On my way back to my dorm room, I got stuck. No matter how hard I pushed, I didn't have the upper body strength to get my chair up the stupid ramp. I grunted with the exertion, and eventually gave up, swearing under my breath. I just sat there lamely, until I heard a voice behind me say, "Need a hand?" Of course, it was Zach, he just kept popping up everywhere, every time I was in need of help, he was there. Like some sort of knight in shining armour, he came up behind me and pushed me up the giant slope as if the chair and I put together weighed nothing.
"Thanks," I said, looking at him with a small smile on my face.
He just shook his head and said, "It's nothing, really." He then carried on pushing me all the way to my dorm room, though I would have never have asked him.
When we got there, he stopped, both of us saying nothing for a minute. Then, he bent down slowly, giving me time to reject him (which I wasn't going to). Softly and slowly, he pressed his lips to mine, his breath smelling sweet and minty at the same time. Once we pulled away for air, I smiled at him shyly, and he smiled back. He then bent back down to my level, but instead of kissing me, put his lips at my ear, and whispered, "Feel free to call me anytime Cammie. You never know when you might need superman to rescue you again," and with that, he was gone.
I sat there for another few minutes, pondering what he said, thinking I might just take him up on that offer. Smiling and shaking my head, I unlocked the door to my room. My friends helped me get changed and comfortable in bed. In my softest pyjamas I was propped up in my warm snugly bed with various cushions that I had never seen before. I had a restless sleep that night, which ruined my comfort. I kept thinking about Dr Fibbs and my mother, various ending scenarios going around in my head.
When morning came, my phone was blinking at me, one new voicemail. It was from the board of directors at the Roseville Community Hospital. It said, "Hello there Miss Morgan. We have been informed of your request for tendon and ligament repair treatment. Unfortunately, you have been denied access to all treatments, as we believe, time, and your leg casts will do a better and safer job of healing your body. We do hope you understand our reasoning behind the decision, but if you do have any further questions, please don't hesitate to contact us. Take care, Miss Morgan." Great, well there goes my ideal plan and speedy recovery. Just as I switched off my phone, my roommates started to stir and wake up. I decided to break the news to them, that I would be leaving Gallagher in a few weeks, there was no other solution.
"Hey guys, I have to tell you something important…" I then carried on telling them about my mother's threats, and how I would have to leave in just three weeks since I couldn't have the operations on my legs. This resulted in a lot of crying from Macey and Bex.
Liz on the other hand said, "But wait, your mum only said you had to perform in the musical. That's not very specific. The word perform could mean anything, you can still act fine. As long as you get a piece of music or art in, then you'll still be able to act, therefore performing." I guess I never thought of that, but when my mother realised her mistake, she'd go ballistic. I could tell it was a risky idea, but it was my only other option. Otherwise, it was a certainty that I'd be back to the life I had only just managed to escape.
AN: There you go everybody, chapter 8. I hope you enjoyed reading it! It's quite late here in England, so I'll keep this short. Thank you so much every one for reviewing, and PLEASE continue to for me! I love to read your messages and advice, you guys are the best. For now, it's goodbye from me. ~XOXO