Author Note: To avoid confusion- the watch goes off, basically, when your soulmate realizes he loves you. Which means that in the last chapter- Castiel or Lysander realized that they cared for and loved Annabelle.

~CWA

Chapter 8- Recovery

Annabelle:

When I woke up, I almost expected it to be like the movies. My soul mate would be standing over me with a concerned lovey-dovey expression on his face. He would ask if I was okay, hug me tightly and tell me that he was so glad that I was okay because it turned out he loved me. Then we would kiss and live happily-ever-after. Instead, when I opened my eyes, I found myself in a hospital wearing a thing, papery hospital gown. I blinked back to conscious and realized that I had an IV in my arm.

"Water," I croaked out- my throat feeling really raspy. I heard someone chuckle and I looked to see a nurse. I didn't mean those girly nurses you would see on TV either. The nurse looked a bit like Jesse Spencer when he was a character in House M.D. In other words, he was slightly cute and older. I got a glimpse of myself in the metallic container that was sitting on the counter nearby. Great- cute nurse and of course, I look like crap. My green locks looked like a mix of Merida from Brave and Anna from Frozen when she first woke up. In other words, my hair was a giant mess.
"Of course, reasonable that your throat would hurt after all that screaming."
He handed me a cup of water and I drank it down like I was in the desert and hadn't had it in days. As soon as I finished, I coughed,
"Screaming?"
"You don't remember," he frowned slightly, "I guess that makes sense. You had a pretty bad panic attack."
"…What happened," I asked as I bit my lip.

"You fainted, your boyfriend and your other friend called the ambulance."

"Boyfriend," I muttered slightly, boyfriend? What boyfriend? I don't have a boyfriend. I have a soul mate- but it's a complicated relationship right now since I don't know who he is.

The nurse laughed. I looked at his nametag, Jack Spencer.

"Of course, the one that got into the ambulance with you. The paramedics said that he wouldn't let go of your hand the whole time- even when you started to seizure."

I nodded like it made sense- even if didn't. Who was in the ambulance with me? Castiel or Lysander? I wasn't sure who I hoped it was.

"If there's anything you need, let me know," the nurse said.
"…A brush?"

He laughed,
"Sure thing. You're…aunt, I believe…dropped by with your things. I'm sure there's a brush in there. If there's pajamas, something comfortable and loose, you can change in the bathroom. Just remember you have to take that," he gestured to the IV stand, "with you. And no bras, they have metal and it'll mess with the equipment…sports bras are okay."
My face turned red slightly and I could only nod at him. He smiled,

"I'll let your visitors know that they can come in and I'll tell the doctor you're awake."

Then he was gone. I rushed to the bathroom, pulling the IV stand on wheels with me, and grabbed the bag beside the hotel bed. At least Auntie brought it though I don't know how to explain this to her. I looked at the watch…it was gone. Oh yeah, it went off at possibly the worst time ever and is now probably still at school, lying on the ground, and transformed into a normal watch. In the bathroom, I was relived that Auntie had packed pajamas, my brush, my toothbrush and toothpaste, my notebook (for poetry) and my journal. Though I didn't know that she knew where my journal was or even that I had a journal.

I carefully changed out of the thin papery hospital gown and into my pajamas. It was my Chill Pill pajamas. After changing, I brushed my teeth- thankful to get the metallic taste out of my mouth- and brushed my hair back into its somewhat normal shape.

When I came out of the bathroom, I saw Rosayla, Castiel, Mason, Alexy, and Lysander. Mason was sitting down in a chair with Alexy beside him. He looked really worried and Alexy kept rubbing his back. Rosayla looked concerned and happy at me. Castiel and Lysander were both looking at me with a mix of concern and worry.

"I'm so glad you're okay," Mason said relieved.

"Meh," I yawned, "Depends on what okay is."

Rosayla pouted and hugged me as tightly as she could without messing up the IV.

"We're so glad you're okay, Annabelle! We were so worried about you!"
"And," she whispered, "so was he."
She giggled and then let me go. He? He who? Castiel or Lysander?
"I'm glad you're okay, princess," Castiel said as he gave me a small hug. I looked at him amused,

"I didn't take you one for hugs."
He shifted his weight and a slight blush was on his face. Rosayla giggled and then she leaned over to me to whisper,

"You really should have put on a bra."
I blushed,
"Couldn't," I mumbled, "they have metal hooks and Auntie didn't pack a sports bra."

Rosayla laughed. Alexy and Mason, who were nearby, laughed at my misery as well. I huffed and crossed my arms- well I would've crossed my arms if I could but that's hard with an IV. I laid back down in the hospital bed. Lysander looked at me with a concerned expression,

"I am glad that you are well," he said then he gave me a small hug.

His face was slightly pink as he let go of me.

00000

"Dang it Mason," I growled, "I'm the sick one here! Let me have the remote!"
Mason shh'ed me,
"Na-uh! My soap opera is on! And you're not sick," he pointed out, "they just have to keep you overnight to make sure you don't have another panic attack or another seizure."
"I think will have one if you don't turn off that soap opera."
I looked back at the screen in hate. A girl had killed her brother to be her brother's lover. Then that lover turned out to be her long-lost sister. Sometimes I wonder if the writers of the show can even follow it.

"Fine," Mason pouted as he turned off the TV. Then he just twiddled with his thumbs,

"But what do I do now?"
"You're the one that wanted to stay here," I pointed out, "Just go watch your soap opera at home."
"And leave you here by yourself," he scoffed, "never."
"As touched as I am, Rosayla had offered to stay here too. As did Castiel and Lysander. I'll just call one of them."

He looked at me carefully,
"You sure?"
"I know how much you love your soap opera," I rolled my eyes, "I'll be fine. Go."

He looked a bit unsure. Finally, he ruffled my hair slightly,
"Okay sissy. Have fun!"
Then he was gone. I sighed and grabbed my cell phone to text Rosayla, Lysander, and Castiel.

To: Bestie, Cas, Lysander

Hey guys- can any of you come to the hospital? Bro left to watch TV home.

It didn't take long to get a reply.

From- Bestie

Aw, sorry :( I can't- date with Leigh

To- Bestie

It's fine. Have fun :)

I ran a hand through my hair, well Rosayla was out.

From- Cas

Sure

From- Lysander

Very well

That was just great. I was going to be in a hospital with two guys. One of which was my soul mate. Both of which I had a crush on.

To Cas, Lysander

Thanks- see you soon.

It would take them a while to get here though so I grabbed my journal. I figured it was best to go ahead and write in my journal when no one was around. I started to write. I started to write- all the way from the beginning.

December 20-

For you to understand what's happening and my problem right now- I better start at the beginning.

Once upon a time…Nah, that's way to girly. Look, I'll tell you up straight that if you think this is some fun-filled fairytale, you're damn wrong. Mason might disagree with me but I know I'm right. I always am right. See, this so-not-a-fairytale-story starts with my crazy fairy Auntie and her birthday gift to me and Mason.

Mason and I are paternal twins and on the day we were born, our aunt- who is a freaking fairy- gave us this watch that counts down to the exact second when you'll meet your soul mate. It was her special gift to us that was like just like the fairy godmothers in Sleeping Beauty except it was only one gift and it was a magical watch. Okay, that really does sound like a fairy tale, but I swear this isn't one. To me, the watch is just a flippin' burden. To leave my love life to fate was total bullcrap. I didn't even believe in fate.

Mason's a different story. He loves the watch like he loves fashion and trust me, that's a lot. I never understand how he can so easily accept it though. I mean, this watch is a freaking curse. It never comes off- and I've tried just about everything to get it off. Nothing works.

Not to mention the 'terms and conditions' of the watch. Yeah, I know right? The watch sounds so freaking perfect, but in reality it's not. There are rules. Rule 1- the watch isn't a total guarantee. I mean, yeah it's pretty exact but let's say…you're stuck in the woods and there's no one around. Auntie says it's a one in a million chance but if no one is there, you're destined to be alone. Yeah, total bullcrap. Rule 2- You can't tell anyone about the watch before time runs out- well besides the parents, Auntie and other people who have the watch. If you do- the watch is transforms into a death glass- or so Auntie says anyway. According to her, a death glass is basically an hourglass that counts down till you die. Personally, I'm always debating whether or not to tell someone because of that rule. I would rather know when I was going to die then when I was suppose to meet my soul mate. Bleh. Rule 3- Meet is a loose term. Auntie had explained that to us. Apparently, 'meet' is really 'when you the soul mate realizes he loves you and looks into your eyes,' total bull. In a way, I guess that makes it harder since you could already have met the love of your life very briefly or something and then two years later, you meet him again and the watch goes off. Rule 4- Don't scare your soul mate off. Again ,the watch has…exceptions. If the soul mate dies, runs off, doesn't accept us (again very rare according to my Auntie), then basically you're screwed and destined to die alone. Rule 5- After the watch has counted down, it turns into a normal watch except from what Auntie says it doesn't tick anymore and it falls off. Plus it's stopped at 00:00:00:00:00:00. Yeah, I know it's a lot of zeroes because this watch- which looks like a digital watch except for, ya know, all the numbers- counts down very exact. The first two zeroes are years, then it's months, then it's days, then hours, then minutes, and finally- seconds. So when I first got this stupid watch stuck on my little baby wrist it said: 17:10:05:11:19:05 (which meant 17 years, 10 months, 5 days, 11 hours, 19 minutes and 5 seconds). Auntie said that when I first got the watch that I stared at it like it was evil. See- even as a baby I could tell I hated the thing.

GRR! I really hate that damn watch. I mean, Auntie meant well- I know. She's cool. She's all Mason and I have left since Mom and Dad died. But nothing can tell me when I will or will not find the love of my life. It's my decision. Hell, I might just scare off my soul mate on purpose and go find him myself. Or her. Oh, that was the other thing about the watch. We never really know our sexuality until we apparently meet our soul mate. Honestly, I think we do but Auntie is pretty firm on her rules being the right ones. But anyway, we never really know if our soul mate is a girl or a guy until we meet them. Again- total bullcrap to me.

So, where am I? Oh yeah, my watch just so happened to go off at the worst time possible. I hated my watch so much; I wished it would continue making that noise now. That stupid tick-tock….

After I was done writing, I put the journal back in the bag. Tick-tock-tick-tock, dang it it's off my wrist and I still hear it in my head…hear it in my head. Inspiration hit me. I grabbed my notebook and started to write again.

The Tick in My Head:

The ticking goes on,

Even when it stops,

It goes on and on,

Right here in my head.

I could have counted the moments,
Till death,

Or love.

It could have gone off when I was alone,

Or it could have ticked to death.

Instead it went off,

Counting the moments till there is love,.

I wish I knew which was worse.

It went on and on,
For as long as I can remember,

That faint ticking was always there in the background.

Back then I wished it would have ended.
I wished that it would have died.
I wished I didn't have to hear it.

Now the ticking stopped,
But it still goes on in my head,

Because I wish it was still going.

I couldn't help but think that the poem was true. I wished that my watch was still on. I would rather deal with it- get a do-over than deal with not knowing who my soul mate is. My phone vibrated.

From- Auntie

Hey dearie! I hope you're better! I saw your watch was off so tomorrow you'll have to tell me all about it. Xoxo

To- Auntie

Okay.

It was best to stay short on replied to Auntie otherwise she will keep the conversation going longer than necessary. The door to my hospital room opened as Lysander and Castiel came through. Castiel was in sweats and a loose gray shirt. Lysander wore silky pajamas. It was understandable since I did text them at about ten at night. I gave them a sheepish look,
"Sorry for asking you guys to come over so late."
"No problem," Castiel said smoothly as he sat beside me in the hospital bed. Lysander sighed and looked mildly annoyed.

"It's alright," Lysander said. He took a spot on the other side of me. That left me between two guys in a hospital bed at night, all alone, and one of them was my soul mate. Lysander carefully put my arm over his chest. I looked at him confused and he pointed to the IV in my arm. I blushed and nodded. Of course my arm has to be over him so he's not laying on my IV tube. Stupid IV. I almost asked them which one of them was in the ambulance but I held back. Do I really want to know?

I bit my tongue and decided not to ask.
"So, what are we going to do," Castiel finally asked.

"Don't know," I answered.
"We have all night," Lysander pointed out, "it is the weekend, after all."
00000

When I woke up, Castiel's head was on my chest and I blushed. Then I blushed harder when I realized that my head was on Lysander's chest. We must have fallen asleep while watching The Cabin In The Woods- which was more funny than scary to me.
"Good morning sleeping beauty."

I turned and saw Mason was leaning over the bed- and Lysander- and was face to face with me. I screamed.

"HOLY CRAP!"

Mason laughed. Lysander's eyes popped open- as did Castiel's. We were still in the same position as we were when I first woke up. They're faces turned several shades of red. For a moment, I was sure that Castiel's face was the same shade as his hair. Castiel finally sat up and Lysander did as well which forced me to sit up too. Lysander glared at Castiel slightly and Castiel glared right back. I choose to ignore them. Mason was still laughing his head off.

"Man, I waited a whole hour to do that…totally worth it!"

I scowled,

"Dang twin."
Mason just continued laughing,

"Hey- sorry, but you guys sure were comfy, weren't you," he gave Lysander and Castiel a sly look- which made them both become fluster.
"By the way," Mason said as he narrowed his eyes at Lysander and Castiel, "if either of you did anything to my twin sister, I will hurt you. Especially you," he looked pointedly at Castiel. Castiel scoffed. I rolled my eyes.

"Anyway," I said, "What are you doing here, Mason?"

"Well," Mason said as he handed me my bag, "First- you need to get dressed and get a bra on because I'm telling you now- the wild and free thing is not for you."

I blushed- as did Lysander and Castiel. I threw the hospital bed pillow at him and then snatched the bag out of his hand. It was at that moment that the nurse came in. He laughed,
"After six years here and you are the most entertaining bunch I have ever seen."

I wondered what about us made us so funny. Then I saw my reflection in the metal container- again. There were doodles on my face.
"Mason," I screeched and he laughed. The nurse came over and he carefully took out my IV.
"Okay, just keep the bandage on there for the day and you'll be good to go. I'll get the doctor and soon after- you'll be able to leave."

He smiled and then left. I grumbled and headed to the bathroom to change. I looked in the bag, least now I can wear the stupid bra.