Chapter Seven- Much Aches Already

-Jared Howe-

"Seriously?" Jamie asked with evident over enthusiasm.
"Yes, Jamie. I'm pretty sure you've heard me for the last thousand times." My sarcasm just kept burning on the inside because it wasn't really something toothrilling; I've got other things to deal with…
"Awesome! Ice queen is gone!" He sang, while Jeb just nudged him by the ribs but that wouldn't keep his mouth shut. He never really did like Bell. Instead, he simply had a disturbing smile on his face the whole time we had lunch. But I knew Jeb was all eyes on me.

"What's new, kid, something bothering you?" Jeb started.

"Oh…yeah, sure, no…Just worried about Mel. That's all." I lied. Well, partly lied. I was definitely thinking of Mel, just not about the coma right now.

My gaze was fixed on the table and I was avoiding Jeb's contact at any circumstances, he was the kind of guy who would instantly know that something was wrong just by seeing your facial expressions.

Although it was sometimes unusual, he was good at it.

"Is there something else you want to say…?" He insisted on further.

"No." I simply stated, playing with the food right in front of me.

"Huh." He raised his eyebrow and tapped Jamie by the shoulder. "Hey Jamie, why don't you meet us upstairs. You should try and talk to Mel this time."

"Sure, I can't wait to tell Mel about…" He trailed off, eyeing Jeb then thought better of what he was planning inside his head. "Uh--See you guys." He took one last bite from the table and stood up. Jeb sat quiet till Jamie was out sight and then he inhaled in a sharp breath and distressingly gaped at me another time.

He knew I wouldn't be able to stand his staring game, so I gave up eventually.

"Melanie's in love with me." I leaned back into the chair and sunk down, waiting for Jeb's reaction.

"That's it?" He snickered, imitating my move and crossing his arms. "That's what's caught you up in this mood?" He snorted again.

"What do you mean, that's it? It's a big deal, Jeb!" I snapped back, lightly tapping my hand on the table. "Hold on a sec, this doesn't bother you?"

"Why would it bother me? I've known for a while now. Just because I don't see my niece all the time, doesn't mean I don't know how to read faces. She's always on your tail, admiring your move, but not as disturbing as how Isobel followed you before, though." He laughed tonelessly then sat up straight, leveling me with his eyes.
"You've known?! What?" He rolled his eyes and shook his head. I leaned in more and toned down a bit. "Who else do you think noticed?"

"Dunno." He plainly shrugged. "Jamie obviously knows it. Why do you think he's all psyched out about the whole break up with Bell? I guess he's hoping something will happen between you guys." He laughed again but this time probably ridiculing my cluelessness.

I covered my entire face with my hands and groaned, muffled sound only coming out.

"What am I going to do now?" I asked through my hiding.

"Well, why is it bothering you? I mean, isn't this a good thing?" He seemed confused. He lifted his eyebrows and speculated while I peeked through my fingers.

"It isn't."

"How come?"

"Jeb…What do you think will happen when she wakes up and I know all about this? I'm sorry, but—she loves me, and I love her. Just…"

"Not the same way?" He finished off for me, but I wasn't really sure if that was my conclusion to it. He sighed and crunched his forehead, waiting for me to continue.

It's not that I don't love Melanie. She's already a huge part in my life, and I wouldn't want her to be gone forever. Never. Though…she can't feel that way about me.

But really…don't I feel the same way?

"Can we stop talking about this now? It's awkward considering you're related to Melanie." I distracted and he bluntly chuckled and patted my back.

"Just go with the flow, act natural and pretend like you don't know anything." I attempted to smile while he slowly kicked his chair back and stood up. "Oughta get to Mel now, don't you think? We never know what Jamie's improvising now." He smiled but all I could do was wonder.

We walked out of the cafeteria and strode towards the elevator wordlessly. Jeb pressed the 3rd floor button when someone distantly yelled.

"Hold the elevator, please!" A woman's voice came.

I slid my hand through the inch-wide opening and struggled through pushing it back. The door gave in and shrunk back to the side.

"Thanks." A figure finally stepped in the elevator, panting. It was then I realized that it was Wanda. "Oh…Jared and Jeb. How convenient." She said with slight sarcasm, at least that's what I thought I heard. She turned her back to us and faced the doors that were closing now, but one of her feet was relentlessly tapping on the elevator door, and she kept stealing glances towards the screen where which floor we were on showed.

"Hey, Doctor. What's with the rush?" Jeb had his 'worry' tone on, and since Wanda was Mel's assigned doctor, there had to be something going on.

She was tossing her pager back and forth her in her hands and finally twisted her torso towards us. "Hmm? Oh…well…" Her hesitance made everything filled with suspense again, and apparently, something was happening right now.

Jeb gestured his hand in a circular motion. "Yes?"

"Melanie…just woke up." She held her breath in after that last word and my brain took immediate action. Jeb was just as alert because just then, the doors slid open and all three of our heads snapped toward that direction.

Jeb was the first to run out of the elevator and I instantly followed him when someone held my shoulder.

"Jared…can I talk to you for a minute?" We both stepped out of the elevator now and the doors slid close again. Mel's room was a few paces away and my head kept turning towards the room's direction and Wanda's.

"Sure, sure. What is it?" I faced Wanda and thought about sparing a few seconds.

"I'm really sorry about the whole ambush this afternoon. You probably didn't have the slightest clue; I thought that maybe that Mel would want you to know and honestly, one of the reasons why I told you were because I thought she would be unconscious for quite a while. But apparently, her charts were wrong." She huffed everything all in one speaking, and again, I couldn't catch up to what she said that much. "And now she's awake."

"Yeah…I honestly don't know what to do now." I responded uncertainly. "But hey, don't apologize for it, thanks for trying anyway. You're a real friend." A corner of my lip twitched to a smirk while she returned the favor and patted my shoulder. She rushed to Mel's room, but I couldn't find the power within me now to become eager and visit Mel.

So I sat at the row of chairs in the corner of the hall and decided to maybe wait for a couple of minutes, at least until Wanda was done checking with Mel. Besides, Jeb and Jamie were in there right now. They'd probably want some time with her, since they haven't seen Melanie for so long.

Not so long later, Wanda stepped out of the room with a chart on her hand and rapidly paced back to the nurse's station.

Sigh.

And now I would have to go visit Melanie.

I sat up and smoothed the front of my clothing, deliberately striding towards Mel's room. First thing I saw was Jeb and Jamie. They were standing right next to Mel's bed, clearly still talking.

"…yeah Mel! I forgot to tell you, there's this girl that I'm kinda having a crush on. And yeah, sure, I know it's lame since I'm the guy but I really don't know how to make the first move. Help me out here?" Jamie, just like a kid again, enthusiastically asked, sliding his hand through his hair.

"Aw, Jamie. You still haven't changed one bit!"

Oh, how I missed that voice so much.

More than a month of not being able to hear your best friend's voice or be able to see her expressions…that's just torture.

I leaned back by the doorframe and watched the picture before me. Jeb was simply smiling at Mel, evidently glad to see her stable. And Jamie just couldn't stop his jaw from opening. And then there was Melanie.

I was more than pleased to see her contented again. The laugh lines by her eyes crinkling from the jokes she was hearing, the dazzling teeth showing from her grins and smiles, the pouts she was forming every time she was still listening at the story being told…

"But, what happened to me? I mean, how long have I been unconscious?" Mel innocently asked.

"Well, you broke your bones on some parts, and there are lots of open wounds all around your body." Jeb filled her in.

"Yeah, and you call me careless." Jamie snorted but only rewarding him with a smack on the back of his head from Jeb. I silent laughed to myself but noted Melanie swiftly glancing on my direction but stiffly turned back her attention to her relatives. She didn't seem to have a delighted expression which I was hoping to see on her face when she saw me.

"Anyway, Melanie…" Jeb sternly looked at Jamie to see if he would interrupt again. "You're real lucky to have loyal friends like Jared here, he's been taking care of you and talking to you and doing everything he could for the past weeks that you've been out. He even risked his wedding and his relationship with Isobel just for you. Now that's something, don't you think?" Jeb grinned at his statement.

"Uh…" She stuttered.

"Knock, knock." My hand unconsciously tapped against the door, deciding to finally confront Melanie on my own. Their eyes rapidly shot up to my face. Jeb cleared his throat while Jamie quietly chuckled. But Melanie's expression soothed down and she turned serious, the smile completely gone from her appearance.

"What took you so long?" Jamie asked.

"Me? Well, I just…explored around." I lied again.

"Uhm, Jamie, let's explore around too. Come on." Jeb gave a little pat on Mel's shoulder and Jamie smiled once more and leaned down to kiss Mel by the forehead.

"I'll see you later, Mel. We'll give you some time alone…" Jamie whispered in her ear, but I noticed Mel's face turning into an alarming appearance. She raised her hand slightly and it looked like she was reaching out, but the I.V.'s attachment to her wrist held her back and Jamie and Jeb were halfway out of the room already.

I stepped forward until I reached the chair near her bed. She wasn't facing me but her eyes were on her nails.

"Hey." I started off, sitting slowly on the chair.

"Hey" Her tone had a hint of uncertainty and bleakness.

"You okay?"

"Mm-Hm."

She wasn't that bubbly as I last remembered her being. I guess it was an effect from being unconscious for duration of a month.

"So about the whole break up with Bell…well, I don't know what to say to that yet, But if ever you've heard some things like yells or something, sorry about that." I nervously laughed and placed my hand behind my head like what I always did when I apologized. She usually laughed with me when this happens, but this time, it was different.

Dead air.

She merely tightened her lip into some sort of a straight line but it also seemed like she was faking a smile.

"Anyway, uh, I guess there's no wedding anymore. So, sorry again if all those days of going with Bell for those shopping trips become some wasted effort. Hey, at least you learned some tips on clothes, right? I mean, not like you need them, probably you could…just—learn…" I absolutely did not know where I was going now with this, and she just gazed at me, her eyes questioning.

Everything seemed uncomfortable now.

"I've really missed you." I started off again, reaching for her hand. But then she winced away and clasped her hands together.

"I'm sorry…" She whispered.

"Don't be." She shouldn't have to apologize for the wedding. It wasn't her fault, hell, it was her who made me realize what I was about to do. "Are you tired?" I asked, sensing that maybe she was. It could be the reason why she was acting so tense.

She moved inches away from me and looked at me like I was a stranger.

"I don't…don't….really…" She stumbled, looking only at her nails again.

"Mel, don't apologize for something you didn't even do" I reminded her and tried to hold her hand again but she was at the very edge of the bed now and looked as if she was going to fall if she moved again.

"Mel…are you sure you're okay?" I moved my hand forward, quicker than the last and she abruptly outburst.

"Hey!" She screamed, sitting up and jerking her arms up in the air. I quickly took my hand off the mattress and pushed the chair back.

"Just…could you leave, please?" She pleaded, and she appeared to look more than uncomfortable with this.

"Tell me what's wrong, Melanie. This is worrying me. I could call Wanda, if you need something…" I said while standing up, deciding that she'd probably want some time alone.

"Don't touch me again please, sir. I don't even know how you knew my name, but please…" She pleaded once again.

Sir? Since when did Melanie call me sir?

"Mel, this game you're playing right now isn't that funny. Look, I know everything's weird and awkward but please, let me talk. I'll explain everything--" My tone was nearly as close to panic too.

"No, no. I—I don't even know you, okay. Leave!"

What did she mean by that?!

Is this some kind of cruel joke?

"Haha, funny Mel. Stop kidding around." I laughed tonelessly. She stared at me with her eyes scorching and demanding and her hands were quivering.

"Leave." She whispered again, her hand on top of the emergency button.