Hey! So, now you figure out what happened to Austin. Umm this chapter kinda made me a little sad. Y'know... Anyways... I don't really have much to say... Except this is the second to last chapter! So, after this, will be the last chapter and the epilogue. Both of these will be under one chapter with a page break (Obviously) So, I don't have any motivation or ideas for a Maddie's Awesome Disclaimer, but I'll do one next chapter... IT WOULD HELP IF YOU GUYS SENT IN A PROMPT THANKS! So, yeah, I disclaim everything that I need to disclaim. Yadda yadda yadda...
The Hospital
(Ally's P.O.V.)
I'm watching someone else through someone else's eyes. I am not Ally watching Austin falling to the floor, unconscious. I am not Ally screaming. That is not me, and that is not Austin. Forget it. No way. Impossible.
Trish and Dez hear my scream and run into the room. I'm frozen in shock and fear. Trish and Dez scream, too. De je vous. They stop screaming and call 911. Then, they call Austin's parents. I'm still frozen. He sang my love song. Then, he kissed me. Then, he fell unconscious. I'm wondering why he just blacked out. I mean, it's not his memories. Those are gone forever. Time's up.
What if he's sick again? Or maybe he stopped breathing for some reason… Then, my train of thought turns around. Oh. My. Gosh. Austin Moon just kissed me! And I kissed him! My first kiss with the guy I love! Oh my gosh. My first and second kiss. Gone. Just like that. And I wouldn't want it with anybody else.
"ALLY!" I snap out of my daze when both Dez and Trish scream my name. I see they've dragged me to the parking lot, and workers are loading an unconscious Austin into an ambulance. Austin's parents are talking to the driver.
"Huh?" I say.
"Good. You're back," Dez says.
"Austin's parents are gonna drive behind the ambulance to the hospital. The EMTs said we could ride in the back with Austin," Trish says gently. I nod, still half in a daze. Trish and Dez lightly take my arms and help me into the ambulance.
I sit next to where Austin is laying on a gurney and hold his hand. I know he can't feel it, but it's more for my sake than his. The medics are silent, almost statues. "Ally, are you okay?" Dez asks, his usual randomness and humor gone.
"Well, I don't know," I reply. "Austin-" I stop. Should I tell them he kissed me? Dez makes a gesture to go on. "He kissed me," I breathe out. Dez and Trish make very girly noises, but they calm down when they see a tear falling down my face. "I-He just-He told me to just live in the moment and-I don't-" I stutter. I hiccup and start crying. Trish and Dez come over to me and hug me. "There was no reason for it," I finally say. "He just… fainted."
"Could it be-" Dez starts.
"No, doofus," Trish cuts him off. "It's too late for that." I nod. "He'll be fine," Trish tries to comfort me.
"But what if he isn't? I will never get over him. If he dies or something-"
"Ally, he's not going to-"
"No!" I cut Trish off. "Stop it! Stop trying to comfort me!" I'm suddenly angry. I'm angry at Trish and Dez for trying to tell me everything will be okay. I'm angry at whoever did this to Austin. I don't know how, but I know someone did this. Tilly Thompson, maybe? "I don't need comforting," I say, softer. "I love him." I look at Austin. His closed eyes. His peaceful face. "I just need him back." Trish and Dez are really listening. They know I love him. I don't think they're very surprised I said it out loud again. I'm not as secretive about it anymore.
"We all need him back," Trish says.
"Yeah," Dez agrees. "He's kind of the glue that holds us together. If it wasn't for him, we wouldn't be friends." I nod. Dez can be pretty deep sometimes. He sees another tear rolling down my cheek. "Awwh, come here." He pulls me into a hug. Trish hugs me, too. I'm the youngest of Team Austin, and Dez and Trish are the oldest in that order. They baby me sometimes, though we're only a year apart. Austin and I are young for our grade.
Finally, we pull up to the hospital. The EMTs take Austin out of the ambulance and into a room. They don't let us in; only Austin's parents. Trish, Dez, and I wait nervously in the waiting room. I'm leaning on Trish's shoulder while Dez rubs small circles on my back. That's when I realize they're in as much pain I'm in, and yet they're comforting me, while I'm not even attempting to comfort them. Just then, a doctor comes out, along with Mr. and Mrs. Moon.
"We conducted some tests," the doctor says, "and we found a green liquid in his stomach. Mr. and Mrs. Moon have informed me that there was punch backstage at that concert. Someone could have easily poisoned it." Uh oh. Poison? "He's still unconscious. We've hooked up an intravenous, but the nutrients he gets from it will only keep him alive for a month. After that, if he's still in a coma, then we're going to have to send him to critical care." Critical care like a hospital, but doctors send patients there when they're just barely alive and they have less than a 1% chance of living. Old people are sent there, too. So far, no one's come out. If they had, it would be in the news. The workers there try their best to help the people, but there's really no hope. It's like they're already gone.
"Critical care? As in that place people go where there probably gonna die?" Dez says. Now, he's really worried.
"He's gonna be fine," Trish says, trying to comfort everyone.
"We don't know that," the doctor says. His nametag says Dr. Marshall. I take a step closer to him.
"Listen, Dr. Marshall," I say. "With all due respect, doctors shouldn't be that negative. I know you're just telling the truth, but Austin's parents and we are very worried about him. If he even has a chance of waking up, I am going to be here twenty-four hours, seven days a week until the very last second whenthat intravenous stops helping him." I see Austin's parents, and they look surprised. I kind of am, too. Funny the things you do for love.
I realize I'm getting weird stares, and I melt behind Dez and Trish. I see Dr. Marshall whisper to Austin's parents, "Is she always like that?" They shake their heads.
"Here, Ally, I know you and your promises, so how about I go pack you a bag with all your stuff?" Trish says.
"Thanks, Trish," I say.
"I gotta get home. My ostrich just arrived," Dez says. "See you two tomorrow." He walks out of the hospital.
"I'll be back in a few minutes," Trish goes on as if nothing happened. I nod and wave as she walks out of the hospital. Dr. Marshall has already walked back to Austin's room, so now it's just me and Austin's parents.
"How're you doing, sweetie?" Austin's mom asks, taking my hand and leading me to a chair. Mr. Moon follows us.
"Not very good," I admit.
"I wouldn't, either," she replies. "If Mike had just passed out after our first kiss, and I was told he might not make it, I don't know what I'd do."
"Huh?" I say. She knows about our kiss? She knows I love her son? And she's okay with it? It's like she's not even surprised.
"I got a load of texts from Dez and Trish while Mike was driving to the hospital," she tells me.
"Oh," is all I can say.
"Ally, honey, we know this is hard for you. We really do. I mean, we're his parents. But are you really going to stay here for a month?" Mr. Moon asks.
"It's not gonna be a month," I reply. "He'll wake up before then. I know it." Mr. and Mrs. Moon exchange a look I can't place, but I know they think I'm in denial. They don't even believe in their own son?
"Sweetheart, like Mike said, we know how hard this is for you. We love him as much as you do," Mrs. Moon starts; I blush, "but do you really believe he's going to make it?"
"Yes." Mrs. Moon pats my hand.
"I'm proud of you," she says. "You have so much faith in him, even when the rest of us know there's no hope. Mike and I need to be at the mattress store in the morning, so we need to get home. We'll see you tomorrow night, though." With that, she kisses my head, as if she's my own mother. Well she kind of is. Hopefully, in a few years, I can add "-in-law" to that. Mr. and Mrs. Moon leave the hospital arm-in-arm just as Trish walks in with a huge suitcase.
"Thanks, Trish," I say, standing up and walking over to her.
"No problem. What're friends for?" she replies. We hug, and then she says, "Well, I gotta get going. I told your dad and he's okay with it, but I have to take over your shift at Sonic Boom, so I have to wake up early. I'll do a really good job, I promise," she adds at the end. I smile and we hug again. "It's already ten. I'll see you tomorrow, Ally." With that, she leaves me with my suitcase and walks out. Just then, Dr. Marshall comes out.
"Wow, you were serious," he says. "Here, you can sleep in Austin's room if you like." He leads me to Austin's hospital room, where there's an extra bed. I thank him. "There's a shower in the bathroom," he tells me. Then, he walks out of the room. I open my suitcase and find everything I need, including a huge wad of money for the hospital cafeteria. I also find some of Austin's clothes. There's a note on it that says, If he wakes up, he'll want these. I smile. I grab some pajamas and get in the shower.
After a while of just standing under the warm water, I get out. I put on my pajamas, brush my teeth, and climb into the surprisingly comfortable hospital bed. I look over to see Austin. He looks as if he's only asleep. As though he could jerk awake from a nightmare and sigh when I ask him about it. But, I know it won't be that easy. It'll take a few days, maybe even a few weeks, but he will wake up. With that thought in my head, I drift off to sleep.
I wake up and yawn. Austin's room is filled with get well soon cards, balloons, candy, and stuffed animals. He doesn't even know they're there.
Today's the day. The last day. I'll be here till midnight tonight, but I'm starting to lose hope. Trish, Dez, and the Moons have come every day since Austin got here. When they left, it's like they took with them a little bit of my hope that Austin will be okay and trashed it. I get dressed and get ready. I head to the cafeteria, where I just grab an apple. The kind old ladies there stopped charging me for food at the halfway mark through the month.
I head out into the large courtyard. I've been spending a lot of my time there lately. I can't stand being in the same room with Austin for too long. I'm startled by Trish and Dez hugging me.
"Austin's parents are in his room, crying their eyes out," Trish says blandly. Her face is streaked with tears, and so is Dez's. Now, I'm the only one who hasn't cried yet. And I won't until I receive the information he died at critical care.
"Dr. Marshall said that if it wasn't for you, he'd already be at critical care," Dez remarks. "I think you're giving him hope, too."
"Well, I'm losing the hope," I say. "It's only a matter of hours until-" I can't even say the rest. Trish and Dez know to leave me alone, and they leave the hospital. I know because I can see through the window to the lobby from where I sit under a tree. Later, I see Mr. and Mrs. Moon leave, too.
As the sun starts to set, I finally break down and cry.
Even Ally is losing hope. Only a few hours till they take him to the Death House (I told you I'm losing my creativity...) Whatever. Anyways, what's gonna happen? Is he gonna die? OMG WHAT IF HE DIES ALLY WILL BE CRUSHED! Anywho, I still want that Couples and Careers promo... Does anyone read this or do they only read disclaimers? COMMENT THAT YOU READ MY A/NS IF YOU READ THEM! I WANNA KNOW IF I'M WASTING TIME BY WRITING THEM! Anywho, thanks for reading and please review! Love you more than Austin loves Dougie!
~Maddie :)