==Hey, y'all. I found a temporary time frame on Mondays at school in which I don't have my college class to attend but I have musical practice after school, so basically I can't leave. I decided to use the computer in our library to get some writing done, and behold! I wrote an entire chapter! It's been revised and polished as the week's gone by, so I decided to go ahead and update. Chapter 44 is still being worked on, and I don't know when I'll be updating again. I'll do my best to post around Valentine's Day, because that's when I'm leaving for a week to go scuba diving in Key West.==

Calvin Harris - "Thinking About You" feat. Ayah Marar

Now everything I do, is all for loving you. It's not something that we're used to. No other way to say, I need you every day. And now I'm gonna change my ways. And it's a part of you, I never wanna lose. I'll do anything you want me to. Like any other day, I know I'll find a way. And if ever I'm alone, you'll say: "I'll be thinking about you."

Haunted: Collapse into Caliginosity

Chapter 43:

Never Want To Lose

The paramedics arrived with a confusing scene. There was me on the ground with blood slowing oozing from my hip and a random mattress in the road. The truck still had the remaining piece of rope attached to it. No police showed up, but Trent was still worried about possible questioning. I would truthfully answer questions, however. There was no point in lying to the people trying to help me.

My hip was quickly examined and cleaned off with rubbing alcohol. I winced at the intense burning, my eyes watering from the pain.

"Burning?" one of the paramedics asked.

All I could do was nod. I was scared of unnecessarily crying.

A woman wiped the affected area clean. The wound was now bright pink against my normal skin pigment. "We're going to have to take you to the hospital to treat it properly," a man informed me. "It shouldn't be too bad of a cleanup."

They slid me onto a stretcher and loosely strapped me in. "You want me to bring you home?" Trent asked by my side, guilt obvious in his expression.

"If you want to. I'm fine, Trent, really."

He leaned into my ear and whispered. "Rollin is kicking himself over this."

"He needs to chill. I'll just go to the hospital and call the photoshoot manager. We'll work something out."

My stretcher got loaded into the ambulance. The last thing I saw before the doors got shut was all the guys looking at me with sullen eyes.

At the hospital, the doctors tended to me as if I had gotten in a bad car wreck. People in uniforms scrambled about with all kinds of patients being rolled around on gurneys and wheelchairs. I got transported to a room with nurses asking me questions and examining the road rash. They took my vital signs, checked my heart rate, and got me comfortable.

"We're going to completely sterilize it, okay?" one of them said.

"More alcohol?" I groaned.

"Yeah, I'm sorry. Here we go."

I cringed as more alcohol got spread over the exposed pink dermis. It burned so bad that I was surprised I heard no sizzling with it. Any microscopic debris got removed and dead skin hanging on the edges was chopped off.

"You hit the concrete pretty hard," another nurse detailed. "What were you doing?"

"Some pretty dumb stuff with my friends."

"Why am I not surprised?"

I laughed, feeling my hip get dressed with a soft material.

"Okay, you're done. You'll stay here for at least an hour while we get your discharge papers ready."

One of the nurses wheeled me into a simple hospital room with a curtain blocking view of the patient on the other side. Basically alone, I texted Trent about me having the ability to leave. When I was about to turn the power off, someone tried calling me. The number wasn't labeled with the name of someone, so I had no idea who it could've been. But even with no information, I answered.

"Hello?" I said.

"Macca?" a familiar masculine voice replied.

My mind instantly gave me an image of someone I loved being around. A smile formed on my lips. "Is this my Zane?" I sheepishly asked with suppressed excitement.

"Um...I hope so?"

I giggled. "Does this Zane live on the Destiny's Bounty?"

"...Yes."

"Then you're my Zane. How are you?"

"I'm in a closet."

"Closet? Are you hiding?"

"From Jay, yes. He keeps making me feel foolish."

"About what?"

"You."

For a moment, I thought about the conversation Kai and I had about Zane having feelings for me. I didn't believe it, but does that mean Kai told Jay about it all? Surely he was better than that. I did care about Zane, but only to a point where I didn't want to lose connection with him. I wanted him to be my friend, not my lover. Lovers of mine never stayed very long. I didn't know what I would do if I lost him. When I thought I lost him because of death, I was devastated. Hearing about him having a problem saddened me. All I wanted for him to be okay.

"Do you want to talk about it with me?" I asked.

He sounded comforted yet surprised. "You would listen to me?"

"Of course I would. You mean everything to me."

There was a pause between us. "Jay keeps referring to you as my partner," he confessed. "Like a romantic partner. I don't know how to handle it."

"Is he the only one?"

"Yes."

I started laughing. He made his problem sound like an epidemic, when in reality it was minute. "You should throw a piece of food at him tonight to make him stop."

"Throwing food? That's an odd way of handling situations."

"Just hit him right in the nose. He'll be alright. Let him know you're sick of being teased."

"And he'll stop?"

"More than likely. I'll give you more ideas if he doesn't. Is there any other reason why you called for my help?"

"Well...maybe. I've been waiting for your call for a few hours. I was getting anxious."

"Yeah, sorry about that. I sort of got hurt and forgot..."

Worry entered his tone. "Hurt? What happened?"

"I got a minor case of road rash. It's not that bad. Honest."

"Skin got stripped from your body? Macca, that's horrible."

"It's just my hip. I'm at the hospital right now. I'm waiting for my ride home."

"Did someone do this to you?"

"Uh...no. My friends and I were being stupid. It was just an accident."

"Can I visit you?"

"No, stay where you are. I'm still able to take care of myself. But I appreciate your offer. Can I ask you something, too?"

"Of course."

"Okay, so I have this photoshoot in a couple days, and I was asked if I could borrow your shurikens as props. Is there any way that's a possibility?"

He thought for a moment. "I wouldn't mind letting you handle them, but the only problem is how dangerous they are with an unskilled handler. It took me weeks to use their power properly without incident. Sensei Wu would be very upset if I let you get hurt while using them by yourself."

"So I can't use them?"

"Is it possible for me to be present while they're in your grasp?"

"I'll make sure you. Would you be interested in seeing me earlier than I originally planned?"

"Most certainly. I've..." his voice trailed away.

"I've missed you, too, Zane," I finished, smiling.

The door suddenly opened and I glanced to see the unexpected sight of Rollin. "Hold that thought, Zane," I said, putting him on mute for a minute. "Rollin?"

"Hi," he greeted, hiding something behind his back. "I wanted to see if you were okay."

"I'm fine. You didn't have to bring me a present," I insisted in a friendly manner.

"Oh, uh..." He revealed a small bouquet of flowers to me. The stems were wrapped in a plastic covering and the assortment consisted of all kinds of colored petals. "I just feel really bad..."

I smiled at him. There was no use in fighting his kindness, so I gladly accepted the flowers. "Thank you."

"No problem. I just hope I haven't traumatized you or anything."

I sniggered. "You're fine. Will I ever see you again?"

"I'll be at your next dancing competition."

"Really? You'll have to say hi to me."

He chuckled and turned toward the door. "I'll be sure I do. See you there, Macca."

"Bye, Rollin." I watched him leave, and a part of me was sad to see him go. The smell of the flowers filled my nostrils with a pleasant scent. It made me think about how much of a gentleman he was for a guy who resided in Ninjago City.

"Macca?" Zane's muffled voice sounded from my covered phone speaker.

I quickly took the ninja off mute. "Hey, sorry, I'm here."

"Will I have to meet you in Ninjago City?"

"Yes. I'll send you directions. I'll take you out for dinner when it's all over."

"There's no need for that, but thank you."

"I just don't want you to feel like I'm taking advantage of you."

"I know you aren't. My only concern is seeing you again."

"Why do you enjoy seeing me so much?" I laughed.

"If you prefer for me to honest, you fill an empty part of me that I may never have. I do not know how to laugh or how to see humor in something, but your confusing laughter fills me with joy I have never felt until you came with me that first night. As for you, I don't know why you desire friendship with me. I don't know of any void I could fill for you."

"It's not that you fill a void. It's just that you're so sweet and caring. I suck at keeping people in my life, but I'm determined to keep you, because people like you are hard to come by these days. I don't want you to become a memory. I want you to be a part of my life. Like I said before, you're my best friend. I feel like I can rely on you for anything. Why would I want to give that up?"

"I cannot find an answer to that question."

"Good! Because any answer would be stupid."

"So, we are together because we complement each other?"

"Exactly, and those are the best types of relationships. I'll send you the directions and let you know further details by tonight, okay?"

"I'll be waiting."

"Don't hide in the closet!" I joked.

The joke flew right over his head like always, and he didn't respond with any hint of laughter in his voice. "I won't. Farewell."

"Bye!" I hung up the phone and labeled the number for future contact. Now that I had a new responsibility to take care of, I went ahead and called Kiersten to discuss the accident and my bandages.

I hope my writing is starting to get better since I've been gone for so long. If you have any advice for me, don't be afraid to share with me! I gladly accept all criticism :) Shoutout to Kai4Ever for reviewing! It's good to know a follower hasn't lost interest in my story :D