Thank you for your reviews. Honestly, I don't have much to say before this chapter. :) I am really excited for the chapter I'm currently working on, though. It's definitely going to be a fun one.
Let me know what you think. Enjoy!
He didn't say anything to Ally in response to this, just closed his eyes and swallowed. Her nerves were shot following the ordeal they both just experienced, and she did not know how to go forward if he was not speaking to her. Then, she decided it was time to be an adult, and make the first move.
"I've been a jerk to you, I get that," she said quietly, eyeing his reaction carefully. "I know that. I'm sorry for it. I don't know what to say otherwise. I'm trying to be better—I really have been researching your injury because I want to help you improve." Ally watched as he shifted his shoulders a bit and then sighed. "I know you've had a rough morning, so if you just want to rest, I'll go make myself busy elsewhere and we can talk about this later. I don't want to bother you."
Austin's eyes finally opened and he looked at her briefly before glancing outside.
"Stay."
She wasn't sure how to take the single word response, but sat down in the chair next to his bed, watching him stare outside the window for some time.
Then, she took initiative and spoke again, "I mean what I'm saying, Austin. I want this to start over. I hope that you'll give me another chance." She closed her eyes. "I mean, I'm not going to pretend that I'm someone else—I am me and I am not sorry for being me—but I have Trish for a best friend and somehow over the last few years she's become my moral compass and she reminded me of something last night."
He didn't answer.
"Are you feeling any better?"
He glanced at her. "A little."
"Can I get you anything?"
He was looking at the lava lamp now, watching it move up and down with a slow rhythm that relaxed her nerves. "I don't think so. I'm just really worn out."
"It looked exhausting," she admitted. "Scary, too."
He nodded. "I'm sorry."
"What for?"
He shrugged one shoulder. "I don't know."
"You called me Piper before."
That got his attention.
"You kept calling me Piper before it happened. I corrected you, but I don't think you were really in the right mindset to actually hear me." There was a brief pause, and Ally listened to the machines beep and hiss next to him, and she took solace in how rhythmic everything seemed to be. "I'm sorry for how that all unfolded too."
"She's not a terrible person," he murmured. "I understand."
Ally snorted, "She's a dress stealer."
His eyebrows rose and she realized what she just said. "What?"
"About a month back, I ran into her obviously not knowing who she was at a dress boutique. She and I walked up to the same dress at the same time and she would not give it to me. She kept saying how she wanted to make her boyfriend happy that night."
His smile was short. "Was it a black dress?"
"Yes," she admitted. "With a deep neckline and straps."
His eyes darkened, "That was what she wore the night of my accident."
Ally swallowed hard, picturing Piper standing somewhere in a hospital in the simple, but pretty dress while her boyfriend fought for his life. There were notes in the file that said he almost hadn't made it from loss of blood. "Do you remember it?"
"The accident?"
She nodded.
"Not really. I remember before it, but the actual accident was fuzzy." He sighed. "My best friend won't talk to me either. My parents won't tell me why—but I get a weird vibe from them."
"What kind of weird vibe?"
"That they're hiding something from me." He glanced at her. "They keep talking about how he needs to pay for his sins and that he needed to pray. Dez isn't really religious, so I don't see how that would help this situation any." He glanced from her to his legs and sighed, "Or how it's going to help me now."
"Isn't the power of prayer supposedly powerful?"
Austin nodded, "Yeah. You're not religious, I take it?"
"No," she smiled curtly. "I come from two doctors. They see everything from a scientific standpoint." She took a deep breath. "My father especially doesn't care for religion and I guess that wore off on me. He got tired of patients saying they didn't need medicine for a condition, that God would heal them with his power."
"That sounds familiar," he laughed. "I think God likes to hand us the tools we need to get through things. He doesn't just fix them. Life would be too easy."
She shrugged, "Like I said, I'm not religious. I don't really believe in any of that stuff."
He shrugged too, "It helps, I guess. It doesn't make the whole thing with my friends and girlfriend any easier though."
Ally hummed at the thought of his so-called best friend and girlfriend. How could anyone just leave their friend in a time of need like this? She couldn't imagine not talking to Trish if she got hurt, or not being there. Seemed like there was something missing, like he said. "Maybe your parents know something that you don't."
"Like what?"
She shrugged, "Being that you survived being a passenger in his car while he got only scratches, it would seem maybe they feel like he should have gotten hurt."
"Wait, what?"
"Did you read your own police report?" she teased. "I'm just going off that."
"Dez doesn't drive yet," Austin immediately countered. "He wouldn't have driven without his license."
"Are you sure? You said yourself that you don't remember much about the accident, and you both were pretty drunk."
Austin looked straight ahead, as if the TV was on with furrowed brows. He obviously didn't have an answer for her, but he just sighed. "Alright. I need to get out of this bed. I don't care how tired I am anymore. It's like it's some sort of jail cell and I refuse to let any idea consume me."
"Where do you want to go?"
Austin seemed panicked by his own thoughts now, pulling back the covers far enough to expose his injured lower body. The bruises got better by the day, but they only showed the obvious injuries. They didn't show his damaged spine, or the other pain that came with that kind of injury. "I don't know. I just need to get out of here."
"Out of here?" she repeated as she motioned to the general area, looking at the rehab hallways. "What if they'd let you?"
He stopped mid shuffle to his wheelchair, which she'd dragged over to the bedside. "What do you mean?"
Ally shrugged her shoulders, "Maybe they'd let me take you out of here."
"Probably not," he muttered. "You're an intern; they don't want to take the chance that my body will fail or you'll screw up."
"I wouldn't screw up!"
He raised an eyebrow, "I would have bet money two days ago you would've pushed me out of my chair for your own amusement."
She pretended to consider this. "Okay. Maybe. But that was two days ago!"
He huffed, "Ha!" Then, he glanced at the doorway as Nurse Wendy walked by. Ally grinned ear to ear at the look of her, and then put up her hand. "Where are you going?"
"To remind her of something she told me," she chirped. "Be right back."
Ally found Nurse Wendy at the main station area, and she started to plead her case. She told her how Austin seemed to feel trapped in the building and that there were other things bothering him as well. They didn't need to go far—maybe only down the street and back even—but he needed to get out. She was more than annoyed when Wendy shook her head no.
"Not today," she apologized. "Ally, he just has a grand mal seizure and while his doctor and I are quite sure we know the cause of it now, we still need to monitor him for at least the next twenty four hours. I understand where you're coming from, and I'm not saying no. I'm saying a few days later. Take him outside where we're only a few feet away, not a drive. Respect that, please."
She sighed, oddly disappointed but did respect what the Nurse said. She glumly walked back into his room and told him. He seemed disappointed too. "I thought with how pushy and rude you are that she would've automatically said yes out of fear."
"Excuse me?" she couldn't hide her retort.
He grinned, the color finally returning to his face for the first time all morning, "You have spent the last four days making my life miserable, whether it was your true intention or not. I think I have five free digs at you now. I am taking my first one."
"What kind of thought process did you get that from?" she demanded, helping him into the chair. They would have to deal with sitting outside in the heat for a bit, instead of driving. "I don't see how that makes sense."
He shrugged his shoulders, "I mean, you can argue it, Ally. I'm sure people will listen to the rich girl instead of the sad looking boy in the wheelchair."
She huffed, resisting the urge to fling said chair down the hallway at an excessive speed. But, she couldn't help but smile as he started to wheel himself down the hallway. Somehow, being around Austin Moon in the last few hours didn't seem as unbearable as before.
From the Ground Up
Austin probably should've stayed in bed following the hellish morning he had, but with Ally's promise to start over and the genuine vibe he got from it, sitting in bed feeling sorry for himself seemed less and less appealing. Unfortunately for him, Nurse Wendy did not let them break out (even for a few hours), so he was following her to the same place they were yesterday, the picnic area behind the building. Ally was even careful to help him get over the crappy sidewalks this time.
All in all, it felt like a fresh start, and his parents always told him to give second chances. People make mistakes all the time, and it takes a bigger person to see this and allow them to fix their mistakes. Besides, he had enough drama in his life that he didn't need the unnecessary things like that filling more spots.
"You said both of your parents are doctors?"
Ally nodded as they came to a stop at the table. "Yeah. My father is a trauma surgeon, interestingly enough and my mother runs her own practice downtown for multiple things. I grew up around medicine and all that. I practically ran the hospital as a kid."
He snorted, "Really? I can't picture you in kitten heels tormenting doctors about dolls."
She pretended to offended, "Why do you hate my kitten heels? They're adorable."
"Seriously?"
She shrugged, "They are. You can mock all you want."
"They're not hospital friendly."
She rolled her eyes, "I feel like you've hit more than five digs in the last two minutes."
He grinned, "Well, it's fun. I can't help it."
He watched as she rolled her eyes and he knew he had hit a soft spot, so he didn't continue his attack on her clothing. He figured maybe shopping was something she enjoyed doing, but probably started to love when her parents weren't around. Doctors didn't work normal hours, nor did they have a lot of time to themselves. It started to make sense that the girl could be so cold… she was probably raised by babysitters and the occasional reminder to behave.
"So, what about you? What do you parents do?"
Austin laughed to himself. "Not as impressive as doctors, that's for sure. My father works as a firefighter and when he's not there, he's the pastor for our church. My mom often just takes odd jobs to cover whatever bills need to be paid. It's not often a lasting position; she kind of made her life that of being a housewife and mother."
"Is it annoying to have her around all the time?"
He at first didn't understand the question, but then thought further into it. He never realized that having your parents around often might seem weird to her. Austin was used to his mother being home when he got home from school, or was always around if he needed something last minute. He appreciated that and could always count on her baking for school fundraisers.
"It made it hard for being a teenager," he admitted. "I couldn't really get much past her. She's always home, so sneaking out was tough." He snickered. "I guess that is my karma for sneaking out on her that night. I screwed my own life up. I should've just gone to bed."
"I don't know if that's how it works."
He shrugged. "I mean, I'm grateful for having her around. But mix in that with religious, overprotective parents, and I'm pretty sure that if they had it their way, they would've witnessed my first kiss." He rolled his eyes. "They have my entire life planned out to a degree. I'm supposed to marry Piper and carry on living here. I wonder if you can get married to someone without them knowing. It's the only way."
"Who says you have to marry Piper?" Ally countered. "I love my boyfriend, but I'm in no rush to marry him."
Austin bit back surprise. He never heard her mention a boyfriend. "I didn't know you were dating someone."
She giggled, "Don't look so shocked. His name is Cooper. I met him about two years ago. His father owns one of the big businesses down town. We met at some charity thing that both of our parents attended. He's a law student."
"Damn," he whistled. "And here I am hoping to just get into the local community college. But to answer your question, it's always kind of been that way. I have been with her so long—we grew up together, and I think our families expect it. My mom keeps saying that Piper will come around, but I don't think so. You can't expect someone to want to stay with someone like me."
"Alright, I'm a spoiled bitch from what you say—" She was cut off by him protesting that he never called her that, but she just brushed it off. "You're wrong, though. And I don't mean about me. There is absolutely no reason someone who loves you cannot see that you are still the same person. And hey, I get that you've known her for years. But maybe in some twisted way, this is your God's way of warning you now she is not the person you should be spending the rest of your life with."
He shrugged his shoulders, shifting as best he could in the chair. It was so hard to get comfortable these days. "I suppose so. But what else could something like this mean? I don't think it was God's way of showing me the technological advances in the wheelchair department."
Ally snorted. "I don't know either."
"Some help you are!"
They laughed for a few moments together, and then a silence fell over the conversation. Austin wasn't sure what he should say after that, there was something weird about not arguing with Ally. Of course, it was a lot less exhausting than the former thought, but this calmness, the almost friendly nature still seemed so foreign. And he was exhausted, too. He had no memory of the seizure, just the horrified expression Ally had on her face when he came out of it (he never saw a look like that on anyone's face before, he didn't think) but his upper body was sore in places he didn't know could be sore.
"What's wrong?" Ally asked, breaking the silence. He noticed she was carefully looking over his body for some sort of sign for his lack of noise.
"I was just thinking," he assured her. "I can't help but think this feels weird."
Guilt replaced the concern and she looked away. "I'm sorry."
"Don't be," he finally replied. "It'll pass." He let a breathy laugh escape his throat. "I must say, I don't really know what to do with myself."
"Wanna go for a walk?" Ally immediately frowned and Austin burst out laughing. "Okay, bad word choice. You get my point."
"Sure," he said when he regained his composure. "Where to?"
"Just around obviously," she retorted playfully. "We're kind of locked in. Maybe we should keep learning about each other. You mentioned you were just trying to get into community college. Still have plans for that when you're all done here?"
He hadn't considered any of that. Austin knew he wasn't the best student. Actually, he wasn't the best at anything, as far as he could remember. He was sure his mother would give that lame joke about being the best at being her son, but he never really came to the top of anything he ever tried. He felt average. Somehow, in a sick twist on life, he managed for once to become someone who stood out, thanks to an accident.
"I don't know," he admitted finally. "My life isn't going to be the same. I planned on following in my father's footsteps in every sense of the word. I don't think they hire paralyzed firemen. I mean maybe I could still work for the church."
"Do you want to work for the church?"
He shrugged. He was never asked otherwise. "Yeah, I guess so. It's all I know."
"That's not a very good answer," Ally muttered.
"You're one to talk. You're going to be a doctor," he pointed out.
Ally nodded. "Yeah, but it wasn't my only option. I looked into fashion, I looked into business. There were other career options I considered and tried before I decided that."
"Are you suggesting that I broaden my horizons now?" he teased.
"It's not too late," she said gently. "I mean, you're probably going to be stuck here a while. Why not use some of that time to really find out what you want in life?"
Austin didn't answer that.
She continued, "Maybe that's one reason this happened? I don't mean that in some horrific way. I am just saying it's a chance to look at your life, who and what is in it, and decide if that's how you want to continue it. If you really believe in this religious stuff, I would think that you still have some ability to choose what you want, right?"
"Of course."
Austin looked at her as she stopped near the entrance of the building—how long had they been up and down those sidewalks? He barely remembered moving. "Then make a change if you feel that's what you want to do," she encouraged. "You'll never know what you're capable of, or what makes you happy, if you don't try."
