Thank you for your reviews. I am sorry for the wait of this chapter! Life doesn't always like to play along with my plans of updating. Sometimes for great reasons, sometimes for less than great. Anyway, I've been working on updates to both stories, and I appreciate the support given to me. Special shout out to Liz, who I promised I'd update this for the other night... and then I fell asleep. Hashtag oops. ;)
Let me know what you think. Enjoy!
Ally left for the weekend feeling better about this internship then she had since it all started. The weekend seemed long—and almost lonely without being at the rehab center. Her friends all had plans with other people or other commitments, and Connor was out of town for some college related thing she didn't quite remember, so she spent the time alone. Ally used this time to familiarize herself with paraplegia to the point that her eyes were drying out from staring at a computer screen so long.
The internet was a wonderful, but information-filled place. There was more at her fingertips than she could handle, each offering more insight to Austin's possible condition and other's stories which both intimidated and inspired her. There was heartbreak; there was triumph, and everything in between. Sometime between Friday night and Sunday afternoon, she'd become acquainted with so many lives through blogs, videos, and support groups that she felt as if she almost knew some of these people.
It gave her a different outlook on everything she'd been introduced to in the last week. Ally wondered if Austin knew about the mounds of information and support he could get from others with just the click of a mouse or tap on his phone. Once she let her guard down and stopped trying to be the enemy, it all seemed to be easier to handle, and the more capable of surviving the internship she felt.
When her father turned home late Sunday night, she finally turned her laptop off and joined him for a dinner on the porch, the sun setting in the pink sky.
"How is the internship going, Ally?"
She smiled warmly; glad for once she didn't have to lie. "It started out rocky, but I think it's going to go over well now."
"That's great. I'm proud of you for realizing the potential in it. Have you learned anything significant yet?"
She thought back to Austin's seizure the other morning and how haunting it was to watch. Sometimes when she closed her eyes, she could still see his body jerk in ways that it shouldn't. Then, she remembered it was over and he was okay. The doctors had even confirmed it was an allergic reaction to the antibiotic, and a severe one at that.
"I learned how to deal with a seizure on Friday morning. It was scary."
He nodded, "Yes, they are. Is the patient okay now?"
"Yes," she stated absently, realizing that somehow, from not seeing or talking to Austin in a couple of days, she began to wonder how he was doing. A part of her knew if she showed up to the hospital on the weekend the staff wouldn't care, she would be a visitor then, but she also didn't want to push any buttons yet. They were friends now, yes, but that didn't mean he wanted her there all the time. Ally didn't want to be there all of the time—she did worry about him, that said.
"Ally?"
"Sorry," she smiled, shaking her head. "I was just thinking."
"Get some sleep," her father told her with a shake of his head too. "You look exhausted."
"I think I will go to bed early," she agreed, grabbing both of their plates. They didn't have any hired help on the weekends, so she figured she would take the dishes in. She wouldn't clean them—that wasn't her job, after all—but dirty plates outside would bring bugs. "I have another long week ahead of me, after all."
"Goodnight, Ally," her father called, and she smiled, blowing him a kiss.
Ally awoke Monday morning to a thunderstorm shaking the house, her alarm blaring at her ear. She groaned as she turned it off, dragging her body out of bed. She knew Austin liked the rain, but she didn't know how he felt about thunderstorms. Quite frankly, they annoyed her. Most of the time, it knocked the power out at her house, and she wasn't over the last time it happened during the finale of one of her TV shows, making her miss a crucial moment in a scene. So, she was bitter.
Regardless, she got up and took a shower, settling on a pair of tight skinny jeans and a loose fitting t shirt, throwing her hair into a ponytail and putting on basic make up. The weather app on her phone said to expect on an off again storms all day, as the tropical weather south of them called for increasing clouds and winds—seemed a bit early for hurricane season, but that didn't mean they couldn't get bad storms either. They did live in an area which was notorious for them.
By the time she got to the hospital, she was caffeinated and awake, feeling a bit better about the glum looking weather. With some disappoint, she found that Austin's mood seemed to match the outside weather, not that it was his fault. She entered her room to find him awake in bed, but in a considerable amount of pain. He explained that while the pain was usually well managed these days, it wasn't always the case and sometimes, he just had to wait it out. TO her surprise, it made him almost a little irritable and a few of her seemingly harmless jokes got her snaps back.
Ally finally took a deep breath, realizing it wasn't the time for it. She crossed the room and sat on the edge of the hospital bed, seeing the outline of his PICC line under a t shirt, a type of IV which often fed different prescriptions directly into someone's vein. They were often put into patients who would be receiving long term medications so that they weren't constantly being poked and prodded for unnecessary reasons. She often forgot he had it, until the nurse came in with medications for him.
"Can I do anything?" she asked softly, watching as he leaned back on the bed, shutting his eyes tightly in an attempt to relieve the pain. She didn't ask what kind of pain it was—though she learned from his file he experienced several types. The worst to her seemed to be the "phantom pain" or the pain he felt in his limb that no longer existed. While she knew that Austin feeling pain there was a good sign in hopes of recovery, it was both mentally and physically exhausting.
"No," he stated quietly.
Ally waited for a while, starting to feel restless.
"I'll be back in a few minutes," she decided, and left the room without waiting for an answer. By the time she got down the hallway, the almost drowning feeling she got watching him suffer in pain had elevated and her own head felt a little clearer.
That's when she noticed someone out of the corner of her eye, staring at her.
He was tall and lanky, with wide eyes and bright red hair. When he was caught staring, he pushed away from the wall he was leaning on and made way for the elevator down the hall. Ally felt unnerved by this person and she didn't like that he was watching her—so she followed.
"Hey!" she called as the elevator opened.
He stopped, caught and turned to look at her. "Sorry?" he asked.
"Why were you staring at me?" she demanded.
He shrugged his shoulders, offering a goofy grin. "Beautiful girl, can't help myself. Sorry! Have a good day!"
She didn't believe it. "Wait!" Ally got into the elevator after him, and she noticed how antsy she got when the doors closed and he was alone with her.
Finally, it all came out in a jumble, "Please don't tell them I was here. I don't want to get in trouble. I'm not supposed to be here, but I have to check up on him! I would be a terrible friend if not—but how good of a friend could I be if he doesn't even know I'm here?" The boy paused, turning his head to one side, "I don't know you, though. I've seen you here a few times in the last week." Ally felt her stomach drop that someone had been watching her all week and she only just noticed. "Who are you?"
"Whoa," she stammered. "Slow down. Let's start from the beginning—and let's make sense this time."
"I am asking you not to tell Mrs. Moon I was here," he begged. "I'll pay you—I mean, I don't have much money," he paused, eyeing her clothes, "And from what you're wearing you do, so I know my plea probably doesn't help much but please don't tell her."
"Mrs. Moon?" she asked. "You mean Austin's mom?"
He seemed taken back, "Duh!"
Ally suddenly had an idea who she was talking to, remembering what Austin had said about his best friend not coming to visit him, and how his parents were weird about it. "You're Dez."
He nodded brightly, a quick smile gracing his pale face before the frown returned, "Are you going to tell them?"
She rolled her eyes, "No. I could care less."
"Who are you?" he asked.
Ally smiled too, "I'm Ally. I am an intern for the rehab center. I was paired with Austin for the next six weeks. I get credit for college for completing the internship."
"How is he?" he pleaded suddenly. "I can't really tell when I walk by, and I have to be careful because if Wendy isn't here I can get into a lot of trouble—she's the only one who knows the truth." The elevator door opened on the main floor and Dez looked out onto the hallway with a paranoid expression. He shook his head, "I shouldn't be telling you that. I'm sorry. I should go. Just… just keep an eye on him, please? He's my best friend. I'm sure he hates me anyway. That's what they want him to do, at least."
"Wait!" she called out, trying to catch up to the lanky male. He moved too fast though, and was out the door and into the pouring rain before she could question him further. Ally watched him disappear from her sight and then sighed. What the hell just happened?
Ally wanted nothing more to follow him, demand clearer answers, but knew she probably wouldn't get them. From what she gathered, there was information being held back from Austin—the truth, as Dez put it that only he and Wendy seemed to know. Mondays were Wendy's day off usually, so she would have to wait until tomorrow to poke that subject. If Wendy would even tell her, that is. Dez seemed harmless enough; but she did understand Austin's parents' concern if it was his actions that left Austin in the state in which he was in. She'd be angry, too.
But these were religious people… weren't they supposed to forgive? She knew something like that was the case, but maybe it was different, or maybe it was one of those situations where it really proved that religions could be highly ironic and misleading. Trish also came from a religious family, and while she was not as invested in it like Austin's it seemed, she did believe but constantly told her how many times people proved themselves hypocrites.
"The older people in my family still believe being gay is a sin, but had no problem cheating on their wives," Trish had once said. "It was the eighties. As if a decade is excuse to be unfaithful."
Ally had agreed. The thought of relationships brought her mind to Connor and she realized she didn't text him back that morning, so she quickly sent him a text wishing him a safe return home, and to call her that evening for plans. Satisfied, she glanced back toward Austin's room. It seemed only minutes passed, but maybe there was positive development in Austin's pain management. The benefits of IV medication happened to be the quick release on pain, she knew. Taking a pill might be easier, and less hectic, but from both Austin's word and the nurses, an intravenous supply cut the waiting time in almost half.
The nurse that was working Wendy's shift gave her a dirty look as she passed, and Ally couldn't quite figure out why. She was one of the rude ones, one of those nurses that made you wonder why they took an oath to serve and heal. She hated her job. Ally knew she could be bitter and rude, but hoped that one day she didn't have that outlook on the field she was crossing into.
Back in Austin's room, she found him passed out. Time was ticking by so slowly, and Ally searched for something to do; she didn't want to leave, that would make Austin think she didn't care, or she was bored or tired of his presence and discomfort. She also couldn't just sit there and do nothing, either. The movies they placed in his room might wake him, and her phone could only give so much entertainment, so another thought came to mind and it made her wrinkle her nose. She could clean.
Ally didn't clean. That's what the paid help at her house did for her, from vacuuming and dishes, and everything in between. She liked the majority of those who worked for her, Maggie being her favorite. She often did things the others didn't, including go out of her way to make Ally happy. One of the less accommodating maids snorted once when she blurted this (after a very bad cleaning job to her bathroom), snidely remarking, and "Yeah, probably because she knows that keeping the princess happy makes the boss happy. Your father pays us a nice check, Ms. Dawson. It is quite nice of him, but it also proves most deserving for having to deal with you on a daily basis."
That help wasn't welcomed back.
Sitting down at the chair momentarily, Ally wondered where to start. It was a hospital room so the majority of it was clean. Austin had very little belongings with him that they hadn't placed a few days previous, and most of them were neat, too. She decided as she positioned and repositioned the DVDs (finally putting them in both genre and letter order) that she needed a new hobby.
"Do you always talk to yourself?"
Ally crashed into the nearest wall at the sound of Austin's voice.
She recovered, both mentally and physically, turning on her heel to face a smirking, quite proud Austin. "Don't look at me like what you just did was an accomplishment."
"It might have been," he countered.
The banter relieved her, as it told her that his pain must be better. "And no, I do not always talk to myself. I didn't even know I said that out loud."
"So, I repeat my question with a bonus now added, how long have you been unaware that you talk to yourself?"
She scowled, picking up a DVD off the floor that fell victim to her.
"You really don't have a lot of hobbies?"
Ally sat down on the chair closer to Austin's bed and shrugged her shoulders. Off the top of her head, nothing really came to mind. She had friends, money, and the constant urge to shop, but admitting this to Austin seemed like the most superficial and joke-worthy thing she could say. "I like TV shows."
This peaked his interest, "Yeah, which ones?"
She listed off a few reality shows, and some teen dramas, and watched as his smile faded. "I hate when you prove yourself so typical."
That did not feel like a playful jab. That comment actually hurt, but she stuck her tongue out anyway, "And what do you watch, oh holy TV watcher?"
"The Walking Dead. I loved Breaking Bad. I am trying to get into Game of Thrones, but I'd like to read the books first, and they're so long." He paused, shaking his head. "Actually, I have a lot of time on my hands."
"Those are all widely popular, prime time TV shows," she deadpanned. "What makes you any more special than me?"
"These shows have substance," he declared, "The Bachelor instead makes you turn to substance abuse."
She fake laughed, but didn't let him take the last word, "The Walking Dead is about zombies and people being god awful to each other, slaughtering each other any chance they get. Then, oh look, a tiny glimmer of hope for humanity! Season finale time… rinse and repeat."
She knew she had him fired up, as his eyes did this sparkling thing that she caught several times when he was excited and feeling good. "No, no you are so wrong. I can't believe how wrong you are—have you even watched the show? Do you even know who any of the characters are?"
He was so exasperated by her attempts to harm his favorite show, and she secretly enjoyed it, "I know there is some guy with greasy hair that girls fawn over like he's some kind of god."
"Yeah, that's Daryl, but there's more to the show then that."
He stopped, giving her a look, "You're smirking. Stop it. You're enjoying this. You just played me."
She folded her arms, grinning ear to ear. "You started it."
"I stand by my TV choices. My shows win awards."
"Whatever," she laughed, noticing another storm seemed to be coming from the west. He glanced that way too, pushing his lower body up with the strength in his upper arms. They sat in silence for a bit as thunder rumbled in the distance, a tiny flash of light proving that her thought was correct.
"Why do you like the rain so much?" she asked.
He shrugged, "It feels cleansing, you know? I feel like it gets such a bad rap. It rains and everyone is so angry about it—where is the sun and all that. But when the sun is shining, no one is happy either. The rain fuels the ground, which fuels all the life around us. Without plants, there would be no animals, without animals, and so on… its one of God's most underappreciated gifts."
"It ruins my hair," she deadpanned.
Austin gently shoved her, "Try a hat."
"And get hat hair?" she gasped. "No way."
He laughed this time and watched another strike of lightening take the sky. "I used to sit out on my back porch and watch the storms. The wind blowing and tossing everything around. It's so powerful, but it's also nature. I don't know. I guess I appreciate that kind of thing." He glanced at her, "I once left my house a couple years back during one of the stronger hurricanes—forget which one now, but I holed up in an old abandoned barn down the street from my house so that I didn't get wet, but I kept the door open so I could experience it… it was crazy. What the power of something natural can do is absolutely mind-blowing."
"That sounds incredibly dangerous."
"No more dangerous than being in a car under the influence," he admitted.
Ally bit down her lip at the comment, not sure how to respond.
Then he nodded, "Yeah, but it was also thrilling and magical."
"A sale at my favorite boutique gives me that same feeling," she quipped.
Austin rolled his eyes, "My point in all of this talk is—I enjoy weather. I enjoy being out in nature. I used to walk down at the beach all the time. I always meant to take up surfing, but I guess that's a dream wasted now. Got into hiking the last couple of years, too. Maybe I can get a chair that goes off road, so I could still do some form of hiking." He looked over her outfit that day and continued, "You'd complain the entire time, but I bet you would grow to love hiking just as much as me."
"Maybe," she agreed, giving him a true smile. The room fell to a silence just as nature filled it with a powerful burst of thunder. The power went out momentarily, only seconds passing before a cracking sound followed and the back up generator came on. "Well. That changes things."
Austin took the time to grin, arching himself forward. "Want to play a game?"
Austin's idea of a game was calling in Jake and Cassidy from the room and playing truth or dare. He said it was the perfect game to play during a storm, especially when the staff was preoccupied with 'standard procedures' and double checking important power related things. A tiny part of her didn't want the other two in the room, as she was enjoying her conversation with the bed-ridden blond. Still, truth or dare could be a fun game. She remembered many drunken nights in high school from it.
"Okay, who wants to go first?" Cassidy laughed.
Jake nudged Austin's bed, "I think Austin should, since this was his idea."
"Fair enough," Austin grinned, eyeing the small group. Not surprisingly, he turned to Ally, "Truth or dare?"
She weighed her choices. She had a feeling that he wouldn't go easy on her either way, especially when they locked eyes and he gave her a smirk that made her hair stand up. "Dare," she finally stated, her voice hinting her hesitance.
He played on this. Austin leaned forward in the bed (enough to almost stumble into himself—he was still not used to his lack of lower motor control—and she got up, ready to steady him, but he was able to fix himself) and then stared at the other male in the room. "I dare you… I dare you…" he trailed off, clearly enjoying the possibilities that could be had. She was surprised when he gave her an easy first go, "Stand up and dance around like no one is watching." Then, he grabbed his phone and got it ready to video.
Ally shrugged, thinking she'd have worse and got up, showing off just how bad her dancing skills were. The room erupted into laughter between the three of her onlookers, and she shrugged a second time, finishing off by crossing her arms and posing. A wide smile on her face from the success, she decided she'd let Austin sweat for a bit, and turned to Cassidy, "Truth or dare?"
Cassidy grinned, "Truth."
Ally wanted her to admit that she had a thing for Jake in front of him, and she was not the type to hold back, "Do you have a crush on anyone right now?"
Austin saw her thought and too watched the strawberry blonde. She nervously looked at Ally, as if to say 'come on' but then nodded. Jake, oblivious, egged her on, "Really, who?"
Cassidy attempted to play it cool, "Oh, just on this really nice guy."
Ally thought she saw Jake's shoulders fall at the sound of this nice guy. Was he really that dense that he didn't realize it was him, or was he trying to keep their obvious connection a secret so that the girl didn't get in trouble? She wasn't sure.
"Lucky guy," he finally stated, and Cassidy's face reddened further, "My turn," she squeaked out and looked at the group for a second before shrugging, "Throwing it back to Austin here. Truth or dare?"
"Truth," he said, shocking everyone, "But only because I have a feeling most dares I probably can't do well."
Cassidy nodded, "Alright. What was your first kiss like?"
Cassidy had no idea what Austin had been through with his (ex?) girlfriend over the last week, other than the awkward reveal of Piper in the room that day. She hadn't a chance to talk to her fellow intern, so as far as she was concerned, there was no harm in asking a question like she had. Besides, most people's first kiss did not compute to their current spouse, at least not many. But the question quickly threw Austin and made him shift in bed, not wanting to think about his relationship with the girl. Ally almost wanted to cut in and save him, but she figured that might make things worse.
"It was nice," he finally stated softly, and Ally saw Jake's eyes narrow. He wasn't as oblivious as she thought after all, and he too softened his expression. "With a nice girl. A girl I still care a lot about."
"Aww," Cassidy exclaimed, grinning ear to ear. "That's adorable. What's her name?"
Austin this time rubbed his arm and Ally couldn't take it anymore, "Did anyone hear that?"
Cassidy glanced over at her, "What?"
"That sound down the hallway." She was glad to be sandwiched between Austin's bed and Tyler's crutches, so that she couldn't act on the pretend sound she just heard. Instead, she got Cassidy distracted enough in the next few seconds to search for a sound before coming back to sit down next to the group. She didn't miss Austin's thankful stare before he clapped his hands together, "Truth or dare, Ally?"
She groaned, "And that's how you repay me," she muttered only loud enough for him to hear it. "Truth," she deadpanned.
"We're in what could be considered the hardest parts of our lives right now," he motioned to himself and Jake as he spoke, "So my question is, what time was that for you?"
She smirked, "Maybe right now."
He gave her a teasing smirk back, but shook his head. "Seriously."
Ally thought back to a time during her life that she tried to cloud from her own memory, a time that reminded her again and again how different things were now—how it seemed like such a long time ago and how thankful she was that it was behind her. Would she have it in her to tell the truth?
"I bet it was a bad hair dye job, or a time when someone wore the same outfit as you," he teased further, eating up her quiet thoughts.
Ally shook her head, hating where the question led her mentally and wondered how to get out of this easily. Finally, she forced herself out of the thought and smiled, "Not when someone wore the same outfit, but there was a girl at prom that had the same dress. I made her change," she deadpanned, but she saw Austin see right through the lie. He gave her a look, one she ignored and she forced a smile onto her face, grinning wildly to mask what she truly had been thinking of. With a more shrill reply than she meant, she looked at Jake, "Truth or Dare?"
