Thank you for your reviews. I truly appreciate hearing what you have to say. :) I'm introducing a new character in this chapter who will be important in many ways, but is also a bit of a comedic relief at the same time. I think you'll enjoy him.
Let me know what you think. Enjoy!
Austin didn't know what to do once Ally was gone. He was not used to spending his days alone, and her absence was felt almost immediately. As much as he'd grown much more mobile over the last few weeks, it was still a pain in the ass for him to transfer from the bed to the chair by himself. He was worried about Ally, too. Her boyfriend having been in a wreck made her emotionally compromised, and seeing Ally cry was like seeing it snow in Los Angeles – maybe not impossible, but highly, highly unlikely.
He needed someone to talk to. He realized in those moments alone, he really didn't have anyone but her, and he knew better than calling so soon after she left for an update. A part of him laughed at the thought – why would she update Austin when she was probably spending her time with her injured boyfriend?
A sense of alarm came over him. When Connor left the hospital, he would probably need some level of care. Probably had a broken bone or two, maybe a concussion… she would spend all her time with him, which he supposed was warranted. The thought sent him into overdrive, and he stared blankly at the door. He didn't know how or when she became so important to him, but he'd do anything to hear her voice right then, not only for himself, but for her, too.
From the Ground Up
Ally rushed through the doors of the emergency room, glancing wildly for any familiar face that could lead her to her boyfriend. His mother had been less than informative via phone call, only shrilly sobbing sentences about how he was in an accident after midnight and was fighting for his life in surgery. Ally barreled forward to the information desk, asking immediately for his condition.
"I'm sorry sweetie, but if you're not family, I cannot give you that info."
Ally nearly burst. "Excuse me? I'm his girlfriend. His mom called me! Just tell me where to go."
"I'm going to have to ask you to calm down. Screaming won't solve problems dear."
"Listen here," she snarled, not in the mood to deal with some middle-aged man's "complimentary" words. "My name is Ally Dawson. My father is Chief-of-Trauma here. His name is Lester Dawson. I will ask one more time for my boyfriend's location, or so help me, you will not have a job by tomorrow."
"Miss—"
"Ally?"
Ally whipped around at the sound of Connor's brother's voice, running immediately from the desk to his arms. "What happened? Where is he? What…?"
"Shh," the older male whispered. "Hey, calm down. I can't talk to you if you're hysterical."
"Sorry," she murmured, knowing better. She would have to keep her emotions in check one day, no matter who she was dealing with or speaking to. But this was her boyfriend! Regardless, Oliver was like Connor. He was only a few months from graduating law school and passing the bar. He worked by logic, not emotions. "Your mom wasn't making much sense. I just need to know if he's okay."
Oliver led her over to a seat, and she finally got a good look at the older male. His eyes were bloodshot, and his usually very collected exterior showed clear signs of lack of sleep. A wrinkled dress shirt, missing a tie, and a pair of slacks that had a coffee stain on one leg. "It happened just after we were leaving dinner. I thought it was dumb that we all took separate cars, but he insisted on driving as he was afraid that you'd call and he'd need to come pick you up. I don't know why. So, we left… it was some asshole driving drunk. Scum went through the light and t-boned him, Alls. He was conscious when I ran from my car to him, but it's bad. Real bad."
"Tell me."
He looked darkly at the doors, "Your father is doing the surgery."
"Surgery?"
"His main artery was severed internally. The damage is vast. He also sustained one collapsed lung, two broken legs, and a concussion. When I got to him, he wasn't making much sense. He kept asking if you were okay, but I told him that you didn't come. He didn't understand. He was screaming in agony by the time the police arrived. I didn't know what to do," the dark haired male sighed, "Its times like this I wish I pursued something medical. Maybe I could've helped."
"How long has he been in surgery?"
"The punctured lung happened because of a rib. The rib detached and severed the artery. This happened around three am; they didn't catch it until he started to cough up blood. They say it's a miracle he even made it onto the table. We haven't heard anything else. Your father came in as soon as he was asked to. I'd say he's been in surgery for about three hours."
"God," she murmured. "I… I…" She dissolved into tears again. "I was supposed to be in that car, Ollie."
"Be thankful that you weren't," he answered. "You would've been just as bad."
"He shouldn't be alone," she sobbed, thinking about her sweet boyfriend, whose only goal in life was to go into law to make the world better for everyone. He didn't deserve this. She should've been there… maybe she could've done something. He was probably so scared… and for Ollie to witness it. She glanced at him… stoic as ever.
"Come on. We'll go up. My parents are waiting up there. Maybe there is news."
Ally followed his brother to the elevators, and to the floor in which families waited for news on surgery. There she united with his parents, cried some more in their shoulder and stared at the doors numbly that would lead to her boyfriend. Her boyfriend who was fighting for his life; at least she knew he was in great hands.
"Do you want coffee?"
Ally shook her head, thinking about the coffee she left on Austin's table. "No thank you. I'm okay."
As an hour passed, Ally's feelings intensified. With no news, her mind was left to wander, which did nothing but add to the fear she felt. A text from Austin came through somewhere in between there, but she didn't have the heart to explain or even answer. She knew he was just worried about her, but her eyes never left the door.
From the Ground Up
Hours passed in the rehab center, and Austin was slowly losing his mind. Ally hadn't answered her texts, though he supposed she probably was more focused on her boyfriend. It left him wondering how she was doing and if she was okay. He left his bed sometime after that, wandering down the hall in search of something to do. Jake was out for the day with Cassidy, leaving him making small talk with another teen who got hurt playing a sport, someone who was nice enough, but he just didn't feel like talking to.
The kid left just before lunch, and Austin was relieved.
"Kid sure talks a lot."
Austin turned around to see a blond guy sitting on the couch next to him, smirking at his own comment. He was tall and kind of lanky, with crisp, almost electric green eyes and a crooked smile.
"Yeah. Guess so. I'm kind of glad he's gone." He wasn't too sure what to say to the kid, more so dumbfounded that he was there all along and he didn't notice him.
"I'm sure. He couldn't even tell how bored you were." He raised a brow at the comment. How could the guy even tell if he was bored, sitting behind him?
"Why didn't you intervene?" Austin asked, curious since he had no problem sharing his opinion now. The confidence he displayed told him that he was probably a mouthy kid.
He made a wide motion with his hand, leaning forward far enough that Austin thought he might fall. "I'm kind of confined to this couch until Nurse Wendy comes back. She seems a little intimidating. I didn't want to disobey her."
"She's harmless. Best get your way with her early and you'll never have a problem here again."
"Noted," the blond laughed. "Sorry, didn't introduce myself. I'm Warren."
"Interesting name. You new?"
"Yep. And you are?"
"Austin, not so new."
There was a silence, and Austin remembered Ally's comments about new kids coming in. He wondered if this kid was one of them, when he suddenly stuck out his hand, nowhere near where Austin was sitting. He realized immediately which new kid it was, and the lack of sleep and pain drugs got the better of him. "You're the blind guy," he blurted, then immediately cringed. "Shit. Sorry. That was probably the worst thing I could ever say."
"Well, it wasn't wrong. I am the blind guy." He paused. "You sound fine, so I'm going to assume your brain is intact. What's your problem?"
Austin liked his humor, "Mine? Oh, just sliced off my leg and decided that I shouldn't use my other one ever again either." He was enjoying the banter; it almost reminded him of his time with Dez. There was a great deal to be said about being with guys your age; he truly loved spending time with Ally now, but she was a girl after all.
It made less sense when he said it, he realized coming back into the conversation from his thoughts, and Warren just kept a blank look on his face. Maybe he should let the other guy stick to the sarcastic humor.
"I'm paralyzed, at least temporarily. I also lost my leg. That's not temporary."
"That would be pretty damn cool if it was. Would you be offended if I asked how?" Austin had a feeling even if he was offended; it wouldn't have stopped the kid. His thinking was quick and his tongue was even sharper.
"Nah. It was a car accident. What about you?" He didn't need to mention the other defining factors in which he actually lost them. Making friends was hard these days; it wasn't like he needed to know.
Warren shifted on the couch, giving a slight smile. "I got hit perfectly in the head so that my eyes themselves are fine, but my brain is screwed."
"How'd you do that?"
"You know how they say that BMX is a dangerous sport?"
"Yeah?"
Warren grinned, "BMX is a dangerous sport."
"I'm sorry."
Just as he was about to respond, Nurse Wendy came into the room. "Ah, I see you've found Austin, Warren. I recommend you spend your time with him. He'll keep you in check." He frowned at her she ruffled his hair, almost jealous that the nurse was being as kind to him as she frequently was to Austin. He always got the impression that he was special.
"He's quiet, Nurse Wendy. I bet he's pouting. Is he?"
The woman's eyes twinkled. "Oh, that is one way to describe the look on his face right now." She helped Warren stand, and then placed his hand on the back of her elbow, whispering something into his ear. He saw his confidence falter, if only for a second, then the grin was back. "Follow along Austin, and don't you worry that pretty little head of yours, you're still my favorite."
"What she means to say is that you're her favorite right now, but I am definitely in the running."
Two could play at that game. "You just got here."
"And I've already made my mark," he teased.
He was about to respond when Warren's knees buckled, and Nurse Wendy proved why she was fantastic at her job by catching him in seconds. "Warren?" she said softly, as if Austin wasn't sitting helplessly beside her, unable to help in any way. "Dizzy spell, sweetie?"
"Yeah," he murmured, voice barely audible to Austin's ears. He was curious to what they meant for the blond teenager, but knew it was not the right thing to ask then. Instead, he just stared, thankful that he couldn't see.
"Can you get up, or do you want me to get a chair?"
He shook his head slowly. "I'm alright. Just give me a second."
It all seemed alright in the following seconds, and Warren even made an attempt to stand before he collapsed a second time, grabbing at his head. Nurse Wendy glanced briefly at Austin, before immediately crouching in front of the other patient and tried to help. "Alright, sweetie. I don't think you're going to get away without some pain this time. Stay here one second. I'm going to get you a wheelchair and I'll put in an order for some meds. Try to breathe evenly."
He breathed heavily through his nose, and oddly, as the nurse disappeared, he glanced in Austin's direction, "You still here?" His voice was thick with pain and Austin wondered if he should just remain frozen and not say anything, but it seemed rude.
"Yeah, what's going on?"
He squeezed his eyes shut, "It's supposedly called… post-concussion syndrome. Sometimes when you get… hit in the head hard enough, you can mimic some of the symptoms… for a while after. I get dizzy spells… and ugh!" He cut off, curling into his body.
"Hey," Austin said, feeling panicked that Nurse Wendy hadn't come back yet. Warren continued to writhe in pain, kicking his feet on the floor. "Try and breathe like she said. It helps! I get a lot of pain from my injury too."
Nurse Wendy came back, instead of a wheelchair she had a portable bed. She helped Warren stand, if only long enough to collapse onto the bed and be wheeled away. Austin watched for some time until he was sure he was alone, and then quietly wheeled himself into his own room, wondering how someone could go from so confident and loud, to so small and weak in seconds.
The introduction of Warren was enough to get Austin's mind off Ally for a while, but back in his room, he found he was back to thinking about her and Connor. It was nearly one pm and he hadn't heard from her, though a part of him thought that maybe he was not one of the people she would call to give an update too. Another part of him said to not be silly, they had made such progress as friends over the last couple of weeks and she cared for him. It was a stressful time and he was sure that she was probably just overwhelmed.
Still, he sent her another text and then closed his phone, wondering what to do.
He sat like that for nearly an hour, growing uncomfortable in the chair but not enough to transfer back to the bed. He didn't sleep well the night before (or the one before that, quite frankly) and he knew part of it was because of the events, yet he couldn't force himself to take a nap.
Instead, he made his way back into the hallway, on a mission to find Warren's room and see how he was doing. It was hard to figure out which was his, despite knowing the majority of the teens in the center. Finally, he found a last name on a door that he was sure he didn't recognize, then wheeled into the dark room, noticing a lump curled up on the bed, facing the other direction.
He was about to exit, figuring he was knocked out from some kind of med when his voice quietly asked, "Austin?"
"How'd you know it was me?" he asked, shocked.
"Your wheels make a funny noise," he responded, clearly exhausted.
"Oh. I was coming to see how you were doing."
"Okay," came the reply, gone was the cocky attitude, replaced with fear and what he assumed was sleep deprivation. "I've only been dealing with all of this a week. The doctors say this kind of thing could last months. They can't tell when it's going to happen, and even when it starts, it takes at least an hour for the meds to kick in."
"Sucks. I can leave. I'm sure you want to rest."
"Nah," he murmured, slowly sitting up. He didn't miss how he grabbed the side of the bed to steady himself. "Don't go. I haven't really seen much of anyone since the accident. My friends are avoiding me. They seem to think they can catch this or something. Dumb bikers."
"I know how that feels."
Warren leaned his legs over the bed, slowly standing up. Austin saw him waver, and for a second, he thought he might fall, and he silently prayed that didn't happen because being in a wheelchair meant he was practically useless. He eventually steadied. "I might puke on you, just so you know. My stomach is doing some crazy crap right now."
"I'd prefer not," Austin muttered, hoping he was kidding. "You know how hard it is to shower like this?"
Warren laughed, though it clearly hurt. "Fair enough. Can I like grab onto the back of your chair or something?"
"Why?"
The tall blond made a face. "I want to leave the room."
He felt an odd sense of déjà vu back to when he first met Ally, then shrugged his shoulders. Again, feeling like an idiot, he verbally added, "I don't think I'm much of a guide."
"Just need to get out," he murmured a second time. "Can we go to your room?"
"Sure."
"You seem preoccupied."
"It's a long story," Austin said tiredly.
There was a soft chuckle from behind him, and he felt the tug of the extra weight on his chair, regardless of how light it was from Warren's hold. The blond teenager who could still walk did not say a word, as if the sentence in which Austin spoke previously did not matter and he still expected to hear of it. "It is not like we have a place to go or people to see," finally came the chide heavy response.
"There are a few people here who have… friends, I guess? We have soon to be med students who are completing internships here over the summer. I have a girl named Ally and a few others have made friends with theirs as well. Ally's boyfriend was in a really bad car accident last night. She left early this morning after we heard about it and I haven't heard from her since. I'm worried about her; I know it's stupid to expect a response when she's probably going through hell, but it would be nice to hear something at this point."
"I would think that no news is good news."
"I guess. Doesn't make me feel any better. There's a part of me that feels like maybe our friendship isn't that important and she's probably seen the messages and doesn't care to answer." Austin bit down on his lip, surprised by how honest he was being with someone he barely knew, someone who didn't seem like the advice giving type. Still, Warren didn't say much in response, though he had a thoughtful look on his face.
"I know that my younger brother got a ton of texts and phone calls after my accident. He didn't answer a single one of them; it's overwhelming to try and get to everyone."
He didn't think of it that way. Warren was right; Ally probably had all kinds of people trying to contact her and ask about her boyfriend's condition. She was probably overwhelmed by it all and just wanted to be with him. He understood that; back when he first woke up in the hospital, his parents were dealing with the same. He glanced at the quiet blind male across the room from him, sitting in Ally's original chair. He never would've put it into that perspective.
"You're welcome." He flicked his hair from his face, though the pleased smile vanished. "Hard to believe that this'll be my summer. At least I won't spend it alone now. You seem okay."
Austin had to laugh at that, "Oh man. You're right about one thing. Summer just got a hell of a lot more interesting than it was before."
