Kates POV
After eating we all went to the courtyard outside of the cafeteria and took a seat. It was cold outside but not freezing. Not like the night where Rick was almost dead from blood loss, possibly hypothermia, shock, I honestly don't know how he's still alive but I'm thanking God every second for it.
"How's that air feel? Good right?" Shaky asked as he sat next to me. He must feel really bad for me because it seems like he's really making an effort to cheer me up.
"Yeah, feels great," I said. Shaky patted my shoulder and then began talking to the rest of the group as I felt my phone vibrate. I pulled it out to see that I had gotten a text from Sweets. It was in the group chat with the rest of the trio.
S. hey Kate, wanted to check in on you, how's Rick doing?
K. still in a coma, I hope he wakes up soon. I'll let you guys know if anything changes.
S. please do. We're here for you if you need anything.
That I already knew. Those girls were so good to me but there was no point in going to them for comfort when I had my family. Winter had told them about everything that happened after she texted me that night. Since then they have been spamming the groupchat wishing the best for us. Hopefully they didn't do something at school other than let teachers know why I might be out. I didn't want too much attention brought to this. I put my phone in my pocket and looked back up at the group.
"Oh yeah, once Garth is caught they aren't letting him go" Humphrey said as I tuned in to the conversation.
"Think he'll skip town or something?" Angel asked.
"No, he's too prideful to do something like that" Shaky answered.
"His dad though, what is he gonna do?" I asked.
"Not much, I mean what are his options? He raised a shitty kid, and now he has to own up to that" Humphrey said.
"Sounds about right," Angel commented.
"So Kate, are you going to stay the night again?" Lilly asked.
"I'll stay as long as he's in here" I answered.
"Do you want me to bring you a toothbrush? Maybe a change of clothes?" Lilly suggested.
"Sure," I said.
"You know Kate, I don't think Rick would want you to lock yourself up in here" Humphrey told me.
"Well I want to stay with him, and when he wakes up he'll have to put up with that" I said.
"I don't think he puts up with you Kate, I think he never wants to part with you" Shaky said. That warmed my heart a bit hearing him say that. It was true as well. Even when he wasn't in the coma I never wanted him to leave. It was always tough to see him walk out of my house to leave for the night.
"How long are you guys going to stay?" I asked.
"Honestly Kate, we know that Rick wouldn't want us to trap ourselves here, so we were gonna head out after this. We have to do things anyway like get his truck" Humphrey said. That was right, Rick's truck had been sitting there since the party. I hope it was okay.
"How are you going to do that?" I asked.
"Well his jacket is in your car, and he always kept his keys in his jacket pocket, so we'll just grab his keys and then head over there. Lilly can drive my car and I'll drive Rick's truck" Humphrey explained.
"Most likely we're gonna drop it off at his house because he won't be able to drive once he's ready to leave," Lilly said.
"We just need you to unlock your car," Humphrey added. I reached into my sweatshirt pocket and pulled out my car keys and tossed them to Humphrey. He caught them and then stood up.
"Go grab 'em and then we'll head inside once you get back," I said. Humphrey nodded and then began walking to the fence that led out of the courtyard. Lilly followed.
"Shaky you don't mind if I go home do you?" Angel asked.
"Of course not, do you want me to give you a ride?" Shaky asked.
"No, I'll have my parents take me, but message me okay?" Angel asked.
"I will Angie, I will, '' Shaky smiled. Angel then leaned forward towards me.
"Hey Kate? If you need anything, text me okay?" Angel said. I nodded.
"I will Angel. Thanks" I said. I then thought of something, why hadn't I thought of this sooner? "Why don't we just have a group chat with us? So we can plan things out and such?" I suggested.
"Alright, you have our numbers go for it" Angel said.
"She doesn't have mine, '' Shaky pouted. I leaned to my right and smiled at him.
"What's your number, Shaky?" I asked. He laughed and then gave it to me. I punched it into my phone and added it to the group chat. I then titled the group chat family. I smiled as I read it over and over again. Family. All six of us. Angel looked at her phone.
"I'm in" she announced.
"Good, the others should be in as well, I can't believe it took us this long to do this" I said. Just then Humphrey and Lilly came around the corner and walked over to us.
"Alright, you ready to say bye?" Shaky asked me.
"Are you guys really leaving so soon?" I asked.
"You don't have to stay here, Rick would want you to leave with us" Humphrey said.
"I know he would, but I can't," I said.
"Well you stay here with him then and let us know if he wakes up, also Humphrey? Lilly? We're in a group chat now" Shaky said as he stood up. The two checked their phones.
"Family?" Lilly laughed.
"Yep. family" Angel said as she held the door open for us. We walked inside one at a time and then began heading back to the room.
"You locked my car right, Humphrey?" I asked.
"Yeah, oh speaking of which here" Humphrey said as he handed me my car keys back. I took them and put them back in my pocket.
"Thanks" I said. The rest of the walked back was silence and we didn't speak again until we reached the room. Rick's mom and dad were sitting in the chairs that me and Angel were sitting in. The two stood up once we entered.
"We're going to head out, thank you for giving us time with him," Delores said.
"Of course," Humphrey replied.
"Angel, are you coming with us?" Dwane asked.
"Yeah, Kate's going to stay though in case Rick wakes up" Angel said. Delores looked at me with sympathy in her eyes.
"Are you really going to stay again?" she asked.
"I'm not leaving him," I repeated. She then walked over and gave me a hug.
"I know you won't," she said. She then broke the hug and looked into my eyes as she rubbed my cheek with her hand and then let go. "Please let us know if he wakes up" she asked.
"You'll be the first to know," I assured. Angel kissed Shaky goodbye and then just like that, three people were out of the room.
"Are you sure you want to stay Kate?" Shaky asked. I nodded. He then came over and gave me a hug as well. I hugged him back. "If you get lonely just call one of us okay?" he offered.
"I will" I said before breaking the hug and looking into his eyes. Shaky then turned to Lilly and Humphrey.
"I'll catch you two later," he said. The two waved goodbye as Shaky walked out of the room.
"I'll bring those things for you tomorrow okay Kate?" Lilly asked.
"Alright, thanks, '' I said. She nodded and then grabbed Humphreys hand and walked out the room. Humphrey waved goodbye and closed the curtain on the way out leaving me and Rick alone again. I took a deep breath and pulled out my phone. 5:14 it was getting late. The sun had started to set and I had nowhere to be. I sat down and took Rick's hand again as the heart rate monitor beeped, creating the only noise in the room.
"It was torture leaving you, do you know that? I really didn't want to. I know you wouldn't want me to stay here with you but I can't leave you. If I had to while you were stuck here… I would go crazy. I might be crazy talking to you now because I'm not sure if you can hear me. But still I want to talk to you. There are so many things that I want to say to you when you wake up. The fact that you were willing to make sure I was safe before bleeding out really says a lot. I don't know if anyone else would have done that. Even in what could have been your final moments you still prioritized me. I know I said that before but I just can't get over it. You know we don't have to worry about my dad anymore. He said that he was going to fix things with you, how he's going to do that is anyone's guess but… I'm glad he's finally opened his eyes. I just wish it didn't take this to actually get through to him" I sighed and kissed his hand. I then inhaled through my nose, catching his scent and tearing up again.
"I miss you… I miss you so much Rick, please come back to me. When Humphrey said that you might not wake up right away it crushed me even more than I already was. It might be selfish of me but I promise I'll take care of you. Just like you did with me. I need you to wake up so that I can take you out of here and do that. Please Rick I-... I'm going crazy without you, I'm so in love with you, I can't stand to see you like this. Just please… come back… come back" I sniffed again and again before I buried my face in his chest and started balling.
"Come back, come back, come back!" I cried. I continued to ball my eyes out. The others had tried to cheer me up, distract me and to an extent it worked. But I was so torn up inside. I couldn't keep it together anymore. I needed him to be awake. I needed him to tell me that he was okay, that there was no permanent damage. The thought that there could be terrified me, and him not waking up to let me know that there wasn't was creating suspense that I simply couldn't handle. I looked up again and over to him and sniffed.
"Rick… I love you, I love you so much, and I need you to come back to me. Please if you can hear me then come back to me" I sobbed. I held his hand tightly with my right hand and brushed my left hand through his hair as I cried.
"This is killing me Rick… I don't know how much longer I can do this, but it doesn't matter, no matter how crazy I go it doesn't solve anything. I need you here, I need to know that you're okay, I need you to be happy. Garth he- he isnt going to bother us anymore. The cops are going after him, we don't have to worry about him anymore. It can just be you and me, we have such a bright future together, me, you… our family" I said before cracking and breaking down again. These once happy memories were starting to get to me. They were no longer happy if I couldn't reminisce about them with the ones who shared them. As I sniffed and tried to recover I felt my phone vibrate. I pulled it out to see that it was a text from mom.
M. hey sweetie, just checking in on you, how are things over there.
K. terrible, he wont wake up mom.
M. I know sweetie but these things take time. He'll be up, trust me.
K. cops came by earlier, their going after Garth
M. good, hope that son of a bitch rots.
M. Are you staying there again?
K. yeah, I'm not leaving him until he wakes up.
M. Okay, do you want me to bring you a change of clothes?
K. no, it's fine. Lilly's already doing that.
M. Okay, let me know if you change your mind, also your father has really been feeling bad about the whole situation, I don't think you need to worry about that.
K. yeah, I'm glad. It's a shame it had to get to this point though.
M. I'm not happy about that either, but I guess it doesn't matter now.
K. yeah, you're right. I love you
M. I love you too sweetie, keep him warm. It's cold in that place.
K. I know, glad I have this sweatshirt, talk to ya soon.
M. alright sweetie I love you. Bye.
I put my phone back in my pocket and sighed as I looked at Rick again.
"Whatever dreams you're having, I hope they're sweet," I said.
Humphrey's POV
I felt bad leaving the hospital as soon as I was but I couldn't stand the hospital. Ever since I was a pup I hated the hospital. Something about it just made me feel off. The whole aesthetic just made me feel so weird. But now it was just me and Lilly driving to go get Rick's truck from the side of the road.
"Are you good with driving my car?" I asked Lilly. I never saw her drive before except for the other night when she drove Kate's car back to the hospital. She did well but you could totally tell she was a new driver.
"Yeah, come on Humphrey I'm not that bad at driving" Lilly answered.
"Alright, if you're confident enough then that's all I need to hear" I said.
"You know I hope Rick wakes up soon, not only for himself but for Kate. I dont think I've ever seen her so miserable. That whole time at the table, she played it off well but I know my sister. She wanted to cry a lot. She looked like she was hurting so bad" Lilly explained.
"Really? You think? She seemed fine to me" I said.
"Yeah, she seemed fine to you, but I could see right through her. She's hurting Humphrey, and if Rick doesn't wake up soon then she's gonna crack" Lilly said.
"He was stabbed and lost blood, you would think he'd be awake by now" I said.
"He lost a lot Humphrey, when you were driving and I looked back at him, he wasn't even bleeding anymore. He lost that much, I don't even know if he's alive" Lilly told me.
"He really lost that much? I didn't see all of that" I told Lilly.
"Yeah, Kate was trying to find the wound to put pressure on it and when she found it it wasn't bleeding" Lilly said.
"Fucking Garth… how long do you think it will take to find him?" I asked.
"Well it's only a matter of them looking up his address from school, he probably had a couple of hours" Lilly answered. I was satisfied with that answer. We listened to music for the rest of the way until I pulled behind my friend's truck and stepped out of my car.
"Alright Lills, are you sure you got this?" I asked. Lilly simply smiled and held out her hand. I plopped the keys into her hand and began walking over to the truck. I unlocked it and climbed inside. As I sat in it I felt a wave of emotion as a memory shot through me. I remember standing outside of the shopping center with Shaky, Lilly, and Salty. We were all waiting for this idiot to pull up. Lilly had been keeping a look out for his car as me and the boys were talking about fruit or some shit.
"I'm about to blow this mother fuckers phone up" Shaky said as he began dialing Rick again.
"Easy bro, dudes gotta be around the corner or at least somewhere close by" Salty suggested.
"He could just text us this though, holy shit it's hot out here, why can't we just meet him in the store?" Shaky complained about the hot summer air. It was so fucking humid out that day.
"He asked us to wait out here," I answered.
"And you said yes," Lilly complained as she continued scanning the parking lot.
"I could just text him to meet us inside" I offered.
"Yes, do that, holy fucking shit" Shaky said. I chuckled as I began messaging him.
"Hey guys, flashy truck coming this way" Lilly warned.
"This way? He's got the whole parking lot" Salty pointed out. Lilly started to step back.
"Uh, they're coming in pretty fast" she said as loud rock music started to grow loud as the truck approached. We all turned in the direction of the music to see the truck drive up to us and stop suddenly, parkiping behind the three cars. The passenger door opened up making the music louder as Angel stepped out. The truck then turned off, along with the music.
"Check it out, big bro got a new toy" Angel exclaimed. Rick then walked around the truck with a smile to greet us.
"Holy shit Rick, how much did this thing cost/" Salty asked as he ran up to the truck and started rubbing his hand on it.
"Too much," Rick answered. I stared in awe as I studied this brand new truck in front of me. This thing was a beauty.
"Rick, you just went above a ten" Lilly commented as she gave Angel a quick hug and then ran to check out the truck as well.
"Ew Lilly, you're all sweaty" Angel said.
"Dude it's fucking ninety-five" Lilly exclaimed as she climbed into the truck. Angel laughed as she turned back to us.
"By the way, that music was me testing out the speakers" she explained.
"And you chose cup of coffee?" Shaky asked sarcastically.
"You bet your sweet ass," Angel answered. I walked over to the drivers side and climbed in myself as Rick followed.
"Holy shit, holy shit, holy shit, Rick you gotta let me drive this around the parking lot pleeeeease!" I begged. Rick laughed as he tossed the keys to me. I caught them and started looking for the ignition. "Where's the ignition?" I asked.
"There isn't one, you just push that button and put your foot on the brake" Rick instructed. I felt a wave of amazement as I put the keys in the cup holder and then held the brake pedal down as I pushed the button. The truck started up and I laughed as I felt like a total badass.
"Oh this is fucking great" I said.
"We'll be right here" Rick said as he stepped back, giving me room to close the door and drive off. I closed it and then turned to Lilly and smiled.
"This thing is awesome!" I exclaimed. Lilly buckled her seatbelt and then turned the air on full blast. It felt great against our sweat drenched fur. The truck smelled brand new and you could just tell that it was great for driving. I put it in drive and began riding.
"It feels smooth," Lilly complimented.
"Yeah it does, I might have to kill him for this" I joked as I drove around the shopping center. I did one loop and then brought it back to the group who was catching up. It had been about a week or so since we all last hung out. I parked it and then opened the door to meet Rick again. "How do I turn this thing off?" I asked.
"Same way you turned it on" Rick instructed. Lilly stepped out as I did the same process as before. "It's nice right?" Rick asked.
"Yeah bro, I'm really jealous," I said. We both laughed as I handed Rick back the keys and watched him lock the truck.
"Hey man if you ever need repairs on that you know where to go" Shaky said.
"I got ya" Rick said.
"Worth the wait," Salty said.
"It's so big, my feet dont even touch the ground" Angel said, she was thirteen at the time.
"Yeah, I felt small in there," Lilly replied.
"You know we were gonna go to the store first, but I'm hungry from waiting out here, you guys down to eat first?" Shaky asked.
"I'm always down to eat," Angel answered.
"What she said," Lilly replied.
"Alright then let's go, we can walk right?" Salty asked.
"Yeah, let's go. Me and Rick got a lot to discuss" I joked as I put my arm around him as we walked. Me and Rick laughed for a moment, the group catching on and joining us. Now it was freezing in the middle of winter and I was alone in this truck.
"Humphrey?" I heard Lilly call. I turned to see her standing next to the open truck door. "Are you okay?" she asked. I realized I was crying and quickly wiped my eyes.
"Yeah I'm uh, I'm fine" I stuttered.
"Humphrey… it's okay" Lilly cooed. I sniffled for a moment before crying again. This time audible instead of just tears.
"I just miss my friend," I cried. Lilly put her hand on my leg to calm me.
"Oh Humphrey, we all miss him, this won't last forever" Lilly said. I nodded as I continued to cry.
"We should go," I said.
"Okay" Lilly whispered before walking to my car. Just like those years ago I put my foot on the brake pedal and pushed it down as I pressed the ignition button. The truck started up bringing back memories again. I wiped the tears from my eyes and began driving to Rick's house. The whole time Lilly followed me steadily. Eventually we made it and I parked right behind his parents' car. As I stepped out Angel walked outside.
"I didn't know you guys were doing this so soon," she said as she walked over to greet us. Lilly turned the car off and stepped out to meet us as well.
"Yeah, we figured the sooner the better" Lilly said.
"Did you guys… want to come in?" Angel offered. I shook my head as I dug my hands in my pockets.
"No, I can't right now. It wouldn't feel right" I said.
"Lilly?" Angel offered.
"I'm gonna stay with Humphrey tonight, if that's okay with you" Lilly said, turning to me.
"As long as you're mothers okay with it, I would like the company" I said.
"Wow so it's like that?" Angel teased.
"No, but it feels weird being there while your brother is at the hospital, and that whole thing with your parents… driving his truck made me upset enough" I explained.
"I'm just kidding Humphrey, you two should rest up though, I'll talk to you guys soon okay?" Angel asked.
"Yeah, bye Angel" I said as I gave her a hug. She accepted it and then hugged Lilly as well. Once Lilly pulled away she looked into Angel's eyes as she held her arms.
"Now go back inside before you freeze your tail off" she said. Angel giggled and then turned back to the house.
"Wait, Angel" I called. She turned back to me and I tossed Rick's keys to her. She caught them and then turned back to the house again.
"Thanks guys" she said.
"Of course" Lilly called as I entered my car again. Once Lilly was in I turned my keys again that she left in the ignition and drove off. As we drove to my house Lilly asked her mom if she could stay. Afterwards she just played on it. Once we pulled into my driveway she told me the answer.
"Well?" I asked.
"I can stay,'' Lilly smiled. I smiled back and got out of the car. We walked up my steps and entered my warm house. Once we were there I was greeted by my mom.
"Hey guys, how was your friend doing?" she asked.
"He's still out" I answered as I locked the door.
"Well he won't be there much longer I can feel it" mom said.
"I hope so," Lilly responded. Mom then turned to her.
"Hey Lilly, are you hungry or anything?" mom asked.
"No, but thanks. Me and Humphrey ate earlier" Lilly answered.
"Okay, are you guy's going upstairs?" mom asked.
"Yeah, probably just gonna chill," I said.
"So I guess you're staying the night?" mom asked Lilly.
"M-hm, if that's okay" Lilly said.
"Oh of course sweetie, you're always welcomed here. I'm just glad you two are finding healthy ways to express yourselves" mom said, making me feel embarrassed.
"Wow, how forward," I joked as I began walking up the stairs.
"I'll be down here if you guys need anything" I heard mom say to Lilly. Lilly said a quick thank you before following me upstairs and to my room. Once we were there we took off our shoes and laid down on the bed, putting my TV on and watching netflix. We did that until about 10:30 and then went to sleep. We got under the covers and then closed our eyes.
"Humphrey?" Lilly called quietly.
"Hm?" I answered.
"Can you cuddle me? Like when we have sex? I don't want to feel alone" she said. I felt bad, of course she would feel alone, one of her best friends is in the hospital. I turned to her and wrapped my arm around her.
"Of course" I said before kissing her forehead and snuggling into her neck. "I love you"
"I love you too," Lilly replied. We then both drifted off to sleep.
Kates POV
The heart rate monitor continued to beed as I held Rick's hand. He still hasn't woken up, and my tears never stopped. I felt my phone vibrate and pulled it from my pocket. The time read 10:43 and I saw that I got a text from Angel. I opened my phone to see what it was. Hey Kate, they got him. My parents just got a phone call and they got him, and get this, were taking that fucker to court. We are gonna lock him up for good. I smiled and then closed my phone and put it back in my pocket.
"They got him Rick… they got him. They got him and you're gonna be the one to put him away.. I love you" I said. I then gave him a loving kiss on the forehead. Normally he would kiss me back, I missed those days so much. Even though it was only a couple of days it felt like years had passed. Every second felt like an eternity.
"Sweet dreams Rick" I whispered as another tear fell down my cheek. I then rested my head by his hand again as I held it for another sleepless night.