Klea
I made it to the hospital super early, I knew that Aria had class. "Hey any change?" I asked. "No, I can't leave him," she said. "You have class; I will stay with him. He's going to be okay. I will keep you updated," I said. "Okay, stay strong for me, Max. I'll be back later," she said, kissing him before leaving. I sat down and held his hand. "Don't worry; I will make sure you don't fall behind. You are strong; you can fight this," I said. Watching him like this was hard; it was heartbreaking. All these machines breathing for him, I hated it. My best friend, ugh, Max, please be okay. I can't do this without you.
I sat there, telling him things and just talking to him, wanting him to know we were there for him. I didn't want him to feel alone. Then, the machines started to go crazy, and doctors rushed in. I was pushed out, it was so hard to watch. Was he dying? I just couldn't watch. They kept saying "code blue." I didn't know whether to text people or just watch in horror. I was in shock, just watching, wondering if he was going to be okay. I cried; it was all too much. I stood there in shock as they tried to revive him my finger ready to call his family. I was so hoping I didn't have to, I didn't realize I was holding my breath.
The doctor came out, "He's okay, honey. You can go back in." she said. I nodded and went to sit with him again. I wasn't alone for long; his dad came in. "He almost died," I said. "I heard he's tough; he will be okay," Chase said. I felt so bad for him too, like this was his kid and he wasn't doing well. Pneumonia sucks, and he has it bad; I mean, his heart stopped for crying out loud. This was all so hard. We sat there in silence for a while. "I need to get going. Can you keep me updated?" Chase asked. "Yes, I will," I said. He kissed Max's head and left. I hoped he made it through this; telling people he died was not something I wanted to do.
A nurse came in to check his vitals. "He is doing much better; his fever has gone down significantly," she said. "That is a relief," I said. "Yes, the doctor will be by shortly," she said. I nodded, not knowing why the doctor was coming. I just wanted him better; we all did. Hunter and Adam stopped by after their classes. "Man, he's still on that?" Hunter asked. "Yeah, he almost died today. The machines went crazy. I was so scared," I said. "Ugh, come on Max, we need you," Hunter said. He could say that again; we definitely all needed him.
The doctor did come by, "he has improved a lot," she said. "Oh, that is awesome," I said. "Yes, it is," she said, prepping him and taking it out. Max coughed and then groaned. "Welcome back," I said. He opened his eyes, "glad you are better but you're not out of the woods yet. We will keep you here a few more days. Let the antibiotics run their course," the doctor said. We all nodded. Max just sat there in silence, every time he coughed it sounded awful and painful. "We are just glad you are alive, man. Aria has been beating herself up" Hunter said, "It's not her fault" Max said. "She knows she just feels bad. She wanted you to be okay so badly." I said. "I'm okay. You weren't though, and we were all scared." I said, *cough cough* "That sounds painful." I said. "It is. I'm so tired." he said. "You good?" I asked. "No," he said. I felt for him. "Try and rest Max so you can be back in action" I said, "ugh it hurts" he said, "I know but you are tough" I said, "you have no idea, my chest feels like it's going to explode" he said coughing violently again. "Try not talking so much" I said and he groaned.
I texted his parents and told them he was doing better. Every time Max coughed, it sounded harsh, and he would groan. It must have been difficult for him to sleep, coughing like that. Aria came an hour later. "Hey baby," she said, kissing him. He opened his eyes and smiled at her. "I'm so sorry," she said. I left them, knowing he was in good hands with her. I made it back to campus, where Adam was waiting. I kissed him. "How is he?" he asked. "His cough is rough, but he's a lot better," I said. "Good, I'd hate to see what it does to you if something happened to him," Adam said. "Me too, ugh, all of this would be pointless. I wouldn't be able to do it without him. It's either be a detective with Max or not at all," I said. "I think you'd be okay on your own. You'd do it for Max. You're strong, beautiful, and smart as hell, Klea. Plus, I know Max would be with you every step of the way," Adam said.
I kissed him and hugged him tight, "You are so amazing. I love you." I said, "I love you too." he replied, and we just sat there and cuddled. He was right; I would do it for Max. I had to. This was our dream together, but I would carry on the legacy for him. Detective Klea did have a nice ring to it, but the unstoppable duo of Max and Klea was better. I needed my partner in crime. So he was not dying from a cough, thank goodness. We would be back in action soon enough. First thing we needed was to get Max back on his feet and Aria was just the girl to do it.