Chapter 16: Chapter 16
Chapter Sixteen
ANDRE
"Bye Dave, see you tomorrow"
"Mate, just ring me if you need something, okay?" Dave grinned at me as I headed to my car.
“I’ll put that on mind" The both of us laughed as he headed in the store beside ours.
“‘You sure won't ride with me?" I ask, turning back at the old man who is already making his way up the stairs.
“No Andre, my son will fetch me here."
“Okay then. Just stay safe, okay?" he wave his hands and I wave at him before staring the engine.
What a day. The restaurant I was working at was doing great. It's not necessary for me to work actually but I'm bored staring at my walls.I turned on the radio and listen to it. My head was bobbing with the beat when I saw a silhouette of a body on the side of the road.
I slowed down and stepped out. Taking cautious steps unto it, just to make sure that there's no danger, I squinted my eyes and crouched down. Hmm, it's a girl and she's bleeding. I rolled the girl and gasped.
It's her, it's LEX!
"Lex! Lex, open your eyes couz! I'm here c'mon hold on please, hold on!"
I carried her to my car and swore. She got a lot of bruises, a concussion and a long cut on her side. “what happen to you? My god, who did this to you? “ I was shaking in anger and anxiousness. I know that she's in the midst of dying and I can't let her die. “Fuck it, Lex. I’m gonna rip those who did this to you. I am going to send them all to hell.” I stared at her again, her chest barely rising. I won’t let her die. I won’t. I stepped on the gas and the car boost faster.
"Hang on, Lex, Hang on" I look at her unconscious body and focused on the road. I spotted the hospital and prayed that there's still a chance for her to live. I came to a halt and opened the passenger seat.
The nurses saw me and pushed a wheelchair near me."Sir, just put her here, we'll be the one to take care of her"I look at the nurse and stared down at my cousin who is gasping for breath. I reluctantly let go of her and settled her down.
"Lex, hang on couz. Promise me that you will" A tear escaped my eye as I looked at the nurses and doctors rushing her in the emergency room.
•••
"C'mon" I gripped the phone tightly.
"Pick it up" My mind is racing wildly.
"C'mon, Keith!" I felt like I've already burn holes on the wall in front of me."Yes!" Haha she finally answered.
"Hello? Keith?"
"Why are you calling me now, Dre? I'm sleeping" She answered groggily from the other line
"Something happened. Lex is-"
"WHAT?! What happen to Alex?" I cringed slightly and answered "She's in the operating room. There's too much blood loss and-and-"
"Okay, I'll just wake up Kathy and go there, What hospi-"
"White cross Hospital" I answered quickly.
"Can you please tell me where that is?"
“It’s a kilometer away from my apartment, white building and all, it got a big white cross on top!”
“Okay, okay. I got it." She hung up on me cue with the doctor who just got out of the operating room.
"Is she your girlfriend?" The doctor asked me as I rubbed my neck.
"No, she's my cousin"
"Oh, I thought-" I cut him off with my knuckles grabbing the front of his shirt "Can you just tell me how is she? I don't care about your blabber!" I snapped at him as I let go his shirt.
"Uhm-uh she's uh, Okay. But I'm uh sorry because she needed to stay in the hospital for her heart beat was too weak. I advise you to please, do not stress her." The doctor scurried off as another doctor came out.
"Sir, your cousin was hurt pretty bad. We were too worried of her case and that's why we put her into the ICU" The doctor pat my shoulders as he lead me in another maze."Just behave yourself and have your emotions under control. I'll let you in to see her" The doctor gave me a mask, hospital clothes and command me to remove my left ear piercing and wristwatch for it may have effect on the equipments.
I look at my cousin who is lying on the bed with different tubes on her body. She got a lot of bruises and different cuts on her arms. Her wrist was red because of the cable ties, an IV was connected to her arm and her breathing was slower than normal.
The machine beside her was the only thing that was telling us that she's still alive. The concussion on her head was damp with blood and I can't help the tears that poured on my eyes.
"Lex?" Her lifeless body lied there motionless."C'mon Lex, I know you can make it."
"Fight, Lex!"
•••
The week goes on with no response from her lifeless body. Sometimes, I am tempted to pinch her arm or slap her so she'll wake up but I know that I'm not that insane.The twins were here with me all the time, begging for her to at least show us that she's still hanging on. Our hopes are too low especially at those times when the doctors will burst into her room almost three times a day because she's having a seizure.
I opened the door and entered. Her skin was pale, her eyes still shut and her breathing ragged. I sat down on the chair and stroke her cheek.
"Hey couz, how's it going?' No response.
"Well, you see, uhm" a tear drop fall on my cheek as I sucked a deep breath” the school miss your cheerful attitude especially Mr. Scott, he's a little bit snappy right now.”
"Did you know that we are having an activity next week and I'm hoping you're awake by then" I hold her bruised hand and sniffed. “Your parent’s haven’t gone back from England because they have to fix your restaurants there and they are so upset because they haven’t had the time to come back. But please, understand them. They have to do this for your own sake.” I held her hand and continued,"It's pretty hard to talk to someone with them not answering you right? Right?"
"Oh, well" I stood up and made my way to the door only to be stopped.
"Caiden, stop it!" Kathy screamed.
"Yeah, you're not needed here!"
"No, I need to see her, let me in." A guy push the twins and I was startled to see him. The twins staggered and catch up.
"No, no. Stupid guys are not allowed in here!"
"Oh, really?" The guy snapped at the twins and managed to break through them.
"You?" The guy glared and lounged at me.
"What?" I managed to dodge his upcoming attack and hold his neck.
"You are the man who is now dating her are you?!" The guy spit at my face and I did my best not to do it to him too. He twisted my arm and I hissed in pain.
"Am not!" I punched him on his jaw and almost kneed him but he side stepped and punch me on my jaw.
"Oh really, I saw you and her at starbucks, and-" He punched me on my nose before continuing “and she kissed you on your cheek!" The guy aimed for my stomach but I'm quick to sneak around and grabbed his arms
"Let me go! URRGH! " He stomped at my feet and kick me on my stomach, that made me howl in pain.
"STOP IT! ANDRE, CAIDEN" We look at Jake who was trying to grab Nathan by the collar.
"Jake! Let go of me, don't you find it fun to join them" Jake let go of Nathan and rushed at us. Nate grabbed me as Jake got hold on him.
"I'm sorry Dre, but he's your cousin's boyfriend and I think he thought you are a threat in their relationship" He whispered at me as he lead me down the corridor. I hissed in pain as he sat me down the chairs.
"Who does he think he is? He's too pathetic, jealous snotty as*hole" I looked at his pacing form and suddenly got dizzy. Hmm, it’s been too long since I fought like this.
"Alex would say the same" He muttered and continued " Well, he's like that because he wants her and all Caiden wants, Caiden gets" Nate look at me and sighed " Caiden is stubborn like Alex, Andre. So please, let him be, let him visit her. He's going insane for two weeks waiting for you to come out of the hospital so he could sneak in but you're always there on the guard, like a brother, Alex would want you to"
“I would be honored to take that as a compliment" I smiled at him. Ha! That as*hole, he was surely whipped!
"Andre, please just let him be, let them be" Nate looked at me with those puppy dog eyes that I don't know he was capable to do.
I stood up and suddenly regret my sudden action "No Nate. He hurt her, he left her alone. He doesn't care about her. He just wants their money and her body. Lex is like a sister to me. The only little sister I could have after the death of Elisa" I wiped my tears and turned around.
"Uhm, sorry andre but, Caiden is our friend. He's a brother to us. He only got us and we can't just turn our backs at him, y' know" I looked at him and sighed.
" I bet, Lex is going to strangle me if she finds out about my decision" Nate grabbed me into a manly hug and I couldn't help but groaned.
"Sorry mate, I forgot that you're injured" He led me back to the group as I glared down at my shoe.
The guy was there burning holes on my head as I looked up. Nate told him that it's okay to visit Alex and that I have given him the permission. I was surprised when Jake told us to shake hands. Caiden nudged my arms and I reluctantly offered my hand.
Caiden took it and together we held each other on a death grip "You better not interfere into this, Anderson" he growled on my face and gripped my hand tighter
"I care about my cousin, not like you, asshole!" I snapped and gave him a blow.
"Whoa, whoa, whoa! C'mon guys stop fighting, we don't need the both of you to be hospitalized" Keith stood in between us but Caiden pushed her aside.
Kathy glared at the two of us before she slapped me and Caiden "Can't you two understand?! Alex is in coma, she's in the midst of dying. And what, look at you two, you are fighting like nothing is happening. Can't you see it? CAN'T YOU?" We received another slap before she walked out on us.
I glared at Caiden and snatched my jacket off my chair. I better get my mind off these things. I headed for the parking lot, unlocked my car and drove off.
•••
CAIDEN
I wiped the blood on my mouth and watch his retreating form. Jacob tried to stop me from running down the stairs, trying to catch Anderson and kill him.
I pushed Jake off me and entered her room. A gasp escapes on my mouth when I saw her. She looks, lifeless. Her exposed skin has a faint bruise all over them, she has a concussion on her head and I can see the bandage wrap around her side, down to her waist. Machines are all around her, trying to sustain a little bit of hope in to us, trying to assure us that she's still alive.
The tube on her mouth, the IV on her arm and that continuous beat of her heart is the only sound in the room. I sat on the chair beside her and hold her hand. She was so fragile that I'm afraid to hold her, her hand has tubes at it and I can see blood running through it. Her face was the same one I loved except for those new bruises and cuts.
"Alex I am sorry if I came to you so late. I’m sorry if I neglected you for the last three months." I sniffled as I look at her face "I'm sorry if I messed up, big time. It's just I'm confused of what I feel and I don't want you to be imprisoned with the monster that I am. I do not want you to be involved with me. I hated that this happen to you"
The time passed by with me confessing my feelings to her. All the things that happen from those three months that I have spent away from her, those times I tried to forget her but failed. I know that I ran away from her, ran away from my problems just so it will all return to what it is before all of this happened. But what look what it did to me, especially her, all I did is to make it all worst.
“I realize that no matter how I tried to forget you, I can’t. No matter how I want to deny it, I am really in love with you. I am in love with you. I love you. Please, forgive me.”
I know that I look like a girl right now, weeping, confessing to someone I really love, but I don't care anymore as long as I'm with her. I don't care if she will send me out the moment she woke up. Maybe she'll beat me into a pulp put me into a cannon and fire me into the sea with lots of hungry sharks.
I was shaking hard as I stood up. I look at my wristwatch and realised that it's past midnight. I looked down at her sleeping form and sighed "Maybe, I can share a bed with you for a while" I may at least enjoy the moment she's on my arms. I carefully lay down on her side, my body turned towards her and although it is too uncomfortable, I will endure it all for her.
As my eyes closed to sleep, the thought of me and her lying side by side on my yacht, that night at the beach crept into me as I slipped off to my dreamland.
•••
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