Chapter 39: Chapter 39

Shane's POV

I entered the small hospital room; I had to duck my head so it wouldn't hit the door frame. Glancing up from my feet, my eyes met Kaelyn's beautiful hazel ones. She had dark red cuts going up and down the side of her face, and three stitches running along the left side of her forehead. I took a deep breath.

Kaelyn tilted her head to the left so she could get a better look at me, but she instantly winced in pain. Tears started forming in her eyes- both of our eyes. I ran to her side, taking her hand in mine, and just held it. We sat in silence for a few moments, both of us just happy to see each other. She tightened her grip on my hand before she parted her lips, as if she was going to speak. Sadly, she only coughed. I decided one of us was going to have to say something eventually, so I bent down and kissed her cheek, then pulled up a chair next to her bed.

"Hey, Kae." I managed to say. I was in shock. She looked so damaged. I had a gut feeling that this was all my fault. I called her, and then on the same night she crashed her car? What if she crashed it after being on the phone with me? What if my phone call had distracted her from the road?

"Shane," she breathed. I forced a smile onto my face, knowing that she can't know how angry I am at myself right now.

"Do you know how badly you scared me?" a tear slipped down my cheek, "Do you know how worried I've been for the past two hours? You could have died, Kaelyn. Where would any of us be if that happened?" I choked.

Kaelyn, carefully, brought her hand to my face. She wiped away my tears with her thumb and just held me for a second. She locked eyes with mine, searching for something to say. "But I didn't. I'm alive, with you. Where I've always wanted to be." Kaelyn softly smiled at me. A few tears rolled down the side of her face. "Shane, I'm sorry. I'm so, so sorry this happened. I was so stupid. Stupid. Stupid. Stupid."

"It's not your fault." It's mine, I thought to myself. "Stop cursing yourself for something you couldn't control. You're safe, alive, and not in a coma. Everything is going to be alright." I assured her. She shook her head, while she blew strands of hair out of her eyes.

"No, it's not going to be alright. Everything is my fault. Everything. Why am I such an idiot?" Kaelyn moved her gaze from me to the ceiling. She took a deep breath before continuing. "How did I not know that the whole thing was a set up? How could I keep myself away from you for that long? None of it was your fault, none of it, but all along I thought it was. I let myself think you were to blame. And all that time, you were waiting for me to come back to you. Why on earth would you wait that long? How can one person have so much faith in another?" she squinted through her tears as she spoke. "I don't know how, but you knew I would come back to you. All along. You knew it." She squeezed her lips together, waiting for me to say something.

I shook my head, laughing. There was a small smile dancing on my lips. "Why are you laughing?" she questioned.

"I'm so confused. I thought you were talking about your car crash, but you're talking about our relationship? Oh, Kaelyn, you've always been good at jumping from subject to subject." She huffed.

"This is not a laughing matter." She glared at me.

"I know, I know. It's just funny. You've been in here for how long? And please tell me that you've at least been concerned about your well-being and not just our relationship." I glanced at her, she was ignoring my comments. I squeezed her hand. I sighed.

"Do you know why I knew you'd come back?" I asked her. She shook her head. "It's because I'm irresistible." I smirked.

"You arrogant son of a bitch," she smacked my hand away from hers, jokingly. She was smiling, laughing even, at my cockiness. I stopped joking around and a serious expression washed over my face.

"No, but really, Do you know how I knew you'd come back? It's because I love you Kaelyn and you love me. Nothing could take that away from us, nothing. It didn't matter how much time we were apart, it didn't matter who ripped us apart, and it didn't matter how angry we were at each other. We love each other. Love always wins, always." I leaned over the side of her bed and kissed her soft, pink lips. It was only a few seconds, but it was perfect.

Kaelyn smiled softly and her eyelids started drooping. I guess the pain medicine the doctors gave her was finally settling in. The doctors said that she might fall asleep a few minutes after taking it, but she would have to be woken up every twenty minutes or so.

"Shane," she whispered. "You made us sound like we're in some kind of fantasy world. 'Love always wins' that's, like, out of a princess movie," she laughed quietly. Before I could truly say anything back she was out like a light, sleeping peacefully. I held her hand in mine.

"Well, sleeping beauty, that's because we are. You're my princess, and I'm your prince. Love always wins in those princess movies, and I'll make sure that it wins in ours." I smiled, kissing her cheek. I made sure that she was somewhat comfortable before standing up. I brushed strands of hair out of her face before turning around and walking, slowly, out of the room. I was smiling uncontrollably.

My girl, my Kaelyn, is going to be fine.

I flicked the light in her room off and then walked out into the hallway. My smile instantly faded when I saw Ryder leaning against the wall right outside of Kaelyn's room.

"It's cute." He commented as he twirled his car keys around his fingers.

"Excuse me?" I glared at him.

"You know, the way you think you can treat Kaelyn better than me." He laughed.

"I don't think that, I know it for a fact." I narrowed my eyes at him.

"Yeah, whatever." He rolled his eyes. I shook my head as I walked past him. I'm extremely done with him, and everything he's ever done to me. It's taking everything in me not to beat the living crap out of this boy, but I'm not going to do it. At least not with all these people watching. I'm eighteen and not stupid enough to get arrested for assaulting him. Now, if it were self-defense it'd be different, but he doesn't have the guts to stand up to me. Maybe I'll give him what he deserves in the near future.

"Hey Shane, just so you know, don't let this whole fairy-tale love thing get to your head. You aren't the only boy she's ever loved. She loved me once, and I know that it still kills you to this day. It kills you inside to know that Kaelyn loved me, we were in love. I had won her from you once Shane, you were nothing to her once. I was her in her fantasy world instead of you. Her lips have been on mine before, I've held her before, and I've already done everything with her that you've only just done. You're nothing new, you're just a replacement. You're just there to fill the teenage love gap. That's all you are. A boy filling an empty void in her timeline. Nothing new, nothing special at all."

I couldn't take it anymore. I was completely done with him after his little speech. I swiftly spun around on my heels, balled my left hand into a fist, and knocked him in the jaw. He fell backwards onto the ground, moaning in pain.

I didn't say anything. I turned around and walked away, leaving him there.

Then it struck me like lightning would a tree in a thunderstorm; he's right. Everything he said was true.

Kaelyn loved him at some point in her life. He was everything to her at a time. And I'm also just filling the gap between teenage years and adult-hood. Kaelyn and I aren't going to get married to each other, or have a family, although that would be perfect. We're simply just two teenagers in love. I'm not special to her, I'm just there. I'm filling an empty pocket in her scrapbook, only here for the memories.

Even if I'm here just for the memories, I will love Kaelyn the best I can. No matter what anyone thinks I will make this work because there is no one like her. She's my girl and she will always be mine.