The Kiss of the Blade

Chapter Eleven.

Nigel: 

Nigel sat by the hospital bed clutching his brother's hand. His dark hair was messy and his golden streak was sticking up at an odd angle. But he didn’t care. Noah was in the hospital. Nigel's parents sat on the other side, side by side.  

They had rushed here as soon as the hospital had called. Noah being in the hospital had been enough to make his parents stop fighting at least for a while.  

Noah's breathing was steady and slow - he was sleeping. The doctors had said he was fine, just needed rest, but Nigel needed to see it for himself. He needed Noah to wake up and tell him that he was fine. Then he glanced to the bed a little bit away.  

Zee was laying asleep, with no one around her. She was alone. Nigel wondered how scared she would be, alone in a big country, having travelled here alone. He knew he should go sit by her. She was...his friend.  

Oh, how he hated that word. Friends. Why, why did Zee have to go out with Noah? No. It was wrong to think that. Noah was better for her. Noah was in her grade, and Nigel knew that Noah would love her to the fullest.   

But Nigel couldn’t help liking Zee. She was sweet, funny and thoughtful. But then, being even with her didn’t make him feel the way his friends described being with their significant others. Maybe Zee wasn’t the one for him. He shook his head. He shouldn’t have been thinking about Zee. He had a girlfriend.  

Yes, Lily and Nigel hadn't broken up. It was all part of Zee's brilliant plan for Noah to stay home more.  

Zee had told Nigel to pretend that he broke up with Lily, and in short, guilt trip Noah into staying home. The plan was simple, anyone could have thought of it. But the details, she had everything. Even the little things that most people forgot about. It was as though she had spent a life time learning how.  

She couldn’t have, of course. She was still in high school. Not even a senior. Just a junior. Two years older than a freshman like him. They could've been together. It wouldn’t even hurt him to break up with Lily, because she was slipping farther and farther away from him.  

Nigel stared at Zee, even lying there, disheveled, she looked beautiful. He was upset at Noah though. If he hadn't asked her out, they wouldn’t have gone out, and none of this would have happened. But then, he knew that his judgement was biased. Of course he would believe that all this would be better if Zee and Noah hadn't started dating. 

He made up his mind. He stood up and walked the short distance to Zee's bed. He sat down on the chair next to her bed, and held her hand, the way he had done with his brother.  

He brushed a little of Zee's hair off of her forehead. He was about to lean down and kiss her cheek when her eyes fluttered open.  

"Hi Nigel," She said her voice drenched with exhaustion.  

"Zee!" He exclaimed. Then he lowered his voice, after getting hostile stares from other visitors. "You're okay!" 

"Of course I am, silly. A little car crash isn't enough to turn this soldier down.!" Zee said, as enthusiastically as she could.  

Then suddenly Zee shut her eyes and pretended to be asleep. A second later, Nigel heard footsteps behind him. He turned around. A petit women in a nurse's outfit stood behind him with a clip board.  

"Excuse me dear. I need to just check her reading and make sure everything's all right. if you would move aside for a minute."  

Nigel obliged. The nurse checked the monitors and the IV tube, jotting down everything on her clip board. Then finally she walked away. Nigel scooted back to where he was and Zee opened her eyes again.