As Cold As Ice // Charlie Gillespie

Chapter 28

For a few moments Charlie just holds me but then I can feel something change. I don't how I know but I can just feel it. Seconds later he carefully removes his arms from around me. "Sorry I..." he starts to mumble. Before he can fully let go of my I wrap my arms around his waist and snuggle up even tighter against his chest. "Don't" I whisper. I know what I'm doing is stupid but right now I need him. H doesn't hesitate for a second and wraps me in his arms again. After a couple of minutes I can hear my door open. Without letting go of Charlie I lift up my head a little to see who it is. It's my doctor.

"Ms. Carter may I speak to you in private?" I can feel Charlie's grip loosen a little but he doesn't let go of me, he's letting me decide. I shake my head slightly. "I want him to stay." Whatever the diagnosis is, I don't want to be alone when I hear it. For a second I regret not calling my parents because I could really use them here right now but I know it's best to just face them with the facts once I have them. "As you wish. The x-ray results are quite clear. I'm sorry but you fractured your ankle." I swallow hard. I suspected this but hearing it out loud is a whole different story. "How long until I can train again?" It's always the first question I ask. I don't care about anything else. "At least 5 weeks. After that we can talk about small steps." 5 weeks?

"I can't miss training for that long! I have a competition coming up!" With at least 5 weeks of rest I'll never be able to make up for my training deficit. "I'm sorry but if you don't let this heal properly you might never get back on the ice." This can't be real! "I'm gonna leave you alone for a bit so you can process this. If you have any question don't hesitate to call for me." I nod absently. I can't believe this. Once the door is closed I try to get a tiny bit of distance between Charlie and I. "This is all your fault." My voice is calmer than I would have expected it to. "Mia..." I shake my head. "No. You're the reason I can't go back on the ice for weeks! I won't be able to participate in the competition because of you." I can feel my pulse speeding up, my voice growing louder, all the anger I've bottle up rushing to the surface.

Charlie has stood up from my bed and is now standing next to it. I can't read his expression but I feel like it's a mixture of confusion and sadness. Surely he must be confused. A second ago I didn't want him to let me go and now I'm yelling at him. But a second ago everything was different. I still had the slightest bit of hope that it wasn't that bad but now I know it is and it's his fault. If he hadn't kissed Kaylie I wouldn't have been training overly tired and if he didn't follow me to the rink I wouldn't have tripped. "Leave." My voice isn't loud or angry anymore, it's empty. Without the ice I don't know who I am. I've had to take breaks before but non of them where that serious and non that shortly before a competition. "Mia..." - "I said leave."

For a moment he just stands there but then he turns around and walks out the door. I take a few moments to myself before I reach for my phone and call my parents as well as Sarah. They all said they'll come right away so all I can do now is sit and wait while my thoughts are trying to drown me. This is way too much to process. First the whole Charlie thing and now this. How did my life turn upside down in less than 24 hours? The worst part is that as much as I don't want to see Charlie a part of me misses him already even though he only left about 15 minutes ago. When he was holding me in his arms I felt like everything could truly be ok but now that he's gone I don't believe that anymore. I can't help but wonder if I should have at least given him the chance to explain what happened with Kaylie.

Before I can wonder about it any further my door opens and my parents and Sarah come rushing in. "Mia!" My mum comes rushing over first, wrapping me in her arms. "What happened?" I think about how much I can tell her for a second and, once again, I decide to not tell her about Charlie's involvement. "I tripped. I'm so sorry mum, I should have known I'm too tired to skate." I can see disappointment flashing over my mum's face. I know I should have known better. "Mia, Charlie's waiting outside." Sarah's voice is a mixture of surprise and anger. I know she's still mad at him. I don't comment on that because if I tell them he brought me here they'll know he was involved in my accident.

"Darling, is there anything you need?" I don't think I've ever heard dad that worried. I guess they must have talked to the doctor before they came in. I shake my head slightly. "Just get me out of here." I hate hospitals. Dad nods and makes his way out the door to go see what he can do. Mum follows him, I assume she wants to give me and Sarah some privacy. As soon as the door is closed Sarah sits down on the bed next to me. "Now tell me what really happened. I know it must be his fault. What did he do?"