Waking Up.

Chapter 34: Aspen's P.O.V.

Trevor threw video game cases at me while shouting at me to get up. I sighed, propped myself up on my elbows, and checked the alarm clock; 9:00.
"C'mon Aspen! The game starts at 10:30!" He ran around the corner to his room, bumping into mom on the way. She smiled and leaned against the doorway.
"Hey sweetheart. Are you excited for the game?" I shrugged and yawned.
"I'd rather be sledding with Trish and the kids right now," I ran my hand through my bed hair and hopped out of bed. Mom smiled and stated,
"If you'd rather go sledding..."
"No, I promised Trevor I'd take him to the game, that's what I'm going to do." I grabbed a red T-shirt from my drawer and a pair of black jeans. She smiled ,sighed, and went downstairs to the kitchen. I threw on the outfit and combed my hair. The morning music played shooting star, and my heart warmed up. Trish is all I've thought about for a few days. The way her blonde hair bounces whenever she laughs, how her glasses must be fogging up right about now. I smirked to myself. Dad had been watching me for the past five minutes, but I hadn't noticed. He grinned and said,
"I know that look." I snapped out of my trance and looked up.
"Huh?"
"You're thinking about Trish, aren't you?" I sighed and smiled.
"It's that obvious?"
"You have a love struck look on your face," he laughed, walking towards the kitchen. I shook my head and put my glasses on. I stared at myself for a minute. I wonder if Trish would like it if I wore contacts instead. My head started aching as I squinted into the mirror to see how I looked without glasses. A lot of the girls in my school would be swooning now, but I felt like Trish deserved better. I'm not saying I'm a total loser, she just deserves a guy who makes her feel like how she makes me feel.
I jogged down the stairs and stuck an apple in my mouth.
"I hope you're wearing a sweatshirt with that!" Mom stated, grabbing some milk out of the fridge. She poured some Cheerios in a bowl and set it on the table.
"I will mom." She smiled and Trevor came racing down the stairs in hockey fan attire.
"Aspen, we gotta go!"
"Eat some food first," mom stated, pulling his shirt in the direction of the bowl. He shoved the food in his mouth and pulled me by the hand.
"Love u!" He yelled, mouth still full of Cheerios. I shrugged my shoulders and grabbed my sweatshirt on the way out. We both hopped in my car and started driving to the arena. Trevor tried listening to Katy perry, but I switched the radio to classical music. It played Beethoven's 9th symphony. I twiddled my fingers on the wheel to the beat. Trevor tossed his head back and sighed.
"What the hell Aspen?!"
"Beethoven isn't that bad!"
"Yes it is!" He stated, changing the station back to Katy perry. I switched it back. We argued over the radio until I pulled up to the parking lot and handed Trevor our pre-bought tickets. He practically leaped to our spots in the front row. The teams started off and Trevor was jumping out of his seat. I, not having the slightest clue about the rules of hockey, excused myself to get him food.
"I want a chili dog and fries!" He commanded. I bowed my head and stated,
"Yes master," I walked up the stairs and out into the concessions area. A group of girls from my school walked up to me, blocking my way.
"Hey Aspen," the one with blonde hair and a tank top in the winter said. I rolled my eyes and sighed.
"Hi."
"What're you doing here?"
"I'm with my little brother," I stated, gesturing to our seats.
"Well, if you'd rather have some fun..."
"I promised I'd take him." I inturupted, crossing my arms. She raised her eyebrows and continued,
"It's a total turn on, you being a nice big brother, but I think you'd rather hang out wi..."
"I'd rather be seen in public with a renowned cereal killer than with you," I stated, pushing past her and her entourage of friends. They scoffed and wondered out the door. I smirked to myself and ordered his food. I could smell the fryer as I stood there. Trish would've loved to be here, I should've invited her, I thought to myself. God, she's in my every thought. The last time I had a girlfriend, she used me. But Trish wasn't like that. She makes me feel things I never really thought I could. Don't get me wrong, I have loving feelings towards my family, but with Trish...I feel hunger. Desire, which is something entirely different from anything I've experienced before. I love the way our lips feel when they're compressed together, the soft grooves of her back, the humidity of her breath...
I need to tell her how I feel. As the man handed me Trevor's food, I sat at a picnic table and thought to myself for a few moments. I needed a spectacular way to tell her. Something she'd love. Then it occurred to me. I smiled, called who I needed to call, and sighed. I stared at my phone, sighed, and dialed her number. Here I go. It rang three times before I heard the cheery tone,
"Yellow?" My hand gripped the receiver and my heart soared.
"Sup?"
"Eh, nothing. Just sledding with the kids," she stated. I smirked at the thought of Cory and Roxie sledding.
"Wish I could be there," I replied, looking down at Trevor in his seat.
"Me too," she answered, making me smile. She wishes I could be there, that's amazing. I said the first thing that came to my mind;
"I can't stop thinking about you," I face palmed myself the instant the words left my mouth. Stupid.
"You sound like the biggest stalker!" She laughed from her end. Trying to save myself, I retorted,
"Well, maybe I am and you just don't know it!" She laughed a little from her end. It filled me with sunshine and non red skittles.
"I'd like to know if you'd go on a date next Saturday?" I asked, hope rising in my stomach.
"Might I have the pleasure of knowing our location?" She asked, expecting my usual answer. I smiled slyly and shook my head at the receiver. Then I remembered she couldn't see me. I face palmed my self again and said,
"You may not."
"Ok, I'll go," she sighed into the receiver. I smiled wide and pumped my fist in victory. There was a short silence and then I heard a sigh.
"What?"
"Uh, Ashton's here to talk with Samantha." I nodded into the receiver.
"Where are you now?" I asked. There was no answer. I frowned and a pit formed in my stomach.
"Trish?" I heard a loud dismantled CRASH! I gripped the receiver and asked a little louder,
"Trish?!" I heard a screech of tires and another crash. Samantha started yelling something, and I new something was wrong. After a minute or so, I heard a little voice cry,
"Hello?!?" I gripped the phone and frowned.
"Cory?"
"Aspen! Can you come to where I am?!?" He was crying hysterically.
"Cory, calm down, tell me what happened."
"Can you come to where I am?!" He screamed, bawling more. I got up and paced in circles.
"I will Cory, I swear, just tell me what happened."
"A big car hit Trish!" He cried, sniffling out the words. My head swam and I nodded into the phone,
"I'm coming right now, stay where you are, ok?"
"Ok," he stated.
"I need you to keep talking to me, Cory, ok?"
"Ok." I ran down the steps to Trevor.
"Trevor, Trish was hit by a car, I gotta go, call mom," I grabbed my sweatshirt and ran to the car. I kept talking to him.
"Ok, where are you right now?"
"I'm sitting by Trish!" He sobbed. I took a turn towards the biggest hill in town, Danville mount.
"Is Trish awake?"
"No!" He sobbed more. I stepped on the pedal and continued,
"Ok, Cory, what building are you by?"
"The mall!" He cried. I nodded and parked the car near the mall.
"Ok, what stores are you by?"
"Can you come here, Aspen?!"
"I'm trying, just tell me what store you are by."
"We're by..." He paused, looking around,"McDonalds."
"Ok, I'll be there in a minute, hold on." I looked around. Once I figured out the way, I sprinted towards them. Several people scowled at me when I shoved them out of the way. When I raced around the corner, my heart stopped. Marleen hugged Roxie in her arms as she sobbed in her arms. Ashton and Samantha tired to pull Cory away from Trish's motionless body. I almost fainted, but my legs found the strength to walk forward. When Cory saw me, he ran to my arms and cried.
"Aspen, is she dead?!?" He asked. I rubbed his back and brought him around the corner. Samantha followed me while Ashton stayed by Trish. I set him down on the ground.
"Is she dead?!" He repeated.
"No, she's not. I need you to stay with Samantha here, ok?"
"But Trish.."
"She is going to be ok, but stay here, can you do that for me?" He nodded and hugged Samantha while I headed back to Trish. I ran up to Ashton and asked,
"Have you called 911?"
"They're sending an ambulance now." He replied, nodding. I knelt down next to Trish. Her eyes fluttered open for a few moments, and she whispered,
"Aspen..."
"Trish!" I said, gripping her hand in mine.
"Aspen..."
"Yes?" I asked, looking into her eyes. She lifted her head a little.
"It was Mr. Field, tell Cory I love him..." Then she passed out. I shook her hand a little. When she didn't respond, I gestured to Ashton,
"Go see if Roxie's ok, I'm going to move her."
"I can help.."
"No, I've got it," I stated, picking her up bridal style and propping her up against the side of the building. Once elevated, I looked over her. The impact broke both her arms and one of her legs. Probably a couple ribs too. Her head was pretty banged up, and I felt a few tears run down my face. I sniffled and wiped them away. Her side was bleeding a little, so I took off my sweatshirt and tied it tight around her. A few drops of blood spread across her face. I wiped it away with my hand.
"You're gonna be ok," I whispered, kissing her forehead. Sirens blared and filled the street with flashing lights as one police car and an ambulance pulled up. One guy hopped out to talk with Samantha and two paramedics walked up with a stretcher.
"You family?"
"No, but we're close."
"Eh, close enough," the black one stated, nodding almost nonchalantly at the white paramedic. He sighed and said,
"Ok, do you want to ride with us?" I nodded and walked with them to the ambulance, holding Trish's hand.
"What's her name?"
"Trisha Walters," I stated, stepping back as they inserted an IV and slipped an oxygen mask over her face.
"Age?"
"15."
"Parents?"
"Her mom is Bethany Rodgers and her fathers an ER doctor," I replied. They looked at each other and sighed,
"Well, he's in for a surprise, I'm sure." I nodded and gripped her hand again. They asked a few other questions, but I mostly just stared at her until we pulled up to the hospital. They hopped out and wheeled her to the curtained area of the ER. My dad and Eric walked up, check boards in hand when they saw me and Trish.
"What happened?!?" Eric asked, walking along side her stretcher.
"A car hit her," I stated, feeling rage as I thought of Mr. Field. I don't want the cops to arrest him. This is personal, and I need to deal with it. Eric slipped on a mask, but he was stopped by another doctor.
"You know the rules, doctor Rodgers. You cannot assist with a family member, notify your wife and we'll keep you posted." He pushed me away and the shut the curtains. Eric stepped back, surprised. He walked off, dialing Bethany. Dad set a hand on my shoulder and brought me to the staff locker room. He tossed me a black sweatshirt and said,
"Change your shirt." I looked down. It was drenched in blood and dirt. I slipped it on and went to the waiting room. Bethany stood in one corner, hugging Roxie and Cory. Eve, Wendy, Naomi, Samantha, Marleen, Ashton, and Luke stood in the other one, Samantha and Marleen explaining to the police what happened.
"Did you see what kind of car it was?" He asked, talking to Marleen. She shook her head.
"It all happened so fast," she leaned into Luke's arms as he cradled her. The officer turned to Samantha.
"Did you see?"
"It was black, that's all I remember," then she added,"she did it to save Cory."
"What do you mean ma'am?"
"He would've been hit if she didn't do anything," she burst out in tears, Ashton trying to calm her down. A hand reached out and gripped my shoulder.
"Aspen, are you all right?!?" Mom asked, Trevor right behind her. I nodded and collapsed into a nearby chair. She sat next to me and rubbed my shoulder. Trevor stood there, not knowing what to do.
"Do you need anything?" He asked, concern in his eyes.
"No," I replied, not understanding myself. I felt absolutely helpless. And I didn't like it. Eric hugged Bethany in his arms. Cory saw me and ran over, falling into my arms. I picked him up and stroked his hair. He cried into my chest.
"It's all my fault!" He cried, shaking with fear and confusion. I frowned and shushed him,
"Don't talk like that, Cory, this isn't your fault."
"Yes it is!"
"No it's not!" I stated, hugging him tighter.
"I'm the reason she's in here!"
"Cory, it's no ones fault," I looked at him, rubbing his face with my thumb,"it was all just an accident, ok?" He nodded and continued crying. I rocked him back and forth until he cried himself to sleep. Bethany took him and I walked into the locker room. When the door closed, I set both my hand on one of the sinks. My fingers clenched and I clenched the brim of the sink. I felt my arms shake with anger. I took a deep breath and looked at myself in the mirror. My face was unaffected by all this. I exhaled a cry of anger and punched the mirror. It shattered into a million pieces. I knocked over the trash can and kicked it, then I punched two holes in the wall. I brought my hands to my face and leaned against the wall. I slid down into a sitting position and hugged my knees. I let the tears fall down my cheeks as sobs escaped my mouth. I cried out,
"Please god, please don't let her die! Not here, not now." I continued crying until ten minutes had passed. Still crying a little, I picked up the trash can and washed my hands. I dried the tears and went back to the waiting room. Dad offered to take me home, but I refused and sat down at one of the chairs. Eve, Wendy, Bethany, the kids, Naomi, mom, Trevor, Ashton and Luke all had to go home, so it was just Eric myself and dad waiting. And waiting. For several hours.
At around 1:25 a.m., a doctor in bloodstained scrubs approached us with a clipboard. We all stood up, concern in our heads.
"Are you the Rodgers?"
"I am, they're family friends," Eric stated, pointing to us. The doctor sighed and sat down in a chair. We all followed. I bit my lip and asked,
"Will she be ok?" The doctor looked at me and sighed.
"Well, we're not sure at this point."
"Tell me everything doctor stockman." Eric stated, resting a hand on his. He patted it and nodded.
"Well, she's lost an aweful lot of blood. Her left femur is broken and both of her arms are as well."
"And?!" He urged.
"Well, her cerebral cortex has been tampered with. Some nerves are a little out of tune..." He stopped, staring at Eric. Eric sat up, a look of disbelief on his face.
"You're a doctor?"
"Yes," Eric replied, barely alert.
"Then you understand?"
"Y-yes," he stated, almost falling.
"Well, talk with your wife about what the hospital should do," and with that, he got up and walked away. My dad ran his fingers through his hair and sighed. Eric stared into the corner, still in shock. I frowned and asked,
"What happened?!? Is she going to live?!?" My dad set a hand on my shoulder. Eric replied,
"Whenever the cerebral cortex has damaged nerves, it means she's...."
"She's what?!?" I asked, concerned. Eric rubbed his hand and asked,
"Can you please tell him?" He gestured to my dad. He nodded and looked at me.
"What does it mean dad?" He sighed and said,
"She's in a coma, Aspen." I frowned and asked,
"Is she going to live? What does it mean?!?" He patted my back and stated,
"Comas are unpredictable. Sure, the hospital can keep her on life support, but there's no telling when, if ever, she'll wake up," he finished, looking at Eric.
"You mean...she might never wake up?!" I asked, my throat a little swollen. He nodded and helped Eric up. A nurse came by with papers for him to sign. He signed and she asked,
"Would you like to see her?" Eric and I nodded, but she looked at me and said,
"Only one at a time. You wait here," she led Eric down the hallway to the elevator. I sighed and sat down. Dad left to buy me something to eat, so I just sat alone with some stranger. A million thought rushed through me head. Dad came back with some curly fries from Arby's. I sighed, ate them, and waited for the nurse to reappear.
At 2:00 a.m., Eric stepped out of the elevator, his coat slung over his shoulder. He walked up to me and said,
"She's in room 226, try to be quiet, ok?"
"Ok," I nodded, running to the elevator. I hit the button and waited. The elevator music played, 'I will survive.' Ironic. As the doors slid open, I bumped into several people on the way to her room. The door was shut, so I opened it slowly. The lights were mostly off, but a few monitors beeped and shined in the room. The IV bag dripped some sort of pain reliever liquid into the tube that led to her arm. Her face, covered in an oxygen mask, was frozen in a peaceful sleep mask. I took the seat next to her and laid my head on her shoulder. Her leg was propped up and her arms sported white casts. A nurse came in to take her blood pressure.
"If you're trying to talk to her, she can't hear you." She slipped the strap around her right upper arm. I smiled, nodded, and looked at her shut eyes.
"If it's at all possible, you should change her casts into a turquoise color, it's her favorite." I wiped a little bit of dried blood from just under her eye. The nurse smiled and left the room. A few tears fell from my eyes as I said,
"I don't know how long you'll be out, but I swear I'll get him for this," I kissed her cheek and sat back, planning my revenge.

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Thanks for reading! I hope you liked the chapter, and I hoped you liked the other one way better. Bye!:3