Lovers in October

NINETEEN

A N T O N I O

Antonio could not recall a time his heart had climbed up to his throat as it did when he got Charlie's phone call, his body going rigid at the mention of a hospital. He abandoned equipment, forgot about songs, forgot about rehearsals in a heartbeat and just bolted, leaving Clayton to barely catch up to him as they slipped in the car.

Moments of the conversation were playing in Antonio's head like a broken record player that had forgotten the right order of what is was supposed to do, barely registering that he was driving, his muscles taking over while Clayton clenched at the sides of his chair.

"Glass in her shoes..." Clayton mumbled, clear annoyance in his tone. "Who the fuck puts broken glass in someone's shoes?"

Not once had Antonio heard of such a thing being done, something so cruel. And even if he tried not to think about whoever may have been responsible and only of the possible good outcome for Mary-Kate, desperately praying that the damage wasn't severe enough to take her out of the fundraiser and therefor cripple her hopes, the nagging thought at the back of his mind remained. Like a persistent parasite, it waited for the perfect opportunity to strike, taking down the entire immune system with it.

The amount of hate he held for hospitals was nothing compared to the sickening feeling of worry that made him want to puke, diverting through the people around him to reach the front desk where a dark-haired nurse with both eyebrows raised snapped her eyes at him, surprised at his momentum.

"Can I help you?" She asked, leaving the files she was holding on the desk to give Antonio and Clayton all her attention.

"I'm looking for Mary-Kate Thompson, she came around half an hour ago, I think? She stepped in broken glass – " Antonio's sentence was cut short as he heard Charlie's voice call out to him, his head snapping towards her direction.

He didn't spare the nurse another word as he ran to Charlie, Clayton excusing them both to the woman and rushing to Charlie to find out the state of his friend.

"How is she?" Clayton quickly asked, watching the worry on Charlie's face as she sighed.

"Thank God her socks prevented any severe damage, but a number of them did cut through. She's okay now, the doctors gave her some painkillers, and she won't need any stitches."

As soon as Antonio learned everything he needed to know he moved past Charlie and towards the room she quickly pointed him towards, his heart beating so fast his crewneck felt too thick, clinking to his skin.

His hand moved towards the door handle, but he quickly stopped himself, forcing his lungs to take several deep breaths, his eyes closed. The last thing Mary-Kate needed to be around would be a panicked Antonio, and he forced his mind to push it all to the back and recall any peace of serenity he had before Charlie's phone call. He balled his fingers into a fist before stretching them out, taking one last deep breath before opening the door.

Mary-Kate sat on the edge of the bed, still in the second change of clothes he had seen her pack with her the night before to change mid-classes, her hands fidgeting with each other as her eyes were glued on her one bandaged foot. The sound of the door opening made her look up, her nose slightly red and her cheeks pink, red lines at the edges of her eyes, stating the obvious.

No time was wasted as Antonio erased the space between them and pulled her in for a hug, her hands wrapping around her torso as her face was burred in the material of his crewneck, muffling the sound of sniffles Mary-Kate couldn't hold back.

Every time she did so, it was as if someone was stabbing Antonio right in the middle of his chest, cutting through bone to reach his lungs. He didn't know what could possibly make her feel better except for the turning of time backwards, cursing himself for being unable to provide her with it.