Summoned

Chapter 18

I saw Aaron sitting on his hospital bed sound asleep. I smiled to myself and sat Legend down on his bedside table. I wrote a quick note in it explaining it was from me, and I looked at my handwriting.

I left this here in case you get bored in here. Hope you start to feel well soon!
-Elisa

I folded it carefully inside the old pages, and when I set it on the table, Aaron began to stir. "Hey, Elisa," he smiled. He tried to sit up, but I frantically started to push him back down.

"No, no, no, no," I said repeatedly. "You shouldn't be sitting up with your injury."

"Elisa, I'm eighteen, not eight," he laughed.

"Yeah, an eighteen year old that got shot and could have died! Twice, I might add!"

"But you saved me," he added. My face heated profusely and I cast my gaze towards the ground. "Don't be ashamed of it," he said, pulling my wrist towards him. "You were amazing. Your family would be proud." He kissed my knuckles, and I smiled.

He scooted over in his hospital for me to sit. "Would it make you uncomfortable?" I asked. He shook his head, so I sat down beside him. He wrapped an arm around me to make more room. At least, I think it was to make more room.

I sat in his embrace for a little while before a nurse came in. "Is she Elisa Carams?" She asked.

"Yes, I am," I replied. She sat a bucket on the ground, and I immediately knew what it was and grimaced. I started to take off my slippers and my ankle brace.

"Put your feet in," commanded the nurse. I nodded my head and gripped the hospital bed sheets in fistfuls before plunging my feet into the icy liquid. "Keep it in for five minutes, and then put the gauze on and bandage it back up."

It burned my feet and I grunted in pain. I gripped the sheets until my knuckles turned white. I yelped out in agony, and my shoulders hunched involuntarily. Aaron shot up in alarm.

"Are you ok? What the hell is happening?" He asked. He started to get out of the hospital bed, put I pushed him back down.

"Lay down!" I yelled. I pushed his shoulder down and he laid back. "It's ok, it's just disinfecting my feet," I explained between gasps and grunts.

"I'm sorry. I didn't even ask if you were ok," he said guiltily.

"You were shot. I think that's a given," I force-laughed. The stinging in my feet was too much to bear.

"Still," he said. His eyes were swimming with worry and affection. I took his hand for comfort, but I think that made it worse because I was gripping his hand tightly from the pain in my feet.

Five minutes were up and I took my feet out and sat on the bed with crossed legs. I started rubbing the gauze in on my scrapes and wounds on my feet.

"Oh my god, Elisa," he whispered. "When did this happen?"

"I twisted my ankle, so I took off my shoes and walked to the cellar. I cut my feet on glass. It's healing; it's not that big of a deal," I said as I wrapped my ankle brace back on.

"Yes it is," he said, forcing me to look into his eyes. He kissed me softly, and I inhaled sharply as I wrapped my arms around his neck. He wrapped his arm around my waist and pulled me backwards to lie down again.

We lay there in each other's embrace, talking about family and such. I told him about Harry and Penelope, and how they argued all the time. Aaron told me about how Marlee and Livy are as different as night and day. I told him about Francesca and my parents, and he spoke of his aunts, uncles, and cousins.

"So you were close to your Uncle?"

"Yes," I replied. "He was the one who would understand me. Mother didn't have time to care about feelings; she was too busy making me perfect. Father had work, and my siblings were too young to comprehend such things."

"I'm sorry. I wish I could've known you then," he said kissing my forehead.

"Me too. I didn't have any friends since I was homeschooled," I laughed.

"So you didn't meet anybody our age until the selection?"

"I met them at balls, but I didn't have friends our age until the selection," I stated.

"I'm your friend, right?" He joked.

"Definitely," I smiled.

"I'm glad, Elly." I froze and tensed up. Only one person had ever called me Elly. Apparently Aaron noticed because he pulled back and asked, "what's wrong? Do you not like it?"

"No, it's just Uncle Darry called me that, but I do like it," I said hastily. "I love my nickname," I said kissing him lightly. "It's getting late. Do you want me to send your family in?"

"Yes please," he responded. I smiled and kissed his cheek one more time before rising to leave. I was halfway out the door when he spoke last. "Goodnight, Elly," he called.

I smiled at my nickname. "Goodnight, Aaron." I left the patients wing with a giddy smile plastered cross my face.

Now you can get excited ashlaff29