The Unexplainable You.

Part Seventeen. Asher.

Dang it Portland!

That's all I have to say on the matter.

I saw her again this afternoon, which should be a good thing (Key word 'should',) Until you realize the only place I ever hang out is the hospital.

A skinny boy brought her in today, he legit is like the size of a toothpick, though I'm not one to judge.

I tried to go to her, but I was pushed away by a nurse, told that I could see her later.

She couldn't go three days without getting back here.

(Hence the 'dang it Portland' at the start of the chapter)

So now i'm sitting outside of her room with the pasty toothpick boy. His name is Ronald, which is almost as stupid of a name as Portland, but that's a subject for a different time.

"So how long have you known Portland?" Ronald asks me, running his long fingers through his even longer hair.

I shift in my seat. "Uh, a week? Ish. A weekish, I guess."

He raises his blonde eyebrows, smiling. "That's why I haven't heard her talk about you."

I grimace, not wanting to hear about how outside of the hospital she pretty much ignores me. The pain is almost physical.

The nurse comes out of her room, sending us both to our feet, me a bit slower, but still up.

"She's awake, and her scans are perfectly clear. You guys can go in and see her if you want."

Both of us rush into the room without any second thoughts about anything else.

Ron reaches her first, encompassing her in a bear hug reserved for the best of friends.

He pulls away after a minute, grabbing her face in his pale hands. "Don't do that to me!"

She doesn't smile at what I'm pretty sure was meant to be a joke.

"hey," I mumble once she meets my eyes, offering a small wave with my wire-covered hand.

"What happened?" She asks Ronald, turning her attention away from me.

"You hit your head."

She sighs, leaning back into the pillow. "Did you call my mom? Or my brothers?"

I'm suddenly a bit jealous that she has all these people who care about her. A mom, brothers, this man who drove her all the way here. If something like that happened to me, No one would have helped me. 

He nods, "Your dad is on his way."

Dang. She has a dad too.

"My dad?" A hint of a smile plays at her features. "How'd you make that happen?"

"your mom called him, said that she thought that you needed him. He told his boss that he needed to take a week off."

She finally cracked a smile, a real one as she moved her eyes to me. 

"I want you to meet my dad!" She exclaims "You'll love him, he's amazing!"

I wish I could say the same about my dad. I haven't even heard from him since I was seven years old.

"Yeah," I mutter, "That'll be great."

But she barely notices my drop in mood, her eyes are heavy and before either of us can say anything else to her, she's fast asleep.

***

Genesis hasn't been back in a week. I want to be mad at her, but there's no reason. I'm the one who scared her off, so the only one I'm really mad at is myself.

Harlow has physical therapy today, and usually after she just sleeps for the rest of the day, so that cuts her out of my daily plans. 

I don't know if I'm allowed to see Portland, but she's kinda my best chance at the moment.

I stumble down the hall, my knee joints groaning at the weight of my body as I make my way to Portlands room.

Unlike most of the times I go in there, she's laying in her bed, her back towards me, shoulders heaving.

"Portland?" I ask, cracking open the door. She doesn't turn to me. Small gasps escape from her even smaller figure. It takes me a second to realize she's crying, silent labored sobs that people only master by practice.

"hey, Portland." I say, moving choppily to her side. I'm horrible with emotions, but I put my hand on her shaking shoulder anyways. "Hey, hey what's wrong?"

"Everything hurts." She chokes out, her voice strained, tears covering her freckled cheeks. "It hurts Asher, it hurts"

I look around, as if there might be someone else to help, but there isn't.

"Okay." I sigh. "Where- where does it hurt?"

"My head," She mumbles, her voice full of tears. "My head hurts,"

I take a deep breath and sit down next to her, running my fingers over her bare arm. 

I can't do this. I hate being touched. Between being abused when I was a kid, and then only being touched in the hospital to be followed by something painful, the feeling of skin on skin makes me want to cry.

But I fight through, for her.

"Do you want me to rub your neck?"

She shakes her head weakly, groaning at the small movement.

"Just lay with me?" She asks. 

At first I think I misheard her, but she shakily rolls over and open her arms to me. I lie down next to her, willing my stomach to stay in it's place as I wrap my arms around her waist. She's freezing cold, but I force myself to hold on.

Almost instantly she stops crying, curling into my bony shoulders.

Before I have time to say anything she's fallen asleep in my wired arms.