I'M OKAY

5

Beep

Beep

Beep

She rubbed her eyes slowly, trying to sit up but pain shot through her whole body making her groan and settle back in her uncomfortable position.
"Taylor?" She heard a distant voice.
"Is that mom?" She thought as she tried in vain to open her eyes.
"Taylor, Taylor you're awake! Oh my God I'll bring in the doctor." The voice continued to say to her. A male voice.
"Oh so it's dad?" She thought again. She was reluctant to open her eyes for fear of still being on earth.
"Doctor?" She wondered for a second. "Hospital?" She asked herself . "Am I in a.....a hospital?" She asked herself again in panic as her breath became rapid. "No no no no noo! I can't be in hospital. I can't still be alive." Her voice came out strangled due to her sore throat. She tried to shout but she could not, move but that was way too painful. The state she was in was pure hell. "Please tell me I'm dead." She said to herself as tears rolled down the sides of her face as she lay in the hospital bed shaking with anxiety.

"Doctor hurry! She's hyperventilating a....and shaking! Hurry!" The voice from before cried as more footsteps were heard entering the room. Taylor struggled to open her eyes but her eyelids felt heavy, making her cry even more as she whispered, "No no no...please no" over and over again. She distantly felt a needle prick her skin and she instantly felt sleepy and passed out.

LATER ON,
She woke up yet again feeling a little bit better but thirsty. She also finally managed to open her eyes and slowly adjust to the light and the white walls that were surrounding her.

"Hey!" A familiar voice whispered as his face popped up in her line of view. "Hi Tay. Are you okay?  It's me, Jason. Remember me?" He asked and then mumbled to himself what seemed like curse words probably for asking a stupid question. Taylor slowly nodded her head towards the bedside table signalling for a cup of water. "Oh right." Jason poured her some and lifted the glass to her lips and she took the water.

"Thanks." She said afterwards. "What happened?" She asked.  "Um it's really a long story so I suggest I first call in the doctor to check on you then we'll talk, okay?" She just reluctantly nodded in response. Jason went out of the room and came back with the doctor.

"Oh look who's awake." The doctor said with a small smile.
"You made me sleep." Taylor said to him.
"Well at least you woke up better...except for the attitude." He joked in attempt to lighten her up to no avail as she just squinted her eyes at him making him get to work. As soon as he was done examining her, the doctor told her how deep her cuts were and even asked whether he should invite the police to get a statement incase the cuts were caused by someone.
If only he knew

"No, it's okay. I'm okay." She told him and the doctor nodded once before leaving. Jason sighed before sitting back in his chair near Taylor's hospital bed.  "So?" Taylor asked impatiently.

"So last week I found you...."

"Wait last week?!" Was that how long she had been unconcious?

"Yes last week. You've been unconcious ever since and we were all worried. I mean me and the kids...sorry your siblings. We thought that we lost you." His voice broke in the end and it did n
ease Taylor's guilt in the least.
"I can't stop causing people pain, can I? You should have just let me die. For your own sakes." She said sadly.
"Do not say such things Taylor. You deserve to live...to live a normal life like a normal teenager with dreams and have fun with your siblings...."
"Stop!" Taylor yelled with her eyes screwed shut. "I do not deserve to live. I killed mom and dad. I made you to practically lose your life...your normal life as you became mine and my siblings' guardian yet you're just as young as I am. I have made you and my siblings so sad after what I did to myself. I can't even face them because of the shame. I'm a bad person. I do not deserve to live!" Taylor protested.

"Please listen to me."
"No," She cut him off. "Just finish the horror story." She said, slowly opening her eyes.
"Well, I called you at around two in the morning that day to check on you because believe it or not, I felt something was wrong and when you failed to pick up, I got worried. I called again and again but nothing so I decided to call Jerome, the bartender kid and he told me you had not been at the bar that night, which was surprising no offense." He said.
'Why did I ever tell this guy too much?' Taylor angrily asked herself in thought.
"So I started tracking down your phone location and when I noticed you weren't at home, I knew you were in danger so I drove searching for you until it brought me to that spot."

He paused for a minute and there was pin-drop silence before he cleared his throat and continued.

"I stepped into the brick building and what I saw Taylor, was....horrible I'm not going to lie. I nearly lost my mind. You lay there on the ground, unconscious with a pool of blood around you and for a minute I thought we had lost you." He inhaled sharply. "I immediately sprung into action. I carried you into my car, sped as fast as I could to the hospital, checked you in. I did not tell your siblings until the morning but of course but of course I filtered the words. I brought them to visit the next day but they were not allowed to see you because I asked the doctor not to let them or they would get frightened. Neither would you have wanted that. The rest is history, bringing us to...now." He finished.

"I do not deserve you for a friend." Taylor cried not only because she was more guilty but also because she felt that she did not actually deserve Jason as a friend.

"I'll always have your back, Tay. Oh I have something to tell you. I hope you don't get mad at me but..... I called my therapist mom. She's coming to check on you if you don't mind." Jason said to her as he nervously wrung his hands.

"You did what? Jason I specifically told you I do not need a therapist!" She shouted angrily ignoring the pain that ceased her body. Before she could continue, she was interrupted.

Knock knock knock

"Sorry. Too late. That must be her." Jason said and yelled for the person to come in. A woman who was an exact replica of Jason walked in with her heels clicking on the floor.

"Hello. You must be Taylor, nice to meet you." She greeted with a big smile but Taylor just shifted her head to face the other side with a sullen look on her face.