The Waitress

19 - Seventeen Days and Counting

Kaely was let out the next day; she had asked for a date and they had given her the 24th of March. That was five days; she had been unconscious for five days.

The nurse helped her out of bed and onto her feet before she thanked the woman and left the room, steadily to make sure she didn't stress herself. She made it down the corridor in a pair of loose tracksuit pants and a long sleeved top that she tugged over her hands and fingers. When she got to the end of the corridor, she managed to find directions to the Emergency Department, which also led her to the exit.

Where she found Jared sitting by the door on his phone.

He caught onto her before she could turn around and walk the other way and was walking towards her as he hung up the phone.

"I thought I told you to leave," Kaely sighed, rubbing her forehead as a headache started to press against the walls of her skull.

"And I thought I didn't listen," Jared replied with a shrug. Kaely nodded and pushed past him, going for the exit. She brushed her hair behind her ear as she walked, to get it out of her face but also so she could see Jared jogging up to walk by her side.

"Five days," Kaely announced as they left the hospital, coming onto Robin Warren Drive. They turned left; well, Kaely turned left. Jared was just following her. "I was out for five days. Five whole freaking days."

"Why are you shouting at me?" Jared protested, and Kaely glared at him.

"Oh, sorry," she replied sarcastically. "Did I step out of line? Did I make you feel unwanted?"

"I don't know what you're talking about, Kaely," Jared sighed. "You're confused; you need to–"

"Please don't tell me what I 'need to do'," Kaely sighed, pressing ahead. "I've had plenty of rest, alright? I'm not completely useless."

"Where are you going?" Jared announced, jogging after her. She took his phone from his hands to call a taxi.

"I'm going to a hotel," she explained finally. "You say I need to, what, relax? That's what I'm doing. Have a shower or something. I'll sleep." The man she spoke to on the phone told her a taxi was coming her way after she informed him where she was, and she hung up after giving thanks. She chucked Jared his phone.

"Why are you being so blunt?" Jared asked oddly. "I don't even know what I did wrong; I've been here this whole time to make sure you were okay."

"I don't want the charity, okay?" she snapped. Bad move; she really needed to stop getting worked up; coughing hurt her head like that. "It's bad enough with everyone reminding me," she added in a mutter when the coughing died down, but it was more to herself than Jared.

And they waited in silence that was tense to say the least, until the taxi arrived on the road. Kaely got in; waited. Moments later, Jared slipped in beside her, and the man driving asked where they were going.

"Um, could you take us to Doune Place in Willetton, please? Anywhere on the street will be fine, thanks." He set off on the ten minute journey that Kaely had to spend in a dreaded silence beside Jared in a smallish car. Oh, if only he knew...

Kaely lay on her bed with her head in the clouds as Jared sat in a chair by the door. She didn't really know what he was doing; she didn't know why he was so taken aback by her. She couldn't help her emotions, and neither could he, it seemed. It seemed like he was only helping her because she couldn't help herself anymore. But even if that was the case, why did he care? It shouldn't affect her, what Jared thought of her. Nothing he did should've affected her. So the question was simple. If he didn't care about her, then why was he here, helping her? And she frowned.