HIP #2: Summer Of Love

Chapter 48

I rose my hand to call the taxi, which was meters away from me. "Charlie!" I heard my dad screaming as he rushed out the door. I turned to face him with mom beside him. "What happened?"

"Honestly, I don't know either. But I have an idea which I wish is not what it is." Dad sighed and nodded, and the taxi got closer to me. It halted while I opened its door immediately. I need to get there as fast as I could. I'm so confused and lots of overthinking ideas rush into my mind, so want to see him now. "To the hospital, please. Drive as fast as you can! Emergency!" I don't even know what's going on, but I still said that it was an emergency, so he would do his best to drive quickly.

At the same time, I was confused and panicked. I scattered my eyes around while I was patting my thighs. I'm worried about the possibility that someone hurt Peter and I think I know who that person is. "Please go faster." I requested, and he didn't answer but just kept on driving. I grabbed my phone from my pocket and then dialed the number I called earlier.

No answer at first, neither at second. "Please answer, please answer!" I whispered while keeping the phone beside my ears. Despite that, no one picked it up. It was just the operator saying, "sorry, this person is not available right now. Please leave a voice mail." I rolled my eyes. "Are we there yet?" I asked.

"I'm sorry, ma'am, don't worry, two minutes to go." I nodded. Throughout the ride, I was paranoid, so I tried to close my eyes and breathe for each second. "Thirty dollars, ma'am." I grabbed my wallet and paid him without even looking at the bill. I opened the door immediately while he screamed, "Hey! Your change!" I wanted to go back because I think I paid fifty but I couldn't help it once I saw the huge logo on top of the building with the words saying "Paris National Hospital"

"Keep it!" I screamed and ran. I pushed the glassed door mindlessly then I found a girl in a white uniform standing with a clipboard wrapped around her arm. She's familiar to me, perhaps she's also the one I saw when Chance got attacked by his asthma. "Umm, Peter River please." I was trying to catch my breath because the stairs I used to run up here were tiring.

She checked her clipboard and ran her eyes to every word written on it while she was playing with a pen through her fingers. She looked up at me saying "third floor... morgue,"

When I heard what she said, I couldn't help but think of the worst possible scenarios. I felt my eyes being halfway damped by my tears but I held them all back. Morgue? Why is he there?

I immediately ran to the elevator and closed it after pushing the number three button. A few people wanted to enter but I didn't let them. I even tried to close it as fast as I could so no one would be with me inside. And I did. I leaned my back at the silver wall as I felt how I was being lifted by the ride.

I hope, I'm praying, and I wish that everything's alright. That nothing from what I expect is what really is happening right now. The bell ringed and it stopped. No time to waste so I ran, leaving the door open. "Where is he?" I asked when I found his mom standing beside a door with tears covering her face. I was surprised to see Britney and Shane sitting together on the long metal chair with their heads held down and they were just staring at the floor as if they were unconscious. "What happened?" They all looked at me. I narrowed at the letters attached above the door saying "Morgue."

They all didn't give me an answer. I guess it's for me to figure out though I don't want to. My feet slowly moved towards the door and I pushed it once I got close to it. Suddenly, all my confusion vanished when I saw a guy half-naked lying on a metal bed with a white blanket wrapped around his body.

That blonde hair...

The more I walk closer to it, the more his image becomes clear to my sight. It's him. It's the guy I loved lying with his eyes closed. I gulped and kept moving my feet until I reached him. I've reached Peter.

I only noticed I was crying when I saw a teardrop fall to his shoulder. It damped him. "No, please, no! Peter, wake up! No!" I shook his shoulder several times making the bed creak. It made noise so much but I didn't pay attention to it. Instead, I rocked him harder and harder. "Wake up! Wake up! Wake up!" I repeated it over and over. I want to make sure he's alive.

It took me half an hour inside rocking him. I want him to open his eyes and tell me he loves me one more time. He can't leave me like this without even saying his last goodbye. "No! No! No!" I screamed with tears covering my face.

It was like a tornado that passed us by so fast. It was just last Monday when I kissed him and last Tuesday when I said goodbye. I didn't even notice that I was already kneeling on the cold floor with my hands on his naked body covered with fresh new bruises.

The last time I saw him with scars was last Saturday and at that time, they all looked old. But right now, all of them look fresh as if he got them just a minute ago. They're purple. His chest is covered with bruises I've never seen before. I turned to his pale face where I found some dried blood that he seemed to have gotten just seconds ago. The bruises on his face are also new

I already know what really happened and I already think about what it is. But I don't want to believe what my brain is saying. I try to tell myself that he is still alive. Because I don't want to think about what my life would be like without him.

He's alive.

He's alive.

He's alive.

I know I'm lying, I know I'm fooling myself, and I'm cheating but I don't care.

"You can't leave me without even saying goodbye, without admitting that you loved me ever since the first time you saw me! You can't just die like this!" My voice was unclear because of all the sobs I was letting out. I don't want to believe this crap. "Please, wake up! Tell me you're alive, that you're with me! You're not dead yet! You're not! Remember, you're still going to be my number one supporter when I become a Miss Universe, and I would be your first ever passenger when you become a pilot! You said it, you promised me so stick to your promise!" I screamed my lungs out. The last time I did this was when I was with him in Mancheston; when we were singing in the middle of the night.

I never thought the next time I would scream is when I'm fighting over his life. Right now when I'm fooling myself that this is just a joke, a prank, or a nightmare.

One person needs to pay.

A life for a life.