It isn't all misery

Chapter 10

When I awoke I was in a bed. A clean, crisp bed, only one that could belong to a hospital. I tried to lift my head and sit up but I felt too dizzy, and my vision went blurry. The steady beating of the heart monitor beside me told me I was okay, but I didn't feel it.

“Woah, woah, just relax” an unfamiliar voice said. A doctor in a pristine white coat came over from across the room, and checked the monitor. “You're going to be fine”

“What happened?”I asked, my voice was rough.

“You fainted, Miss Todd” he told me. No one's called me Miss Todd before, although in this situation maybe it would be a bit personal to jump straight to first names. “From what I gather and have been told, you fell into a pool where you started choking and fell unconscious. When we got you here you were burning up, so we gave you what you needed and...you're stable again” he glanced at the clipboard in his hand and smiled at me.

“Why did it happen?”

“Could be a number of things. Something you ate, drank? Severe hot flush. Are you prone to headaches, fainting, anything at all?”

“My mom used to faint a lot, but...” I trailed off. Is this hereditary? Is this going to start happening a lot?

“I see. Well it could be that. However it could be something in your life that's triggered it. Seeing as you've gone all these years and now it's starting. Is there anything like that, any unnecessary stress, shock, or something of the kind happening in your life now, or recently?” he questioned.

“I think I heard voices” I heard in the hallway. I turned my attention to the door and Madison came running through, smiling at me when she noticed I was awake. She was followed by 2 members of Black Veil Brides. I turned to the doctor.

“Yes, something like that” I told him quietly.

“Oh God, you're okay!” she came to my bedside. “She is okay, isn't she?”

“She'll be fine” the doctor reassured her. “Make sure she gets some rest” he added and then left the room.

“God, Evie, you scared us” Ashley said, coming to my side next to Evie. Jake was the other one, who agreed and stood on my other side.

“I thought you were going to drown in my pool, I was freaking out” Jake told me with a smile. “That is, until Andy jumped in. We all helped pull you back onto the grass but you were out cold. What happened?”

“I just...” I paused. I was distracted. Andy was the one trying to help me. Not Ashley, not Jinxx, not someone else. I don't suppose they didn't try but I guess Andy just got there first. Andy got there first. “I just fainted. The doctor just told me it could be due to my mother, who used to faint a lot, or something in my life, like stress, or something...” I trailed off, closing my eyes, and sighing. This was not how I expected the day to go.

“Are you ready to go home, are you allowed?” Madison asked. I mumbled something, agreeing, and then they left to find someone to ask. Ashley lingered by my bed for a moment, just as Andy walked in. Ashley picked up my hand and I noticed the slight change in the beeping of my heart monitor, but I didn't know whether it was Ashley's touch or Andy's entrance that caused it.

“How are you feeling?” Andy asked, glancing around the room. Studying things on the table and then looking at me.

“Alright” I replied with a small smile.

“Stay with her a sec, Andy. I just gotta go for a moment” Ashley told him, walking away. He smiled at me as he walked through the door and then it was only Andy and I. He leant on the railing on one side of the hospital bed, and with his chin resting in his hand he looked at me. I had to avert my eyes because his gaze was intense. I hoped he couldn't hear the slightly quickening beep of the monitor. How embarrassing.

“You saved me” I said. It sounded so dramatic, but it was true I guess. I turned my head so my cheek was against the pillow and forced myself to look at him.

“If not me, somebody would have” he shrugged.

“But you got to me first, and I wasn't even standing with you” I said, voicing my thoughts.

“I have quick reflexes” he straightened up. “How d'ya think I dodge bottles of piss at English festivals” he laughed and I chuckled gently.

“I...I feel like I owe you something” I told him quietly. I didn't know what else to say but I was just thankful he dived into the pool after me. As he said, if it wasn't him it would have been someone else...but it was him.

He curled his lips into a small smile and glanced towards the door, around the empty room and then let his eyes rest on me.

“You can come to dinner with me” he said. “It won't be fancy, nothing of that sort. Maybe you can even come over, we can just...hang. I can get to know...Evie Todd” he smiled at my name.

“When I was younger, one of my baby cousins used to call me Evil Todd. She's no longer a baby and we laugh about it now” I smiled at the memory. “But once she said it and my friends heard that said it reminded them of 'the evil Sweeney Todd'. And I never heard the end of it” I played with my thumbs, remembering how they used to call me Sweeney. It's funny how things are manipulated. From Evie came Sweeney. Because of some stupid ten year old kids who thought they were so mature for watching Sweeney Todd.

“Well, I like Sweeney Todd” Andy told me, watching me intently as I twiddled my thumbs nervously. “I like...Pizza” he said, like he was unsure of how that sentence was going to end. “You can come to mine for pizza. What do you say?” He covered my hand with his, slipping something into my palm.

I nodded quickly. This wasn't real. I wasn't being invited over to Andy's house for pizza. The drugs were influencing me, I'm dreaming. Madison came rushing back in and told me to get up.

“Come on, we can leave” she grinned. I'm sure she was only in a rush to get me home so I could tell her about last night and this morning.

“See you girls later” Andy called, with a two finger wave as he walked to the door.

“Thank you, Andy” Madison said, and he paused. “And tell everyone else thank you too” she told him. With a subtle nod Andy left.

“You have got so much to tell me” she leant close to me with a smile, and helped me leave.