White Crest

16

Adelaide's POV:

It was the weekend and I didn't have any homework so I had let Logan take me out for supper. We had been going out for a few weeks and I hadn't heard from Nathan after what happened at the pool. We had picked a little bread basket place that had a really good couple's lasagne on Friday nights. Logan sat down across from me in our booth. 

"Hey. Sorry I'm late." As soon as he sat down his phone started ringing.

"It's ok. You can answer." I waved him off. 

"Sorry!" He mouthed before he ducked into a hallway to answer it. I took a bite of bread from the basket and waited. Logan came back and sat down, looking concerned. 

"Who was it?" I touched his hand. 

"Nothing. Did you order yet?" He shook his head and picked up the menu.

"Logan. Who was it? I can see right through your expression." 

"Chase just called. Nathan broke some ribs and just got out of surgery. We could eat and go later..." I grabbed my purse and stood up. 

"Logan! We have to go now!"

"Or we could go now." Logan picked up his wallet and and threw a twenty on the table. 

We got to the hospital and we met Chase and Jennifer in the lobby. 

"Don't even bother asking Addie they're not letting visitors yet. He just got out of surgery." I sat down hard on the blue vinyl chairs next to Jennifer. Logan sat next to me and handed me a chocolate bar.

"For dinner." He smiled. I grabbed his hand and dragged him to the small alcove where the vending machines were. 

"I'm really sorry Logan..." I trailed off as I realized that he was leaning down for a kiss. His breath was sweet and warm with mint. It was a sweet gesture but I didn't feel any sparks like I did with Nathan. 

"I get it. It's totally ok. Be with Nathan. He needs you." He tucked some hair behind my ear and kissed my cheek again. He started to leave. I grabbed his wrist and pulled him back for a hug. I smelled his shirt for the last time and let him go. He smiled and waved. 

"I'll make sure that you can get a ride with Chase." He left  me under the blinking exit light. I sat down next to the drink machine and rested my head on the cool plastic of the huge glowing iced tea. I must have been there for a while because Jennifer came and grabbed my arm, waking me up from my daze. 

"Where have you been? There letting us see Nathan!" Jennifer yanked my arm. Chase stood up when Laura came into the lobby area. 

"Hey. We decided to let you see him first. He won't be awake until early this morning anyway." Chase ushered me into the room. Nathan looked so pale. 

"Nathan?" My voice wavered a bit. I grabbed the hand that wasn't hooked up to the IV. Chase and Jennifer came and sat next to me. 

"We're going to go but I can come and pick you up in the morning if you call me." Chase put a hand on my shoulder. 

"Thanks." I smiled weakly at them. 

I jolted awake and looked at my phone display. It was 2:30 in the morning and I had fallen asleep, still holding Nathan's hand. His eye's fluttered open. The one fluorescent hospital light cast an unwelcome pallor on his face. 

"Hey." His voice sounded weak and like he was in pain. 

"Oh, Nathan." Tears pooled in my eyes and I tried not to cry. 

"Addie, don't do that. I'm okay." He spoke so softly and when he shifted in the bed he winced.

"No, you're not." I squeezed his hand. 

"How are things with Logan?" He looked away from me.

"It didn't work out, Nate." I stood up and kissed him on the cheek. 

"Good." He smiled. 

"What did you do to break your ribs anyway?" I threaded my fingers into his warm hand, ignoring his comment. 

"Aw, come on. Spare me the embarrassment I'm already in." He smoothed his thumb across my hand. 

"What stupid thing did you do now?" I grinned and raised my eyebrow, egging him on.

"I was, uh, jogging. In the rain. In the dark." His face flushed red as he recalled the incident. 

"And?" 

"In the football bleachers. I slipped on the cement and landed hard on one of the steps." He turned his face and I got a better glimpse of a bruise across his cheekbone. He had stitches above his eyebrow.

"Aw. How long are they keeping you?" Nathan ran whenever something bothered him and I knew better to question him on it.

"A few days. You don't have to stay. June and Ivy will be here in the morning. I won't be lonely." 

"I've never heard of anyone being held for surveillance for broken ribs."

"Apparently it was a mess in there. Some nasty puncture wounds."

"And right after your shoulder started to heal."

"No big deal. My shoulder is small stuff compared to this. Because I'm incapacitated I guess I'm coming back to White Point. Pretty hard to get a scholarship with smashed insides." He gingerly laid a hand on his stomach. In the silence, my stomach reminded me that I hadn't eaten a meal since lunch. I blushed and Nathan grabbed his wallet from the bedside table and handed me a twenty.

"Go buy yourself something. I know that your dinner with Logan got interrupted. Maybe if a nurse comes by I can charm her into getting you something from the cafeteria."

"You would." I called back before searching for the nearest vending machine. I bought the last bag of pretzels and a package of M&M's before the change clunked noisily in the return slot. Nathan already had his eyes closed when I got back to the room. I set his change down on the table. Even after everything that had happened between us, bad and good, I knew that he would forever be my one and only.