Waiting For Love

Chapter 7

{Dalton's POV}
I had woken up from my deep sleep due to the sound of my alarm ringing in my ears. I looked to my left, and saw two big brown eyes staring in my direction. I felt a smile creep on my face. The way he was able to smile through his pain was a blessing. He was a special little boy.

I smiled, and sparked conversation with my little brother.

"Good morning Graham."

"G-good morning D. I'm not f-feeling to well. Do I-I have to go t-to school today?"

Sometimes, I'm not sure if she's squirming out of school because he has no friends, or if it's because he actually doesn't feel well. I knew all the side effects from the brain tumor, and I never wanted to risk losing him because of that. He's had seizures in the past, and I knew I didn't want that happening during school one day.

"You can stay home, kiddo. Lucas isn't working today, so he'll be able to check up on you during the day."

Lucas was our family friend we are staying with. Normally he stays with his girlfriend majority of the time, but I made sure to send him a text letting him know to check up on Graham while I was in school.

Before I knew it, I was dressed, well-fed and on my way to school. I got there just on time. The bell rang as soon as I stepped through my first block class door.

One block passed, then the next, and finally it was lunch. Everything was going swell, until I saw the vice principal coming my way.

I flashed back to the past week and a half, and thought about what I must have done, but while I was drowning in my thoughts, he walked over, put his hand on my shoulder and escorted me to the office.

I felt heat throughout my body as my legs began to shake. When the vice principal comes to retrieve you, you know it's nothing good.

He sat me down in his office and began to speak.

"We, uh, we got the news this morning about a girl getting admitted into a hospital after being found in her house last night, unconscious..."

I felt my heart breaking for the girl, but I'm not quite sure what this had to do with me. He continued.

"When she woke up this morning, after being unconscious for 7 hours, the only thing she remembered was meeting a boy name Dalton before the incident. And in case you weren't aware, you're Dalton, and you're pretty well known around here. I guess she must not have many friends. She doesn't recall anything that happened, but she does recall meeting you."

It hit me. It hit me like a ton of bricks. I was speechless. Skye. I barely knew her, but I knew I loved her. Was I the last person she spoke to before the incident? What happened? My heart started racing and pounding out of my chest.

"We're releasing you early from school to go visit her."

I ran to my locker, faster than I have ever ran, opened it, grabbed my bag and hurried to my car. I had to see her.

The nearest hospital was approximately 15 minutes away, but I made it in 10. I parked, and ran to the front desk.

"I'm here to see Skye. Can you please tell me what room she was in?"

The lady at the desk glared at her computer, taping away at the keys. Finally, she looked up, above her glasses.

"Floor 3, Room 24."

I thanked her and ran to the elevator. When the elevator opened up to let me in, I said a small prayer in my head. I clicked the number three and before I knew it, I was there. I ran down the hall, scanning for room 24.

I stepped in to see Skye laying motionless. She looked beautiful, despite the cuts and bruises all over her face and legs. She took my breath away, even when she wasn't doing anything.

"Hey, are you, uh, are you awake?" I felt helpless. There was nothing I could do for her. She opened her eyes and looked up in my direction.

"Well, I am now." A slight smile shown upon her face.

I asked her how she was feeling, and told her what I had already heard. Before I knew it, her eyes lit up, and she screamed for the nurse.

Seeing me and talking to me must have sparked a memory, because it all came back to her. She began to explain the incident, slurring her words due to the pain medication she was on.

"When I got home from Taco Bell, after ordering my tacos and meeting Dalton, I rode my bike home. After I ate outside on my tire swing, I went inside to sleep, but I..." Her voice trailed off. She paused what she was saying. "But I fell down the stairs. That's all. I just fell."

She glanced over to me, and by the look on her eyes, I knew she was hiding something. I couldn't exactly figure it out, but I knew there was something.

"Nurse, can Dalton and I have a moment please?" She spoke, and the nurse found her way out of the room, closing the door behind her.

After a few moments of silence, I spoke, "I can tell you were lying. What really happened? There's no way you fell down your stairs, and ended up like this..."

"I think the real question is, why are you here? You don't care about me. You're mister popular." Her words pierced me, like knives. The girl I fell in love with day one thought I didn't care about her.

I circled around her hospital bed, trailing my hand along her blanket. I searched my mind for the right words to say. I broke the awkward silence, "I fell in love with you the first day I saw you. When I heard what had happened, my heart broke for you. When I see you, my heart stops, and I feel an insane chill up my spine. You're flawless. The way your eyes glisten from the light and the way your hair falls perfectly from your head. You're everything I have ever dreamed of in a girl. I'm not a big fan of hospitals, considering I have spent majority of my free time visiting loved ones, but I'm here right now for you and only you. I love and care for you so much, and I don't even know your last name, or the first thing about you." I couldn't help but smile at her. Every small flaw made her perfect in my eyes.

She seemed to be speechless, as we stared into each other's eyes in silence for a few minutes. Finally, she spoke.

"I, uh, I don't know what to say. I've struggled all my life to find a place for myself. Relationships just aren't my thing. I can't do it, Dalton. I appreciate what you said, and if you mean it, I want to thank you, but I can't come to convince myself that you're not out to get me, and that you mean it all."

There. In that moment, my heart shattered.