BLEACHED (COMPLETED)

52: A jealous Walter

Feeling a sharp sting to her head, Lavender jolts awake too suddenly that her head begins to burn.

Remembering she had just fallen for no real known reason, she can't help but wonder where she was.

A hospital room.

She glances around as she scans the room before her eyes drop onto Walter who is sitting by the window while tapping furiously on a hand-held game console. His eyes focused on it, hardly blinking.

Walter found me?

She glances around once more but doesn't see anyone else, a clear sign he is the only one who'd have carried her.

She sighs back and leans into the pillow as her mind drifts to Domen, almost wishing he'd have been the one to save her from her own body's attempt at suicide.

"Oh you're awake." Walter says the moment he hears the slight shifting of her sheets while she tries to lay back down. "You slept through the entire night. Doctor said you were burned out and when you fell you went under. Not in literal terms, I just mean you-."

"I know, you mean I just caused myself to faint." She sighs and watches as he gets up from the chair and shoves his console into the back pockets of his dark grey jeans.

"What happened to you?" Walter asks as he sits on a seat beside the bed, staring as she rubs her eyes and glances down to her hand that is now bandaged. "Your hand was cut, you were blacked out when you got here, what the h*ll happened?"

"I fell." Lavender says as she glances up to meet his warm and tender eyes.

"You fell? How far high was it!?" Walter gasps in shock, getting Lavender to furrow her brows.

Confused.

There were no stairs or platforms in the reception area.

He should have noticed that if he was the one that came to save her.

"Did you bring me here?" Lavender raises a brow at him. "You'd have noticed there wasn't anywhere I could actually fall off of. I just kinda fell over."

"I didn't bring you where, Domen did. He didn't tell me what was wrong with you when I got here, like he was trying so hard to avoid talking to me, that bastard." Walter clicks his tongue as Lavender stares at him with slightly wide eyes.

So Domen was the one that ...

She glances down to her hand and sighs as she thinks to herself.

Wondering how he knew she was down and knocked out when he was supposed to have had a five minute head start leaving the office.

Was he waiting?

Thinking I'd want to catch a ride?

That's strange, he's never really waited for me at all.

He must have forgotten something and came back to get it.

That's the only reason.

She leans from the pillow and shoves her feet off the bed, getting Walter to get up and hold her back down, restricting her from getting up.

"Woa, stay down. You need more rest." He says as he eventually stops when she doesn't oblige with him.

"I need to get to work." She says, getting him to furrow his brows and glance down at her. "They won't take it lightly that I'm missing it."

"You're hurt." He sighs out and runs a hand through his hair. "You need to stay back and heal."

"People get hurt every day. Call the nurse, she'll tell you I'm fine." She smiles weakly up at him, getting him to frown even more before walking to the buttons by the bed and pressing it.

Lavender raises her brows, curious to know there is a button to call the nurses. In the basic rooms, it's only for emergencies, not to actually call one up casually.

But then again, it doesn't look like a basic room.

She's in the executive hospital room equipped with its own tiny livingroom and bathroom.

How much is this?! Who's paying!?

"H-How much is this room?" Lavender asks as her eyes grow wider from noticing the room for the first time now that she's out of her head.

"Don't worry, Domen payed for it." Walter sighs as he reaches his hand to her head, gently patting it. "You worry about the wrong things, Lav."

"I was just curious." She sighs out and glances down to his chest as Domen roams her mind. "I didn't think he'd care to bring me here. Or even pay."

Walter frowns as he stares down at her, clenching his jaw before sitting down beside her.

"You know, I would have payed if I got you here first." Walter says as he drops his hand down to her thigh. "I care about you too. I don't know why you can't see that."

"It's not like I'm saying you don't." Lavender chuckles slightly as she drops her eyes down to his hand holding onto her thigh. "I'm surprised he did."

"It's always about him. Just take it as a boss's job to make sure his employees are safe. It doesn't have to mean anything." Walter says, clearly filled with jealousy before glancing off to the side. "A month passed... And I don't know if you even see me as a man. I want you to stop seeing Domen and see me instead."

Lavender furrows her brows as she gazes into his eyes.

Unsure why he's suddenly becoming so... Irritated when she didn't say anything too dramatic.

She was only surprised Domen cared.

"Walter-."

"I know what you did with him." Walter suddenly says, taking her aback as her eyes widened in shock. "Literal hours after I left. Evette tried to hide it but it's so obvious when she's hiding things."

She glances away as she clenches onto the sheets with her free hand, feeling her stomach tighten as she's reminded of what happened.

The feelings involved.

"You like him more." Walter sighs out and clenches his jaw as he glances elsewhere. "I'm really jealous he didn't need to do anything. And to top it off he was really bad to you and you somehow liked that... What I'm saying is... You getting sick is because you keep thinking about him and the whole wedding thing is messing you up, that's why you're getting like this."

"I wasn't stressed about that..." Lavender sighs out as she shifts her gaze off to the side. "I... I don't know why I even felt dizzy to begin with."

"Anyway." Walter gets up from his spot just as the nurse walks into the room. "Let's just get you out of here, but we are going home, not work."

"At least let me go explain why I won't be available." She furrows her brows up at him to which is rolls his eyes to and moves to the window.

Lavender frowns slightly when she knows just how much she's hurting him and can't do anything to stop it.

She wasn't attracted to him in any way, since she always thought he was her gay best friend.

Switching to a new perspective won't be so easy...

"Avoid any physically demanding tasks for now, and also avoid stress-inducing activiting. If any dizziness occurs within the next two weeks, you are required to come back for a check up and thorough examination." The nurse says as she reads from her notepad before  handing her a bag. "The doctor insists you take these medicines if you experience headaches and insomnia. Sometimes lack of sleep can overwork the brain."

Lavender nods her head as she stands up from the bed and flinches at the pain in her hand.

"Forgot to mention, the pain killers are only for moments when the cut is too unbearable. With the stitches you should be able to heal in a couple of weeks. A month at most." She finishes before nodding her head and leaving the room.

"Let's go?" Lavender asks Walter who sighs out and turns to face her.

"Sure." He nods his head and walks to her before grabbing the bag from her uninjured hand and placing it to the other hand so he could lace his fingers with hers.