BELONGS TO ME

Chapter 36

Lauren

Seven hours of no news is excruciating, but the four that follow, when the nurse finally comes up to tell us there's been a complication, are the worst.

They're full of nothing but fear and regret.

Of pain and what if.

What if I got to her in time tonight?

What if I didn't walk away from her the other day?

What if I never get to tell her I love her?

That she's more than I knew existed, all that I could ever need, and everything I will always want.

Camila Cabello makes up my entire being.

Without her, I'm nothing.

Not much is said over the next sixteen hours and that goes for all of us. We pace the room, and every so often, one of us punches a wall or kicks a chair, charging into the hall, just to come right back and bury our faces in our hands.

Finally, the doctor comes out, exhaustion showing in the dark circles beneath his eyes. He pulls his mask down with a nod.

"For Miss Cabello?" he asks, even though he knows the answer already.

"Is she okay?" Carl rushes forward.

Hailee grips my sleeve, shaking.

"She's stable."

A choppy breath explodes from my chest, and I fall against the wall. Pressing the heels of my palms into my eyes, I drop my head back.

A hand clamps on my shoulder, and I look over to find Shawn.

He nods, his jaw clenching, and we look back to the doctor.

"When can we see her?" Harry asks.

"Soon, but I have to tell you, we're not in the clear quite yet."

"Keep talking, doc." Carl swallows.

He looks over us a moment, and it's obvious he's picking his words carefully. "Camila suffered injuries along most of her upper body, and we did find a small fracture in her skull. As a result of that, her body went into shock, and we were forced to put her into a medically-induced coma."

"Oh my god," Hailee cries, and Carl quickly spins, taking her in his arms. He pulls her close, waiting for more.

"She's in pain?" I rasp.

"Not anymore." He folds his clipboard in front of him. "She was in a great deal of pain, and with her injuries that can lead to a coma. Her brain would simply shut down in reaction to the trauma, which is why we felt it safest to take the route we did."

"Why?"

"To keep the brain from reacting or responding. We have to give it time to heal as the next step is monitoring her for swelling."

"If that happens?" Shawn pushes forward. "If her brain swells?"

The man nods. "Then we have to go in and relieve it."

"How long will you keep her asleep?"

"As long as she needs. A day, maybe two. Maybe a little longer. It all depends on how tonight goes. If we can get through tonight without complications, we might be able to breathe a little easier come tomorrow."

We nod, looking each other over to make sure no one else has questions the rest of us didn't think about.

The doctor nods, and the nurse who was ordered to deal with us when we got here, steps up. "Dr. Brian, this is Mr. Cabello." She steers him toward Carl.