eternal flame - s. harrington

Chapter 17: You Might Be My Best Friend

Beep...beep...beep...beep...beep...

I was woken up by a beeping sound beside me.
I opened my eyes to find myself lying in a hospital bed, and took a moment to scan the room with my eyes. Soon, they landed on... Steve?

Was I dead? Did I die, and Steve was waiting for me in the waiting room to Hell? Wait... If I was dead, he must've been, too. Did Jonathan kill him? No... I saw him get up after that fight in the alley. He must've died afterwards. Maybe he suffered some head trauma and kicked the bucket in his sleep?

"Grace.", Steve gasped. "Thank God.", he said, and got up to press some button. "Wait... Are we dead?", I asked. Steve sat down again and frowned. "No. Grace, we're not dead. You're okay.", he said.

I rubbed my head. Everything felt weird.

"What happened?", I asked. Steve took a deep, hitched breath, "Grace, you were shot."

I looked up at the ceiling in shock, as the memories flooded in. I remembered being in the hallway, that man grabbing me... Then I remembered how the gunshot sounded. The pop that just echoed in the hallway... My hand, covered in my blood...

"Do you want me to go get your mom? She's just down the hall. She went to go check on Will, like, three minutes ago?", Steve spoke, and I gasped at the mention of my little brother's name.

"Will! He's okay?", I asked and Steve nodded, "He's okay.", he said. Immediately I felt a tear roll out of my eye, which I wiped away. Steve and I looked at eachother for a while, before he turned his gaze towards the floor and his chin trembled.

Steve's face was bruised. He had a gash on his left cheekbone and a slit on his lower lip. He turned to look at me, with so much sadness in his eyes.

"Grace...", he said quietly.
– "Yeah?", I responded weakly.
"I'm so fucking sorry."
– "Steve—"
"No. Just... Let me... Let me say this, okay? I'm so, so sorry. For everything I said, for everything I... I did. You're not a screw–up. Not even close. No one in your family is... You... You're the smartest, funniest, most incredible person I've ever met in my entire life and... If... If you died thinking I thought any less of you, I'd never forgive myself."

I took a deep breath, and opened my mouth to say something when a doctor walked into the room.

Steve sniffled as he got up from his chair. "I'll go get your mom.", he said. I nodded and he left.

"Ms. Byers. How are you feeling?", the doctor asked.
– "I don't know. Just confused, I guess... How long was I out?"
"Sixteen hours. You had surgery thirteen hours ago."
– "I had to have surgery?"
"Yes. The bullet was successfully removed, and luckily didn't hit any of your vital organs. Given that you were shot in the abdomen, and didn't get immediate care, it's a miracle you're alive."

My mom barged into the room. She immediately started to cry as she ran to me and wrapped her arms around me tightly.

"Oh, my baby. My baby.", she sobbed against my shoulder. "Mommy, I need to breathe.", I chuckled and she let go.

Mom sat down on the chair next to my bed and grabbed my hand as the doctor explained my medical situation to her before exiting the room.

Then my dad and Jonathan walked into the room, followed by Will.

Will was wearing a hospital gown, and was holding an IV–pole as he walked into the room.

I burst into tears immediately when I saw him. I tried to sit up, but the pain around my wound was so bad, that I couldn't. I hissed at the strong pain on my hip, and Mom quickly rushed to adjust the hospital bed in a way where I could sit without any pain.