Picture Us

Chapter 13: Multi POV

THIS CHAPTER CONTAINS DESCRIPTIONS OF BLOOD AND CAR ACCIDENTS. NOT OVERLY GRAPHIC.

POV: Keefe

Keefe was startled by a sudden phone ringing from his bedroom. He quickly walked towards the sound.

"Hello?" Keefe answered, slightly nervous.

"I'm calling from Crystaline Haven Hospital. This is about Tam Song, he was involved in a major accident." a kind but worried sounding nurse said from the other side of the line, her voice was shaky.

Keefe's phone clattered onto the floor; he was frozen for a moment before the nurse on the line asked if he was still there.

Keefe picked up the phone "I-I'm sorry." he stammered "Is he okay? What happened?" millions of thoughts were racing through his head, all thinking the worst.

"He's doing alright, if you'll come to the hospital soon you can see him. Try to get her soon though, he's going into surgery in 2 hours." she replied, her assurance that he was doing fine was comforting.

He picked at his nails, got the details of his room and hung up. Despite the nurse's kind words, he was worried, he wanted him to be okay. She didn't tell him much about his condition, so he spent the time it took to throw on his shoes and walk to his car to prepare for the direst possibility.

He sped down the empty freeway, slowing down as he began to enter a main road, he nervously tapped at the steering wheel at each red light stopping him from seeing Tam. Secretly he was grateful for the extra time to think about what to say, what to do and what he wants.

He had lost interest in Tam being an academic rival, all that motivation from being enemies with him had dissipated. All that was left was an intense gratitude for him, and a wish to be near him always. Tam had saved Keefe, and now that Tam is in need, Keefe was determined to pay him back for all that he had done for him.

Keefe paced the parking lot; a realisation had dawned on him. He liked Tam, the only thing stopping him from realising it was Sophie and the scar she had left on him after she left. He couldn't wait any longer, he ran into the hospital waiting room and asked where Tam was.

The receptionist made a phone call as Keefe waited impatiently; he was fidgety while trying to listen into what was being said. The receptionist looked up at him "he's currently not conscious right now, his surgery is in one hour, so please see him before then. He's in room 66, go into our trauma unit."

He thanked her and looked down at the stretch of white walls and tiles as he turned to walk swiftly down the hallway. The walls seemed to close in on him. He wasn't claustrophobic but he felt nauseous in the sterile halls. He skidded on the floor to room 66. His hand hovered above the doorknob. He struggled to breathe, sweat beading his forehead as he made the decision to walk in.

Keefe knew he'd be sad when he saw Tam – he didn't expect the devastation he'd be hit with when he saw Tam's battered body on the bed. It didn't feel like he belonged – Tam, despite his rough exterior, was far livelier and too against the grain to be trapped in an all-white room.

His closed eyes and still body looked on the brink of death. Of course, they looked worse than they were he reminded himself, drawing in a shaky breath as he edged towards his bed.

As he drew nearer, he watched his chest rise and fall so slowly that he thought it'd fade away any moment. A steady beep from machinery and wires he was hooked up to made it feel to Keefe as if his final breath was drawing near.

He took a seat next to Tam's bed; he rested a shaky hand on his arm, squeezing it every so often, imitating a heartbeat. Tam was alive, and Keefe wouldn't allow otherwise.

A doctor rushed in, with a name badge that read DOCTOR HAMISH in all caps. Behind him, a trail of nurses followed, increasing with speed.

"What's happening?" Keefe asked as the team grabbed Tam's bed and rushed it down the halls. He followed them with haste.

"He needs to go into surgery now," Doctor Hamish said. "It's more urgent than we predicted."

"Is he going to die?" Keefe asked with a quivering lip.

"Tam's injuries are not so bad. Quite manageable, but surgery is still urgent. Ms Linh on the other hand, is far more severely damaged."

POV: Tam (Time: The crash)

He felt a blinding pain as the car hit the water, his mind nothing but a bright light and a high-pitched squeal. He peered over at his sister, who was slumped over in her seat, blood oozing from a large wound on her head, trickling down her face.

"Linh!" He shouted, his eyes wide as he searched for something that would prove it was all a dream. He frantically shook her in a vain attempt to get her to wake up, her head lolled to the side.

It was only then when Tam looked at himself, a boundless pain echoed throughout his body, he watched the agonising pain in his abdomen slowly turning into a deep-purple bruise.

His head throbbed; the blinding sound screaming loud in his ears. His vision started to blur, each sense slowly becoming numb.

The muffled sound of sirens brought him to his senses, he tried to move but another pain ricocheted through his bones. He stared as dozens of paramedics crowded around his sister.

What's happening? He wondered, his eyes hopelessly following the stretcher as they took his sister away.

His eyes turned to another few paramedics which were rushing to his side. Unable to make out their words, he thought about what could happen to him.

I'm going to die here. Everything hurts, I think I'm going to die. His bottom lip quivered at the thought of not being able to say goodbye to anyone. To Keefe.

As if a rush of strength- or hope poured into him at the thought of Keefe, he opened his mouth and looked at a paramedic.

"Don't call anyone! Just call Keefe, he's the one I trust the most" he stared at the sky, a soft rain began to fall onto his face. The paramedics questioned him about who Keefe was and got his details. Tam could barely remember who he was with, as his consciousness slowly began to fade.

"Will Linh be okay?" He asked, pulling every fibre of himself into the question. The world looked too splotchy, too blurry.

The paramedics exchanged a look with each other and ignored his question. Before Tam could protest, a cool, dull darkness engulfed him.