Our Little Secret

Chapter 88

Sarah

All it took was a phone call and my world came crashing down.

"Sarah?" Mum's voice sounds through my receiver and she seems to be on edge. "Sarah are you there?"

"Yeah, I'm here." I answer with the phone pressed between my shoulder and ear. My hands are focused on my computer, chatting with Lana via Facebook.

She's currently in the Philippines living the dream with her boyfriend. Thinking of Lana and her relationship stirs envy inside me.

I wish I could travel the world and have a functioning relationship with Jack.

"What's up?" I ask my mother and see that Cameron's wrote something to me on Facebook. I click on the tab and her message pops up.

Spoken anything with Jack?

The whole thing catches me off guard. We haven't spoken since I found out about the bet. I know she knew about it, she's friends with both Jack and Daniel so of course she knew about it. And never once did she tell me. So I've been avoiding her lately, because I feel somewhat betrayed.

Before I even have time to think of an answer, mum's voice interrupts me.

"Sarah are you there?" She almost yells.  The intensity of her voice brings me to focus on her.
Something has happened. I sit up straight and take the phone with my right hand.

"Yeah. What's up?" I frown at the screen.

It says that Cameron's writing again. Lana has also sent me a message, but I ignore it.

"It's Jack." Mum says and I get filled with a bunch of different emotions. Mainly anger and sorrow.

"What's up with him?" I ask casually.

Whatever he's done I am sure mum is overreacting. I am done caring for his mishaps.

"Sarah..." She breathes and it sounds like she's crying. I tense and grip my phone.

"Sarah... Jack's been shot." 

"What?" I gasp, feeling all my blood drain from my face.

Standing up in horror I look around in panic not knowing what to do.

"Jack's been shot. You need to get to St. Gertrude's hospital now."

"Yes." I breathe. "Yes of course, I'll drive right away!"

Slamming my laptop shut, I run out to the hall and dress quickly.

Grabbing the car keys, my wallet and shoving my phone in my back pocket I run out the door and throw myself inside my car. Driving faster than I ever have in my entire life.

~

"Hey, honey, are you alright?" Mum joins me in the waiting room, taking a seat next to me.

I'm seated with my head in my hands and mum calmly starts rubbing my back.

Jack is currently in surgery, getting the bullet taken out. He's been in there for almost two hours and the anxiety is starting to get to me.

"Shouldn't they be done by now?" I lift my head to look at mum, tears streaming down my face.

"Oh, honey." Mum sighs when she sees my face and brings me in for a hug.

Being in the safe arms of my mother makes me ten times more emotional, and I start to cry heavily against her shoulder.

"You know the doctors said that it's a difficult surgery. He was lucky the bullet took on his right side and not the left, otherwise it would have hit his heart. Still, his lung is punctured and they need to both stitch that up and take out the bullet." She explains for the hundredth time and the words hit me as if I've been shot myself.

"But don't worry, he will be fine." Mum assures me, patting the back of my head slowly.

"He will make it." She says determined, trying to convince the both of us.

~

Another three dreadfully long hours go by before a doctor informs us that Jack's surgery is done and he's being move to a room in the intensive care department.

I let out a sigh of relief and finally let myself relax a bit. The doctor asks us to follow him as he explains Jack's condition for us.

"The surgery went well and the bullet was removed from the lung, which was filled with blood. For a moment we thought it was beyond repair, lucky enough we were wrong and Jack is now stitched up properly. We do wish to keep him here for the next few weeks and do regular check ups on his wound and especially his lung." The doctor explains and I flinch when he mentions Jack being stitched up.

I close my eyes for a brief second to keep my emotions steady.

"The boy was incredibly lucky though, had it been his left side the bullet went into and not the right, he wouldn't be alive now. It would have gone straight into his heart and he would have died on the spot." The doctor continues and whatever I tried earlier miserably fails as I start to cry silently.

I don't know if they are tears of joy or fear. Probably it's a mixture of both. Joy of Jack being alive and well, and fear of the fact that he's actually been shot. The situation is so bizarre that I never even thought of the possibility. This shows how different our lives truly are.

We are one unfit pair.

I think to myself and realize that I think of Jack as something more than just a guy I live with. I always have thought of him as something else and as it dawns on me I also realize that I cannot continue living with things being like this between us.

I need to solve things with Jack, whether it turns out the way I want or not, I still need to be on good terms with him. I do care about him and cannot let our relationship continue down this destructive path.

We reach Jack's room after a small walk through the infirmary and I almost break down seeing him lay in the hospital bed. I hurry up to his side and carefully takes his hand, which is ice cold. I have to blink away the tears to be able to look at him properly.

"Oh my god, Jack." I whisper, holding onto his hand with both of my own. I hear mum thanking the doctor and then come up to me. She lays a hand on my shoulder and squeezes hard.

I sniff in response and keep my eyes steady on Jack. "I won't leave him." I tell her in a raspy voice.

"I figured as much." Mum answers from behind me and I turn around to meet her eyes. She is looking at me tenderly and then kisses my forehead. "The doctor said that it will take a while for him to wake up, so I'm going to get some coffee and grab something to eat. Shall I get you anything?" She asks, but my attention is already back on Jack. He may lay here and breathe even, but my worries haven't gone away one bit. I will not leave his side before he can look me in the eye and say that he's okay.

"Sure, I'll have whatever you're having." I tell here distantly, gently caressing the back of Jack's hand with my thumb.

"Alright, darling." She murmurs and turn to leave.

I don't know for how long she's gone, but when she finally returns I sit in the same position. She sets my food on the bedside table and take a seat in an armchair, positioned in the left corner of the room.

I keep holding onto Jack's hand, but eventually change my posture and rest my head next to his hip. Still holding onto his hand I drift off to a restless sleep.