[ J a c k ]
"I love you" Her small voice whispers, her cheek pressed to mine. I feel the heat from her skin. My fingers trace her collarbones. The white sheets are a tangled mess around us. Her beautiful brown eyes stare up at me.
"I love you too, Kat"
And I kissed her, in the most innocent "I need you" way.
"Jack... Jack!" Zack's voice appears out of nowhere. I open my eyes to find myself in the hospital waiting room. Fuck. It was a dream. "Come on, you've been asleep for like eight hours. They're finally letting us see her"
Alex and Rian are following a nurse out of the room. Zack and I catch up to them while the nurse says "Alright, please keep calm and try not to upset her. She's been through a lot in these past few hours"
The four of us nod and enter the room. I don't think anyone was expecting what we saw.
[ Z a c k ]
Rian covers his mouth.
My eyes tear up as I look down at her.
There's no way to put it other than she looks dead. My best friend looks like a fucking corpse.
Her eyes follow us around the room.
They're surrounded by puffy purple circles. She's been crying. Her skin's pale and her lips are slightly parted.
Despite the purple, her eyes still look alive. Those eyes are one light that will never go out.
She looks up at all of us and a sad smile vaguely appears on her face. Her raspy voice whispers "Well, I'm alive"
"Believe it or not, she's okay to go home as of now" The nurse says, tapping on her clipboard. "However, starting tomorrow, she will need to take one of these pills a day until the bottle's empty" she pulls out a small bottle, then turns to me and whispers "They're low grade sedatives, she'll sleep most of the day but that will prevent this from happening again"
I nod and take the bottle. The nurse says "Please keep a close eye on Katrina, and check out with the receptionist before you go" before leaving the room.
We wait a few minutes, then Alex helps Kat out of the bed. She's weak but able to walk on her own. Jack signs her out as the rest of us help her outside.
[ K a t ]
My whole body hurts and as we walk out the hospital doors the freezing air stings my skin. Zack wraps his coat around me and tries to hail a taxi. I look up at the stars in the night sky, holding onto Rian for support.
He hugs me and whispers "Kat I'm sorry that I haven't been here for you these past few years. I'm sorry that I've been so against everything you were doing. I just wanted to protect you. Please just, talk to me. I love you so much" Tears roll down my cheeks.
"I'm so sorry for all of this. You tried your best and I'm thankful for that. I love you too" Through all the disagreements, Rian is my big brother. I look up to him and I'm so lucky to have him.
Alex pulls me in for a hug and whispers "I'm glad you're still here. I'm here for you if you need anything. I love you, kid"
"I love you too" Alex is like another brother to me. He's helped me out though high school, with bullies, and with all my anxiety.
And then Jack hugs me.
"I know I'm probably the last person you want to talk to right now, but you're alive and that's fucking amazing. I'm saying this as a friend, I love you"
I rest my head against his chest and, as a friend, whisper "I love you too"
He kisses my forehead and the five of us manage to squeeze into the taxi.
[ J a c k ]
We get Kat up to my hotel room. Zack and her are talking on the couch. Alex and Rian are in the kitchen making everyone something to eat.
I awkwardly check my phone. After a few minutes Zack heads into the kitchen and Kat says "Jack, would you let me stay the night?"
"Umm" I don't know how to respond.
"Not like that" She sighs "I'm not supposed to be left alone and I guess it would be a good time for us to talk. Zack's sick so I can't stay in his room tonight and I'm probably going to sleep soon anyways. I mean, it's already two in the morning"
I nod "Sure, that's fine with me"
"As comfortable as this couch is, I'm sure we could share your bed" She says, "Not in a suggestive way"
"Alright" I give her a small smile.
I can't mess this up. I can't start any arguments. And I can't be pushy.
Oh god I should probably just keep my mouth shut.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
[ K a t ]
"Bye, Rain, bye Zack. I'll see you in the morning"
Alex suddenly pulls me into a hug. He whispers "You really had me scared, kid. Talk to me if you need anything" He lets go and looks up at Jack "No fuckin' around, alright?"
Jack nods "I know"
"Goodnight, Alex" I say, closing the door behind him.
"My phone died. What time is it?" Jack asks, heading into his room and plugging in his phone.
"Three fifteen" I sigh "Can I borrow a shirt? All my clothes are in Zack's room. He's probably sneezing all over them"
He raises an eyebrow for a second then nods, grabbing an old blink 182 tee from his suitcase.
"Thanks"
[ J a c k ]
Kat goes into the bathroom to change and I pull on a pair of sweatpants. A piece of paper falls out of the pocket of my jeans.
Kat's note.
I can't read this right now. I tuck it into my notebook and put it on the nightstand.
She comes back in the room and I take a deep breath "Can I talk to you?"
YOU ARE READING
Spilled Ink and Scribbled Lines (Crimson Lines Sequel)
FanfictionNow that Kat is living on her own in London, everything's starting to go her way. She's found a job, got an apartment, and met a bunch of new and interesting people. Two years after she left Baltimore, she runs into an old friend who decides its tim...
