Heart of Glass

Chapter 10

Doctor Grimm pulled up the chair from Ariel's little desk, sitting by the edge of her bed. He swept a loose strand of dark hair from his face as his eyes assessed her. "How are you feeling today, Ariel?"

She didn't answer. Not because she was being petty and throwing a tantrum. She didn't answer because like the drive home with Michael two days ago, she still didn't know.

She had woken in her bed, after the Doctor injected her with some medicine to knock her out after her 'moment' in the foyer. She'd been out to it for over eighteen hours. When she had woken, Emily was sitting on her own bed, reading a magazine.

"Hey," Ariel had whispered.

Emily had looked over briefly before turning back to her magazine. Ariel hadn't missed the guarded look in her eyes. She was still upset about what had happened. "Emily, I'm –"

"I'll go and get the Doc," she interrupted flatly. She rose from her bed quickly, rushing from the room. "He'll want to know you're awake."

After that, apart from the Doc, Zeke and Mrs. Grimm, she didn't see anybody.

Emily hadn't even come back into the room to sleep the night before. According to the Doc, she herself hadn't sustained any serious injuries. She would be battered and bruised for a few days, but other than that she would recover, and her heart was healthy and sound. Although it was good news, she didn't feel happy.

Lucas had lost his temper and it was her fault. She'd made him angry and the Doc had said if she caused problems for the other patients recoveries then she would be gone.

Now the Doc had settled in, his familiar notepad positioned on his lap and she observed him pulling out a black pen, ready to jot down all her faults and finalise her eviction letter.

When she didn't answer his question, his eyes became more thoughtful. "Ariel?"

She sighed. "I'm fine."

He motioned to her heart, which was sitting in its chest beside her on the bed. "How is your heart today? Everything has returned to normal?"

Normal. The word tasted sour in her mouth. Nothing was normal here. "It's fine."

They lapsed into silence once more. She fiddled with a loose strand of threat on her blanket. Her back was aching and she just wanted to lie down and pretend she was back at home.

"Ariel," he began. Her eyes closed. She knew what was coming. "I'd like to talk to you about what happened the other day."

She tugged harder on the thread, her eyes remaining downcast. "What would you like to know?"

"I'd like you to tell me what happened."

"Lucas and Emily have probably already told you what happened – "

"They have, but I want to hear it from you."

"Fine." The thread came free and she started wrapping it around her finger. "I was going up to my room because I was tired and wanted to lie down. Lucas got in my way and I tried to step by him but he aggravated me and I snapped. I said some things I probably should have said differently and... stuff happened."

"He pushed you?"

"Yeah."

She heard his pen moving across the paper. "They told me you said some harsh things about Peyton." She could hear the underlying hardness in his tone. "Why would you say those things, Ariel?"

She bit down on her tongue. She had decided yesterday that she would never mention Peyton again. She had learned her lesson. If Lucas had reacted like that, then she couldn't imagine the Doc would believe her. Peyton had known them for years – she was a favourite.