I Love You So

1

Present Day

"We need your statement now, Maya."

I gulped. This was not the right time. I barely remembered anything. My mom was giving the detectives the death stare but to my surprise, they weren't affected by it.

"If I could have a word with both of you outside," my mom said in a fake sweet voice.

"Ms Johnson, you have to understand. This can't be delayed. She might-"

"Then get a court order." Mom hissed. She stomped out after them. Later, she told me that those detectives would be allowed to enter only if I wanted them to.

"I could've given them a statement, Mom." I lied. I would rather be comatose again than give them a statement.

"Bullshit. They couldn't find you. And now when you did come back on your own, they want a statement. You tell them what happened when you're all better again. Does your arm still hurt?"

"Not really." I looked at my mom and I suddenly wanted to cry. She'd been through too much and that too alone.

"I need to talk to Dr Gordon. I'll be back in 10. Tessie will be here in an hour." She told me on her way out. I stared blankly at the walls around me for a while.

She had been gone for more than 20 minutes when a janitor entered my ward. I was slightly alarmed. The guards outside my ward wouldn't even let nurses look inside after they were done taking vitals. Letting in a janitor without Mom around seemed weird. I made sure I didn't make any eye contact with him and just wished he was done already.

"How's the arm?"

Cooper.

"Oh f-"

"Ssh." He placed his palm on my mouth.

"Just listen to me. I found you with Parker, okay? You hadn't seen us before. You shot Parker and that's when we got you out of there. That's all you have to say. I mean, if you want to."

"Why-"

"Don't shout."

"Why," I said in a low voice "should I save you all?"

"Your statement matters but it isn't everything. They don't have proof against us. Only Parker. Your statement will become a story. You don't have-"

He got back to mopping the floor when we heard someone coming nearer. It was one of the guards who yelled at the janitor to hurry up.

"He saved your life, Maya. He loves you. Think about it." Cooper said before hurrying out of the ward.

He saved my life. Cooper wasn't wrong. His best friend loved me. But if he didn't involve me in his mess, I wouldn't be stuck in the hospital with vulture-like detectives around me and reporters standing outside the hospital. He loved me. And I, as much as I hated myself for it, had fell for him too.

I was thinking about what had happened between us when Mom came in with Tessie behind her.

"Oh, fuck. Look at you..." Tessie wasn't crying or anything and I thanked her for it.

"You doing okay now, right?" She asked and I nodded.

"Good." She then turned to Mom and talked to her about the reporters outside and then asked her when I'd get to go home.

"Yeah, you just talked to Dr Gordon right? What'd he say?"

"You can go home in three days. Listen, Maya. Can you give them a statement tomorrow?"

"Yeah, sure."

"It's just that I don't want them to step inside my house again. I hope you understand."

"Mom, I can give the statement right now." Fuck no.

Tessie told Mom to go home and sleep for a while. Now that she was here, Mom could finally get some rest. Tessie looked tired too. After asking me for the billionth time if I needed anything, she slumped on the chair placed next to my bed and stared at her phone. I immediately remembered Cooper. I thought I'd be freaked out if I saw any one of them again but I felt weirder without them around me.

I couldn't completely comprehend what had happened to me in the last month. The people I'd seen, met, loved and hated... it was a lot to process. There were parts of my story which made zero sense. I blacked out several times so I don't realize how things went through. I wanted Cooper to come back and explain everything. I needed the missing pieces. Cooper would laugh stupidly at first but then he'd be all serious and ready to answer my questions. As much as I hated them, I missed them. I missed him too. I couldn't let them go to jail. It was over. No one would suffer again because of Parker. I wasn't scared to tell my side of story anymore.