Tattooed Hearts

Chapter 10: Emergency Room

He stood in front of the cashier, waiting to pay for today's appointment. But something about that hospital he knew all too well, felt strange that day.
The place was still the same, nothing changed, but something stirred a feeling inside of him. He was unsure what, but whatever it is, it was tying his guts together.
Not a minute later, his phone started ringing

"Yes?" He answered

"Bro, Charlie called"

"Charlie who? Charlie White? I haven't talked to him in years... What'd he say?"

"Meryl's in the hospital." Val says clearly

"Meryl?! Why-What-Where?!" He could barely keep up with his own heartbeat. A million thoughts came racing through his mind. Is she okay? How badly is she hurt? What happened? Where could he see her?

"She was brought to the nearest hospital. I'm certain that it's the hospital you're in."

With that, he immediately hung up the phone and ran up to the reception. Fortunately, he knew the hospital well enough to know where everything was located. He could hear the cashier lady calling him to come back, but he kept running.

"Was Meryl Davis sent here?" He asks the receptionist, completely out of breath

"I don't see a Meryl Davis here anywhere..." The lady answers him, flicking through pages of patient who have recently checked in

"Are you sure?" Hoping for her to say otherwise

"Yes, she's not in any of these lists... Wait! I think I just saw a petite lady being brought here to the emergency room. It's right down the hall and to your right." The lady explains quickly

He didn't have time to say thank you, instead, he just ran as fast as he could. The doors were shut, however, he was still able to peek through the small glass, no bigger than the size of an average novel. He could barely see what was going on inside the room, yet the glimpse of his view had already burned him into pieces.
He was unable to view her face or anything from her neck onwards, still he knew it was her. He could see the deep wounds and bruises all over her left arm, still, that wasn't the thing that was killing him. The thing that was killing him was the fact that she was just laying there, in the middle of that room, being so lifeless. He couldn't stand seeing her like this.
He bit his lip as he tried hard to hold back from punching himself with his already clutched fist. He was extremely enraged. He should've fought harder for her today. He should've been protecting her. She shouldn't have ever ended up here. Still, she was, and there is nothing he could do to prevent this from happening.
As an hour passed, his eyes wandered only to the door across from where he was sitting. Ever so often, he wanted to just walk to the other side and open the doors for himself, yet, he still knew better. Every breath gave him more anxiety than the last. His questions remained unanswered and continued to tear him apart. He tried to call Val again to know exactly what Charlie had told him, but Charlie only learnt about the incident after it had happened as she was being taken to the hospital.
The wait seemed like a lifetime, and already, he couldn't bare to stand any part of it. He recognized the limited time he has left in this life and was determined that he wasn't going to let another day pass by without having her by his side.
About an hour later, the doors gently opened and revealed a bed being escorted out of the room with no other person than Meryl laying there. Maks immediately stood up and ran to the nurses who were taking Meryl to another before a doctor held him back.

"Are you her family member?" the male in the white coat asks, holding a clipboard filled with paperwork

"Yes" Maks replies in a flash, not wanting to delay seeing her any longer

"Unfortunately, Ms. Davis suffered a concussion and a few fractured bones. There were some minor internal bleeding due to the concussion, however, we handled it and she should be fine. I'm afraid she will need to draw back from any type of physical activities for a few months, just incase it worsens her injuries. Other than that, she should be free to go within a few days."

"Thank you. Is it possible for me to see her now?" He tries to put on a smile

"Of course. She's in room 109. I hope she has a full recovery, and if you need anything, don't be shy to contact me. It was a pleasure meeting you." The doctor takes out a name card and hands it to him

"Again, thank you very much doctor."

"Well then, I should get going. I'll check on Ms. Davis once she is conscious."

As the doctor left Maks's sight, he directly rushed to locate Meryl's room. Once he found it, he took a glance to see if she was awake but only found her to still be senseless. He sat down at the seat right beside the bed and held one of her hand. As he clutched her hand close to him, he gazed upon her peaceful eyes which leisurely caused himself to fall into deep sleep.

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a/n
My schedule has been pretty hectic lately and I've been so tired, but I turned 14 last week! Anyway, ily guys - Steph