Masterpiece

Chapter 12

John's POV
Everything hurt. Everything was numb. The memory was fuzzy, but I remember my car turning in circles when the vehicle hit. I remember seeing Ramona before I blacked out.

I tried to open my eyes, but my eyelids were too heavy. The air smelled antiseptic. Something thin was on me, but I couldn't tell what it was. I'm in a hospital, at least I think I am.

I heard footsteps coming in my direction. My eyes opened a little, then all the way. I was in a hospital. I was still in my clothes, plus a blanket thrown over me.

The footsteps had come from a nurse checking things on a monitor.

A dull beeping was pulsing in my ear.
I turned toward the woman.

"What hospital am I in?" My voice came out raspy and hoarse.

"New York City, Medical Center," she answered.
We were still in New York City. We hadn't even made it out of town.

"There was a girl that came with me. Where is she? What room is she in?" She shifted towards me.

"I can assure you she's fine."
"I have to see her."
Her expression looked urgent, troubled.

"No. You need bed rest. We're keeping you both under observation for a bit more. The crash didn't do much damage. Just a couple scrapes and bruises."

I had a white bandage wrapped around my wrist and a patch strapped on my shoulder. They both stung whenever I moved. The nurse saw me observing the wounds.

"They should heal in about 48 hours." She turns on her heels and walks out the room.

I had a growing urge to see Ramona. I needed to see if she was ok. To see if she was still breathing. I ripped the IV out of my arm and immediately regretted it. The actors make it look so easy, but in reality it hurt like hell.

I slowly crept out of the bed. My feet were numb and felt like pins and needles were pricking at my skin. The hallway tile was so slick I nearly fell.

I didn't know what room Ramona was in. I'd just have to keep walking and hope I'd see her.

It seemed as if I'd been walking for hours down the corridor seeing face after face, but not the one I was looking for. I was about to give up when a certain someone caught my eye.

I stepped closer to the door and she came into view. Her chest, rising and falling, just as I had hoped it would. As I sat in a cushioned chair and looked at her, a wave of guilt came over me.

If I hadn't of pushed her to visit her parents, she would have never been in this situation. She would be safe and not in this hospital. I didn't want her to step on the same land mines that I did, but I'm starting to think that that would've been a better alternative.

Ramona's POV
First came the pain. Then the memories. They both came just as fast. My arm hurt badly and I couldn't open my eyes. They weighed a ton.

Someone came into the room. They sat next to me. I could hear the cushion deflate when they did. A sigh is the only thing that filled the room. They laid their head on my arm. I finally had the strength to let my eyelids flutter open.

John's hair greeted me. He had his head rested on my arm.

"I'm glad you're ok." He lifted his head up and gave me a weak smile.

"The feeling's mutual." His smile fades.
"I'm so sorry Ramona. This is all my fault."

"This isn't your fault. I mean, we're still alive. It could be so much worse." Though he nodded, I know he still is going to consider this his doing. "What hospital are we in?"

"New York City, Medical Center," he says.

A lady comes in the room and narrows her eyes at John. He doesn't pay her any mind, so she disregards him and continues walking to me.

"Well, look who's up."
"How long do we have to stay here?" She unwraps a bandage on my arm. "Well let's see."

A gash runs across my arm. She examines it, then puts some kind of strong smelling liquid on it.

A stinging sensation pulses throughout the wound. I clench my eyes shut and bite my tongue to keep from wincing. Maybe if she thought I wasn't in pain, she'd let us leave.

As she wrapped it back up, the pain subsided. She then pressed a thumb to my side and that also resulted in pain. I looked down to see bruises branding my side. She rubs a creamy substance onto them until my skin absorbs it.

"Ok. I think you should be fine. You are free to go." I got up from the bed. My body felt stiff, like I hadn't used it in years. I resembled a zombie when I walked.

We walked out of the hospital and a car sat in front of the entrance. The window struggled down.

"For God sake, John. What did you do, try and kill yourself?" A girl sat in the front seat. Short, dark brown hair framed her facial features. She barely looked any older than I was.

"No, not exactly," he says walking to the car.

"Ramona, this is my older sister, Amelia."
She smiled a warm smile and outstretched a hand toward me.

"Hi, Ramona. I've heard a lot about you."

"Hi," I say awkwardly and shake her hand.

"You know, when a girl comes home she wants to hear a loving call from her brother, not an urgent call from a hospital receptionist," she says giving John an agitated expression.

"Yeah, yeah. I'm sorry, I kinda got into a little fender bender."

"Little. You've got bandages up to your neck," she exaggerates.

John got in the car and I boarded the backseat. It was roomy. I could see Amelia's eyes through the front mirror and realized she had the same mysterious eyes that John had. It's like you could tell a story with those things.

-

We stopped at my building and I thanked Amelia for the ride.
My phone buzzes in my pocket when I am inside.

"Hello, Ms. Lewis." Nerves shoot up my spine.

"I bring news, but don't worry, I'm sure you'll enjoy it," she continued.
"First and foremost, you have successfully completed the program." I put a hand over my mouth to keep from screaming. It welled in my chest and I could barely contain it.

"Come here at noon to receive everything. And lastly, congratulations." Her voice sounded forced but I'll take it.

As soon as she hung up, I let it out and I'm pretty sure I shattered some windows.