Mistakes [Second Book]

forty six

Joey's POV

The drive to the hospital seemed to go in slow motion. The crimson red liquid was soaking through the thin sheet Daniel was wrapped in and small whimpers escaped his lips every so often. His eyes tried to shut and allow him to sleep calmly, but I didn't want him sleeping. What if he didn't wake up? I don't know what all those asshats did to him, so I needed to take as many precautions as possible.

Once we arrived at the hospital, Preston helped me pick up Daniel and we rushed him to emergency, our legs moving as fast as they could with Daniel in our arms.

A gurney was immediately available and multiple nurses gathered around to speed Daniel into a room. I ran after them, leaving Preston behind and yelling for Daniel.

"Sir, you can't go in there!" a nurse yells sternly at me as I run down the wide hallways behind Daniel.

I ignore her, continuing my fast pace, follow my closely behind until Daniel is taken into a room and a door is slammed directly in my face. A scream is sent through the halls straight from my throat. My fists pound (into him) onto the door and I scream as tears well in my eyes. A nurse walks over and closes the curtain on the door, leaving me to lean against the wall, sliding down and bringing my knees to my chest.

"Joey," I hear a familiar voice breathe out, recognizing it as Preston.

"What the fuck do you want?" I mumble, drying my eyes of tears before looking up at him.

Before I can object, he's sliding down the wall directly beside me, our knees touching. I slide over immediately, the contact between our bodies too much for me to handle.

"Joey look, I didn't know they were going to do...that. If I did, I never would ha–"

"Just fucking stop!" I snap, rising to my feet, "I don't give a shit about your fucking excuses. You were a part of this. You're the reason my baby is in here, so why don't you just leave?"

Preston looks into my dead eyes with his lively ones and I can almost see the concern pouring out of them.

"I'm sorry," Preston mumbles quietly before pushing past me, heading straight for the doors.

I slide back down the wall, my fingers lacing themselves throughout my messy hair. This is all my fault, and that's exactly why I'm blaming Preston. I brought Daniel into my mess of a fucking life. If he didn't even meet me, none of this would've happened. He'd still be living his normal, happy, average life. But no, I just had to fuck things up for him. That's all I seem to do nowadays; fuck everything up.

Maybe everyone was right.

"You can't love someone when you don't even love yourself."

"Nobody is going to love you. You're damaged goods."

"Real people don't love sluts."

And maybe that is right. Maybe there's no point in even fighting for this anymore. Daniel deserves more. I can't give him the love he truly does deserve and need.

That's how I find myself hopping into a taxi, heading as far from here as possible.

(a/n: i randomly started crying because there's foreshadowing in here that i don't think anyone will figure out. im so...)