Briar Preparatory Academy

No One Is Alone

Celeste POV

I open my eyes to see a familiar room surround me. I'm in the infirmary. I blink several times before I can make anything out. I look around the room and see Kate and Preston sitting on a bench in the corner. They aren't speaking, just merely staring down at their intertwined hands resting between them. I watch them for a few seconds, feeling something warm up inside me.

I slowly sit up, wincing as I attempt to move. The sound of the bed sheets makes Kate jump and she breaks contact with Preston.

"You're awake." She says, standing up. She comes and sits down in a chair beside the hospital bed and grasps my hand in hers.

"Yeah..." I pause and the events of the night before come rushing back to me. "How did I get to the infirmary?" I ask him.

"Joe filled us in on what happened. After you shot Jasper you experienced a panic attack, most likely from killing him. You passed out from not getting enough oxygen and your heart rate was through the roof. Joe called for emergency backup and had you transported here immediately." Preston fills me in. I nod, pushing back the covers to see that my jeans and shirt have been replaced with a hospital gown. My legs are covered in bruises and there is a brace on my shin and ankle.

Preston lets out a huge sigh. "You have two small fractures. One in your ankle, so you will need to wear that ankle brace for a while." He says, nodding towards the black lace up brace that is covering my ankle. "And you have a small stable fracture in your tibia, so you will need to wear that brace on your shin also." He says. The brace on my shin is small and resembles a compression wrap.

"Is that all?" I ask him, praying that there is nothing else.

"No. Your shoulder is pretty banged up from your fall, and your torso is really bruised according to Dr. Alicia. Both those are minor injuries and should heal up within the next couple of weeks." He says.

Kate has been quiet this entire time. I look up to see her biting her lip and tears pooling in the corners of her eyes.

"Kate..." I say, and I feel my throat begin to close up. I reach out and pull her into a tight hug. She pulls away and wipes a tear from her cheek, rolling her eyes.

"God," she says with a laugh, "I have cried way too much recently." I return her laugh and grip her hand tighter. She looks at me and smiles. "I'm just happy you're okay. I didn't know if I was going to see you again after we split up."

"Hey, we don't go down that easy," I say, "Both of us are way too stubborn."

The door to the hospital room swings open and Dr. Alicia walks in. "Celeste?"

I let go of Kate and turn to face Dr. Alicia. "Yes ma'am?"

"Hi. How are you feeling?" she asks, and pulls a clipboard off a table.

"I feel pretty good."

"Any nausea or do you feel overheated?" she asks. I shake my head. "Great. How's your leg feeling?"

"I think I can walk on it."

"You should be able to. You could have sustained much worse injuries. You got lucky this round." Dr. Alicia smiles and scribbles a few things onto her clipboard, then looks back up at me. "I need you to get changed and come with me. Headmaster Lockharte has requested your presence in his office immediately." She says, nodding her head and stepping back out of the room.

"I brought you some clothes." Kate says, going back to where she was sitting and pulling a small backpack out from under the chair. She hands it to me carefully.