The Bad Boy Hero

Chapter 22

I had been driving around all night trying to find Annie; I knew she wouldn’t go home straight away. I needed to talk to her; I needed to tell her how I felt, I didn’t know why I had a weird feeling about tonight but I needed to find her. I tried calling her again, it was getting dark again and I didn’t think she would answer like she hadn’t done the past 15 times I had tried but I had to try. She had to know. “Jasper,” came Annie’s voice, my heart was in my throat and I nearly skidded on the road. Annie needs me. “Please,” the phone went dead and I took a U-turn heading back towards her home. Come on! Come on! The car wouldn’t go fast enough, even though I was already exceeding the town’s speed limit. I was calling the ambulance on the way, knowing she was in trouble. I knew from her voice. Just her voice. Annie. Please Annie, I’m here, I’m here. The door was unlocked and I saw him. The hulk of a man that was meant to be her father standing over her, there was a shine of silver a splash of blood. I couldn’t understand what he was doing until I grabbed his broad shoulders and heaved him away from her. The man turned to me his eyes seething before he could take a swing I jabbed him in the chest winding him I continued until he fell to the floor, gasping for breath, I kneed him as he tried to stand again hearing a break in something that was probably his nose. He deserved it. I would have carried on but I heard a cry and was at Annie’s side in seconds. “You’re going to be ok!” I promised, heart pounding as I saw the blood pooling on the floor, that can’t be coming from her. No. She looked so crumpled her eyes staring out lifelessly, that annoyingly gorgeous little smile not on her face, skin beginning to bruise on her cheeks. I was taken for a moment back to the time she had cleaned me up after a fight. She had been worried about me.

“Jasper,” Annie choked brining be back to her. She needs me now.

“They’re on their way,” I promised holding her close, trying to hold her together. “The ambulance, they’re coming,” I hadn’t realised I was sobbing as I said it, she would have laughed at me for crying “don’t die,” I need you, I need your laugh.

“What happened?” I turned to see a man in a uniform I couldn’t recognise through my teary eyes

“He stabbed her,” I chocked “Help her, please!” I let them take her away and then the police was taking him. And I was alone. Always alone. The hospital was busy and it took me an hour just to be seen, everyone looked at me weird but I didn’t care I still had on my bloody shirt and I was still sobbing. Where is she? No one would tell me. I followed a manic woman running. She was yelling her name as she sobbed. I finally found her. She looked peaceful, clean in the white box room.

“Who are you?”

“Jasper!” Tess sighed I hadn’t seen her in the room, she gave me a hug. I couldn’t help thinking Annie would laugh at this, she was ruining my reputation she would say. I looked to her in the bed and broke down as Tess held me. Wake up.

“You know my daughter,” The woman was asking me. She looked like Annie with her round eyes and heart shaped face but she was blonde and weirdly enthusiastic in the traumatic situation.

“I’m her best friend,” I said simply nothing more needing to be said, because we were nothing more, because I was too late.

“Well I’ve never heard of you,” she continued

“Well you’re never around to hear,” I snapped, I shouldn’t have but I was right “Maybe if you were around she wouldn’t be in a hospital bed,”

“You know nothing!” She screamed at me before storming out of the room. I fell into the seat by her sleeping form in the bed seeing the bruises and her potted arm

“What happened?” Tess asked gingerly, I opened my mouth to explain then shook my head not able to speak, Tess nodded understanding “I get it, I’ll go calm down Lucy, she’s a bit of a drama queen,” I continued to stare at Annie not breaking my gaze for a second. I didn’t notice Tess leaving or the nurses milling in and out of the room checking vital signs, looking over notes, pressing buttons. Every so often her mother would come in crying, she’d check things over and leave again, Tess went to school came for an hour then would leave again, never saying much but telling me random things about her day, making conversation. I felt like I couldn’t breathe, like I was holding my breath for her eyes to open. I dreamed about waking up and finding her awake smiling at me. Eventually the nurses brought me a fresh pair of clothes and made me take a shower in the building since I wouldn’t leave the hospital. I couldn’t leave her. I wouldn’t let her be alone again.

“Please wake up,” I begged I didn’t know how long it had been, the days seeming to blur into one massive chunk of heartbreak. I clung to her little hand with both of mine; it reminded me of a little pale flower budding in my palm. I was crying again. The nurses gave me looks of sympathy when they saw me cry so I let it all out when I knew they wouldn’t be in for a while. Annie would laugh at me keeping my tears to myself. Please laugh. I wiped the tear from her hand hoping it would be like a fairytale when something magical like a tear could wake the sleeping princess from her unconsciousness. But no, nothing like that happens in the real world. I was going to sit back in the chair and maybe try to sleep a little when she gripped my hand back. My heart leaped “Annie!” I looked over her face, her bruises were turning a nasty shade of purple but she was still beautiful. A nurse bustled in like something was wrong “She squeezed my hand,” I sounded too hopeful

The nurse looked sympathetic like always “It was probably a muscle spasm,”

“No,” I looked back to Annie brushing her locks from over her forehead “She definitely squeezed my hand,”

I was dreaming again, I could have sighed if it wasn’t such a good dream. My eyes looked over her for a moment before looking at the rest of the room there was normally something different every time, once it had actually been a Johnny Depp cut out which was one of the weirder dreams. But there was nothing. I pinched my fingers together discretely then snapped my head back to Annie smiling at me softly eyes shining with almost laughter at my jumpiness. Say something! “Hi,” my voice sounded too deep from sleep but she smiled some more until she winced as her face ached from her bruises

“Hi,” her voice was raspy from not being used. I couldn’t help but grin as she tried to smile again as I got her some water. She’s going to be ok.

“You are my hero,” I told him, Jasper gave me a questioning look, “Bad boy or not, you are my hero.” 

"You are definitely going to ruin my reputation," I laughed and my stomach ached but I didn't mind as long as Jasper was laughing with me