Drowning

Chapter 20

One minute left.
I gripped the end of the table.
Cora sat up beside me. "Hm? What's happening?"
"We're you... Sleeping?!"
She yawned. "What do you think?"
"Cora! The teacher might have seen you!"
"Look at her." Cora pointed to the teacher, who was reading out of a textbook to us. She didn't even glance up once.
"Well..."
"See my point?" Cora laid her arms on the table and put down her head.
"Don't go back to sleep! The bell's about to ring!"
"What do I care?"
"We've got to go visit Kurt!"
"He's your boyfriend. You go."
"Now Cora..."
"I'm just kidding, Amy. Relax."
"Very funny." I replied. The bell rang and made me jump. Everybody stood up and shuffled out of the room. I was last, right behind Cora.
"He isn't my boyfriend." I mumbled as we walked out.
We met Garrett outside in the hallway.
"Ready?" He asked. I nodded. Cora just rubbed her eyes.
"We'll take my car this time." Garrett pulled out his keys. We hustled to the parking lot and jumped in the car.
"I hope he's awake." I commented.
Garrett started the car. "He probably is. It wasn't as bad as when you lost your blood, right?"
"Yeah, but that was mermaid blood. The blood he lost is the kind he needs to survive." I gulped.
"Don't worry, guys. I trust that doctor. He has good vibes." Cora responded.
"Since when did you become a hippie?!" I asked.
"That's not a hippie statement!" Cora jumped.
I laughed at her. "Then where'd you hear it?"
"A show."
"The hippie show?" I laughed again. She rolled her eyes.
"Almost there." Garrett's muscles tensed.
"You nervous?" Cora asked.
"Of course I'm nervous." Garrett mumbled. He pulled into the parking lot. We silently got out of the car and walked inside.
"Room 135." The lady behind the desk informed us. We followed her directions and quietly walked down the hallway.
"132... 133... 134... 135." Garrett rested his hand on the door knob. "Here he is." He took a deep breath before entering.
There he was, on the bed. Still asleep. What a disappointment.
I let out a deep sigh. Why did I think he would be healed by tomorrow? The wound was too deep.
His new, white blanket was up to his neck. One arm was laid next to his leg, while to other was hanging of the bed and floating in a bucket of water on the floor. He was wearing one of those hospital gowns over his shoulders.
I lifted the blanket. His bright, yellow tail was still there. All the blood had been wiped away. It was clean. Stitches wove over the grossly bite. It looked ugly.
I quickly looked away and set the blanket down. Would he be able to swim again?
"That's pretty bad." Cora commented.
"I wish we could do something."
"Hey, what about your dad? He could help!" Garrett pointed out.
"I had lost mermaid blood. Kurt needs a doctor for this."
"I'm gonna stay here with him until he wakes up. We have all day." Garrett found a chair in the corner.
"I will too." I sat in the chair next to him.
"Could we please go do something fun? This sounds boring." Cora complained.
"Aren't you worried about him?" I asked.
"Yeah. But why be worried here when we can worry over at my house?!" Cora protested.
"We could stay until the doctor comes and then leave. He should be here soon."
"I like the sounds of that!" Cora agreed.
"I don't know..." I took a worried glance at Kurt.
"We'd be here forever." Cora moaned.
"But what if he wakes up?"
"But what if he doesn't?"
"But... What if he wakes up?" I whispered.
"C'mon Amy. He'll be fine on his own. He was for one night." Garrett argued.
"Fine fine fine." I gave up. They had a point. There was something better we could be doing.
"Good afternoon." I heard footsteps behind me.
Doctor Thompson approached the bed.
"How's he doing?" I asked.
"Not too bad. He should be awake soon. He's in a coma."
"How soon?"
"In the next week."
I sighed.
"What do we tell his parents?" Garrett wondered aloud.
"Nothing. As far as they know, he's missing."
Garrett gulped. "Isn't that kind of risky?"
"Not really. It's the easy way out." The doctor turned around. "I'm afraid I'll have to be going. Feel free to check up on him whenever you like." My eyes followed him as he exited the room.
"I'm tired of hospitals. Can we go now?" Cora's eyes popped.
"Sure." I closed the door behind me as we left.

~~~

"Is this the only game you have?!" Garrett stared at the CD case.
"No no no no no no!!!" Cora yelled at the screen.
"And I'm passing you up..." I quickly moved my fingers across the wii remote.
"But hey... Looki what I got!" Cora yelled excitedly. "Star! Bupabeepadoopaladeedoopa."
"Cora, stop that!"
"Ha! Look who just got passed up." Cora's smile grew wider. "And... I... Am... Going... To... I crossed the finish line I have won for the fifth time in a row at mariokart! And I am looking down upon the LOSER who obviously has never played this game before." Cora stood up and started dancing.
"Cora, you are a horrible loser." I mumbled.
"Cora, why are you gloating. This isn't even a real game." Garrett sneered.
"I don't care. I don't care. You're just jealous. You're just jealous." Cora stuck out her tongue.
"Now Cora..." Garrett pulled out his phone. "Just a minute." He put it up to his ear.
"Hey... What? I don't know... I was just trying... He was... Hold on a minute." Garrett covered his phone. "It's my mom. Kurt's parents phoned her and asked her where he was. What do I say?"
"Tell them the truth. He was bit by a shark." I whispered.
"No!" Cora whispered back. "Tell her Kurt ran away."
"What?!" I turned to Cora.
Garrett picked the phone back up. "Well... I didn't want to admit it, but Kurt ran away... I know that... I had to cover for him. He begged me... He ran away! I have no idea where he went!... Really?... No, mom... Okay." He finally hung up. "She wants me to come home. I'm in big trouble. Cora, this is your fault."
"My fault?!" Cora threw back her head.
"I should have told her what Amy said!"
"The doctor said to keep it a secret!"
"He said no such thing!"
"What did he say then?!"
As the two kept arguing, I buried my face in my hands. What are we going to do?