Heavenly Fire

Chapter 5

The nurses came storming into the room, two of them, followed in suit by a doctor clad in white. They yelled words of medical expertise whilst Gracie sat frozen. He couldn't die, he just couldn't. He was simply too young. So much to look forward to and he was about to say goodbye to it all.

One of the nurses pulled Gracie's chair away from the bed side and all she could do was watch helplessly from the sidelines as the doctors and Aaron fought for his life. He looked awfully pale. Gracie swore he was a shade paler than just a few seconds ago, when his heart beat was existent.

The vicious hum of the life support echoed against the walls, it felt as though the hateful ring would forever linger in her ears. She saw the scene unfold before her as panic stricken nurses prepared Aaron's bare chest. Volts of electricity would soon surge through his lifeless body and restart his failing heart. Hopefully.

A lone tear fell from a watery eye, a tear so soft that Gracie barely noticed as it rolled down her cheek. No matter what he had done in the past, did he really deserve to die? So young? And so alone? Where was his mother to lend a caring touch? His father to hold a reassuring grasp of his shoulder? Or even a sibling to playfully tease him as he laid there sleeping. But there was no one. Only Gracie.

Before she knew it, Josh was at her side cradling her head against him, using one hand to caress her hair affectionately and the other to hold her shaking hand. Gracie barely even realised she was sobbing until she felt his touch against her cheek. She felt empty. As if she was no longer of this earth and was simply an observer shrouded in an invisible mist. A haze with tendrils that kept her prisoner in the bitter isolation, the paralytic numbness that prevented her escape. She felt lost.

The voices grew louder, the only thing seeming able to break through the mind numbing haze. "Clear!"

But then, something amazing happened. Before the electric surging plates could reach his chest, the lifeless body rose quickly to a sitting position, gasping for air as though he had only just surfaced from the bitter grasp of the lake. His blue eyes startled, blood shot. His chest heaved rapidly, Josh even began to wonder if it was possible for the heart to pop out of one's chest. He wouldn't of minded if Aaron tested this theory.

Aaron's eyes began to search the room, taking in each face that stared at him with open mouths. A doctor's face, old and weary, hovered above him shinning bright like a stop light and oozing with sweat. To the side stood two nurses, one short and stout with a mass of greying brown hair going awry whilst the other was tall and endearing with skin of an Egyptian tan and dark locks held tightly atop of her head. Towards the door stood a stranger with a familiar face. Pale skin, dark hair the tattered star wars shirt said all too much about him, thought Aaron. In front of the not-so-stranger was a girl, a girl he did recognise but before she stood on two slender legs whilst now she sat heavily in a wheel chair.

"Gracie?" He whispered, his voice softly hoarse. The sound seemed to scrape earnestly against his throat and Gracie flinched as if his voice came like nails on a chalk board. "What are you doing here?"

"We can catch up on the latest gossip in a second," Said the ageing nurse, "but for now, let the doctor check you over."

The doctor lingered in and outside the room, shock smitten. It was clear he had never seen anything like this as he brushed a hand across his scalp where a fine mane once grew. His white coat swayed with the draft as he paced backwards and forwards whilst his glasses fell to the tip of his nose and Gracie fought to resist the urge of pushing them further up his face.

"You seem... perfectly healthy." Dr. Crete started. "No fever, no broken bones, no evidence what so ever that you were in that lake."

"The lake?" Aaron asked, his headed throbbed slightly but was far from a headache. He felt as though his heart had somehow jumped to his brain and beat slightly against the muscle.

"Extraordinary..." Dr. Crete whispered, his right hand supported his elbow whilst his other rubbed his chin inquisitively.

"Will he be okay?" Chirped Gracie from the corner. She couldn't careless how he came back to life, as long as he did. That was all that mattered to her.

"Medically speaking... yes. It is quite the medical marvel,, any longer lasting trauma may still persist. Such as shock."

"I am here, you know." Aaron chided, childishly. Charming, thought Gracie, a knock to the head hadn't managed to fix his arrogance.

"Yes, I'll come check on you in about an hour."

With that and a click, the door was shut and the doctor disappeared into the corridor, leaving behind Gracie and Josh with Aaron. Gracie was still recovering from her tears the occasional sniffle escaping her, whilst Josh stood behind her with a murderous gaze. His hands clenched into fists and he fought the magnetism that drew the fist to Aaron's jaw. Aaron. gave a matching stare, his now ice cold eyes seeming to freeze the core of Josh's soul with no sign of him succumbing to the threat. But then his glare wondered to Gracie and was replaced with bewilderment. The ice in his eyes melted.

"Why are you crying?" He said blatantly.

"I'm not." She almost whispered, feeling overly embarrassed. She shouldn't of come here, she thought, she should of stayed in her spring digging bed.

"Why were you crying?" He emphasized his correction

"She saved your life. Then watched you die." Josh spat. "If you had any sense, you would have stayed dead."

"Sense is overrated." Aaron shrugged.

Josh began to mutter, words too toxic for Gracie to repeat she thought. He stormed out of the room, failing to slam the door behind him as the fire door took its steady time. He appeared to have thundered down the corridor in the same direction as the doctor only moments ago, but Gracie knew he would be waiting out side the door for her.

Now she was alone with Aaron she didn't know what to say, what could she say? Before the party at Kyle Ford's house, the two had never spoken. Barely even exchanged glances. Now they were left alone together and the silence hung in the air undisturbed.

Aaron just watched her, as she breathed one heavy breath at a time. Observed as she fidgeted nervously in the wheel chair and he was... intrigued. She was a coward. She was a loner at school because of her fear of the judgement of people like himself. She was weak as she failed to fight his advances without another's interference. Yet she was brave enough to jump in a lake to safe the stranger that violated her an hour before. It was strange. He felt a weird pang in his stomach he had never felt before. He almost... admired her.

"I just came to make sure you was okay." She said softly. No sign of a particular fear was held in her eyes but her voice said her otherwise. Her voice was more like a whisper, but he eyes held firm like solid oak and matching in colour. But without a good bye, she struggled with the wheels and her cargo of body fluids toward the door.

"Wait." He said.

She paused with her hand on the steel hold of the door, her head turning back to see him yanking the wires from his veins. Gracie gasped, expecting him to fall to the floor but Aaron knew better. Aaron knew his body would be as good as knew, he wasn't sure how he knew, but he was sure.

He began to walk towards her, stumbling at first but after a few steps he got back the rhythm of walking. Gracie watch as he marched. His eyes with purpose and his body poised for action. She noticed he was in a similar hospital gown to her own, yet she couldn't help but wonder if he unfortunate enough to be given an open back gown.

His arm reached out toward her

"Thank you." He whispered softly, but surprisingly sweetly as he opened the door and watched her wheel in to the corridor.

She smiled back at him as she left and watched behind her as Josh took control of the steering. As the door closed itself slowly, Aaron walked back toward the bed and Gracie saw. His gown was open backed, and two tense cheeks smiled back at her.