\\Connor//

Bad News and Hospitals

I was excited for the suspension to be over. I wanted to see other human beings ... Connor. I missed him for the day he didn't come over. He wasn't there, though. In Algebra. He wasn't there at lunch. He didn't show up today. Neither did Maddie, I noticed. My suspicions peaked.

"Have you seen Connor?"

"No."

"Have you seen Connor?"

"No."

"Have you seen Connor?"

"No."

He was nowhere to be found, and it worried me. The final bell releasing us from school rang, I became insecure, wondering if I should just let him go. Maybe he moved away. Maybe he didn't want to be my friend anymore. Maybe I'm not a good kisser.

"Dakota?" Mr. Donnelly called me. "Can you come here for a minute?" I followed him to into the class. "I have seen you and Mr. Sampson become really close friends, and I thought it woukd be fair to you to let you know."

"What do you mean?"

He sighed. "Connor got into a bit of an accident yesterday. I can't give too many details but there was a fight outside the school after hours, and Maddie's relative who is quite big and scary may have severely hurt Connor." My stomach turned, but my face remained stoic. I nodded for him to continue. "Anyways, he was found in critical condition, and is resting at a hospital now. San Joaquin, I believe. All of his teachers got the notice, and I see you as possibly his only friend."

I nodded again. "Thank you." I stepped out of the room and ran home ranting and raving to my mother. I demanded she take me to the hospital so I coukd see him. That's why he didn't show, he wasn't sick of me. He was hurt. He was beaten up. "Please mom. I need to go."

"Fine! Fine. That poor boy. I wonder what he did to deserve this."

We drove to SJ Hospital and asked for Connor. Visiting hours weren't for another hour so we waiting an excruciating 60 minutes before being let up to see him, and when we saw him he looked awful.

He was still beautiful. Nothing could change that. But half of his face was purple. His eyes were sunken in. His arm had been broken. My baby. What did they do to my baby?

"Connor?" I called with tears racing each other down my face. He was asleep. I sobbed. I sobbed and sobbed asking for it to not be true. This was a joke. He wasn't hurt as badly as he was. He only had a splinter or a nail that was bitten too short. He didn't have 2 black eyes, a broken arm, or a bruised face. Not my Connor. This boy had turned my life upside down.

I sat by his bed and held his hand. It felt so familiar to me. This was the hand that I was meant to hold for the rest of my life, I knew it for sure.

"Dakota," he whispered hoarsely. My eyes shot wide open. His were only half open. "Dakota. Why are you here?"

"Why wouldn't I be? You're hurt, I needed to see you. Who did this? Why did they do this? Why won't you tell me what's wrong with you?"

"Dakota!" My mother screeched. "Let the boy catch his breath!"

I apologized.

He swallowed roughly. "Dakota. I'm not what you think I am. I'm a boy, but I'm not like other boys."

"I don't care," I declared. "I don't care what you are! I have fallen so in love with you that you could be a murderer and I would kill by your side." He let out a coarse laugh from his throat.

"I'm not a murderer, Dakota. But I don't know how to say it to you. I want to tell you, but the words won't come out. Mrs. Beckett?"

I looked over at my mother. What did she know. She smiled at me.

"Baby, he's transgender."