In Omnia Paratus (AU) - Book 2

New place

"I thought she said no visitors?" Richard asked Victoria as they walked down the hospital corridors to find her room.

"She did."

"So what am I doing here?" He sighed. "She'll just push me away!" He stopped dead in his tracks refusing to move any further towards her room.

"You're breaking the rules." Victoria sighed pushing him towards the door.

- - - - -

"Hey." I heard a voice come in the room.

I'd been in the same position for hours. I was curled up in bed hiding my face and crying on the most part. If not, I'd just lay there and get upset in my mind.

"Jen?" Richard asked as I heard him come closer. "I'm not angry anymore, I promise." He tried. "I just want you to be okay."

I didn't respond. I sat there pretty still and eventually sat up normally, I did acknowledge him by giving him a small glance but I just sat up normally in the bed and stared straight ahead of me.

"You're coming back to Ashford today?" He tried to started a conversation. I gave him a small nod.

"I did want to stay here longer but apparently there's nothing wrong with me." I scoffed and I don't think he expected that to come out of my mouth, I didn't really.

"Why stay here?" He asked and I ignored him again. "Jenna, talk to me come on, I'm sorry about before you have to understand--"

"--I'm not angry Rich." I suddenly spat out and I didn't realise quite what I was saying. "I just uh don't feel like talking much." I sighed.

"That's okay. I'll talk." He shrugged. "Uh, so I went and spoke to your teachers and they're willing to give you some extra time on assignments and extra credit work."

"Ok." I nodded trying a small smile but it didn't work.

"And oh! Of course, you get your own flat for a while now so I can spend more time with you now alone." He joked.

"Sorry, what?" I spat.

"Did Victoria not go through everything with you. You're going back to ashford but you've got your own room. A big one too." Richard nodded along.

"But Lily? How will she get out of bed and who's going to check on her in the night. Who's going to help her get dressed--"

"None of that is your worry anymore." Richard said supportively.

"So I'm banished from my own room?" I got really worked up.

"No, no. All your stuff will be in the new place, it'll be just like home, but you've not got Lily to worry about." He tried to make that sound like a good thing but it really wasn't.

"Everything alright in here?" Victoria strolled into the room.

"Will I ever see Lily again?" I snapped.

"You told her huh?" She glanced at Richard. "Well uh. For now we'd like to keep the two of you separate." She explained.

"Oh uh okay." I signed. "Did I do something to her?" I asked naively.

"Of course not! This is for your own health, the guilt is what's causing the decline in your health and we want to stop that. Lily's the source, we take that away and..." Victoria explained.

"Alright." I said slowly interrupting her. "I get that but--"

"Jen." Richard scolded me. "You know it's for your own good."

- - - - -

"So this is your new place." Mr Brown said as he flung open the door to a dorm room on the opposite side of the building to my old one. "Only temporary of course." He muttered.

I managed to get dad to take me back instead of Richard. He was looking after violet instead. Dad came to sign some forms and help me settle into the new dorm.

"Do I have a roommate?" I asked gently as I saw some boxes of stuff that weren't mine.

"No this is all yours." He explained.

"Then what all this..." I said walking over to the box closed to me a picking up a scarf and a jumper that I didn't recognise.

"Well, they're your clothes Hun." Dad said suddenly grabbing my shoulder to see whether I was being serious or not and I just stared up at him a bit confused.

"Oh yeah right. They're mine." I laughed folding them up and placing them back into the box. "Do you have any water here?" I turned to mr brown.

"Yes you've got a mini fridge just like in your old place." Dad smiled pointing it out in the corner of the room.

"Ah." I mumbled and muttered as I went over to the fridge and pulled out some water and took some pills. They were the antidepressants. Dad just stared at me for a while until someone else spoke.

"We set up your room in here..." Mr Brown suddenly said. "And there's the spare room just there in case you need anyone to stay the night. We've got a list of phone numbers here on the wall and a phone, we've also put the important numbers into your contacts."

"Wow someone's been busy." I laughed at him gently.

"Well we try our best." He responded.

"And we really really appreciate that." Dad interrupted. I knew what he was talking about, the fact that they didn't kick me out even though I was clearly out of my mind.

There was nothing anyone could do for me now. I had to figure this thing out for myself for a while.

Dad stayed with me the first night, then the second and when he offered the third night I sent him home. He said he felt bad, leaving me here in this state, but there was nothing he could do.

Apparently Richard wanted to come and see me but I'd been putting it off. The same with everyone really. I heard that Ollie and jack wanted to come round, as well as Lily and Matt and Lucy and Olivia. But I was refusing everyone still.

But Richard was coming now dad was gone. Someone had to spend the night with me for the next week until I felt I could do it alone and not end up crying myself to sleep instead.