What I Couldn't Tell Him

30 - Not Exactly Princess Material

JAIMIE PERRON

I found the ICU wing quickly. Inside was a nurse sat at a painfully organised desk. He had long, honey coloured hair, and smiled sympathetically as I walked up.

"Excuse me?" I say, unable to keep the stress out of my tone.

"Who are you looking for, miss?"

"Jennifer Ashton."

"Okay, Room 23 on the right. You will have to wait because you are not immediate family-"

"-she doesn't have any immediate family!"

"Oh, ask the doctors when you get there." He waves me away as I jog down the corridor, almost sending a nurse and her tray of grey hospital meals flying.

My heart is beating at the same pace as my feet hit the tiles. I look into rooms, seeing crying children, old men and women with breathing masks on and three generations sobbing at their bedside.

I see a teenager, a girl, lying almost still, lips pale and skin translucent. There are five people clinging to her covers and begging her to come back. Then I throw up, in a bucket that a nurse threw at me when she passed.

I find her room after that. There is a hive of activity around it, more clipboards and some doctors sharing notes.

"Excuse me? I'm her friend, can I go in?"

They stop and turn to me, eyeing me up. They look at me like I am completely stupid.

"Jennifer cant have any visitors as of yet. Please wait in the adjoining room." Someone instructs rudely. I sigh and pull the door. I am the only one there.

The walls are yellow stained, once white. The chairs are threadbare, spotted with coffee stains and tears. There is nobody inside and I think this would be a good time to check my phone.

I have 42 missed calls and counting. Jordan calls me as I unlock it so I answer first.

"F*ck! She's answering!" He screeches first and I hear some curses in the background.

"Go get Alden!" Then a moment of happy shouting.

"Hello?"

"Jaimie! Oh my f*cking god. You dont even know what has been happening over here."

"What?"

"He's been freaking out, thinking you'd just left! He thought you'd moved away! Where are you anyway?" He says, voice very high pitched.

"I'm at the hospital."

"F*ck, are you alright?"

"Its not me, its Jenni. I can't explain. I have to get back to her, she's in ICU." I explain hurriedly, hanging up.

He thought I'd moved? Why would he think that? Is that why he's been so wary? I'm not going to leave this place.

I have finished interrogating the doctor, who said she will recover in a few weeks but will need some help building up her muscles. They did not have to stitch her cuts. She will be having a full session with a psychologist.  I sat idly for another twenty minutes, watching the clock and the children's tv shows. I sat through ten minutes of a sh*tty Christmas film then the door burst open.

"Jaimie. Dont ever do that again!" Alden shouts, running into the room, hair tousled, clothes crumpled. He runs over and picks me up off the chair, holding my against him. I wrap my legs around his waist and he holds me up.

"I thought you'd left." He mutters into my hair, face buried in my neck.

I lean away from him and he sets me down on the floor.