Running

Chapter Seven: Hospital

Iris's POV:

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I wake up to extremely bright lights.

"Where am I?" I wonder aloud, hearing a bit of shuffling from my right side. "Am I in the hospital?"

"Yes, you are," a voice says from beside me. I turn to see who it is, and realize it's Aaron Camelot, the popular guy. His face is void of emotion and he looks exhausted.

"What happened----?"

"You had abrasions to the side of your head," he replies without looking at me. "And the doctors found a few other things, too."

"What?" I inquire, confused. Then it hits me. My scars.

"Aaron----," I start, but I am interrupted by the door opening slowly

"Oh, hello, Ms. Locke," a handsome ,middle-aged fellow says happily. His name tag reads McAllen. "You're awake!"

"Yes," I confirm, then say under my breath, "unfortunately."

Aaron picks it up and looks at me curiously.

"Anyway," the rugged doctor continues, looking down at his notepad. "It seems there is something rather unusual about your report here, Ms. Locke. You seem to have broken almost every bone in your body, along with many other dislocations and you have quite the number of scars."

"Oh, um," I struggle to come up with a believable lie. "I was in a horrible car wreck one night a few years ago. I broke dozens of bones, and dislocated quite a few, too. The shrapnel hit me, causing me to bleed a bit."

Aaron seems to buy it, but the doctor looks at me funny. "Aaron, would you mind leaving me and the missus alone for a minute or two?"

Aaron complies and shuts the door behind him. The 40-year-old man and I are plunged in silence.

"May I tell you a story, Ms. Locke?" he prompts, looking at me for an answer. I nod and settle back into my pillow.

"There once was a man named Joseph. Joseph McAllen," the doctor's name is McAllen. "His father died when he was very young. His mother turned to alcohol and married another man.

"The man's name was Terrence Down," the doctors eyes get kind of glassy. "He was feared all throughout his tiny rural town. So, you can imagine little Joseph's terror when Terrence is his new daddy, huh?"

I nod timidly.

"Yes," Dr. McAllen sighs tiredly. "So, one night, Joseph decides to steal a bit of candy from the special drawer. He was a kid, understand? Just a kid. And so big, scary Terrence catches him. He decides to slap the kid for stealing candy, to teach him a lesson.

"Well, one slap turns into a punch. And one punch turns into a full-blown beating. His mother walks in on the scene and do you know what she decided to do?" he sucks in a large breath. "She decides to join in on the fun.

"It wasn't until I was fifteen that I decided to tell someone," he explains, looking teary-eyed. "My whole life changed. I was adopted into a real nice family and from then on I knew I had to make a difference. I was abused for seven years and I turned my life around. You could do the same."

I snort and look at him. "Well, it's been twelve years for me, Doc. I have been through I helluva lot more than this," I point to my cut, "trust me, I can handle myself. Just one more year, and I'll be free. Thanks, anyway."

The doctor looks angry for a moment but sighs and says, "That's alright. It took my beloved a long time before she could get me to say anything to anyone. I hope that young man out there is your soul mate like my love."

I smile and give him a tight hug. "Thanks, Doc."

He smiles and leaves the room. Not long after, Aaron enters the room looking like his world has turned upside down.

"What's the matter?" I ask worriedly, checking over his body to see if he is hurt.

"No, I'm fine," he sniffles, then leans his head on my shoulder. Soon after, he starts to weep. Hot tears pour down his

cheeks, but I just hold him tighter and allow him to cry.

And as he explains to me what has happened to his mother, I think I fall in love with him a little bit.

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