No Turning Back

We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together

Am I dead? I thought as I slowly came into consciousness. Darkness still covered my vision but I could clearly hear something going on around me. First, I heard a slight beeping beside me. It was pretty faint since I wasn't exactly completely consciousness. I also heard some footsteps at a farther distance as well as soft voices. I struggled to hold on to the sounds, trying to bring myself back into the real world. As the sounds got louder, I also began to feel some pain. My left side was burning as was my arm. I mentally gritted my teeth as I tried to ignore the fiery sensations. I started to pay more attention to my surroundings as I began to feel something warm and soft under me as well as what felt like a blanket on top of me. Where the hell was I?

Slowly, I began to pull my eyes open a little bit. My vision was still a bit fuzzy but I could make out a white wall overtop of me. I let my narrowed eyes wander around the room. I found that I was in some white room, in a bed, and there was a figure sitting in a chair near my bed. I blinked a couple times in order to clear up my vision. As it cleared, I saw that Jayden was the one in the chair. He was asleep, his head leaning back against the wall. My wounded stomach fluttered from the sight of him. I tried to say something but my throat was painfully dry. So, I started to reach out with my unwounded arm to lightly poke his cheek. He jumped awake, his green eyes looking around in surprise. When they landed on me, I saw relief fly through them. "Daniel," he said as he scooted the chair closer. He grabbed my hand in his and gave it a soft squeeze. "Thank God, you're alright. How are you feeling?"

"Mmm," I managed to get out with my dry throat. Jayden noticed my inability to speak and grabbed the glass of water that was sitting near my bed. He got up to sit down beside me on the bed. He then put one hand behind my head to support me as he put the glass to my lips. The water was cool, refreshing, soothing even as it glided down my throat. I wanted to gulp it down quickly as I usually did but I didn't have the strength to. So, I just took slow sips out of the cup. When I was finished, I cleared my throat and coughed a bit to make sure I could talk. "Jayden," I murmured as I looked up at him. "Where...where am I?"

"You're in the hospital," he said, his eyes crinkling together in confusion. "Where else do you think you'd be?"

"Where...where's Ashley? Is she...is she alright?"

"She's fine. Her injuries weren't as severe as yours. Daniel, you've been knocked out for the past two weeks."

"Two weeks," I exclaimed. I attempted to sit up but Jayden put his hand on my shoulder. The skin under his touch burned in a fiery pleasure. "Jayden, I can't stay in here. I need to go to school. I need to be at home with Zac and Ashley. Where is Zac? Is he alright too? Where are my parents? God, what the hell?"

"Just relax," Jayden said. "Your body needed the rest. The doctor said that you've been way too stressed out lately and the beating didn't help your body at all. He said you might need to be in for another week so that they can make sure you'll make a full recovery. Your rib is broken and so is your arm. Your face is still a bit bruised up too."

"Where are my siblings? Jayden, are they alright?"

"Yes. They're both just fine. I think that they're back at your house. Social Services called your aunt to watch over them."

"And my parents...?" Jayden's jaw tightened.

"They're in jail. They're going to be facing charges for child abuse so you probably won't see them for a while. I don't think social services are going to let them around your siblings either. Your aunt already said that she would move to take care of Ashley and Zac. Or at least until you're stable enough to take care of Zac. Don't worry about them. Everything's all figured out." I let out my worried breath.