Paradise

Chapter 4

"You feeling okay?" I asked. Lucinda was laying down on the couch, really not feeling well. "No." She sighed. Lucinda winced, bending over again. The others looked at her sadly. "It's starting to rain anyways. We can just have a movie day instead." Aaron noted. "Sounds good." Zane grunted, sitting down. Everyone got their things, taking a seat. Lucinda sat up shakily, collapsing back against me. I wrapped my arm around her comfortingly as she bit back a cry. "It's okay." I whispered, holding her hand. By the time the movie started I could tell that Lucinda was in serious pain. She was gripping onto my hand so hard it was turning red. "What's wrong?" I kept my voice lowered. "My stomach and hip." She winced. Her hip acting up, I understood... did she have a stomach bug or something? I worried myself more and more every moment. "Laurance..." Lucinda hissed. She was at the verge of crying. "We need to get you to a hospital." I blinked sadly. "Lucinda if we need to get you something, tell us." Katelyn gave us a sympathetic glance. She smiled sadly, letting out a pained cry. "Shh. Come here." I pulled her closer, letting Lucinda cry against me. I sighed, feeling a weight lifted off of my shoulders when she fell silent. I felt her heart beating slowly as Lucinda fell asleep. I couldn't suppress a smile, knowing that she was gonna be okay.

The loud clap of thunder woke me. It was pouring rain outside. The windows and blinds had been shut tight. I wasn't sure if we had lost power or the lights just weren't on, so I tried the lamp. It didn't turn on. Power out, I guessed. "Laurance?" Travis spoke quietly, trying not to wake anyone. "Yes?" I yawned. "I'm a bit worried. Katelyn's not shown up since she left about an hour ago." He admitted. "What? Where'd she go?" I told myself there was nothing to worry about. "I think she went outside..." He trailed off. "What?! Travis, come on, we need to go make sure she's safe!" I hissed, stepping around everyone. He met me at the door, and we took off.

Travis' POV

My heart began to race in fear. A million thoughts ran though my head. Most of them bad thoughts. Forcing myself to ignore them, I tried to see through the thick rain. It was pitch black out. A bolt of lightning flashed in front of me, lighting up the pathway. I saw what looked like a dent in the mud, like something had slid down. Racing towards it, I could tell it had to be where Katelyn had fallen. Carefully, I slid down the muddy hillside myself, looking around. Sharp rocks scattered around the sand, which seemed to have dark red raindrops in it. Oh no. No, please don't tell me that's blood... I stared in horror. Another flash of lightning. Turning my head, I saw a small cave in the hill. Making my way over, I tried to make out the scene in the dark light. "Katelyn?" I called. A weak cough responded. Once my eyes had adjusted, I saw her. "Katelyn!" I cried, dropping to my knees. A long gash ran along her side, blood still seeping out of it. Katelyn was as cold as an iceberg, shivering violently. "Hang on." I did my best not to panic. What was I supposed to do?! Stop the blood, stupid! I felt my instincts kick in, telling me what to do. Taking off my jacket, I wrapped it tightly around her side and stomach to keep it on. I didn't want to move her in case the wound opened up more. "It's gonna be okay." I promised, only hoping it really was. Her breathing was shallower every moment. I blinked away tears, afraid. Slowly, I laid down, pulling Katelyn against me. Normally, she'd punch me off of the earth for doing this. But I didn't care even if she tried. I wasn't about to let her freeze to death. Katelyn shut her eyes, trying not to cry. "I know it hurts. Just hang in there until the morning." I begged, hoping that she would be able to wait a little bit more.

Finally, the sun peered through the clouds, its golden rays shining right onto us. I gently moved my arm, checking my phone. Yes! I had a signal again! Pressing speed dial, I called Laurance. "Where are you?!" He shouted. "Put it on speaker." I demanded. I heard the click. "Okay. I can't come get you guys. Katelyn's severely wounded, and I'm not sure that she's gonna make it. You need to get a medic over to the shore off of the side of the muddy cliff, to the south side of the house." I explained. "Already on it." Aaron replied. "Alright. Just hang on, both of you." Zane growled. I heard footsteps, figuring that they were already heading our way. Katelyn was getting colder by the minute, and was still bleeding. I didn't know much about wounds, but I knew that if she had been bleeding all night there wasn't much time left. I ended the call, pressing myself closer to her. "Don't give up." I choked on the words. Our friends were there right after. I felt embarrassed yet protective at the same time. The medic came in, taking care of Katelyn. I stepped out, letting her have space. "Oh my gosh..." Lucinda stared in fear. "What happened?!" Aph squeaked, scared. "I don't know. I just found her bleeding heavily and waited for the storm to pass so I could call for help." I worried. "Had you not found her she would've died." Aaron noted. I felt sick just thinking about it. "Travis, I'm so sorry I didn't keep looking." Laurance apologized. "It's okay. I'm not worried about that..." I trailed off, looking over my shoulder, feeling guilty.

One hour later

"Miss Katelyn is lucky to have you as friends. Had you not covered the wound when you did she would've bled out. I'm surprised she was awake when you found her. Usually when we have cases such as these when the patient is still awake, they tell us that they were waiting." The medic explained. "Waiting for what?" Kawaii~Chan frowned, tail twitching curiously. "Waiting for someone." She replied. Aphmau, Aaron and Dante turned their heads to look at me. I tried to act like I didn't suspect anything. "Thank you very much for helping." Aaron sighed. "Of course. It's what I do. Call if she gets worse." The medic smiled, shutting the door behind her. The three pulled me aside, into another room. "What?" I asked. "You know what." Dante grinned. I decided to play stupid. "Travis, she was waiting for you. Katelyn has given small hints recently that she has feelings for you." Aphmau added. "Really?" I spoke softly. She nodded. "One night Katelyn came by, seeming frustrated with something. We spoke for a bit, Katelyn decided to spend the night, and once she thought I was asleep, I heard her say 'I just wish that Travis would understand how I felt.' After that, I actually fell asleep." She continued. I was stunned. "Go on and see how she's feeling." Aaron smiled. I stood up, walking upstairs. Katelyn was properly bandaged, in pajamas now, laying down quietly. "Katelyn?" I called quietly, shutting the door behind me. She looked up curiously. "Are you feeling better?" I asked. "Sort... of..." She winced, sitting up weakly. I sat down next to her. "I... I'm so sorry we couldn't get there faster. It's my fault I didn't realize  you were gone sooner." I let out my feelings and thoughts I'd been having. Katelyn's gaze became soft. "It's not your fault." She sighed. "It is. But... why did you leave in the first place?" I worried. Katelyn's face turned bright pink as she looked down. "Because... I'm having trouble... figuring out if I should tell someone something or... just... bottle it up... like I always do." She admitted. "What do you mean?" I replied. "You guys don't know... but every time I'm upset, or I need someone to talk to, to share my feelings, to cry against... I just act like nothing's wrong. I never like guys getting close to me because... I'm afraid they won't be there for me when I need them most." Katelyn fell silent. "And, if you're gonna ask, how often do I cry? At least three times a day." She snapped. I felt horrible. Don't say anything! Do you not realize what just happened?! I thought to myself. She just told you her biggest secret! If she told you that, doesn't it mean she trusts you? I questioned my thoughts. "Please... I just need someone to talk to..." Katelyn whimpered. I knew she was asking me to be that someone. "I won't leave." I promised, letting her curl against me. "Every day, it's just... it's so hard. I can't go a single day without someone, even a stranger, just coming over and bullying me." Katelyn whispered, burying her face in my shirt. "That's why you have anger issues, isn't it?" I realized. She nodded. "And I just can't shake the feeling that there's someone nearby... just waiting to get the revenge of a lifetime, especially after everyone got back from the lodge. Lucinda is still sick and barely able to do much on her own." Katelyn worried. "Aaron took care of Ein, remember? He said that Ein ran off, severely wounded." I tried to comfort her. "But he was last seen alive, Travis. That means that he's still out there." She snapped. I was beginning to worry myself. But I couldn't. Not when Katelyn needed help. "Can you stay for tonight?" She asked. I nodded. "Thank you." Katelyn coughed, nuzzling against me. I wrapped my arms around her, making sure that the wound wasn't irritated. "Night Katelyn." I whispered. "Goodnight Travis."