Perfect Snow (Seasons #1)

Chapter 8: Closer to You

I wake up somewhere blindingly bright. My head feels like stuffed full of cotton, and I'm afraid to open my eyes all the way. As soon as I do, I feel a migraine coming on. Everything is too damn white. Did I actually die?

My eyes take a moment to focus, and the first thing I see is the concerned faces of my grandparents. Behind them is Preston. Where... 

Oh. 

I'm at the clinic. 

"Nan! Grandad! I'm so sorry," I start, my back muscles screaming when I try to pull myself into an upright position.

"Oh, sweetheart, sorry for what?" she says, patting my arm.

"You're a hero, son," says grandpa. Is that pride in his voice? I nearly fell off a cliff. Eugh, my head hurts. I look at Preston who's shaking his head at me, motioning a zipper over his lips. Did I hit my head and alter my memory? I was no hero, I was the fool in last night's events. Preston was the hero.

A dark-haired man in a white coat enters the room. "Good morning, folks," he says in a clipped tone. He scribbles something onto a chart and pauses in front of me, straight-backed and serious. He reminds me of an army commander. "How are you feeling, Rhys?" he asks.

"Uh, good... Sir." The sir part felt necessary, somehow.

"Excellent. Your vitals are looking good," he turns to my grandparents, "so you can take your grandson home. And see to it that he abstains from heroics for some time," he says with a pointed look right at me.

I gulp. "Yes, Sir" is out of my mouth before I even register it.

"I can bring him home later," says Preston to my grandparents when the doc leaves. "We can go get something to eat first. I'm sure you're hungry?" he asks me with a meaningful look.

"Famished," I say, grateful for the rescue.

Nan exchanges a look with grandad. "I suppose that's alright. My brave boy," she touches my cheek fondly before they shuffle out. I hold my breath until they're out of earshot.

"What the hell happened? Hero?" I ask.

"Clement covered for you," says Preston, scratching his head.

"I... Come again?"

"He told the sheriff that all of us were hanging out there, he was fooling around and showing off that he can swim in the river, but the water carried him away so you saved him," he says, shaking his head with a look of disbelief.

"And I just happened to be wearing a wetsuit, Superman-style?" I cock an eyebrow. I look down at the standard issue hospital gown I've been put in and feel naked all of the sudden. I check for underwear nonchalantly, and to my relief discover someone put me in fresh boxer briefs. I hope they're mine.

"We switched out the top in the car, remember?" I shake my head no. "And the nurse is a friend of mine, so he gave me the bottoms back before anyone really noticed. He'll keep quiet, and so will everyone else because Clement told them to." That's twice that Preston's saved my life in as many days. My grandparents would kill me if they knew the truth. And then my parents would bring me back to life just to kill me themselves.

"Thank you. You're a great friend. I don't deserve you." I look up at him. "You're the hero, not me," I say earnestly.

"You're the one who saved Clement's life. And I don't mean that as a compliment, cause I got dragged into it involuntarily," he barks a laugh, and gives me a serious look. "Don't do it again. I mean it."

There's a knock on the door, and I would be lying if I say I'm not hoping it's Melanie. I'm bummed to see it's Felicity.

"How are you, Rhys?" she asks with a look of genuine concern and I instantly feel guilty for being disappointed it's her. She walks over to Preston and he puts his arm around her as if it's the most natural thing in the world for him.