SCARS

4

Knox and Ryker were still sitting on the couch and immediately jumped up to help when they saw me.

"What happened?!" Knox asked, making room for me on the couch.

"She fell down. That's all you need to know."Beck said, as he took off my heels to examine my ankle. I appreciated him trying to keep what happened downstairs private but if those people knew about me, then soon everyone would.

I explained what happened to Knox and Ryker, even going so far as to show them the scars on my wrist. There were a few marks from how tightly he had been holding me and that seemed to pain them more than anything else. They had pretty much already figured out everything else. 

They said things like "I'm so sorry this has happened to you." And other things like that, you know, all the socially acceptable things to say when someone goes through what I go through on a daily basis. But they were soon interupted by Beck.

"Yah, your ankle is definitely sprained, if not broken." He said, standing up from his kneeling position at my feet. "This is why heels are stupid." I laughed. "You should get to a hospital." 

"No, I don't need to go to a hospital, it's just a sprain." I said, wtarting to stand up.

"Woah, woah. Slow down there." Beck said, putting his hands on my waist so I would sit back down.

"I can drive her." Knox piped up. 

"No." I said, "You need to get Edie home. Lord knows she's probably already wasted." Knox nodded. "I'll be fine."

"No, you won't. I can take you." Beck said. 

"A hospital really isn't necessary." I said standing and putting weight on my foot. As soon as my toes touched the ground, pain shot through my foot all the way up to my knee. I yelped and fell, but he caught me and picked me up fireman style. It took my breath away. He held my gaze for a moment then started looking at my entire face. My nose, my chin, my lips. He saw through me, he saw everything I'd worked so hard to keep people from knowing. All the late nights, crying in my room with a razorblade clutched between my fingers, all the moments that I've doubted why I'm here in the first place, he saw it all. He got close to me, so close I could feel his breath on my cheek, then he seemed to snap out of it. 

"We're going to a hospital." He said, carrying me out the door. 

Knox and Ryker followed us and as I got into Beck's car, Knox said "Have fun" suggestively. I rolled my eyes at him as Beck closed my door, smiling and shaking his head. Through the window, Knox mouthed "He's hot." But I pretended I didn't see. Although, Beck said "Thanks, Knox. I try." I covered my mouth and chuckled, while Knox turned red and walked back into the house. Ryker waved and followed him. 

We didn't talk much on the way to the hospital. Beck turned on the radio and we listened to the Top 100 in silence, until "Body Like a Backroad" came on and he turned it off almost immediately. I looked at my shoes, which were in my lap. We got to the emergency room and the nurse had us sit in the waiting room until they could help me. 

He helped me to a seat and sat down next to me. "You don't have to stay." I said. 

"You should have someone with you." He responded. 

"I can call my mom." I said. 

"Oh yeah, and she'd be happy to drive out to the emergency room at midnight." He said. "Something tells me you don't want to do that." 

I shook my head and we sat in silence for what felt like an eternity. 

"You shouldn't have punched him." I said, breaking the silence with even more awkwardness. 

"Yes I should've." He said. "I should've done a lot more than punch him." 

I sighed. "Why do you even care about what I do?" 

He took my hand, grazing his fingertips over each of my scars. He took a breath as if he were about to say something but then the nurse said they were ready. 

Beck helped me to the bed, where I sat and the doctor told me to put my foot up on the end.

"Hi there! I'm doctor Kepner." She said, all too cheerily. "What have we got here?" 

"I just sprained my ankle but he says it could be broken." I said, motioning to Beck. 

"Well, your boyfriend was very smart in bringing you here." 

"Oh, no. I'm not-" Beck started, but Dr. Kepner interupted him. 

"Do you have any experience in first aid?" She asked him. 

"Yes, actually. I have a summer job on an ambulance." He said.

 "Well, good for you." She responded, turning her attention to my ankle. "So, how did this happen?" She asked. 

"I tripped." I said. Beck turned to me, raised eyebrows. "I was wearing heels so I went down pretty quickly." I pointed to my shoes in Beck's hand.

She eyed Beck's expression, then motioned to my own hand. "And what about your arm? Are those scratches from your fall too?" My hand instantly went to my scars. "That's what I thought." She said, sighing. "Well, your ankle is surely broken. We'll need to get some x-rays and you won't be going home anytime soon. I suggest you call your parents if you haven't already." She looked at Beck as she said the last part, like it was his fault my mom wasn't there. Although, I guess it was. "We'll move you to an in-patient room. Depending on what we see in the x-rays, you might need surgery. When we get there, you can tell me how this actually happened." 

I got my phone out of my purse, which Beck was also holding, and called my mom while the doctor wrapped my ankle.