The Bad and The Broken

Chapter 54

DAWN'S POV

I slowly open my eyes, but snap them shut and wince as brightness invaded them.

A gasp was heard from beside me, then someone grabs my hand.

"Dawn!" I hear Jesse exclaim, "Dawn, are you okay? Oh thank God! Thank God! I didn't think you'd wake up! Oh my gosh!" He starts sobbing, clutching my throbbing arm.

I slowly open my eyes, letting then adjust, then grab hold my my brother.

I hold his head to my chest, hugging him tight. I look away from his head, and that's when I realize where we are.

White walls surrounded us, as well as white lights and machines. That was when I noticed the beeping.

A hospital.

I'm in a hospital.

I hear the hear monitor speed up as I frantically look around, hoping this wasn't real.

"Je-Jesse," I feels like the air has been knocked out of my lungs, "Why- wha-"

I breath quickly, the heart monitor speeds up more. He pulls his head away, gripping my shoulders.

"Breath, Dawn, it's okay," he looks in my eyes, "breath."

No, it's not okay! What if someone called the cops? What if they looked at it body and asked questions? What if they called child services? We're going to get separated! I can't do that! I can't, I can't, I can't!

I start pulling all the chords attached to me off, the heart moniter goes flat.

Jesse takes my hands and we take keeps breaths together. He moves his hands on my shoulders and my hands on his. After I calm down, he gives me a questioning look.

"You don't remember?"

"Remember what?" I ask, my eyebrows furrow.

"Coming to the hospital. You don't remember coming here?" His eyebrows raise in shock. I stare at him in utter confusion.

"What happened?"

He let go of me and paces in front of the bed, gripping his hair in his hands.

"You've been out for three days, Dawn!" I jump at his outburst.

Three days?

"That doesn't expla-"

"We had to walk here," he interrupts, "I had to hold you up, with blood spilling from your head, and walk here. What if someone from school saw? Then what? We'd get separated!"

I try to interrupt but his rambling doesn't let me.

"Do you see the blood on my clothes? I haven't been able to change! What if the nurses looked at your body? What if they realized how underweight you are? What if they question you like they did me about what the hell happened to you? You fell down the stairs, Dawn! Remember?" He sits down, speaking again with his voice cracking, "You fell down the stairs."

Before I could answer him, the door opens. "Oh, goodie! You're up!"

We look over at the nurse, who was looking at a clipboard in her hands.

"Alright, Miss Falls, I just need you to-" she was cut short by her phone ringing.

So many interruptions today.

She looks at her phone, then back to me and says, "I'm sorry, this is highly unprofessional, but I really need to take this. I'm going to transfer your information to another nurse and she'll take care of you, ma'am."

Then she's gone. I take a deep breath and look over at Jesse. His eyes were glued to the floor with an intense glare.

"Tell me what happened, Jesse," I say calmly. He keeps his hard gaze on the floor, his hands folded together on his knees.

"I need some air," he says before getting up and walking out.

What's his problem? What happened? Come on, Dawn, think! Think!

"Hello, Miss Falls, I'm the nurse that will be caring for you," a familiar voice says. We both look at each other freeze.

Shit I'm fucked.