Can You Keep A Secret?

Chapter Ninety-Two

-Andy's POV-

If there was one thing that I had learned from so many trips to A&E in such a short time, it was that nothing happened quickly. One always associated rushing doctors and speeding ambulances and flashing red and blue lights with emergencies, but, more often than not, it was quite the opposite.

It was sneaking looks at Liv to make sure she was still alive and breathing almost as often as you were looking at the road. It was filling out paperwork and calling the boys and getting a seat right next to the trash can, just in case. It was letter her curl up on you and tuck her head into your shoulder, even though she still smelled like vomit. It was rubbing her back and whispering soft reassurances in her ear, like a parent to a little kid, and it was not taking any of it in a romantic way, because it didn't matter right then.

The only thing going fast was my heart, which was going triple speed, but there wasn't really a more ideal place to have a heart attack – That was, if they actually sped up enough to save you in time. The thing was, there were always more important, more dire, emergencies in a hospital, so you had to refrain yourself from going all Hulk on the staff. All you could do was sit, and wait, and hope that it wasn't fatal.

When we were finally allowed to see the doctor, she was kind. She let me stay with Liv, and I held her hand to let her know that I was still there while they did all of the physical tests. She asked a lot of questions as well, mostly pertaining to Liv's personal and her family's medical history, and she seemed to understand how tedious it was.

"It would be so much easier if things were just black and white, wouldn't it?" She had asked. "Just: This is what hurts, fix it. And I wish that it was as easy as that, I really do. But I can promise you that I'm going to do my best to help."

Liv had been brave throughout the entire thing, a quality that I wished I possessed a little more of. I think that I felt more fear than she did – She calmly answered all of the questions, and closed her eyes and breathed deeply throughout the physical examinations. I did my best to stay calm so as not to rub off any of my nerves onto her, but it was hard to distract myself from the fact that we were in a hospital room.

Liv looked a little rattled when they mentioned blood work, and she gripped my hand so tightly from the moment they strapped the tourniquet on 'til the moment that they took the needle out that I was afraid that my circulation might be cut off.

In the end, we hadn't even been given a proper answer as to what it was – Just that it wasn't anything fatal, and that they'd call as soon as they got the results back from the blood work. They also scheduled an upper endoscopy from the next day. Liv had looked startled at the medical term, so the doctor had explained what it was, adding jokes and reassurances in as she did.

"I know it sounds scary," She had concluded, "But I promise it's nothing huge. You'll be under anesthesia, so you won't feel a thing until afterwards – Your throat might hurt a bit, but that's about it. We're thinking that it might be gastritis, in which case, we can probably prescribe you some antacids and send you on your way. Have you used alcohol excessively lately, or had chronic stress or vomiting? Taking a lot of aspirin or other anti-inflammatory drugs might also cause it."

"Uhm," Liv had shifted, causing the white sheet on the examining table to crinkle underneath her. "Stress, for sure. I've been, uh, having panic attacks for a while now. And I've been taking aspirin when I haven't felt well..."

"I see." The doctor had leaned over and squeezed her hand encouragingly. "You'll be okay."

And now, here we were – The paperwork had been finished. Mikey was muttering something to Liv as he gently tried to peel the tape that they'd put on her arm after the blood work off. I'd gone out and fetched Jack, and then we'd set off to find Rye – He'd ended up in the cafeteria, looking gloomily at the microwave meals and jello whilst eating a bag of baken cheetos.

Nobody knew where Brooklyn was – "He said he was going to the bathroom but then never came back," Mikey explained.

"Probably went wandering off to cause some mischief," Rye shrugged.

"Well, one of us should probably check to make sure he's alright," I said logically, desperately hoping that he was – All I wanted was to get back to the flat for a long, long nap. I didn't think I could handle another crisis.

"I'll ring him first," Jack volunteered, moving to take out his phone. Before he'd gotten the chance, though, Brooklyn came walking over to us, his 'Brooklyn NY' shirt and bright red shoes a dead giveaway that it was him, even with his head down.

"Aye, there he is!" Mikey exclaimed, and, at the sound of the shout, Brooklyn lifted his head up – His face was bloody, with fresh bruises already beginning to form.

"Mate," Jack asked in shock. "What the hell happened to you?"