The Lifeguard

Chapter 19

Three-thirty in the afternoon. I ran in the lobby where I spotted Alex talking to the woman in the front desk. I approached them.

"Hey." I called Alex. He said his goodbye to the woman, and walked closer to where I am. "Sorry... Have you seen Connor? I've been looking for him but I can't find him. Isn't he suppose to be working today?"

He stayed quiet for a second before he answers. "H-he's not working today. It's his day off."

I nodded. "Huh. I thought he always work on Tuesdays... Anyway, thanks."

"No problem." He waved goodbye.

I pressed the elevator button to go upstairs. It opened, and Jace was inside. He came out of the elevator, while staring on his phone with brooding eyes. He passed by without noticing me. He was too focus on his phone. I followed him, and pulled his hand. "Hey. Are you okay?" I asked. "What's the rush?"

He stopped. "Hi. Sorry. Ava's in the hospital. I gotta go right now."

My eyes widened in worry. "Is she okay? I'll come with you."

Jace gave a single nod. "Let's go."

We rushed in the hospital. The whole car ride, Jace stayed quiet. I could see distress and panic all over his face. We got down from the car, and ran inside the hospital. Ava was lying down on a bed wearing a johnny gown. She was awake, but still. Sean was sitting down beside her bed. Jace knocked on the door. Both heads looked to our direction. Ava's face brightened when he saw Jace. He walked over to the bed, giving Ava a quick hug. I followed. Sean stood up, and greeted us.

"How are you feeling?" Jace asked Ava. He turns to Sean. "What happened?" he asked him.

"She was diagnosed of anaphylaxis. We caught it early, so she's fine now," answered Sean.

"An allergic reaction?" Jace sighed.

Sean nodded in agreement. "She can be discharged in few hours. They just need to monitor her."

"Okay." Jace nods.

"See. I'm fine." Ava rolled her eyes. Jace pulled the chair closer to the bed. He sat down. The two of them continued talking. I could see Jace's delighted smile on his face as he talks to her.

Sean approached me. He stood beside me by the door. I turned my head to him. "You alright?" I asked.

"Yeah."

"Good. We should leave them alone."

"Yeah." Sean and I left the room. He closed the door behind us. He sat down on the chair near Ava's room. He was quiet, and barely giving a damn. It's very unusual for Sean to be quiet. He always have something to say or a topic to talk about.

I sat beside him. "What are you thinking?"

He looked at me with brows furrowed. "Huh? Nothing." He took out his phone.

"What's going on with you? You're not talking much. Is there a problem?" I asked.

He returned his attention to me. "Don't worry. Nothing's going on. I'm just tired."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes." He smiled.

"Okay."

Sean placed his phone back in his pocket. "By the way," he began saying. I focused on him, and waited for him to continue. "Connor asked me to hang out with his friends to play volleyball."

I raised my eyebrows, surprised. "Really?"

Sean nods. "Yeah. He didn't tell you?"

I shook my head. "No. He didn't."

Sean and I decided to head to the cafeteria to grab some food. We came back to Ava's room, and waited for her to be discharged.

***

Today, Sean and Connor went out to play volleyball with other people, including Jace. They've been gone for few hours already, but now, they're on their way back. I came downstairs to the lobby. Connor had a small duffel bag hanging on his shoulder. I ran towards his direction. He spread his arms open, as I went for a hug. Sean was walking behind him with Jace. He smiled at me when he saw me.

"It's not too obvious that you missed me," teased Connor. I rolled my eyes, as he placed his hand around my waist.

Sean walked closer to us. "Hey. I should get going."

"You're not staying?" I asked.

"No. I just wanted to say hi before I leave. I have to go back to the store too. Ava's waiting," he explained.

"Okay. Drive safe."

"Thanks." Sean left.

"I'm going up. I have work to do too," says Jace as soon as Sean was no longer in sight.

I waved goodbye. Connor and I headed to the lounge outside when Jace left. He pulled out a chair for me to sit on. Connor sat beside me, placing his bag on the ground. "How was your day with the boys?" I asked.

He smiled. "It was great."

I glared at him. "I don't know if I should be jealous or glad that you're spending time with Sean... Maybe, I should start hanging out with Leah. What do you think?"

Connor laughed. "You're funny."

"I'm serious."

"Well... I think you'd get along just fine."

"Now, I am joking." I rolled my eyes.

"I thought so." He chuckled.