Problem Children

Chapter Nineteen

"Follow the light with your eyes..." His eyes drifted back and forth at the ball of light shining at them, making him squint. His head was pounding underneath the cold compress the doctor had given him, and his eye stung like hell. He had trouble remembering how he ended up this way, and Hannah had to remind him a few times. Just another night gone wrong.

Malcolm was notified about an unconscious Angus on Hannah's kitchen floor and he drove them both over to the nearest hospital. They made it in fifteen minutes flat; it would have been ten had they not had to pull over to let Angus find a place to throw up. Once they arrived he was admitted under 'accident' and taken upstairs to an exam room. After a few x-rays and some eye tests, he was diagnosed with a concussion.

"This wasn't no accident," Angus mumbled. Malcolm opened his mouth to speak, then changed his mind. He watched with sad eyes as his brother went through so much pain. Had Malcolm been there, maybe it wouldn't have been so bad. Half of it would have been dealt to him, and neither one would be at a hospital at two in the morning. Their parents were gonna kill them.

"Not too much pressure, son. Don't want to press on any bone splinters," the doctor mentioned as Angus paled like he was going to throw up again. He alleviated his compress.

"Don't have to tell me twice."

"You doin' alright, Angus?" Malcolm called over by the curtain. With a small smile and a glance in his direction, Angus gave his brother a thumbs up, Malcolm laughing at how he covered his eye completely under the ice pack. Hannah was standing off to the side, wanting to laugh along at their silliness, but she couldn't even budge a smile. Her mind was elsewhere, a few hours before. When Angus was giggling like a maniac and swaying around before he passed out, he had said some things as well. Things he might not have wanted to say just yet.

Did he just accidentally confess to her his feelings? And if he did, had he meant it? Hannah was afraid of asking him, and afraid of replying to his concussed statement. She also wondered if he had heard what she said. Finally she gets enough courage to tell him the truth and...it didn't go as she planned. She really didn't want to have to repeat her fate.

Hannah yawned, suddenly aware of how early it was. Her attire consisting of a bathrobe and slippers would be at least embarrassing, had she not been too sleepy to care. A conversation was playing in the background but she couldn't hear it. Her eyes started to close for just a second-

"You gettin' tired, Hannah?" They opened wide, startled from the sudden question. Angus gave a half smile, waiting for an answer. If she didn't, he wouldn't mind, he liked simply looking at her. Malcolm watched her out of the corner of his eye, making sure she didn't fall away from the wall she was leaning on. There didn't need to be two concussions.

The girl blinked rapidly. "Yeah, yeah I am." Malcolm rubbed her shoulder.

"Should get you home soon." She nodded, closing her eyes again. Angus opened his mouth to say something when the doctor's arrival drew his attention away, returning from another x-ray.

"Mr. Young? If I could see you for a moment, please."

"Which one?" Angus smiled slyly. The doctor glanced at him.

"The injured one, if you please." The boy in mind stood from the bed and followed the doctor outside the curtained room to talk. He walked by Hannah who still kept her eyes closed.

"Be right back," he whispered ruffling her hair. A small nod was her reply. Walking by his older brother he earned a pat on the back.

"Good luck, man." Once Angus was out of the room Malcolm turned back to Hannah who had begun to slide down the side of the wall. "Whoopsie daisy, come on," he said stepping over and helping her stand. Her waist was embraced in his arms and he pulled her over to sit on the bed Angus had been using. The girl wasn't gonna hold still without any support so with a hop on the bed he sat next to her, her head resting against his shoulder. He looked down at the top of her head and smiled, wrapping his arm around her.