Previously Strangers (TFIL/Sam and Colby)

Chapter Eighteen

I was sore everywhere, my ribs ached and my right leg was heavy and throbbing. I forced my eyes open, despite the immense pain that followed. Taking a few glances around, I noticed the pale blue hospital walls that enclosed me and a large window directly in front of me. There were three plastic chairs on my right and a bright orange cloth covered couch in front of the window that looked like it had seen its best years. I glanced down at my body; it looked absolutely terrible. My arms, which were peeking out of a white woven blanket were bruised and cut up as well as my left leg. My right leg, however was wrapped up in a black and blue brace with velcro straps. I shook my head as I sighed and threw my head back on the pillow behind me.

I took one more look around the room and realized I was completely alone. Butterflies filled my stomach and I wondered where everyone else was. The last thing I remembered was lying on the pavement after the car accident, which struck fear into me. If the boys weren't here, they must either be in their own rooms or dead, in which case I was actually completely alone. My hands frantically searched the bed for the help button, and once I found it, My fingers pressed the button multiple times.

A nurse came running into the room, clearly worried by the expression on her face. She was young, probably in her late twenties, with long brown hair and Sesame Street scrubs on. "What's going on, are you okay?" She paused, "You're awake!" She exclaimed, running to her computer which was built onto the wall. She quickly typed something, then turned to me "Okay, hun, how long have you been awake would you say?"

I scrunched my face up in shock, "Uhm, like five minutes, but that's not why I called you in here. I need to know where my family is." I demanded

The nurse looked at me in confusion her straight brown hair flowing with the turn of her head. "Your family?"

"Yeah, we were in a car accident and I haven't seem then since, I need to know where they are. Please!" I pleaded, tears stinging the corners of my eyes.

"Okay, okay. It's alright, don't cry!" she said out of sympathy, "What are their names? I can look up their information."

I tried to compose myself, "Elton Castee, Corey Scherer, Colby Brock and Sam Golbach." I said, taking a breath when I was finished.

She typed a few things into the computer and frowned, "Hon, it says they've been checked out for a few days now. Are you sure there's no one else?" She asked.

My heart sunk, would they really just leave me like that? "No, there isn't anyone else." I sighed, tears welling up again. "has anyone been visiting or anything? They wouldn't have left me." I mumbled.

She shook her head sadly, "No, katelin, they've left for good. You're not their priority, okay? Just accept it." She said, crossing her arms.

I shook my head, completely taken aback by her words. I thought for a moment, this was all just too much, they wouldn't just leave me, and I was going to get to the bottom of it. I stood up, expecting the nurse to stop me, but she just stood there smiling at me. I squinted, what the heck was going on?

Without a moment's hesitation, I sprinted out of the hospital room. I made it the majority of the way down the hall before my dad started running after me, calling my name. I kept running, but with each step, the hallway seemed to get longer.

"Katelin, Katelin, Katelin! Stop!" He called, then everything went black and I fell, hitting my head on the ground, sending a blinding pain through my brain.

-'

"Dad?" I asked, clutching my head.

"No, this is Corey. Don't worry Kate, we're all here." he said softly, pushing my hair out of my face.

I gently opened my eyes, to find all the boys crowded around my bed, staring at me intently. A huge smile formed on my face, "I knew you guys wouldn't leave me." I mumbled to myself.

"Of course not, why would we leave you? Especially when you crawled all the way down the hallway to get help from one of us!" Colby said.

I shrugged, "I just had a dream...never mind." I smiled.

Elton placed a hand on my ankle, "You've been passed out for hours, how are you feeling?" He asked.

"I'm good, just a little headache." I admitted with a shrug. "How long have I been out?" I asked.

"Since Three am, so for about six hours. They cave you medicine for your migraine that the call a 'migraine cocktail'. Apparently it's a whole bunch of meds to make the pain stop and to make you sleep. They took you for some scans to be sure it wasn't a brain tumor or anything and they said they didn't see anything, so it was most likely just a freak migraine." Sam said. "You had us all freaked out!"

I blushed, feeling guilty and embarrassed, "I'm sorry." I sighed, I was just glad that the car accident and stuff was a dream and I wasn't really alone in a hospital.

"I'm going to go find you a nurse. They said we could leave once you woke up. There isn't much else they can do, so they want to give the room to someone else. They just said to rest for the next few days and plenty of water and gatorade." Corey warned.

"So does that mean I get to miss school?" I asked slyly, glancing at Elton who sta at the edge of the bed.

"IIII guesssss." he sighed.

-

An hour later I was squished in the back seat again in between Sam and Colby as we inched through the morning rush hour traffic. I was wearing a pair of little kid sunglasses that the nurse gave me to keep the sun from shining in my eyes and Corey insisted on keeping the radio of because I wasn't supposed to be around loud noises. I glanced around, trying to push through the awkward silence. My eyes drifted closed a few times, as the medicine was not worn off yet. I let out a long yawn, stretching my mouth wide and breathing out slowly.

"Tired?" Sam asked. I nodded. "You can lean on me if you want, it's going to be a while." He shrugged. I smiled at him gratefully, then rested my cheek on his shoulder and before I knew it, I was asleep.