Concussion •Miniminter•

•48•

As I gazed at the moving buildings outside, I thought about how I was going to tell the doctors about my bad dreams. Night after night, I fall asleep, only to be awaken by yet again another random nightmare. And as I'm plastered with sweat, I figure out a way to stop myself from falling asleep again. Hence why I've been sleep deprived and cranky ever since I woke up in the hospital. I may not have shown it around everyone else, but I was.

     I looked over to Simon, who was once again being my driver. He was clean-shaven, that is because him and the guys went out for some drinks to celebrate the match. I remember he was hesitant about going, because he felt bad about leaving me. He said it "wouldn't be as fun," but I finally convinced the whole house to go, even my brother. I'd call that a win-win situation; the boys get their long-awaited night, and I got leftover pizza mixed with pain killers and a warm blanket in front of the t.v. It was a good night. It was one of the only good memories I could remember.

Looking passed his flawless face and out his side window, I saw our destination. It's the only other place I've been other than that mansion of a house. It's the first day of my weekly check-ups. Hooray for me.

"Thank you again for being my driver. I wish I didn't have to drag you to these," I told him as the three of us, including Jay, hastily walked through the dreary-cold mist into the still-cold hospital entrance, being greeted by the beeping of monitors already. I'm just glad I'm not hooked up to one of those again.

I smiled to the lady at the front desk; she was darker toned and had hair like curly spaghetti, her eyes green as limes and rich as chocolate. Her smile was the biggest smile I had ever seen, only making me smile more.

"Last name?" She politely asked me as she adjusted her heavier-set body in her seat and getting ready to type. The only way I knew my last name was because of the hospital bracelet I wore.

"Barnes." My tone in my voice was lower than I expected, shocking myself. I placed my hands in the top of the counter, when I noticed a white medal ring with a diamond heart in the middle of it on my middle finger. Had this been here the whole time?

"Barnes...yes! Bailey, have a seat and the doctor will call you in shortly," I smiled and thanked her as the three of us shuffled over to the worn-out blue chairs. I looked down at the ring, using my right hand to fiddle with it.

"Where is this from?" I asked Jay, showing him the ring. He looked up from his phone and to my finger, his eyes getting wide.

"Oh my, I forgot about her ring. It was our moms, she was given it after her mom died, and it was given to you after she died. You said you'd wear it every single day after that," he explained to me. I now remembered when he told me that they had passed, but I never found out how.

"How did they die?" I asked in a gentle tone, trying not to push the subject. It was quiet for a moment as Jay thought, but soon interrupted by the shuffling of papers at the front desk. Jay fidgeted with his shut-off phone.

"Our father, uh, he was a drunkie. An abusive drunkie in a horrible relationship. One day, we came home, and found them both dead, with a gun in dad's hand," he explained, his voice as gray as the weather. I looked at him, reflecting his wide eyes, my stomach dropping.

"Oh my god," I said in a whisper. I didn't know how to feel. The overwhelming feeling of shock and sadness covered over me. I had never seen them in my life, which took away some of the sadness, but made me pierce with frustration. I can't remember any of the memories I had with them. I stared down at my shoes, something triggering my mind.
It was one of my nightmares...

I walk into an unknown kitchen, and the first thing I see is the red blood on the fresh white walls. As I pan my head to the right, the blood is all on the cabinets, fridge, sink, and plastered on the windows. I look down, and there's a body as pale as the walls, but was hard to see because of the red all over her lifeless body. Without anytime to think about what's going on, a man with a buzz-cut head and heavy black boots walks into the room on the left, holding a hand gun. He was also covered in blood. He raised the gun to me, and before I could say anything he sho-

     "Bailey!" I was shook back to reality as Simon yelled my name at my staring body. I look at him, his concerned eyes looking back at mine. He nodded his head up behind me, to the doctor.

     "Oh, I'm sorry," I apologize in a raspy voice. I quickly got up and followed the doctor, my head both physically and mentally in pain from what just happened.

~~~~~~~~
He said that was a normal thing to happen for a condition like mine. He told me he's had some patients with nightmares of negative life events, even if you can't actually remember them happening, but it's very rare. Why am I not surprised. I was also given more dugs to help numb the pain, and they seem to be working now. He also recommended night pills to help with my sleep, which I, surprisingly, hadn't thought of before.

They also took the ugly stitches out of the side of my head, leaving a random spot of hair fluf and a scar on my head. The doctor also said that there was gonna be a little "cave-in" there forever, but it would be covered by hair anyway. Simon called it a battle scar. The doctor also said the annoying wrap around my hand has to stay longer than expected. I would have to come back and get my battle wounds checked out in another week.

As we made it back home- to their home, I started feeling bad for barging into their home and eating their food and using their laundry machines.

"I promise you it's alright," Simon reassured, smiling to me as he grabbed two regular bags of crisps from the pantry, me sitting on the bar seats in front of him. He threw a bag to me and took a seat. I maneuvered my seat so I was facing him.

"Shouldn't you be recording with the other guys?" I asked him, seeing that it was pretty quiet around here. Either they were recording, or left the house to do something. I hope JJ didn't leave, because last time he arrived home with a fuck load of duct tape and taped Vik's door shut for a prank. It took several hours to get the door un-tapped, and Vik almost peed his pants. It was bad, but it was also hilarious.

"Actually, that's what I wanted to ask you about," his uplifting voice told me as he shoved a crisp in his mouth. I raised my eyebrows as to tell him to go on?

"Do you think you'd be up to recording something with me, like a collab? I get it if you don't feel like it because I know you're still feeling bad and-" I stopped him from his babble, his voice evidently nervous about asking me.

"Yes, Simon, I'll collab with you," I answered him, his now excited face making me grin.

"Yayyy! I'll go set everything up- oh! Also, I'm not telling you what it's about, it's a surprise," he said before getting up from his seat and grabbing the crisps. I took a chip from him to make him mad.

"Ay! You have your own fucking bag!" He yelled at me as I put the crisp in my mouth, giggling at him. I got up from my seat and before I could grab for my bag he threw it at me, making me laugh.

"Hey! Asshole!" I yelled as he walked away from me, grabbing the chips from the floor.

"White girl!" I could hear his voice say from the hall outside of the kitchen. I just realized we switch our nicknames, but it didn't matter. It all just ends up making me love him more.

SIMONS POV
     I walked out of the room, feeling overjoyed that I got her to do a video with me.

First step, complete.

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This chapter was fun to make :)))

I hope y'all liked it 🤙🏼

AGH THIS BOOK ALMOST HAS 10k READS HOW IS THAT EVEN POSSIBLE???? THANK YOU GUYS SO MUCH <3

AND ALSO HAPPY BIRTHDAY JOSH!!! DAD'S GROWING UP SO FAST 😭

Maybe if there's enough votes on this chapter I'll upload the next chapter on Simons birthday 👀👀🤷🏼‍♀️

Stay chill,
Natalie 🤘🏼