When Her Dreams Came True

~Chapter 10~

Phil had just unlocked the door to the house, when he heard Gabbie scream Dan's name. Extremely worried for both of their safety, he darted inside the house and into the living room, where he found her wailing on the floor, knelt next to a body dressed in black with blood splattered on the carpet near his head. "Oh my god are you alright Gabbie?" She looked into the shining pools of worry and sobbed harder. Phil's parental instinct kicked in and he dropped his shopping bags and pulled Gabbie into a tight hug. "Let me guess," he began soothingly. "you saw Dan on the floor like this and it reminded you of your mum?" He felt her nod into his shoulder. "I was too distressed to call 999. Sorry." she said sobbing again. Phil calmed her down and asked her to call the ambulance while he got Dan into a more comfortable position. She pulled out her mobile, still hicupping slightly, and then it was Phil's turn to cry. He knew about Dan's orthostatic hypotension and knew he must have passed out because of that. He must have hit his head on the mantle so that explains the blood. Phil pressed his face into Dan's dark clothing. "Oh Dan. Please be ok." Phil paused to hear whether Gabbie was still talking to the operator on the emergency line. She still was. "I love you" he whispered and he kissed Dan softly on the lips. He straightened up and smiled at his friend he wished was his lover. "Once you're all better, we can be together properly, just you wait."

Gabbie ran into the living and said the ambulance was on its way. Phil nodded and they stood there silently until the ambulance arrived. Once it had, they both hitched a ride in it to the hospital where they learned that Dan had some minor damage on his skull but would be ok after a few days of rest. They both breathed a huge sigh of relief. They went home after spending a little more time with Dan. Gabbie had an incredibly sleepness night when they got home from the hospital. She was willing to go to school to talk about what had happened with Christa but was still dreading it. Tomorrow was not going to be easy.

Gabbie was in the middle of a particularly malevolent maths equation when worry started gnawing at her brain again. Although the doctor had said Dan would probably be fine, the was still a risk of permanent brain damage and a decrease in mobility. These possibilities prowled in her conscience like a pride of lions stalking a gazelle. The concern built and built, so much she began to feel incredibly ill. She cried silently into her maths book praying no one would see her, to no avail. "Gabrielle, are you quite alright?" inquired her bushy-browed Maths teacher, Mr King. Gabbie shook her head at the question, wanting to have some alone time in the girls loos. She excused herself from the lesson and practically sprinted for the bathroom. She vomited violently in the basin and lamented. Why did everything always go wrong for her? Was she a bad luck omen to everyone around her? Maybe it would just be best if she disappeared.

About 15 minutes after Gabbie had run out of the room crying, Christa began to get worried. Where was she? The fire-haired girl put up her hand to ask if she could see if Gabbie was alright. An exasperated Mr King obliged and she strode out of the classroom to the girls toilets.

Gabbie pulled out a compass from her blazer pocket and swiftly and sharply dragged it across her wrists. It hurt and it bled, but she didn't care. No one did. Even if she showed the scars to people, they would probably brush her off like another piece of dirt on the ground. Gabbie went for a second slash, self-hate gyrating around her head like a typhoon. "Gabbie what the fuck are you doing?" That voice. That use of language. The tone. She whipped her head around to see Christa, someone who would definitely care. Gabbie looked at the compass, now stained crimson, to her wrist then back to Christa. This cycle continued a few more times until the severity of what Gabbie had done to herself had sunk in. She wailed and wailed and wailed until no more tears would come. Then she simply erupted into convulsing hiccups that echoed through her bones. Christa had quickly put her arms around her, trying to comfort her but her kindness simply made Gabbie feel worse. How could she have forgotten about the people who love her, people like Christa, Dan and Phil? When Christa questioned her about what was wrong, Gabbie told all. Everything about what had happened the day before and how it brought back painful memories of King's Cross Station. Christa simply hugged her harder in sympathy, unable to understand Gabbie's experiences. The only thing she could do was hold her close until the crying stopped.

After a few minutes hugging, Gabbie pulled away with a red face and a smile. She looked embarrassed but determined and it was somewhat unnerving Christa. "I guess there's only one more thing to tell you." Gabbie said, voice still cracking. Curiosity burned as bright as Christa's hair as she asked her what she needed to tell her. "Gabbie took a deep breath and said, all in a rush, "I have a really big crush on you!" Gabbie screwed up her face, expecting rejection. Instead she felt soft lips on hers and, as she opened her eyes, saw a beautiful face pressed up against hers. Christa's face. This was her answer. Awesome. Gabbie kissed her back then they broke apart after about 10 seconds. Christa grinned and said "That a good answer?" Gabbie was tunned and unable to speak but she nodded. Gabbie decided to head home as she still wasn't feeling too hot. Christa agreed and, after Gabbie called Phil to make sure he picked her up, Christa kissed her once more and walked back to her maths lesson, content as can be.