Endless || Jonah Marais ✓

♪ SIXTY-ONE ♪

Aurora groans as bright fluorescent lights and strong sanitary smells overwhelm her senses. Sitting up in the dull white hospital bed, she stares down at the IV needle stuck in her arm - no doubt pumping some drug through her system - not remembering what all happened after she and Aaron walked through the hospital doors.

She glances around, not seeing the boy anywhere in the room. Throwing her head against the pillows, she hisses and immediately jerks back up, feeling a thick bandage on the back of her head and a sharp throbbing.

"You certainly didn't sleep as long as we thought you would," a rather young nurse informs her with a smile, bustling into the room.

"Where's Not Jonah?" Aurora questions, her voice coming out slurred, making her sound drunk.

"If you're referring to the handsome young man you came here with," the nurse begins, whose scrubs on the breast pocket read Amelia, pointing towards the door. "He stepped into the hallway to make some phone calls."

After checking something at the foot of the bed, she looks back up at Aurora, smiling cheerfully. "Now, I'm sure you don't really remember much of what happened before we started pumping you full of antibiotics. Would you like me to explain it to you?"

She nods slowly, not really processing what she's saying but decide to let her keep talking anyways.

"We did the routine checkup and ran some tests - which you didn't like at all," Nurse Amelia chuckles. "You tried to bite Dr. Nolan a handful of times until he had you sedated. You have a mild concussion and the only sickness you have is the flu. But, it seems to effect you worse than it normally does others. We hooked the IV up to you and gave you a regular dose of antibiotics, but since one of the interns overestimated your weight, you've had more than enough."

She pauses, taking another glance at the chart in her hands. "You'll be discharged as soon as they wear off, which will be sometime tomorrow. Any questions?"

"You're really smart," Aurora giggles, not really processing anything the nurse just told her. "Can you take this pokey thing out of my arm?"

Amelia immediately obliges, gently easing the needle out. "Is that better?"

She nods, looking around the room again. "I want Caramel."

"Caramel?" Amelia repeats, sounding puzzled. "I'm sure I can find you some in one of the vending mach-"

"No, not caramel," Aurora cuts her off, furrowing her eyebrows. "I want my Caramel."

The nurse gives her a kind smile and uses a voice that's often reserved for toddlers. "Is your caramel a person?"

Aurora nods her head, a smile growing as she catches on. "She's my," Aurora pauses, struggling to think of the right words in her muddled mind. "I think she's my sister?"

The door to the hospital room opens and Aaron comes in, followed by Jonah, Callie, Carmen, and Daniel Skye.

"Caramel!" she exclaims, throwing my arms in the air. She looks over at Amelia, gesturing to the girl dressed as Minnie Mouse. "See? That's my Caramel."

Aurora hurriedly stands up, stumbling over to the girl and collapsing in her arms. "You're like, really pretty," she slurs, playing with a strand of her hair. "Way out of Heroin's league."

Carmen laughs. Aurora squints her eyes in Daniel's direction, scrutinizing the boy. "You're not Heroin, but you and Caramel would have cute kids."

Daniel chuckles as Jonah pulls her away from Carmen and into a warm embrace.

"You had me so worried," he murmurs into her tangled hair. "I couldn't find you after you ran off to talk to Theo James, and next thing I know I'm getting a call from Aaron telling me you're in the hosp-"

"If you don't shut up, I'm going to punch you in the mouth," Aurora interrupts his rambling, looking up at him with a lazy smile and poking his cheek. "With my mouth, softly, because I love you."

Jonah furrows his eyebrows, looking to Amelia for an answer to her loopiness. She chuckles, explaining to them the same thing she told her.

"You're really smart," Callie comments, taking another bite from the cup of jello in her hands.

"Hi, Callie!" Aurora waves enthusiastically. "Where's your Poodle?"

"I lost him in the cafeteria," she admits, shrugging her shoulders nonchalantly.

Leaning back from Jonah, Aurora tugs on the sleeve of Amelia's scrubs. "Guess what," she stage whispers loudly, pointing at Jonah.

"What?" She whispers back, equally dramatic.

"I'm gonna marry this boy one day," Aurora grins, jumping back onto the bed. "But shh, don't tell him. It's a secret."

"Okay," she says, winking at her. "I'm going to go finish your paperwork. Dr. Nolan will be in shortly to check on you."

××××

"How's my favorite feisty patient?" Dr. Nolan smiles, closing the door behind him and shooing Jonah away from the bedside, much to the boy's dismay. "You look better."

"And you," Aurora points a finger, poking his chest, "look really hot. Like a younger version of McSteamy."

"This is certainly an improvement from when you tried to bite me," he chuckles, grabbing the chart Amelia had left. "Can you tell me why there is a crayon coloring of a dog on your stats chart?"

"Honestly," Callie begins, finishing yet another cup of jello. "I'm not even surprised."

"There are a couple of questions you need to answer," Dr. Nolan continues, clicking his pen. "And I won't bother you again until we run you through another checkup tomorrow morning."

Jonah huffs jealously, sitting beside Aurora on the bed and wrapping an arm around her waist, not saying a word. The doctor raises an amused eyebrow, but nevertheless moves on.

"Are you allergic to any foods or medicines?"

"I'm allergic to Heroin's overprotective ass," she giggles. "But he's not here right now, I think he might be dead. Either way, we're good."

Dr. Nolan nods seriously, writing something down. Glancing up, he hesitates slightly before asking his next question. "Is there any possibility that you could be pregnant?"

"You heard the man," Aurora pokes Jonah's side, grinning slyly. "Is there?"

"N-no," Jonah quickly stutters, a blush rising.

The doctor once again raises his eyebrow, giving Jonah a doubtful look. "Are you sure?"