D U S K ✔

Chapter Thirty-Seven

{UNEDITED}

-

A wave of nausea washed over me as I jolted awake. Firstly noticing the blinding white lights glaring down at me, secondly, the restraint on my arm.

My eyes flashed open, adjusting to the lights, there was a dull throbbing on my cheek as I peered down at the secured arm. Observing the vivid, pink cast wrapped from my wrist to my elbow. I sniffled, flinching away as a glass of water was shoved into my face.

"Drink." I heard. It was a dull, muted sound, and with the room still spinning, the voice could've been either the other side of the room, or right next to my ear. I breathed heavily, gasping for air and trying to adjust to my surroundings.

A buzz of white noise engulfed the hospital room, and I coughed desperately. Reaching out for the glass with my good arm, I brought it, unsteadily to my mouth.

"You gave me a scare, Gabby. I actually thought Valentino had gotten you killed."

I sighed, blinking away my wet eyes, Rob was next to the hospital bed.

That's when everything came rushing back with incredible force. I shot up.

"Woah! Take it easy." Rob called, or whispered, or spoke, I didn't really know to be sure. The room tilted dramatically, falling on it's side, or maybe that was me too.

I shook my head. I needed to find Adam, "Where is he?" I managed.

Rob shot me a furious look. "He got you into this mess." Rob stated, unnecessarily. He leaned back in his chair, and huffed, looking anywhere but me.

"That's--" I coughed, the roughness of my voice catching me by surprise, "--not what I asked."

From the corner of my eye I saw his jaw clench as he scratched the back of his neck violently. "The doctors took him in, I didn't say what had happened to him. I kept your secrets. He's fine."

"Still not what I asked."

I struggled to pull myself out of the bed, wobbling on my two feet, or four feet, I couldn't really tell yet.

Blinking, I grasped onto wall for support, feeling Rob clutch onto my arm. "Seriously, I'm sure he's fine--"

"You're not even sure!"

I pushed away from him, stumbling through the doorway and lathing onto the first nurse I could see, "Where's the patient with the name Valentin-"

The blue-scrubbed nurse looked at me in distaste, "Ma'am, you're the patient."

I groaned grinding my teeth together, of course she would expect me to be some sort of crazy person, wearing a hospital gown, scrambling to get away from a man in normal clothes.

If I was thinking straight, that's probably what I would assume too. I coughed, staggering back to the room. Rob wasn't there when I came back.

I quickly found my clothes and changed into them, being mindful of the cast protecting my arm. I walked to the nurse's station with much more normality and less urgency. They directed me to a room across the hall.

Being back in the hospital, worried about Adam, was not something I'd ever be used to. My heart thumped all the way to my throat, feeling as though it was restricting the air. The door was slightly a-jar, before I opened it fully.

Rhythmic beeping welcomed me as soon as my foot first entered, it didn't slow, or speed up at all. I didn't know why a part of me believed it would. He laid there, I could barely recognise him with all the swelling and discolouration.

The whole right side of his face was puffed up, reddening around the eye but contorting into a horridly purple-blue moving over his forehead, splashed with specks of green here and there. A sewn up gash split down the side of his eyebrow, creating a noticeable line through his eyebrow. His bottom lip was split open, two stitches holding the cut together.

The pale, cerulean-coloured gown almost didn't reach past his shoulders, exposing the unmissable splotches of blue and green bruises, his collarbones were protruding out of his chest, only outlining the extent of his dangerously skinny frame. His eyes were closed-- well one of them was swollen shut-- and his lips were pressed into a firm line.

I swallowed just as my heart began to beat out of my rib-cage, and sat on the chair next to his bed. Feeling an overpowering sense of fear falling through my form, I curled my hand into his cold one, and laid my head.

I didn't realise how long I had stayed there until the hospital door peaked open, revealing a doctor, who, when spotting me, came bustling through the door fully.

"Ah, are you a relative?" He inquired, holding a clipboard up to his chest. I nodded, pushing myself up and fixing myself. I expected Adam to be awake, with both his eyes trained on me, probably thinking of what an idiot I was.

I had expected to be woken up to Adam's furious yelling, or anything. I didn't expect him to still be sleeping. In the exact same position as I fell asleep.

For a fleeting moment time stood still, my heart dropped as I assumed, only for what could be a single second, that Adam was dead.

But the heart beat monitors proved me wrong.

"Right, well, the patient had several contusions on his body, a major fraction to his ribs," He moved to the other side of Adam and I, "and his index finger was completely broken. Overall, Mr. Valentino had a total of fifty two stitches." He paused.

My gaze travelled to his other hand, and only then did I notice the amount of needles and bolts secured into his hand.

"Now Miss, there is some slightly more serious information I need to discuss with you, however we may need to contact your parents."

My eyes widened a fraction, "What do you mean?"

"Miss, I can't discuss it with you, unless your guardian's are present. I apologis--"

I interrupted, "Is it about his brain tumour?"

"Unfortunately I cannot discuss that matter with you unless you-"

"-Have a guardian present. Yes, we understand, Doctor."

I snapped my head over to the door, just as Jimmy and Theresa came through. It couldn't have been a better sight.

"Now what information would you like to tell my daughter and I?" Jimmy stated, winking discretely at me.

They were a good sight indeed.

The doctor nodded, "Right, well," He began, "when Mr. Valentino arrived, we performed some standard testing, we performed an MRI scan, in which we discovered Mr. Valentino had an abnormally large tumour residing behind the optical nerve." He observed our reactions, quickly. Before speaking again, "We got in contact with previous hospitals and special neurological units and disco-"

  "Just get to the point, Doc." Jimmy demanded, grimacing.

  The doctor looked bewildered for a moment, before composing himself. "Right, yes. We got his MRI scans back from a month ago, and unfortunately, Mr. Valentino's tumour has increased exponentially."

  "What do you mean?" I intercepted, earning a fleeting look of sympathy from Theresa.

  The pudgy doctor coughed, "I mean that unfortunately, due to the location of the tumour, Mr. Valentino may wake up with serious brain damage, be visually impaired, or completely blind."