DAMAGED

chapter30 ☪

tiny little author's note :-)
hiyaa this is gonna be the last chapter, enjoy :-)
•••
Tuvi's POV

I looked at my dad. Then at the clock. Then back at my dad. Then at the clock again.
Oh, well. I doubt he's going to wake up for the five teensy minutes I'm gone. It's 4:37 in the morning. What are the chances he'll wake up?
I slid out from the bed carefully, my heart beating faster than it normally does. I heard him moving a little bit, and I froze quickly. However, his eyelids weren't open, not even a tiny bit.
I sighed silently, relieved, and got up in my tiptoes to try to disconnect the child-proof IV cable from the wall. I pulled and twisted and scraped and jiggled the thing, but it wouldn't move. It was like a game of tug-o'-war, and my hands were red from all that tugging and warring.
Suddenly, a lightbulb clicked on inside of my head, and I knew what to do. I grabbed the IV by the monitor and rolled it with me all the way to the door. I got up on it as if it was a skateboard, and I skated with all my force in the opposite direction of the connected cable.
I found it easier, and I smiled, running silently all the way back to where the cable was connected. I jiggled it, and guess what? It was loose! Oh, yeah. Child-proof with the exception of Tuvi. I proudly disconnected it and checked on my dad. He was still snoring! I silently did my happy dance before dragging the IV out of the room.
The hallways were so empty that they scared me. Luckily my fuzzy bunny flipflops were here to guide me. I checked the list pinned on the wall that said the names of the patients and the room they were in.
I giggled. It reminded me of when Kassie and I would look for stores in the ginormous mall map.
I saw that "Wolfie Radke" was at the end of the hallway. I thought he changed his name. They must've made a mistake. I'll fix it!
I opened up a pack of markers that was lying there and took one out. With my hands, I erased his old name and wrote "Ashton" in my best handwriting.
I put it down and headed over all the way to the scary, dark end of the hallway. What if a ghost is right behind me, waiting to surprise me? I felt sick. I really do not like surprises from ghosts.
I opened the door slowly. The lights were on, and Ashton was sleeping. Where's Kassie?
Maybe he knows! I shook him slightly. "Ashton, wake up and help me find your girlfriend!" I whispered, but he didn't wake up.
"Let's go! Wake up! This isn't funny. If Kassie gets lost, I'm blaming it on you."
He still wouldn't listen! I crossed my arms, stomped my foot, and pouted. "Please?"
"Are you mad at me because I crossed the street? I'm sorry... Although, technically, you got hurt because of your own decision, you know."
I looked down before looking back up. The lights flickered, and I heard cars beeping somewhere outside.
"Oh! I know what I forgot in my apology! A thank you! Thank you so much for getting me out of the way before that mean truck got the chance to hit me! And for entertaining me by kissing Kassie! That was super-duper romantic! Thank you, thank you, thank you!"
He was still probably mad, because he didn't respond. I felt hurt, and tears were probably coming soon to a cheek on me. "I don't want you to stay angry at me. Please stop ignoring me! It's scary, and I can't find Kassie! I need you to protect me against a surprising ghost that may or may not be after me."
No response. I was already crying. I hugged him, trying not to get our cables and tubes tangled.
After I released him, I looked at a chart that every patient had. The pain score he told the medics he had was an 8. I gasped, my mouth wide open like the loop earrings that Kassie wore one time. I would've probably said 10.
The "current state" column said he was in a coma. My heart once again began beating rapidly, wanting to run away from the truth.
I held a hand to my chest to calm it down. So he isn't mad at me. He's just in a coma. I couldn't decide which one is worse, then I thought it would've been better if he was conscious.
Now he might never protect Kassie and me from the surprising ghost. I began to cry even more, because who wouldn't? With a ghost that might be after you, and the inability to leave the hospital, and the fact that you have no hair, you can think of a billion reasons to cry. I know I can.
"Maybe you can still hear me. So thank you. You make my sister really happy, which makes me happy. This is my fault. I'm so stupid. Just because I might never do some things..."
Suddenly, an idea came to me. If Kassie were here and she kissed him, maybe he'd wake up, like in fairy tales! He looked great enough to be a prince anyway, right?
Then I saw the bad part about my plan: Kassie wasn't here.
Just as I was about to give up, guess what awesome, absolutely fantastic thing happened? The door opened! And it was Kassie!

Kassie's POV

I took the three pills the nurse told me to take as soon as I woke up. When I had seen Ashton in a coma, I'd started to cry so much that one of the nurses took me out and called my pediatrician, who told her to give me a stronger anti-depressant than the one I was on.
"Tuvi?" I whispered as I looked at her crying. "What are you doing here?"
"Looking for you. Is he really in a coma?" She asked quietly, hugging me.
I felt immediate pain at the reminder. "Just go back to your room, Tuvs."
"That's not my room! Besides, I have an idea of how he can wake up."
"He's not going to, okay? This isn't some stupid little fairy tale. This is life as we know it, and nothing ever goes right. Let's face it, Tuvi. I'm a walking jinx. Everyone around me gets hurt."
"But-"
"Just go back to where your dad is, okay?" I told her, trying to ignore all my emotions bottled up inside of me, clawing at my heart.
I didn't even notice she left. I was blank. That meant the pills were working.
I heard Ashton's voice in my mind. "You don't need pills to make you happy."
I looked down at my wrists, new scars fresh from earlier today. "You lied, Ashton." I whispered, kneeling down next to the bed. His face seemed lifeless. It's like he was already dead.
"I do need pills to create happiness." I continued, fighting back the numb, blank feeling the medication was trying to give me.
"You know why?" I said, my voice shaking. My eyes welled up, but I didn't care. It's like I couldn't process he was actually in a coma and might never come back.
"'Cause everybody who makes me happy ends up hurting me the most. I know this isn't your fault, but..." I wiped my eyes with my sleeve. "You made me feel wanted, not like a burden that you can't find a trash can to throw in. I just... I don't know why. I can't be your angel... Those people...Those people that aren't like me, that aren't as selfish as me...They're the angels. Me? I'm not even close.
"I don't know what I'm going to do. What would a person do without oxygen? Without water? Die, right? Nobody can live without a necessity, and I... I need you." I whimpered, hair sticking to my damp cheeks. I buried my face in his chest and cried.
I guess the pills didn't work, but come on. What pill exists that makes you immune to your basic necessities in life?
"I never thought...I never thought I'd get so a-attached to a person after all that's happened." My voice was very raspy and it hurt to talk, but I didn't care.
"P-Please..." My trembling hand intertwined with his. "I really need you. I love you, I need you... Whichever you think is bigger."
I took a deep breath, and more tears slid down as I remembered the first day we actually talked. I took out two crumpled pieces of paper, my heart beating unevenly as I took ragged, shaky breaths.
"I still have the wrecking ball thing you drew." I managed a short laugh as my cheeks got more moist.
His eyes remained closed as his chest rose up and down. He was breathing normally, relaxed, and completely unaware of how much hurt this has caused me.
His heartbeat was slowing down.
I opened up the other piece of paper, small whimpers managing to escape my mouth. "You-you were right about everything. You're my moon...You're always going to be there for me, even if I don't see you. I had a chance at being an angel...Now it's your turn."

~~~

"That's the thing about lightning. You never know when it's going to strike, and when it does, it hurts".