"We're looking for Rave Matthews."
"Are you family?"
Andy looks back to where Ever and I are standing, the little girl hiding behind me as she grips my hand so tightly her nails are breaking skin. Both Ever and I were extremely hesitant to get out of the jeep when we pulled into the parking lot, we're nervous and afraid of what we might learn once we're inside this building. I haven't really been inside the hospital since the night my dad died and I didn't ever want to be here again, I don't know how my mom does it every day. Everything about this place sends me back in time to that night, the smell, the noises, the white walls.
I grip Ever's hand tighter but she doesn't seem to mind, she's trying hard to mask her own terror as Andy nods towards her, "No, but she is."
The older woman behind the nurse's station looks down at Ever and gives us all a small, sympathetic smile. "Is there a family member that's a little older I can talk to?"
Andy opens his mouth to answer, but it's Ever that speaks, "I'm the only family he has." Her voice is breaking and her mask is slipping - letting her fear and tears show. I honestly don't know how she has any more tears to cry.
"Where are your parents?" The woman asks Ever before she looks at me and then Andy.
"We don't have parents." Ever releases my hand and then steps forward, closer to the desk and beside her brothers best friend. "We don't have a family, we only have each other. Can you please just tell me what's happening to my brother?"
They stared at each other for a moment, and finally the woman turns to her computer and reads the screen before turning back to the little girl in front of her. I move closer to Ever and Andy, and rest a hand on her shoulder as Andy does the same to me. We were all holding our breath as the nurse looks us over, taking in our exhausted and heartbroken appearances.
"He's in surgery at the moment, they're removing a bullet from his shoulder." I can feel my heart stop at the mention of a bullet. Ever was right, there was a gun shot, and Rave was the one to be shot. "He should be out of surgery soon, the bullet didn't cause any severe damage, he'll be fine. He also has some cracked ribs and a mild concussion, but over all he is going to be okay."
All three of us let out a sigh of relief, and then Andy asks the question that sends us back on edge, "Have the police been here yet?"
"They just left a few minutes ago. We couldn't contact any relatives and he was unconscious, so they said they would come back later when he's out of surgery and awake." As she looks at us I can see the thousands of questions building behind her eyes and I don't have answers, so I take Ever's hand in mine and begin leading her towards the elevator so that we can wait in the waiting room next to the OR.
I hear Andy thank the woman and then follow behind me, none of us say a word as we ride the elevator up to the Operating Room, all of us lost in our own thoughts until we step out. There's one other family sitting in the room, so we walk past them and to the seats in the corner - away from everyone and everything else.
I collapse into on of the chairs and Ever does the same right next to me, leaning her head against my shoulder and closing her tired eyes.
Within minutes, Ever is asleep. I look up at Andy, who still hasn't taken a seat. Instead, he's pacing in front of me, stopping once he notices that I'm looking at him. He looks as if he wants to say something, I can see the same sadness that is in my owns eyes is staring back at me in his, but all he says is, "I'm going to go call my brother and see if he can get the cops to hold off their questioning until tomorrow." He looks over at Ever and I know that he's also thinking that by holding off the questioning, he'll hold off Ever being taken away.
When Andy got back from him call, he took the seat on the other side of me and said that his brother was able to talk to the cops and have them agree to come by tomorrow afternoon to question Rave. We waited a few more minutes after that, and I was obsessively checking my phone to see if my mom had read any of the texts I had been sending her for the past hour, but she hadn't. I knew she was asleep and would be getting up soon for her next shift, but I needed her now. She hadn't answered any of my calls and I know she sometimes forgets to charge her phone but-
"Matthews' family?" A man in blue scrubs calls out from the door leading to the waiting room. I nudge Ever awake as his eyes land on us in the corner and he begins walking towards the three of us.
Ever rubs her eyes and yawns as the man stands before us, "Are you the family of Rave Matthews?"
"Yes." We all say at once, impatiently waiting for this man to tell us an update.
"Rave is out of surgery and being moved to room 201 on the second floor. Everything went smoothly and he should be waking up within the next few minutes. We retrieved the bullet that was lodged in his left shoulder and we repaired the damaged tissue. He also has cracked ribs and a concussion, so he will need to take it easy for the next couple of weeks."
After asking a few more questions, we thank the doctor and make our way back to the elevator, heading to the second floor. At the news of Rave being okay and awake, Ever's mood changed drastically, shes practically bouncing as we stand in the elevator.
Once the doors open, Ever leads the way to room 201 with Andy and I following close behind. When the door is within sight, Ever takes a deep breath and pushes it open, just as my phone begins to ring.
Andy notices that I stopped and turns back to me as I look at the caller ID and see my mom's name on the small screen.
"Go ahead, I'll be right there." I tell him as I answer the call and turn to walk towards the stairwell at the end of the hall.
"Hey, mom."
"Kylie, where are you? I just saw your calls and texts. What's going on? Are you okay?"
"Mom, I'll explain everything, but right now I need two things from you, okay?"
"Okay." She sounds nervous and I don't blame her, this is all crazy and unexpected.
"First, I need you to come to the hospital as soon as possible."
"Kylie, are you hurt?"
"No. I'm not the one in the hospital, it's Rave." I answer, my heart thumping faster at the sound of his name.
"Rave?"
"Yes, I'll explain when you get here." My words are rushed because I want to get this very important call over with so that I can see him for myself and make sure that he's okay.
"Okay, and the second thing?"
"I need to know if your foster license is still valid?"
YOU ARE READING
Stay With Me ✔
Teen Fiction"You would think that with a name like Rave, he would be intense and moody, like your classic bad boy. With the amount of cigarettes he smokes in a day, you would imagine that his car smells like stale smoke and nicotine. By the amount of rumors tha...
