A Kiss To Change It All - Montgomery de la Cruz

Part 15

Nothing had changed.

The ER was still the same cold place. Grey floor, cream walls and the faint odor of rubbing alcohol that made people feel sicker when sitting in the hallway waiting for their turn, sometimes for hours long. You hadn't been there in almost two years and yes, you didn't miss that place because the moment you stepped into the hallway, you felt nauseous and dizzy. You were among those few lucky people that got taken care of fairly quickly and put in a warm room while waiting for a doctor to come and see you.

You stopped coughing when the nurse set a breathing mask over your mouth but the pain in your chest seemed to be increasing over time. "Oh my God, (Y/N), what happened?" Your mother rushed inside the room and cupped your face. You couldn't say a word because of the pain and mostly because of the breathing mask that didn't allow you to talk freely. Jeff started explaining what happened and you just zoned out, looking through the blinds on the window that gave you a view of the hallway where doctors and nurses were walking back and forth. Every breath you took was a struggle, pain shooting through your body and a cough threatening to shake it all over again and it was worse when your mind started recalling the fight you had with Montgomery earlier in the day. What hurt you the most was the fact that he stood in front of you completely stoical as you cried and he didn't even try to stop you when you were leaving. You sighed and closed your eyes.

"You shouldn't get so stressed over a school project, (Y/N)." Your father's voice dragged you out of your thoughts. You looked at him confused and not really understanding why he was talking about school. "Jeff told us about that biology project you were struggling with for weeks..." You glanced at your best friend who just nodded and you imitated him. He didn't tell your parents the truth.

The doctor showed up close to half an hour after your parents came to the hospital. After he checked your vitals and got the results of the scans and blood tests you took whilst waiting, he came to the conclusion that it was mostly strong emotions and a lack of proper breathing, just as if you went on a marathon for hours and to top it, you didn't take your medication that day, so it was the accumulation of everything that made you cough blood and have that sharp pain in your chest but just to make sure you were alright, he wanted to keep you there for a few more days. "Just to make sure it's not pneumonia or something else. And on Monday, you'll be free to leave and get back to your normal life." You were too tired to fight and beg to go back to the comfort of your own room as you would normally do, so you just nodded and dropped your head back on the thin pillow. "A nurse will give you an IV with some painkillers for that pain." With this, he told your parents and Jeff not to stay for too long and left.

"I'll check on you tomorrow after school, sweetheart," Jeff whispered and kissed your forehead before he left. Your parents followed him, leaving you alone with just your phone to keep you company. You hesitated before you finally turned it back on. It buzzed in your hands with messages and missed calls quickly filling your screen. 'Just what I needed to spend an amazing night in here.' You went through some of the texts, mostly from Jessica, Jeff and Tony but Zach's name also popped between them. You were close to finishing them when you saw his name.

'I am sorry, my princess.'

That was all to make your heart flutter and a small smile appear on your lips but you shook your head, you were still mad at him and a text wasn't going to make it up for what he did. Montgomery was going to need more than this to have you back. You dropped your phone on the nearby table and got yourself under the thick blanket but despite being beyond exhausted, you kept tossing from side to side, squeezing your eyes shut and desperately trying to get yourself to sleep. Impossible. Your mind kept thinking about his text, the fight, the way you saw him with the cheerleader. "Great, on top of being sick, I can't sleep. Fan-freaking-tastic!" You groaned.

It was like that for the three full days you spent locked in that room. The breathing mask didn't allow you to talk much to your friends when they came to visit you but you were thankful they came because you were dying of boredom. Zach brought you flowers, a beautiful bouquet of white roses "Because the pollen is inside the flower and won't cause you any allergy or trouble breathing" he told you. The sweetness of this guy was terrible and you wondered why he hung with Bryce and his squad because he was clearly different. He came alone on Saturday morning and spent a few hours with you until your parents showed up. 

"Stay..." You whined when he excused himself gathering his stuff.

He smiled at you. "We'll see each other when you come back... Very soon I hope." 

"Very nice boy." Your mother said.

You sighed shaking your head. "Zach is a friend, mom, and my bio partner. No more." You quickly stopped your mother from thinking that Zach and you could be a thing. 

Clay came with Tony later that afternoon. Both were worried sick for you and Clay noticed your lack of sleep. "You look like you haven't slept in days."

"You got a point there, Jensen, I haven't since Thursday." And as for your best friend, he stayed the night with you. You tried to get him to go back to his place but he refused. "Well since you're staying, come cuddle with me." You pushed yourself to the side and tapped the empty spot next to you. He hesitated. It was the first time he would consider cuddling with you.

"Bed ain't big, sweetheart." 

You chuckled. "It's the whole point of cuddling, dumbass. Get yourself here, I haven't slept in two days, I'm tired." He rolled his eyes at you before climbing next to you, you quickly snuggled under his arm and rested your head on his chest. "You're much more comfortable than that damn pillow." You said after a moment.

"You still like cuddling with me?" That question was like a dagger that went straight to your heart. 

You tilted your head up, pulling your breathing mask away. "Oh my Lord, Jefferey, never ask things like this ever again!" You sighed. "Me being with Monty will never change a thing between us and it will most certainly never change about how I feel for you because I love you more than I love myself." He smiled and tightened his grip around you. "You're my whole life, Jeff, I don't want you to question anything that happens between us, okay?" You rested your hand on his cheek.

He nodded. "I'm sorry, my pretty girl, I just... I don't know what I was thinking about." He kissed the inside of your hand and closed his eyes. "I love you, (Y/N/N)." You smiled and snuggled closer to his chest, drifting to sleep to the sound of his heartbeat.