Tangle (BWWM)

Chapter 28- Resolution

"Look, Gabby! Look! He's waking up."

Cameron's eyes fluttered open as he slowly regained consciousness. Suddenly becoming aware of his own body, he began to feel the dull aches and pains shooting throughout his limbs. What the hell happened to him? Where was he? Shifting his eyes around him to take in his surroundings, he noticed Katie standing over him, her blue eyes wide with worry, brow deeply creased, and a frown tugging at the corners of her lips. Standing opposite her was none other than Gabrielle, sharing the same expression as her counterpart.

Gabrielle... for some reason, he had a nagging feeling that all of this had something to do with her... Though... he couldn't quite remember how the hell he got there... Wherever the hell he was!

Moving his mouth to speak, only a raspy squeak escaped his dry throat.

As if reading his mind, Gabrielle answered his unasked question. "You're in the hospital, Cam."

His brows furrowed at the revelation. The hospital?

"Yeah," Katie chimed in. "Vincent found you in an alleyway. He said that you got mugged and they did quite a number on you. Don't worry, he chased them down and got your stuff back..." Katie paused, and he noticed her eyes beginning to water. "I was so worried about you! I'm so glad you're finally awake." At that point, she couldn't control her emotions, running tears leading to broken sobs.

Gabrielle took her best friend into her arms and embraced her tightly, a gentle, soothing hand running up and down her back. "Hey, Katie, don't cry. He's okay now."

Cameron was confused... why was Katie so distraught over him? What had he forgotten?

Looking around once more, he noticed that it was night time in the city, though the night was much quieter than he was accustomed to. A nurse came inside and checked Cameron's vitals, and then turned to him and asked him how he felt. After managing a few more squeaks, he was finally able to speak, though it hurt to use his voice.

The nurse then turned to the bag of fluids he was hooked up to and injected something into it. He figured it must have been pain medicine, because when she left, the aches that racked him before started to now dissipate. His eyes turned again to the ladies who were visiting him, and he tried once again to remember what the hell happened. "My head hurts... I can't remember anything," he rasped. "What exactly happened and when?"

Katie opened her mouth to speak, but Gabrielle interjected before her friend could say anything. "We were at Vincent's birthday party, and you stepped outside to get some fresh air. Some guys jumped you in an alley and robbed you," she explained like she'd rehearsed a thousand times. "Vincent happened to come outside at the right time and ran them off. He chased them down, and they dropped your wallet and cellphone." She pointed to a small table next to his hospital bed where his belongings lay. "Vincent called the ambulance and filed a police report."

"I wish he'd told me immediately when it happened," Katie muttered to Gabrielle. "I was looking all over for you guys. Vincent's friends told me that you all had an emergency. I was wondering if they would cancel the party, and eventually they did." She began to tear up once more. "I'm just so glad you're okay, Cam," she repeated.

Cameron scrunched his eyebrows. Katie sure was worked up over him. "I'm sorry... I don't remember much. Were we... are we...?"

Katie sniffled, hurt that Cameron could not remember the time they spent together. But she could not hold it against him. The trauma must have affected his memory. "Yes, Cam. We've been dating for a few months now."

He nodded, the situation making sense to him. He had to admit that he'd had feelings for both of the women, but when Gabrielle started dating Vincent, Katie stood out to him much more. Though he was thrilled to learn that him and Katie had taken that step together, he was disappointed that he had no memory of their time spent.