Survival of the Unfit

Chapter 34

Levi

I woke up and immediately wished to black out again. My shoulder hurt, my entire upper right arm hurt. Everything hurt, actually, and it smelled too clean and felt too bright. Eventually I could blink my eyes open, only to find ceiling tiles and generic wallpaper in my peripheral vision. “April.”

“Doctor...” A nurse stammered.

“April,” I repeated, looking around the room frantically. “April, where’s April!” I tried to get up, but my arm hurt and there were IVs and shit everywhere. The nurse held me down, and I struggled to get up again as more footsteps sounded. “How’s April?!”

So I blacked out again, per nurse’s request. Take two of waking up, a little saner, just as sore. And, action.

“Oh god, where am I...” I blinked hard again, finding the same, familiar hospital setting. IV in my arm. Heart monitor on my finger. Heavy bandage on my right shoulder, various band aids on my arms and face. Fucking thin-ass hospital gown on. 

“You’re at the hospital,” A nurse coaxed. She came into view above me. “Do you remember what happened last night?”

I looked at my upper arm and tried to piece it together. “I, I got shot.”

“Mhm,” she mumbled, checking my vitals. “Anything else?”

“The girl, the girl, April Swanson, how is she?” I asked frantically.

“Shh, shh, she’s fine,” the nurse said in a calming voice. “She didn’t sustain any major injuries. I think all she has is a cold.”

I closed my eyes and exhaled. “Thank god.”

The nurse laughed. “You really care about her. A girlfriend?”

“Hopefully,” I said, rubbing my eyes with my left hand. “I, I think so. I don’t really know.”

“Well if it’s okay with you, we’re going to send your family in now, Levi.” The nurse looked back to me for approval before going out the door. 

I nodded. She smiled and left my room, leaving me just a few short seconds of silence before Mom, Julia, and Dad came bursting through the door. Mom stopped short and covered her mouth with her hand, and Julia rushed over to my side, hugging me carefully, avoiding my right arm altogether. I felt Julia shake and sniff in my good shoulder. “Oh my god. Oh my god, Levi.” She started full on crying, and I didn’t quite know what to do. Mom had tears streaming down her face. Dad had his mouth pressed in a thin line, and his eyes were sad. Julia continued sobbing and trying to speak at the same time. “I-I was so scared, y-you had no idea, and, and I t-thought you were dead! I thought you, you died, and I rushed h-here as s-soon as I could, and—”

“Shh, relax, relax, Juls. I’m okay. You’re little brother’s tough.” I hoped the phrase would comfort her, but she only cried harder.

“But you’re my little brother,” she whispered. My heart cracked a little.

“Hey, give the kid some air,” Dad said, pulling Julia away. She wiped her cheeks and pushed hair out of her face, blue eyes all puffy and red. “You feeling okay, Lev?” he asked. I nodded, even though my arm and shoulder was still stiff and sore.

“My baby was shot. I can’t believe it. I can’t believe it,” Mom said, coming to my side as well and planting a big, fat Mom kiss on my cheek. She hugged me carefully and I hugged back, respectfully. It’s just weird. Not every day are you in a hospital bed with a bullet wound in your arm and your family fawning over you like an injured dog.

The doctor came in soon, before my parents could start asking questions. He started going on about what the bullet did, what the effects were, where I got hit, how lucky it was I was taken to a hospital so quickly with the blood loss and all, and how the bullet missed all the vital veins and shit. Doctor talk. Stuff I wasn’t paying attention to, trying to figure out an excuse for how the hell I got shot in the first place. Unlucky for me, however, a police officer came in shortly after the doctor and began questioning me, rather harshly. I told him fuck off. Julia giggled with Dad and Mom looked appalled with the nurse, who escorted the officer out rather quickly.