Second Chances ~ l.h.

Chapter 21

I laid in bed not being able to sleep, tossing and turning, with a million thoughts running through my mind and I couldn’t concentrate on one of them. Luke was asleep on the window seat which was a bench big enough to sleep on, I could defiantly tell he was asleep from the deep snores coming from his mouth. Ashton was sound asleep on a cot the hospital lent us and I could hear deep breathing coming from him as well.

Music wasn’t helping me fall asleep and even Connor Franta, aka my favorite YouTuber who always managed to make me laugh, would only make me more awake. I sat up hooking up my prosthetic and walked out of my room. I’ve been out of my room before, but it was for practice using my prosthetic for physical therapy and someone was always with me, this was my first time being by myself. I walked down the hall of the children’s hospital towards the elevators on my floor wanting to go outside for some fresh air. I made it off the elevator on the main floor, when someone stopped me.

“Katharine what are you doing out of bed?” I heard a voice coming from behind me; it was Rachel, who has been my nurse since the attack. She’s older than me, probably in her late 20’s and we’re friendly with each other.  

“I . . . uh . . .” shit busted, I thought.

“I couldn’t sleep, and I was going to get some fresh air.” I confessed.

“I can’t really allow that.” She told me, with a concerned look on her face.

“Please Rachel; I’ve been confined to that bed and room for weeks now, please.” I begged.

She hesitated for a minute,

“Fine, but not too long.” She warned me.

“Thank you.” I said and continued walking towards the main entrance of the hospital. As I got closer I noticed a familiar figure sitting on a bench right outside the entrance, through the window. I started walking faster.

“Tony?” I asked the figure as I walked outside.

“Katharine what are you doing up?” Tony asked me.

“I couldn’t sleep. What are you doing outside? And why haven’t you come to see me?” I confronted him.

I haven’t see Tony since before the attack. I never really thought about it that much, but seeing him outside now made me realize he hasn’t visited me. It genuinely hurt me; Tony was not only a bodyguard or security guard for me he was my friend. He is always been there for me, but not being here through all of this, kind of felt like a slap in the face.

“The boys wanted security guards at the entrances to make sure no fans got inside to try and find your room.” He explained. “And I did visit you, but it was right after the attack, when you were still asleep and I couldn’t bring myself to visit again when you were awake without feeling guilty that I should have been there to protect you.”

“Tony you couldn’t have known and the boys needed your help.” I reassured him, walking closer to him.

“Yeah, but that’s my job. Luke told me to protect you when he couldn’t be there, and the same with Katey and Gill. I feel like I let them down when this happened.”

“It’s ok and you could never let them down.” I comforted him, pulling him in for a hug.

“So why can’t you sleep?” he asked me after a minute of silence hugging each other.

“Overthinking.” I told him taking a seat on the bench. I trusted Tony; I told him everything next to Katey and Gill.

“About what?” he asked.

“Everything.” I sighed and filled him in on everything. About my argument with my parents, my scholarship that’s soon to be taken away and about me worrying about the meeting that I had to go too with my parents to discuss my scholarship.

“When’s the meeting?” Tony asked.

“The day after the album release party, so two weeks on Tuesday.”

“And when are you being released from the hospital?”

 “Christmas Eve, so two days.”

“Ok and when are your parents coming?”

“That Sunday before the meeting because not only is there another blizzard coming, delaying and or cancelling all flights in and out of New Jersey, but also all the plane ticket prices went up because of the holidays.” I explained to him.

“Ok well what are you worried about?”

“That I’ll have to move back home!” I raised my voice. “I don’t want to leave and I’m worried that my parents are going to force me to come back home because they won’t be able to afford to send me to UNSW anymore.”

“Katharine calm down, it’s going to be ok.” Tony said trying and failing to calm me down.

“No it’s not because I can already tell you what’s going to happen. My scholarship is going to be taken away, my parents will un enroll me at UNSW because they can’t afford it after all this medical crap, and force me to move back home, leaving Luke and everyone here.”

I rested my elbows on my knees, held my head in my hands and started to cry. Crying over the fact that this was going to be my future and I could guarantee it. In a matter of three weeks, my life was never going to be the same again. I would end up leaving my friends and the boy I love. My world was shattering right before my eyes and I didn’t know how to stop it. I was falling apart and there was no way of preventing it and no one could help me.