The Amazing Technicolor Love

Trouble in Paradise #3

Trouble in Paradise #3

Peyton's POV

"What?" I asked Johnson, panic filling my voice. "What happened to him!? Where is he? Is he going to be okay?" I fired off questions as I felt my stomach drop. The thought of Jack being hurt made me feel physically sick. "It was a bad car accident," was all Johnson could say before he went silent for a bit. I could tell he was trying not to cry. "Jack, where are you guys? I want to come." I told him as I started to jog up the stairs to my dorm room. "We're in Los Angeles, I booked you a flight since I've been in the waiting room, hoping you would want to come." Johnson explained. Relief spread through me. "Absolutely. When's my flight? I'll get ready now." I said while unlocking the door and grabbing my shower stuff. "Be at the airport around 11," Johnson told me. "We're at Cedars Sinae." I jogged down the hall to the showers and set my stuff down. "Okay, I'll get there as quickly as possible, thanks for calling me." With that, I hung up and hopped in the shower.

~

After Johnson called, everything was a blur. I had showered and emailed my professors saying I was sick and asked them to email me my assignments. I then quickly threw clothes into an overnight bag and ran down to the bus stop. It was about an hour plane ride from Tuscon to Los Angeles. The entire flight, I couldn't preoccupy myself. I just kept praying that Jack was okay. I was so angry with myself, why had I been so stupid to let Jack go? In that moment I had never hated my stubbornness more. When the flight landed, I took a cab to Cedars Sinae. California had always been my favorite state. My dad had taken us on vacation there every single summer growing up. Yet, I didn't even care that the cab I was in zoomed past the exit for Disneyland, my favorite place, all I could think was 'Get me to Jack, get me to my baby.' Finally, the cab driver pulled into the hospital parking lot I tossed money into the front seat and was hopping out of the cab before it was fully stopped. I could feel people staring at me as I sprinted through the sliding doors at the entrance of the hospital. A nurse with red long hair sat behind the front desk, typing at a computer. She glanced up when she heard me come running in. "May I help you?" She asked me, confusion consuming her features. "Jack Gilinsky. What floor is Jack Gilinsky on?" I said quickly. She started typing. "Let me check," she told me while staring at the computer screen. I impatiently tapped my fingers on the desk and glanced around the hospital. The doors of the elevator to my left opened and Johnson appeared. "Jack!" I called to him and started running over to him. "Peyton," he said in relief while pulling me into his arms. "Where is he?" I asked Johnson after giving him a long hug. "The third floor, c'mon follow me." He said while taking my hand and leading us over to the staircase. We hurried up the stairs to the third floor where I saw Jack's parents sitting in the waiting room. They stood up when they saw Johnson and I walk in. "Oh Peyton, it's so good to see you," Katherine told me while embracing me in a hug. "Jack would be so happy to see you," she said, sadness filling her features. "Is he okay? Where is he?" I asked, dying to get some answers. Katherine led me over to the chairs and sat us down. She held my hand and took a deep breath. Mr. Gilinsky and Johnson were quiet as they sat in the chairs next to us. "Jack and Johnson were driving to the hotel from the studio today. Jack was driving and they made a left turn through an intersection. Someone ran a red light and crashed into the drivers side of the car. Johnson only has a few bruises but Jack..." Katherine choked up a little before continuing on. "Jack isn't looking too good, sweetie. The car that hit them was going around 60 mph, it was a high impact collision. Jack has broken ribs, a dislocated left shoulder and a ruptured spleen. When Jack arrived at the hospital, they had to resuscitate him and since then he has been unconscious. Right now he's in surgery for his spleen and ribs..." Katherine trailed off as the tears started flowing from her eyes. Mr. Gilinsky wrapped his arms around her, allowing her to sob into his chest. He was crying too but was trying his best to keep it together. I stood up, not knowing what to do with myself. I felt sick to my stomach. Johnson sat quietly in the chair but I didn't want to be around anyone. I walked down the hallway, away from the waiting room. 'Jack isn't looking too good,' kept replaying over and over in my head. I couldn't lose him. I couldn't live without him. I was so angry I had wasted so much time ignoring him. I would give anything to hear his voice again. He had to survive this because if he didn't, I wouldn't survive either. I felt tears start streaming from my eyes. I clasped my hand over my mouth to prevent sobs from pouring out as I sat down against the wall. I pulled my knees up to my chest and laid my head on them. It felt as though everything inside of me was breaking. It was a pain I had never felt before. I couldn't handle another loss like this. Losing the most important man in my life once was hard enough, I couldn't lose Jack too. Sitting in the hospital hallway brought back memories from when I was 11. Chills ran through me as I remembered the last time I sat in a hallway like this. I was just a little girl and I had just heard the news that my dad had been in a car accident. I could only hope that I wouldn't recieve the same news about Jack that I later received about my dad. That he was gone, forever, all because of some stupid driver. 'Please' I begged. 'Dont take him away from me, not again.' Sobs erupted from my throat then. I held onto my knees and rocked back and forth. Someone came and sat down next to me. It was Johnson. I looked at him and saw tears in his own eyes. "I wish it was me Peyton, I really do." Was all he said before he couldn't talk anymore. "Shhh," I hushed him to stop his irrational thought. I wrapped my arm around his shoulder and he laid his head on mine. We sat like that for a while, both of us crying over a guy who we both loved to the moon and back.