AT LAST, I COULD BREATHE | billy hargrove

dazed and confused.

chapter song: Remedy - Adele

dazed and confused.

I was blinded by a fluorescent light when I tried to open my eyes again. I groaned and heard shuffling next to me while I tried to regulate my eyes and adjust them to the terrible luminescence. There was a beeping noise that sounded like an EKG and I swore I heard my mother's voice somewhere.

"Bernadette?" Another, less familiar female voice called. "Can you hear me? Bernadette Hughes?"

"Bo," I croaked out, "Name's Bo."

"That's her nickname," A male voice informed the woman, who I assumed to be a nurse. John.

My eyes shot open at the sound of his cheating ass and I searched the room until he was centered in my view. "Get out," my voice commanded back scratchily.

"Bo—" he began.

"OUT, JOHN!!!" I screamed and the nurses rushed him out of the room. I figured playing crazy patient would do the trick. My mother came to my side and gripped my hand. I lowered my tone. "Hi, Mum."

"I told you he was no good, Bernadette."

"Not really the time for an 'I told you so', Mum," I groaned.

She wiped a small tear from underneath her eye. "I apologize, dear. I hope you're feeling better. How much does it hurt?"

'Emotionally or physically?' I thought.

"My chest is killing me and so is my whole left side," I replied—out loud, this time.

"I'll go ask the doctors what's wrong," she told me, nodding at my response. I nodded back and watched her leave the room. John entered not two seconds later and I couldn't help but roll my eyes.

"What are you doing here?" I mocked him.

"I followed you from Chicago because I want you," he answered.

I let out a laugh in spite of him. "I don't really give a single fuck what you want, Davis. Not everything's about you." He looked at the ground angrily. "That's all I'm going to say to you."

His eyes snapped back to mine. "Is there anyone you do want to speak to, then? There's a phone next to you and I'm not leaving."

I glanced to my right and saw the landline on the bedside table. "Where am I?"

"I think the place is called Monroe Primary Care?"

"What town, John?" I asked, irritated.

"Bloomington, Indiana. And you're in room 132."

"Urgent care?" I asked. He nodded and I waved him over to my right side and had him ring a familiar number on the dial for me. The phone rang for a few seconds before it was picked up.

"Hello?" A young girl's voice answered, completely uninterested.

"Max?"

"Yeah, who's this?"

"It's Bo."

Her voice became much more friendly and I could pretty much hear her smile through the phone. "Oh, hi, Bo. I'll go get Billy, gimme one sec."

The phone was set down and there was some yelling in the background, then I clearly heard Max tell him it was me on the line, and Billy stopped arguing. The phone moved again and I heard his gruff voice from the other end. "Hey, babygirl."

"You should be nicer to her," I remarked.

I could almost hear his eyes roll. "How's the boyfriend?" He gasped and changed his voice to sound like a girl. "You gotta give me all the deets about the sex," he joked.