My Personal Stalker

Chapter 39: Agony

The clock is ticking. Every beat makes me twitch. I sit there in the anteroom, a cup of tea in my hand that I haven't taken a single sip from. In the corner of my eye I see Joe, nervously shifting in his seat. Aileen, on the other hand, has her eyes closed. The only movement in her body is the rise of her chest with every breath she takes.

I look at my hands which are covered in blood... my boyfriend's blood. *tick* I flinch again. The pictures of Mark kicking Noah to the ground replay in my head over and over again... mercilessly. *tick* My hand clenches around the plastic cup causing the tea to flow over my bloody hand. Some of the dry blood dissolves and drips onto the ground. *tick* My hand lets go of the cup, splashing tea everywhere. *tick*

Suddenly, there's another bloody hand wrapping around mine. I look up into Joe's pained eyes. "Come on. Let's get you cleaned up." He suggests softly.

I'm unable to react. There it is again, his bloody mouth. My eyes start to burn at the sight of it. Noticing my reaction, Joe pulls me up from my seat and places his hands on my arms. I take a step, then another and another... until I'm standing in front of a bathroom.

Joe pushes the door open for me and leads me inside. My eyes immediately wander to the mirror. Staring back at me, there's a ghost of myself. What have I done? Everything Noah did today and everything that happened to him was my fault.

Everything comes crashing down on me. Before I know it, sobs start escaping my mouth.  My knees weaken and I fall.

"Chloe!" Joe catches me right before I hit the ground. His hands are the only thing that's keeping me upright... but they are covered in blood, his blood.

"Let go of me!" I scream. Joe carefully sets me down on the ground when a nurse comes rushing through the door. She stares at us, her eyes wide.

Joe holds his hands up in the air. "It's okay. She's a friend of mine. We're just under a lot of pressure because we don't know how our friend is doing."

I can't stop staring at the blood. "Alright," the nurse whispers soothingly, "I'm sure everything will be fine. Just wash your skin and I'll take care of the girl." Joe does as told while the young woman approaches me. "What's your name, darling?"

Darling. I never thought a single word could have that much meaning to me. My heart speeds up again. I can't breathe. Noah, I need you.

"Chloe, listen to me!" Joe shouts, his mouth suddenly right next to my ear. "Breathe in, breathe out, breathe in, breathe out..."

I manage to concentrate on Joe's voice. Slowly, the air starts filling my lungs again. As I look into his eyes, my mind finally stops spinning.

"Could you get her another cup of tea?" Joe asks the nurse beside him. She nods hesitantly before walking away. Carefully, he wraps his clean hands around my arms. "Do you think you can stand up?"

I nod while still concentrating on my breathing. In one swift movement, Joe pulls me up from the ground. He places my hands in the sink and turns the cold water on. I watch the blood disappear from my pale skin. Breathe in and out...

Finally, the nurse comes back with a cup in her hand. Joe turns the water off and takes the cup from the completely overchallenged women.

"I don't want any." I mumble as he tries to give me the tea.

"Good thing you don't have a choice." He chuckles softly. Before I can protest, Joe positions the cup at my lips and tilts it to the side. Scared of choking on the tea, I take the cup from Joe's hands and drink it up by myself. The tea actually helps clearing my head a bit.

I throw the empty cup into the trash can and take another deep breath. "I'm fine." I mutter into the silence. Joe takes my hand into his own, smiling reassuringly. Slowly, I let him lead me back to our seats in the anteroom.

As we approach, Aileen looks up from her trance-like state. She forces a smile. "Everything okay?"

"Let's just hope that the waiting will be over soon." I reply while sitting back down. *tick* The clock starts teasing me again.

Joe seems to notice me tensing beside him again. "Breathe in and out... in and out." I finally manage to shut out the constant ticking, when Aileen's phone suddenly starts ringing.

She jumps up from her seat. "I'm so sorry, Chloe, but I really have to go. Can you please call me as soon as you get any news?" Her phone doesn't stop.

"Are you serious right now? Our friend could be dying in there and you just want to leave?" I flinch at Joe's choice of words. "What could possibly be more important right now?" His voice is cold and demanding.

"I'm so sorry." Aileen whispers, her voice already breaking. She takes one last look at me and runs out of the hospital.

"Aileen!" Joe shouts but she doesn't stop. He is about to run after her when I lay my hand on his arm.

"Please, don't leave me here alone." I beg him. Joe looks back and forth between the door and me. After a few seconds, he nods hesitantly and leans back in his seat.

Impatiently, I tap my fingers on the armrest. It's been more than two hours since we arrived at the hospital and I think that I can't take it much longer. *tick* The clock invades my mind again. Breathe in. *tick* Breathe out. *tick*

"Chloe Anderson?" I whip my head up. "You are listed under Noah Shaw's emergency contact." My whole body tenses. "I have some good news for you. Except for a broken nose Noah is doing very well. As a precaution we'll have to keep him in for a while longer but he's ready to see you now... both of you."

A sigh of relief escapes my mouth. "Thank you, doctor." I say while rushing past him. Joe follows closely behind.

I push the door open and run into Noah's room. Sitting there on the treatment couch with a pudding in his hand is my boyfriend. Except for his taped nose I can't see anything wrong with him. "Hey guys, are you okay?"

Carefully, I place my hand on his. "Of course, we are. But what about you? How are you feeling?" Joe coughs beside me and I shoot him an evil glare.

Noah smiles widely. "Honestly, I'm great. I barely noticed it when the doctors taped my nose and thanks to a few painkillers I don't feel any pain whatsoever."

I punch Noah softly. "Are you serious? I thought you were dying in here... and now you tell me that there is nothing wrong." I can't stop my emotions from coming out.

Noah looks around with raised eyebrows. "Sorry, I guess..." he chuckles.

"Let me clarify a bit." Joe steps closer. "While we were waiting for any news about you, Chloe had a little - how do I put this the right way - mental breakdown. Nothing serious... it's just that your blood was literally everywhere and Chloe didn't take it that well."

My breathing becomes ragged again at the thought of it. Noah puts his pudding to the side and wraps his hands around mine. "Hey, look at me. I'm okay, everything is fine. There is no need to worry, darling." The feeling of Noah's warm hands around mine calms me down immediately.

Joe clears his throat. "I'll give you two a minute alone and tell Aileen what's going on."

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