If You Run (An All Time Low Fan Fiction)

Chapter Sixteen

My phone blasted on the other side of the room. I contemplated letting it ring out until it stopped but in the end I rolled, and I mean I literally rolled, out of bed and picked it up. 

"Hello?" I answered in a groggy voice

"Taylor Davis?" The voice asked from the other end. She sounded professional and serious

"Yes" I confirmed

"I'm calling from Fazakerly hospital. Cristina Young is here, we've contacted her family and they're on their way but it'll be a good few hours before they arrive in Liverpool; we have you down as the next person to call. Would you be able to come down?" I started to worry.

"Y..yeah. Sure, I'll be there in 10 minutes" I told the woman, already starting to pull on the closest clothes I could find.

"She's on the Cardiology ward. Just tell the nurse on the front desk who you are when you come in" she informed me

"Is she okay?" I asked before she hung up

 "I'm sorry, I really don't know anything else. I'm just the messenger." she said sounding genuinely sorry.

"Oh okay, thanks anyway" I said hanging up.  

I quickly grabbed Jack's hoodie from the kitchen counter, along with my phone and bag and ran down to the car park. It was a cold day and the wind was whipping at my cheeks, flinging my hair in all directions. 

When I got to the hospital I parked and ran straight inside following the signs to the Cardiology ward. A few doctors tried to tell me to slow down when I almost bumped into them but I just ignored them and kept on running. I slowed down before the white doors and took a deep breath before walking through them, I walked straight up to the front desk and started talking to the middle aged nurse sat behind it

"Hi, I'm Tay Davis. I got a call earlier about Cristina Young" I said still trying to get my breath back. She tapped away at the keyboard in front oh her then looked up at me again

"Right down the hall, on the left" she told me, I started to walk down the only hallway she could have been talking about.

I reached the end and pulled back the blue curtain. Immediately I went and sat in the chair next to the bed

"Tay" she smiled at me weakly. I studied her for a moment. Lying under the thin white sheet, she looked like a doll with her bleach blond hair and bright blue eyes. She was linked to machines, one which was emitting a steady beeping which I wasn't sure if it meant that I was supposed to be reassured or scared, another had a tube running up to her face where it wrapped around and led up her nose. I watched the clear liquid drip almost in time with the beeping of the machine and down into the attachment on the back of her hand.

"What happened?" I managed to ask

"I collapsed in work and they called an ambulance and here we are" she said 

"How long have you got to stay here?"

"I don't know, they told me they're going to be running all these tests so a few nights I think" she said sadly

"Are you okay?" I finally asked

"I'm fine, they're over reacting!" she shook her head.

"Obviously not" I said pointing to all the machines next to the bed. She glared at me, warning me not to challenge her. I sat back in the chair and looked at the ceiling.

A young male doctor opened the curtain and looked up from his clipboard

"Mrs Young?" He asked unconvinced, looking at me

"No, I'm Tay. Joanna and Mark are coming from Durham, they'll be a couple of hours" I told him.

"Oh right, okay. Well Cris, I've got some good news: the tests have shown that your arteries are clear which was our main concern so in a sense we can breathe easy... but we still can't figure out why you collapsed and fell into the condition you're in. It doesn't add up" 

"What does that mean?" Cris asked looking worried

"It means that we need to keep you here for more tests until we can figure out why your heart is acting so irregularly. I'm sorry to have to tell you that" he said, looking concerned

"Okay, I understand" Cris nodded at the doctor who then left.

It was quiet for a while after. Neither of us knew what to say. All I could think about was the worst things that could happen and I'm sure Cris was thinking the same. A nurse came around and gave her some pills with a small cup of green syrup to drink. She fell asleep and I went to find some coffee.

The small paper cup warmed my hands when I sat in the waiting area, breathing in the toxic smells which filled the hospital. I pulled out my phone to check the time, 2:36pm. I had a text from Jack. 

"Tayy! I miss yoouu, (and I'm so sorry)" I smiled at the Blink-182 reference "Sooo, whattcha dooin?" I placed the cup on the small side table next to where I was sitting and text him back saying,

"Hey Jacko, I'm at the hospital. Cris is here and they don't know what's wrong :(" I slid my phone back into my pocket. I finished the drink in one last mouthful and tossed it into the bin.

When I walked towards the door which lead me back to Cris' ward it opened and on the other side was the last face I wanted to see. He stopped in his tracks and stared right at me.

"Tay?" He said but it came out like a question

"Sam." I replied bluntly

"Can we talk?" He asked

"Not really" I said, starting to walk past him

"Wait" he called. I stopped and turned on my heels just waiting for him to carry on "I'm sorry about what happened. I was going to break up with her, I just needed to find the right time!" He pleaded

"And in the, I don't know, five or six months you knew me you really couldn't find the 'right time'?" I asked sarcastically

"When I talk to you, I can't think of any better way to spend my time. When I see you, my whole day gets just that bit better and when you smile... god that smile could light up the whole world,"

"You're incredible" I shook my head. He smiled, obviously he was too vain to know how I was really using the world "I can't believe I even thought I could like you.." I said and with that I walked away, leaving him stood in the hospital hallway looking confused and sheepish. 

I sunk into the chair at the side of the hospital bed once again. I looked over at my best friend, lying there and tried to imagine what she was going through right now. I thought about all the times she was there for me and how she always knew what to do and say to make everything better but as soon as it was the other way around I crumbled. I felt useless and pathetic. If it was me there, she'd  know what to do.