Seventeen is the age that decides who every young soul is destined to be with forever. Dating back to Neanderthals, humans have always felt this natural pull to the other half of their soul. Made to make sure that the human population is reproducing...
Just a quote I thought might be a little bit appropriate for the chapter. Don't know what you guys are expecting out of this chapter, but you're about to hate me after the end. #SorryNotSorrybyDemiLovatoWhoApparentlyisMyPersonalityType
It seems Keefe's found himself in a situation he doesn't want to be in for awhile...you guys met the parents already, it's his turn now:)
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I reach the hospital much faster than I probably should've. In fact, I should probably have not driven here in such a state of panic, but Sophie was at the forefront of my mind before all else.
I rush to the reception desk in the emergency room, but there are a ton of people already occupying each one. There are lines.
"Move aside, stretcher coming through!" someone shouts behind me, doing nothing to ease my nerves. I move out of the way, but just having been in this place for already a minute, I'm already frazzled.
I'm trying to assess the situation when in the corner of my eye, I spot strawberry-blonde hair. Relief wells inside me, momentarily stopping my rapidly building worry for my soulmate.
As soon as I get to him, I grab his arm, whirling him around so that he faces me with a stunned expression. "Tell me she's okay."
His expression drops, and I see his light green eyes glass over, shiny like they're going to fill with tears at any given second. "I don't know, all I know is that she collapsed and her head hit the floor hard. She was bleeding everywhere. As far as I know, she still is.
I swear I feel my heart drop in my chest. I'm about to respond, when someone interrupts.
"Dex Dizznee? Are you two here for Sophie?" a nurse asks politely.
I would crack a smile at that last name if we were in any other situation. I can already picture the numerous jokes I can make.
He steps forward, looking distraught. "That's me. How is she?"
The nurse looks down at her clipboard, clicking open her pen. "She's currently knocked out. Quite the head injury there. They're giving her stitches as we speak."
"Will she be okay? How long will her recovery take?" It takes a moment for me to realize that I'm the one interrogating her like a military officer.
"More importantly—" Dex starts, but is stopped as the nurse replies to me.
"I'm sure she'll be fine," the nurse says with a warn smile that doesn't convince me. "Recovery depends on if she's got a concussion or if there are any other complications. I'm afraid we simply don't know at the moment."
It's not reassuring at all. I see Dexter open his mouth to ask what he wanted to ask earlier, but I don't let him get a word in edgewise as I think of something else – something dire.
"What made her collapse in the first place?" I question, eyes narrowed. The question is addressed to both of them. If someone hurt Sophie...
The nurse looks pointedly at Dexter, in turn, apparently not having an answer. When he realizes that both of us are looking at him, he just shrugs. "No idea."
"You'll know later, then," the nurse says decidedly. She then proceeds to depart without another word.
I glance at the boy I'm beside. "You really do have no clue?"
"If I did, I would've mentioned," he says irritably.
I don't reply, instead choosing to run my fingers through my hair, tousling it even more.
It's an awkward moment of silence between the two of us before we're distracted by a commotion happening by the receptionist's desk.
"Where is my daughter?" a man roars at the front desk, ignoring his wife, who was whispering in his ear frantically. She was probably telling him that he was causing a scene, or that he needed to quiet down. He ignores her. "I want to know what happened to her, now!"
Surprisingly, when the room falls silent, Dex breaks the tense silence. He's the last person I would expect to pipe up, but he does.
"Mr. Ruewen?" he asks. How does he know these people?
The man who is glaring at the receptionist he was yelling at earlier with a special type of hatred I can't describe turns towards us.
My first impression of him is that he's extremely protective of his daughter. Just underneath the anger, I can see clear worry. He seems more worried about his daughter than anything else.
The woman with him, who I assumed was Ms. Ruewen, looked at him, and her eyes lit up. "Dex!" she gushes, rushing over. "Do you know what's happened to Sophie?"
Her husband follows behind her, albeit reluctantly. His gaze rests on me momentarily, before his attention goes back to Dex.
"She collapsed during lunch, and hit her head pretty hard," he explains, looking at them both. "She's currently getting stitches for her head."
The woman nods, seemingly satisfied with the answer. Her eyes flit to me. "I'm sorry, I'm being rude." Her hand reaches out, in offering. "I'm Edaline, Sophie's mother."
I take her outstretched hand, shaking it firmly. "Keefe Sencen, Ms... Don't worry about it, your daughter always comes first. Pleasure to meet you."
I wasn't planning on meeting Sophie's parents this early in the game. I don't have time to feel nervous, it's so sudden.
"That's my husband, Grady," Sophie's mother gestures to the right, where the man is beside her.
"Who are you to my daughter?" Grady asks, eyebrows furrowed in confusion.
