From Cradle to the Grave

Chapter 18

Jasmine's POV

The sound of constant beeping woke me up. That was the first thing making sense to me. And then I slowly fluttered my eyes open, and was met with a white ceiling.

My room has a grey ceiling.

I looked around and realised I was on a hospital bed. Mom was on the couch, with her arms folded and eyes closed. She was dozing off.

I tried to call her but my throat was dry. I ended up coughing violently and that woke her up.

"Sweetheart you're awake! Easy easy! I'll call the doc." She went rushing out to call the doctor.

She returned with a female doctor who came in and examined my vitals.

"All's good now. Your pulse is till weak though so you need to take care of yourself. And you need to gain weight. You've lost pounds and it is not healthy. Your collapse was a result of both excessive stress as well as poor diet." She said gently, yet sternly.

Mom glared at me and spoke to the doctor, "I'll make sure she takes care of herself. Thank you so much."

"You're welcome. It's my duty after all." The doctor smiled.

"When can I go home?" I asked in a tiny, broken voice. That was the first time I spoke.

"You need to remain under observation for another day and then you're fit to go home." Doc smiled and went out of the room.

Once she was out, I turned to Mom and saw her eyes filled with tears.

"Mooom!!!" I groaned out.

"Do not 'mooom' me young lady! What have you done to yourself?" She snapped.

I kept quiet. I honestly didn't have any answer.

The events from before suddenly resurfaced in my mind and I felt myself starting to panic. I heard the heart monitor beep furiously. My mind started piling up my past memories and I started breathing heavily.

"Jas?!" I heard my mother's voice from a distant. I flailed my arms to reach her but I couldn't. I was hyperventilating.

"Doctor! Doc!!" I heard numerous footsteps approaching me, and then several people shouting at once.

But all I could see was Hunter's sneering face.

I gasped and tried to get off the bed. I looked towards my hand and tried to yank the IV off. But a hand stopped me from doing so.

I kept flailing and tossing till I felt a prick on my arm. I flailed for a few more moments but then started feeling drowsy.

The last thing I remember was something I overlooked before I collapsed. Something I remembered now.

Chris was sitting there with my parents, Andrew and Robert, when they announced Hunter's predicament.

Chris's POV

The last time I cried was when my little sister was buried deep inside the ground. I had stayed behind after everyone left the service and cried. I cried and cried.

And that was the day I vowed I would never cry again. I would get my revenge on my sister's killer, and revenge I got.

But I broke my vow the moment I rushed into Jasmine's room after she woke up. She was in a state of extreme panic and was flailing around on the bed. Her mother, the doctor and some nurses were trying to hold her still as another doctor prepared to inject her with something. She was screaming and trying to yank her IV off. The doctor finally injected the liquid into her and she slowly stopped and then dozed off into unconsciousness.

I couldn't take it.

I rushed out off the room towards the nearest washroom stall and puked out my stomach's contents. After flushing off, I came out and looked at myself on the mirror. I looked horrible. My hair was sticking out in every direction and my eyes were red. My shirt was crumpled and I looked like I didn't sleep for years.

And then I broke down.

I fell down on the floor, and pulling my knees to my chest, cried like a kid. I sobbed and sobbed until I lost my breath. I cried my heart out for the girl I was insanely in love with.

I was madly, insanely and irrevocably in love with Jasmine.

I realised this the moment I saw her so broken and damaged. She is the light of my life, and seeing her this way broke my heart. I couldn't help her or protect her and that was making me mad.

I got up and punched the wall. I punched again and again until the wall cracked. I looked at my bloodied fist but I didn't feel anything. The pain was nothing in comparison to the pain eating me from inside.

I got out of the washroom and ran into Andrew.

Just my luck.

"Hey! Where have you been? I was-" He stopped mid sentence once he saw my bloodied fist. I tried to hide it behind me but he caught it.

"What the hell Chris?!!! You can't go around hurting yourself!!" He shouted.

I angrily yanked my hand from his hold. "My girl's out there on the hospital bed, trying to remain sane, and I can't even protect her. I feel like shit."

Andrew took hold of my arm and dragged me towards the emergency room.

"Hey!"

He forced me into sitting on a bed and  didn't bother calling a nurse. He picked up the first aid kit and started dressing my wound.

"Jasmine is the strongest girl I know. And I'm saying this from experience. I have known her for only a year and can say that she's going to make it. You've known her your entire life and you think she's going to not make it?" Andrew asked.

I sighed. "It's not like I think she's not going to make it. Of course she's going to make it you idiot. But what scares me is the damage this has caused to her."

Andrew nodded. "I know. But she has you. She has her parents, her friends and me. She has people who love her so much. She's going to make through all of these. She's going to come out stronger than before. I believe in her."

He dressed up my wound and stepped back.

"I need to get back to your office. Robert has some files regarding the restraining order and I need to go through them. Take care and don't do anything stupid again. I'm serious. You don't want her to wake up and see a beast right? Go freshen up and come back. She'll be here, trust me."

He turned to go but I stopped him.

"What?" He asked warily.

I smiled a little.

"Thank you for everything."

He understood the deeper meaning behind my words and smiled.

"You're welcome."