Fighting Spirit

Chapter 18: No talking

-Aubrey's POV-

"Ow," I exclaimed as the guy poked at my neck again.

"Sorry Aubrey it's very swollen and it's gonna hurt," Drake said and I gave him a small nod. Closing my eyes, I prepared to face the impact of more pain.

Sure enough his hands were on my neck again and it hurts. I curled my hands in fists to try to take my mind away from the pain. I felt a hand snake over my hand and force it's way gently between my fingers.

I opened my eyes just a sliver to see Tyler smiling at me sympathetically. I have him a lopsided smile and he gave me a comforting squeeze on my hand.

"Okay the muscle around the hyoid is definitely bruised and swollen," he determined. "Luckily the bone isn't cracked just the muscle is badly sprained and I suggest no school tomorrow." he said and I grunted, the noise hurt a little bit but I ignored it.

"Tomorrow is Friday so we can take her out tomorrow and she'll have he weekend," Tyler offered and Drake nodded.

"Yeah and I suggest no talking," he added. "The muscles sore enough and the vibration of talking can just irritate it even more. If you need to whisper put only if it's an emergency and you need to talk." I opened my mouth to say something but Tyler held up a hand telling me to stay quiet.

"For how long though?"

"Well give it Friday and the weekend of no talking and gradually get more into it on Monday," he suggested. "I do have some pain killers I can send with you that will take down some swelling but the bruises might take a little longer."

"How long?" I croaked and Tyler and Drakes heads snapped to me.

Oh right, no talking...

"Well getting strangled isn't a gentle matter," Drake explains. "I would say two weeks until they finally fade so you don't even see them anymore." Instead of talking again I just nodded and Drake put a comforting hand on my shoulder. "Stay strong kid, I'll go get the medicine." He took his hand off and walked to the other side of the room where he went straight to one of the many medicine cabinets.

"Your gonna be okay," Tyler reassures me and I give him a very small nod. He got up from the chair he was sitting in and quickly stepped up to sit on the patients bed I was siting on. He squeezed my hand again and I took the opportunity to rest my head on his shoulder.

It's almost 4 o'clock in the morning and I haven't had any sleep. I feel bad cause neither have Daniel or Simon but they said it was worth me getting checked out.

Simon and Daniel were told to sit in the waiting room while Tyler came in with me and Drake. They said that late night doctor visits used to be regular for them.

Drake seems pretty cool. He's probably in his mid-thirties, same height as Tyler. Taller then Daniel or Simon. He's sweet too, he never asked Tyler or I any questions other then what he needed for determining his diagnosis. But I think the fact that we came here during the night and that I was only dressed in my underwear and shorts, that I was completely soaked in blood, he could guess what I was doing.

"How many times will she have to take the medicine?" Tyler asks Drake as he walks bac over with a bag of pills.

"Once every 3 hours," He shrugged. "Don't take these if your in pain only for swelling. If you need pain medication to subside pain just regualr ibuprofen for that," he instructed, "Works just the same."

'Thank you,' I mouth to him and he gives me a smile.

"Don't worry I've patched this guy up enough times to get enough hands on credits to get out of med school," he said and we all laughed.