🐺Wolf Creek:Volume One🐺

Chapter Twenty-Seven: A Hospital Escapade

          Literally everything hurt. My feet hurt, my legs hurt, my arms hurt, my hands hurt, and most of all my head hurt. Light began to appear as I opened my eyes. Even the light hurt. Hot tears began to stream from the outer corners of my eyes and down towards my ears. Warm thumb pads gently rubbed them away. I tried harder to keep my eyes open this time. James was looking down at me with tears in his eyes as well.

"You've been opening and closing your eyes for three days, Kelsey. Please stay awake, love. You're all I have left. I need you." He squeezed my hand. I squeezed it back as hard as I could.

"Then sit me up." I whispered. I was afraid that staying down would make me fall back asleep, and I was so done with being asleep. James quickly wiped his tears before gently putting his hand under my neck to lift me up on my elbows. I pushed myself the rest of the way up. My head hurt less now, but it still felt like there was a thick fog in my brain.

"This isn't good for you." James murmured.

"Neither is a four day coma, and that's exactly what will happen if I lay down again. If not more." I warned. James grimaced as I glanced around the room. No one else was in sight, but I could hear the constant hospital chatter and movement outside the door. I leaned over to reach for the call button just as James gingerly took my hand in his. There was so much pain in his ocean eyes I didn't know if I could keep eye contact.

          "Theo-" I blurted.

          "In stable condition. He'll be fine."

         "Cecil-"

          "In jail."

          "Your fathe-

          "Nowhere to be seen."

          "How are you holding up?"

          "Well my father is a wanted criminal who tried to have the love of my life killed twice. My best friend is a traitor and murderer that never cared about me all along and who was hired to do the killing. Also twice. So..." James rambled. "...not so well." I winced. "Why didn't you tell me?" He asked.

"I didn't know if you would believe me. I mean, that's your father, and your very best friend. Even if you had believed me I couldn't have put you through that kind of pain." I explained. I carefully pulled my hand free and pressed the call button. "Where's Gran?"

"I finally convinced her to go get some real food instead of hospital mush, and now I'll never convince her to leave you again." He chuckled. "The one time she leaves, and you wake up." We laughed together for a few moments. "Em's downstairs getting dinner. She'll be up in a bit."

The next half hour went by in a blur. I went through yet another round of being poked, prodded, and injected with things. I waited patiently as Gran arrived and squabbled about. She cried, hugged me, and scolded me forever. It felt like ages before the room was finally clear again. I was in the middle of explaining everything to Em when a tall couple came in cautiously.

          "Are you doing alright?" The wife asked me sweetly. Her eyes were a dark, chocolatey brown, and her long hair was a glossy, ebony shade. I nodded shyly, not knowing how to respond to the stranger's concerns. They looked familiar, but I just couldn't place where I had seen them before. The couple nodded happily in understanding.

          "Glad to hear it. It's good to see you again! We didn't think that you and Theo hung out anymore after your fight. He was devastated when he heard about your crash." The husband smiled down at me. Em's jaw dropped. My stomach twisted into knots. James nodded along as if it were perfectly normal. I opened my mouth a few times, but I couldn't will the words to come out.

          "You're Theo's parents?" I blurted.

          They laughed and nodded.

         "...What do you mean 'again?'"

          "...What?"

          "Theo knew me before the crash?"

          "He didn't tell you?!" James snapped.

          "No! The first day I saw him after I woke up he pretended not to know me. Are you telling me he's known me this entire time?! Are you telling me you knew?! I shouted. Theo's parents nodded, mouths agape. It was obvious that Theo hasn't told them. They looked at each other helplessly before turning to look back at me.

          "I thought he told you! He fell in love with you while we were dating, and when you wouldn't choose him over me you got into an argument and stopped talking for good. Or so I thought." James exclaimed. Theo's parents awkwardly excused themselves as I lurched out of bed and began to lace around the room. I rubbed my temples and the bridge of my nose until they were red, and then some more. I couldn't get mad at James. He had thought I knew the entire time. But there was someone I could be mad at.

          "Theo thought that since I didn't remember you he would have a chance to start over. To be with me. That's why he got so mad when you came to pick me up after the wolf attack. You know what? Why not?! With everything that's happened why not just throw that mess in too?" I plopped back down onto my bed. James gently took my hand. "I never want to see him again." I growled venomously.

          "You won't if he knows what's good for him." James threatened in a dark voice. I squeezed his hand tighter and gave him a small smile before letting go. I sat with my hands in my lap, staring down at the ground as I stewed in my thoughts. Em sat on the bed next to me. I felt bad for not telling her everything. I didn't know if it would have made her safer or put her in more danger.

          "What now?" She questioned gently.

          "I can't let William Acuna get away with all of the horrible things he's done. He has cabinet upon cabinet of files, and just two of them were international plots that are going to do serious harm on their own, not to mention the harm he's willing to do to anyone who gets in his way." I explained. "The police...our friends...no one can be trusted."

          "You can trust me." James reminded me.

          "And me. I understand you not telling me to keep me safe, but I offered to be a real friend to you and I mean that. This is serious, and if you can't rely on the people you were supposed to be able to then I will gladly be someone who you can." Em said firmly. "Whatever you have to do consider me a part of it now. Just promise you'll tell me everything from now on." I nodded.

          "I promise." I agreed. "To both of you." I looked at James. He softly smiled back at me. "We have to get those files, figure out what his plans are, and where he might be now." I got up and peeled out the door. "But first I'm going to need some clothes because chances are it's going to be kind of difficult to sneak out if I'm still wearing this." I gestured down to my hospital gown.

          "Your jeans are in the bathroom, but they tore your shirt when they did CPR on you." James explained. "Take my jacket and just zip it up. I'll run downstairs and start the car." He shrugged a black leather jacket off and handed it to me. I hadn't even noticed before, but it was the first time I had seen him out of formal wear. I rushed to the bathroom and changed.

           Em and I casually walked out of the hospital room. Gran was talking avidly with one of the doctors, and the nurses didn't notice me without my hospital gown. Just in case, as soon as we turned the corner we began to speed walk for the elevator. No alarm was raised. The elevator deposited us at the ground level, and we calmly walked past the lobby. I put my hand on the lobby door's handle.

          "Code blue. Code blue." The all call blasted from every speaker in the vicinity. Em and I have each other a panicked look before showing the door open and sprinting into the parking lot. A few staff members shouted and ran after us, but they were too far away to catch us before we dove through the back window of James's car and sped off.