lovelorn - wroetoshaw

chapter 11

BELLA

My eyelids feel like they have been superglued shut, or like they weigh 90 kilos. Mustering up all my strength, I struggle to slowly open my left eye first, followed by my right.

After a few seconds of adjusting to the bright fluorescents of the large lights in the ceiling, my eyes dart across the small beige painted room. There is a small telly attached to the wall, and a shit ton of beeping machines and screens surrounding my narrow, stiff bed.

My gaze instantly falls on the light pink bandage material covering a hard   layer of white fiberglass covering my lower right arm and hand. Fuck, out of all things my dumbass has to break my most important limb? How am I supposed to do anything with my uncoordinated, impotent hand.

My stare leaves my brightly wrapped arm and moves up to the dark brown wooden door, as a tall woman in light blue scrubs enters the room. She essentially just tells me that I've fractured my right ulna and that recovery typically takes 4-6 weeks. Well, isn't that the news you want on a Sunday evening.

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Briefly after she leaves my room, a familar tall figure with messy hair and a colorful jumper enters. "Well well well, if it isn't the man of the hour." I sarcastically remark, taking advantage of his guilty expression.

"Bee, I can't even begin to tell you how sorry I am, I forgot that you have an air mattress, and I wasn't thinking. I didn't mean for you to get hurt, trust me, watching you in pain it's probably the worst feeling in the world– worse than being in pain myself, I'm-"

"It's alright Harry, It wasn't your fault and you didn't mean for anything to happen." I interject, cutting off his blabbering before he can finish. I slightly bite down on my lower lip to try and push back the light tinge of a blush I feel forming from his honesty. "Just get me the fuck out of here, I hate hospitals."

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When we pull up into the roundabout driveway, and I hop out of Ethan's car. Yep- Ethan's car, he insisted that he drive me home instead of Harry because he "will protect me from inbred youtubers on the loose", that are 'out to get me'. I didn't even try to argue, since I'm absolutely knackered, and just got into Ethan's car.

The second my feet hit the ground as I jump out of the passenger, my legs are swept out from under me. I look up to see Ethan carrying me in his arms up to the front door. "You do realize my legs still work right?"

He lightly chuckles at my question before replying, "I do- but I also promised Mum that I would take care of you, which I plan on doing more from this point on."

Great, now I get to deal with helicopter E for the forseeable future. He carries me all the way up the staircase, despite my protests.

Eventually he lays me into my bed, tucking the sheets around me like he always used to do when we were younger. "I remember every night you would ask me to tuck you in before bed. Mum always complained that you liked me more than her." He says with a slight laugh under his breath, which makes me laugh too.

"Whenever you were sick, I would tell you a story after I tucked you in. I feel like its only fitting that we bring it back eh?" he proposes lightheartedly.

"Okay fine but make it good!" I jokingly demand, shifting under my sheets to get comfortable.

"Okay well, what story should I tell hmm" Ethan ponders, consciously stroking his chin. "Oh, okay I've got it. When we were real small, I'm talking like 8 and 6, you were just starting primary school in year one. And since Mum was working full time, we had to take the bus to get there. I remember the first time I had to go I was proper terrified. Like crying and screaming and all that shit. But when you had to go with me for the first time, you were buzzing to get on. Mum told me when she asked if you were scared or nervous you just said "No, am I s'posed to be?" And thats when I knew you were gonna be a tough cookie when you grew up. It made me kind of embarrassed thinking my little pea sized sister had more guts than I did, but I'm glad I have a pint sized protector now."