Catching the Fallen

Chapter 6

"All I see is a small concussion and a few bruise areas, otherwise you are fine." The doctor discussed as he looked at my charts.

"So am I free to go?" I asked for at least the thousandth time. I had told Trenton to go home an hour ago with the promise that I'd call him when I got home. Now, I was sitting on an examination table, which was soaking wet from the off drip of my clothing.

The doctor raised an eyebrow and said, "As soon as your parents sign the release form. Why don't you give them a call?"

My parents. I had no choice, refusing would draw attention. I pulled out my prepaid cell I had gotten for my birthday. I flipped open the crappy Nokia and typed in my 'parent's' number. Even though it was practically midnight, I knew he was up. The ring went off three times before I heard my fake-dad's voice explode on the other end.

"What do you want!?!? I'm just about to find Mary Jane." Mary Jane was his code word for weed.

"I'm sure she won't mind waiting for you to come back from the hospital where I am sitting with a bruised skull. All the doc needs is for you to sign off on some papers."

"Papers, a concussion, what in the name of Sam Hill did you do to yourself?" He exhaled into the phone, no doubt dispelling the cigarette smoke in his lungs.

"You just have to sign papers, or they can fax them over and you can sign." I knew he didn't want to come, and neither did I.

"Fine, give him the fax number. You stupid brats are always get into something."

"Yessir." I've learned not to provoke him; I knew how to pick and choose my fights. I heard the line disconnect. "Could you fax the papers over to this number?" I wrote the fax number using the paper and pen that the doctor handed me.

After forty-five minutes of sitting in the waiting room finding faces and pictures in the wallpaper, a nurse came in and said I could leave.

I walked out into the warm night and to the nearest bus stop, which was illuminated under a flickering street lamp. I reached for my Nokia, flipping it open. My fingers flew over Trenton's number. I pressed the phone to my ear and tapped my foot impatiently. It was about two, I hoped Trenton was awake.

"Hello!" A hyper voice rang out.

"Hey Trenton, it's me. I just got out of the hospital, are you okay? What did your parents say?" I was worried he had gotten in a lot of trouble.

"I'm fine, they are out at a party but all the same, worried about you, as am I. What did the doc say?"

"I have a minor concussion and some bruising, with some pain meds I should be fine. I also have a note that excuses me from gym for, like, the rest of my life." My head whipped around as I saw movement across the street.

Trenton was still obviously caught on the concussion portion of what I had said, "I'm coming over. I have to sleep with you." I laughed at his words, "I meant that you can't sleep alone. I just read the people with a concussion have to be woken up every four hours so they don't slip into a coma."

"That's why you're still awake? You were researching about concussions for the past three hours?" Again I saw the same black shape fly by in my peripheral vision.

"Well the multiple cups of coffee helped." I could practically hear his smile through the phone.

"Trenton, can I sleep at your house? I really don't want to go home." I couldn't face Marcus now. Plus, the bus seemed to be taking a while and I didn't want to be out here much longer. I couldn't shake the feeling of eyes on the back of my neck.