The Veil

Chapter Fifty-Eight

Second Week of November.
A regular nurse popped her head into my room as she was passing and said "Lily, you have a visitor." I switched the TV off that I hadn't even been watching and glanced up at the door, waiting. 

Tom didn't normally visit in the day as evening hours were longer and I'd forced him back to work so he didn't lose his job. 

Joe and Emma were obviously ok with me having time off and said I could go back whenever I was ready, but Tom didn't have the excuse of a concussion, broken ribs and multiple stitches to keep him off work. He'd have preferred to camp out next to my bed twenty four hours, but even if he could, the doctors wouldn't allow it. 

He'd managed to get me a new phone, with my own money thankfully, and so Jade had been able to FaceTime me. 

She had been furious, furious at everything, us for not telling her, Malik for what he'd done, Lindsay for leaving (Tom told her she'd moved back to the city with her parents), the hospital for not allowing her to visit. 

She ranted and raved but FaceTimed me a few times a day, she wasn't satisfied having Tom and Drew go back after visiting and just telling her I was ok, she wanted to see it. 

She wanted me happy and I was struggling to convince her I was ok. She was trying to fix me and I didn't have it in her to tell her she couldn't fix me this time, she couldn't distract me and lay next to me and make everything better. It was too much for even her this time. 

When Andrew walked in I got a little shock, my first thought was that Jade had gone into labour, but then I realised it was much too early for that, and they wouldn't come to the city. 

"I finished class early." He smiled at me as he walked in, he sat in the chair next to my bed and swung his feet up onto my bed, making sure he wasn't on any wires. 

Before I could say anything he unzipped his backpack and pulled out a bottle of Pepsi and a bag of veggie friendly gummy bears and put them on my little rolling table. 

My face lit up, I didn't think I'd feel excitement again but seeing those sugary treats made me smile from ear to ear, "You're the best!" I beamed at him and then motioned for him to move towards me, he moved his legs back and stood up, leaning towards me, I grabbed him in a hug and he groaned, I pulled him down and before I could break his back he signed and laid down on the bed next to me. 

"You're so easy to please." I felt him laugh as I laid my head on his shoulder, this was different than when Tom laid in bed next to me, there was never any feelings other than friendship with Andrew, there never had been, he was the brother I never asked for. 

"They're so against sugar in this place I don't know what their problem is." I grumbled and opened my gummy-bears, stuffing a handful in my mouth and holding the packet up for Andrew, he took two and then put the packet back on the tray. 

My phone started to buzz and slide across that same table, I tried to tell Andrew to answer it but all that came out was a muffled mumble due to the gummy bears. 

He laughed loudly and answered my phone, it was Jade FaceTiming. 

I saw her smiling and then her face clouded over in confusion, "Oh babe, wait I was supposed to call Lily-" She cut off when he moved my phone to the left slightly to get me in the screen.

I waved, chewing fast to try and speak, "Oh! Hey sweetie! How are you feeling?" She got the sad look in her eyes she always did when she spoke to me.

"She can't speak right now she's got a mouth full of gummy bears." He rolled his eyes and smiled. 

"Naturally" She laughed and then turned the camera to face the stairs, I wondered what she was doing for a second then Sky came running down, almost skidding to a stop in front of her. 

I missed her so much it hurt, I kept the tears from my eyes before Jade could see them, she thought it would make me happy, and she was already so stressed right now, she didn't need upsetting me to add to that, she'd feel terrible. 

Before she could turn the camera back to herself me and Drew heard the front door open and the camera caught Tom walking in, a giant turkey in his arms. 

"Why you insist on getting the turkey weeks before Thanksgiving is crazy, it takes up so-" Jade had clearly cut him off mid sentence, the camera turned back to her smiling face and she was walking into the kitchen. 

"Sorry Lily." She looked sheepishly back at me, before I knew why, her face dropped and she looked panicked. 

My vision had blurred over and tears dropped down my cheeks before I could stop them. 

My breathing felt heavy, like I couldn't take enough air into my lungs to breathe back out. 

"Drew!" Jade shouted at the phone, like he could stop what was happening inside. 

"I need to get out of he-here I need to leave." I started panting, I couldn't breathe. 

I was missing everything at home, I missed Sky and I needed Tom and I couldn't stay in the hospital anymore. 

I needed to laugh at Tom and Jade arguing over Jade's crazy over the top organisational skills when it came to planning meals and events. 

She loved thanksgiving and so did Tom. I loved to watch them banter over things like getting the turkey too early. 

I pushed the tray away from me and swung my legs over the side of the bed. 

I grabbed at the neckline of my hospital gown, it was too tight. 

It was cutting off the air. 

I saw Andrew crouched down in front of me, he was trying to get my attention but all I could hear was the sobs escaping me. 

"Come on Lily, please, look at me." I managed to hear Andrew, I looked up into his worried eyes, but couldn't stop gasping for breath. 

He held my hands tight and kept telling me to breathe slowly, he wouldn't let me look away from him and he kept his hands tight in mine, squeezing my hands every few seconds. 

"That's it." He smiled when I was able to hear more than just my gasping breath in my ears, my throat felt raw and scratched like the rest of my body, but I could take proper breathes again, they were ragged but they were getting easier. 

"You're ok, it's ok." He stood up and pulled me up against me, burying me in his large frame. 

"I need to get out of here Drew." I whimpered into his chest, now my breathing was coming back, the pain in my body followed as well. 

"I know, I know." He whispered back to me, keeping me close. 

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Sorry for the longer than usual wait, I've not been well recently, been in and out of hospital and the doctors and signed off sick at work and stuff so haven't been much for being on my laptop but I'm feel a little better now! So just a short chapter for now! 

Thanks to anyone reading an commenting and voting, I really appreciate it! 

xx