Stage Fright

Chapter 25 ~ Waiting For Love

Josh

This had been one hell of a homecoming. But fuck did I feel lucky, the homecoming queen had escorted me to the hospital. Heather sat with me in the ambulance the school had called all the way to the hospital. She wouldn't let go of my hand and the worry on her face said everything.

The EMTs told me flat out that my nose was broken, that I needed to go to the hospital to get it set properly and have them check me for head trauma. Heather called my dad for me, telling him what had happened and he was tied up at work. But she assured him she'd take good care of me.

Now I was in a hospital wing sitting on a bed while my nose was getting splinted properly. I was waiting on the tests to tell me I was alright to go home. I told Heather she didn't need to stay but she told me I was being ridiculous.

"Does it hurt?" She asks quietly and I shrug. 

"Some, but the doctor says it should heal in three weeks." I tell her and she squeezes my hand.

"I'm sorry." She whispers and I shake my head. "I got you into this mess."

"No Heather, you're not responsible for what he does." I tell her. "You're worth a punch to the face." I whisper and she smiles weakly.

"I don't know about that." She whispers back and reaches her hand up to play with my hair. "Those two minutes we got to dance together were so nice." I nod a bit at that, those were the best two minutes of my life. 

"Alright Mister Baxter." I hear and the doctor pulls back the curtain of the exam room. "You're clear for head trauma and we didn't find any other injuries caused by the assault. Do you have someone to go home with tonight?" He asks. "If not I can't let you leave, you need to be supervised so you'll have to stay the night."

"My dad's really tied up with work, but he'll be done soon enough-"

"I'll stay with him." Heather says. "I'll make sure he's alright." I raise my eyebrows, but I know that isn't fair. She shouldn't need to watch out for me and I didn't want to be a bother. 

"You really don't have to." I whisper and she smiles.

"I want to, let me give you a hand for a change." She insists. Of course the thought of that was nice, a night with Heather. 

"Well then, if that's settled then you're free to go." He says, flipping the page of the chart over. "Do you have a parent to pick you up?"

"I have a guardian, I gave her a call a while ago, she should be here soon." She says and the doctor nods.

He goes over the treatment with her, the icing and cleaning required. Then he sends us downstairs to Eleanor who waits in the dark Range Rover in the pick-up lane. 

"Oh Josh, I'm so sorry." She says and Heather helps me into the back seat. "Heather said what happened over the phone."

"It's alright, just a scratch." I tease and she laughs. "Thank you for the ride, I'm not sure what we would have done without you."

"No trouble, I pick Heather up all the time when she gets into a jam without a ride." She says and I smile. 

She takes us to Heather's house and I walk upstairs to her room with her. Sitting on the bed is a change of clothes and a toothbrush, I furrow my eyebrows and turn back to her. She smiles and laughs quietly.

"I figured you didn't want to sleep in a tux." She tells me. "They're your clothes, Eleanor washed them and we keep loads of spare toiletries around. I asked her to leave them somewhere I could find them."

"Thanks Heather." I whisper and she smiles.

"Give me your dress shirt." She says putting her hand out and I furrow my eyebrows.