The Truths Behind the Life of Maeve Sun Lively

79

THE NEXT THING I KNEW, I was in a hospital bed with IVs in my right arm and bandages wrapped around my head. I don't remember anything at first.

But I do right after a few breaths.

"Where is he?" I'm struggling to get up. "Where is he? Is he alright? I need to see if he's alright."

Klarise is here too. She looked tired. She calms me down and puts me back in the bed. I reluctantly try to sit still.

"You didn't answer my question yet. Where is he?"

She's rubbing my hands and smiling. I don't want her to just rub my hands. I want her to tell me where the hell my best friend is.

"Where is he?" I asked again, my voice growing louder.

"Shh, shh, it's okay."

No, it was not okay. "Where. Is. He?"

She takes my hands and plants her lips on them. She's shaking. When she brings her face back up, her eyes are filled with tears. They don't fall out just yet. "I thought I was going to lose you. What happened? How did it even happen?"

My impatience turns into guilt. And then...I feel water coming down my cheeks. I let my head fall on her shoulder. "I-I don't know. This is all my fault. I'm sorry. I'm sorry."

She rubs my back, she kisses my face. She does everything to try to make me feel better but it just doesn't work. I needed to see him.

As if hearing my thoughts, she tells me: "He just got out of surgery."

I gasp. I feel air being sucked out of my lungs.

Klarise lightly slaps my back like I was choking, she's really trying. But I just couldn't seem to calm down. "It's OK. He's going to be OK. He's safe now."

He's safe now.

Even hearing that, I don't think I was okay. Since waking up, I now examine my surroundings. It's a nice hospital room. There's a bathroom, and the only bed in here is mine. I notice Cameron isn't here.

"Cameron is with Mason right now." She says, reading me like an open book. "They're both safe."

I struggle again, trying to get up. I don't realize just how weak I am until Klarise pushes me down, barely using any force. She pulls the blanket higher, engulfing me.

"Now you should rest."

"But I——"

"If you want to see him, you need to get better first." She says all of this in a matter-of-factly voice, which makes it harder to argue. "You wouldn't want him to wake up and be worried, would you?"

I stopped resisting and let all my guards down.

Klarise touches my face, weaving out my hair and pulling it out of my way so it was more comfortable. "Just rest now..."

Her voice is so soothing. My eyes start to close, even if I don't want them to. I fall asleep.

__________

They put me in a wheelchair even though I was very much capable of walking. I argued about it with Klarise and the nurses for around five minutes until I realized it was either this or I'm not going anywhere. It was ridiculous. I had legs. I did hit my head pretty hard, I did have some scrapes and cuts on my arms from the glass. But I could walk. When you're a patient at a hospital, especially trapped and feeling contained, I think you start to notice just how annoying and ridiculous all the rules were.