If I Go

Chapter 15

"Did you hear that?" Chloe whispered.  

 "Yeah," Gaven replied. "I think it was over by the waiting room." 

 "Well, what are we waiting for? Let's go!" Chloe exclaimed, not bothering to keep her voice down. 

 "Shh!" Gaven scolded as they ran over to where I was. Gaven beamed at me and Chloe smiled. They were both in disguises; Chloe was in a nurse's outfit and Gaven was in a doctor's outfit. 

 "Why are you in here? Aren't you supposed to be in your room? The last time I saw you, you couldn't even sit up! Now here you are, on the floor of the waiting room!" Chloe rambled. Her eyes went to the folder I was clutching. "What's that?" She pointed at the folder. 

 I flushed. "I'll tell you that later. What are you guys doing here? Why are you wearing those? Where did you get those? Do you guys know why all of the staff isn't here spoon feeding me and treating me like a little kid?" 

 Chloe and Gaven looked at each other and smiled. 

 I gave them a confused look. "What?" 

 Chloe responded to me. "Well, you know how I took that boring Computer Apps summer school thingy because my parents thought I would 'enjoy it?'" 

 I nodded. "Yeah, but what does that have to do with anything?" 

 "Well that stuff actually came in handy today. You see, I hacked into Loretta's email and emailed everyone that they had off from their job here since they worked so hard. I got her email because that day I visited you I asked about when I could visit you AGAIN and she said that she'd let me know via email." 

 Chloe let all of that sink in for me, then she continued. "So basically we're here to get you out of the ICU and back to the real world! Whether you like it or not, we're taking you with us. I know it's not the smartest bet, but we miss you terribly and we'll keep you safe; and in hiding." 

 I smiled at them. "That's really sweet of you guys, but—" 

 "No buts," Chloe interrupted. "You ARE coming with us. That's final." 

 "Yeah but—" 

 "Gaven, I'll get her arms and you get her legs?" 

 "Chloe!"  

 She finally looked back at me. "What?" 

 "I need to tell you guys something. Maybe it’s okay if I stay here because I'll get better and they'll hopefully get this stupid GHB thing out of my body for good. Maybe—"

 "Maybe they're just keeping you hostage," Chloe intruded. "Now no more dilly-dallying. Time for you to go home."  

 My protests were useless as Gaven and Chloe hoisted me up. Gaven grabbed my arms and Chloe tugged on my legs. Together, they both wobbled me out of the ICU and to Chloe's Jeep. 

 They gently put me in the backseat. Gaven started the car and warm air blasted through the mini vents. I sat up in the middle seat and put my seatbelt on. 

 "I'll be right back," Chloe told me. Then, she turned to Gaven. "C'mon we need to get out of these disguises and into our regular clothes. And also, I need to get a few things for Natalie over here." 

 "But shouldn't one of us stay with—" 

 Chloe cut Gaven off. "She'll be fine. She can't go anywhere. Let's go." Without waiting for a response, Chloe trotted back through the door of the ICU. 

 Gaven turned back to look at me. He smirked. "You know how she is. Stay here." Gaven then took off after Chloe. Once alone in the car with the warm air blasting, I read the front of the folder. 

 It read Confidential in big, red letters. Then under that, it read Natalie Holmes. I carefully opened it, like it was made in porcelain. Inside, there were a bunch of documents and notes written by Loretta. Leafing through the pages, I found my MRI scan result photos. I shakily took it into my hands, the paper dancing back and forth. I then set it down in my lap and examined it closely. 

 I saw a bunch of red marks indicating where the GHB is. I gasped. All I could see in my body was red; the GHB. It's all over me, it's completely spread through my entire body. Tears formed in my eyes and the MRI scan became a blur of red. I took a deep breath and held them in, all the while placing the MRI scan photo neatly back into its place. I glanced up and saw Chloe and Gaven walking towards the car. I quickly rubbed my eyes, making the tears disappear from my eyes. 

 Chloe busted into the passenger’s seat as I hurriedly closed the folder. Gaven slipped into his seat and started to back out of the parking lot of the ICU. 

 Chloe turned to me. "On the way back to the lobby, I went back to your room to gather some of your belongings." Chloe then handed a pile of clothes and toiletries to me. 

 I smiled at her. "Thanks." 

 Chloe replied, "You're welcome." 

 Gaven was now entering a highway. Flurries of snow came from an overcast sky above. I looked out the window, taking in the winter scenery. Trees were covered in blankets of snow. Near the edges of the road were sheets of snow, getting bigger by the minute. The highway dragged on forever until Gaven turned on an exit. 

 I suddenly realized that I don't know our destination. 

 "Where are we going?" I asked. 

 Silence filled the car. I saw Chloe give Gaven a look. I became puzzled, unsure of what Chloe was implying to Gaven. Gaven glanced at Chloe and shrugged. 

 My head was like a tennis ball, bouncing back and forth, glancing at each of them and their movements. When they didn't answer, I became slightly frustrated with them. Why aren't they telling me where we're going? 

 I made an exaggerated sigh. Chloe acted as if she didn't hear me and looked out her window. Gaven grunted silently, eyes glued to the road ahead of him. 

 After a minute or two, I finally cracked. "Guys, did you hear me? Where are we going? Do you know where we're going? Are we going to my house? I can't go back there! My Mom will send me back to the ICU and—" 

 Gaven cut me off mid-sentence. "We're going to a hotel. It's not far from our hometown. It's called, Gregg's Inn." Gaven then grew silent, taking a sharp right turn. 

 I instantly knew something was up. Why are they lying to me? Do they even know where they're going to take me? Are we actually going to my house? Are we going to Chloe's? How about Gaven's apartment? 

 So many questions, but no answers came to me. Clutching the folder tightly, I sighed once again and ended up looking out the window for the entire ride.