Close As Strangers // c.h.

24

*Ren's POV*

I have now been awake for nearly 10 minutes, and even though I'm smiling and communicating with everyone, I can't deny the pain in my side that has increasingly gotten worse over the time that I've been awake.

God seeing Calum again makes me feel so good, I have missed him so much. When I woke up, I saw him cry for the first time ever, and it made me feel so many emotions; anger because I put him through this, sadness because he's crying, and happiness because I get to see the love of my life again.

"It's so good to have you back baby girl," he says giving me a kiss on the forehead.

All of the others have been called and are on their way to the hospital to see me.

For them it has been days since they've talked to me, but honestly it feels like no time in my eyes. When the doctors told me that I had been sleeping for 5 days, I thought they were crazy, but I guess that I didn't have any perception of time since the accident.

The last 5 days have gone strangely fast. Almost too fast for comfort.

Everyone enters the room and I hug everyone in sight, from Luke to Lizzie, Gabby, Michael, Ashton, and even Mali who was crying hysterically.

"Mal, why are you crying?" I ask, my throat still raspy.

"Cause this is all my fault," she sobs into my shoulder.

"No it is not, it could have happened to anyone of us at any given time. I don't blame you and you shouldn't blame yourself," I tell her. She just nods and moves to the side of the room, giving the others to come up and see me. To my surprise, it isn't just my friends that come to see me, all of the boys' parents are here to.

I guess they do care about me.

In this moment, no matter what state I'm in and no matter the pain I still have in my body, I feel genuinely happy for the first time in a while.

Unfortunately, this is very short lived.

Calum pulls me in for another hug, but during the hug, the pain in my abdomen becomes too severe for me to ignore any longer and my body curls up into as much of a fetal position that I can manage. Calum pulls back at my actions.

"Ren, what's wrong?"

"Nothing, just a stomach ache, I'm alright now," I tell him, not needing him to worry any longer.

"Are you absolutely sure?" he asks me.

Just as I want to respond, my breath hitches and I can't breathe. I gasp for air, but can't seem to find any; it's as if someone drained all of the oxygen out of the room.

"Oh my god," was all I can hear as everyone's voices seem to be getting farther and farther away from me. "Some one get a doctor!" I hear Liz yell and I see Michael running out of the room.

Within a few moments, everything is blurred and I can barely make out what everyone is saying. I soon feel doctors around me.

I look to my left where Calum had been sitting and I see him getting dragged away forcefully by two doctors.

"Ren! I love you, please just hold on!" I hear him yell, more sobs escaping his mouth.

With almost everything I have left, I'm able to let 5 simple words escape my mouth: "I love you too, Calum," 

I turn back so my head faces the ceiling and I can feel a mask getting put on my face. I try to breathe in what they are pumping, but I still find the same problem I had before.

I feel my vision tightening and my chest feels like I'm going to explode. I put every ounce of strength I have left into keeping my eyes open, but I don't have much left.