Addiction

--10--And This Time I Almost Believed Him--

 I spent two hours alone in the ER that night where the ambulance had brought me and my wounded assailant after they had arrived at the scene. I had recanted my story to two officers and the doctor. I had a room to myself and everything, thankfully, I didn't want to know who else was in the Aladine ER in the middle of the night on a weekend. I was all alone, however, I had a feeling that Liam was waiting in the lobby for me.

I was mad at him, I wouldn't have left his house had he not given me that bullshit line that he loved me. I had been fairly laid back about the whole situation. I didn't care that I was fucking someone else's boyfriend, I didn't care that he was cheating and I was the one enabling him to cheat. I went along with it, I didn't ask for anything, I didn't whine about the fact that we didn't have a label. I didn't complain that his girlfriend would kill me when she found out. Up until last night, he hadn't even honestly fed me a bullshit line like that.

But I knew that he would be waiting for me in the waiting room. He knew I wouldn't call my mom, I didn't want to explain to her why I was walking home alone in someone else's t-shirt at three in the morning. I knew my mom would over react, she'd tell me to just finish the semester from home, commute everyday where I'd feel safer. But I couldn't do that and I wouldn't do that.

And I knew that that stupid boy was waiting for me whether I was happy with him or not.

"Excuse me," I said as a nurse passed by my door.

"Do you need something miss?" she asked.

"There's a guy out in the lobby, long brown hair, ballcap, Aladine hockey hoodie, he's with me and, and I was wondering if he could come back and at least sit with me," I replied.

"I'm sorry miss, no non-family visitors between 10pm and 8am," she replied.

"Can you at least tell him I'll be alright?" I asked.

"Of course," she replied.

I figured he had already begged the nurses to let him back to see me, but I guess they had to have rules to keep everyone safe.

It was another forty minutes before the doctor came back to tell me that I had a concussion and a fractured wrist, not to mention the emotional trauma that came along with being jumped in the middle of the night. I had to stay until later that morning though because of my concussion, they had to monitor me or something I guess.

I tried my best to sleep, but I tossed and turned for hours on end and every time I fell asleep for more than ten minutes, it was time for the nurses to check on me again. I managed to finally doze off for more than ten minutes by 5:30 or so, that was what the clock said the last time I checked and was woken up a few hours later by a soft knock on the doorframe.

"Did I wake you up?" a very tired looking Liam asked as he stood in the doorway.

"It's okay," I replied, rubbing my eyes, "What time is it?"
"8:02," he replied, coming in and sitting down next to the bed.

"Have you been here the whole time?" I asked.

"Yeah," he replied quietly, "I didn't want you to be alone and I knew for sure that you didn't want anyone to call your parents, but they wouldn't let me back here until 8, so I waited in the lobby."
"Thanks," I smiled halfheartedly, "They're only keeping me until ten because apparently I have a concussion."

It was moments like this that made it impossible for me to be pissed off at Liam Simpson, those moments when he looked at me with those bright green eyes that had this gleam to them whenever he was looking at me, when he looked at me like he loved me.