How to Save a Life ✓

XXIII: In Which He Saves Her Life

A/N- This is the start of part three, post Kate's suicide attempt. If you wanted to read chapter twenty-two remember to follow me and remove the book from your library and add it again, since is private.
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CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

The room is oddly silent except for the steady beating of the heart monitor besides me. Voices come and go for short periods of time but other than that, the room waits for life. Someone is in the room with me, holding my hand but I can't tell who it is. They draw reassuring circles on my hand, indirectly telling me that it will all be okay.

My eyes feel too heavy to open but I manage to move a finger instead. This sets off an alarm to the person holding my hand because they rush out of the room to call someone else.

Slowly, I open one eye, and then two. I can't turn my head but my eyes roam the room. White is everywhere; white bed, white chairs, white walls. On the opposite side of my bed, there's a heart monitor that beats at a steady rhythm.

Confusion about where I am courses through me, but I don't have time to process it because I'm choking.  

I see a tube going in my mouth and I fill with panic as I cough and try and get it out. This only causes more discomfort and I lay there, helpless. The monitor releases a frantic noise that matches my emotions.

A nurse in blue scrubs rushes in along with a boy. She takes the tube out of my mouth calmly and I let out one last cough before breathing heavily. I put my hand up to my throat and rub it gently, still confused about what's going on.

I stare about the boy next to me, with blank eyes when I remember everything.

"Kate, do you know where you are?"

I nod absentmindedly, avoiding all contact with the boy. He reaches for my hand but I jerk away and bring it up to my chest.

"You were found by this boy unconscious in your home. More than 50 grams of acetaminophen were found in your digestive system and blood stream."

I turn to my side so I only face the nurse, and I only blink at her.

I failed. I can't even kill myself properly.

"You're going to be staying here for a couple of days until your medically well before being transferred into a 72-hour psychiatric ward."

Nodding once again, I open my mouth to speak when I start coughing. My throat is scratchy and I can't open my mouth without coughing. Noah reaches for his glass of water and brings it close to my face. He tilts it slightly and I open my mouth to take a sip. When I'm satisfied that I won't start coughing again, I close my mouth and he puts his water on the floor.

"What day is it?" I say, my voice barely above a whisper.

"April 4th, 2017; three days after your suicide attempt."

Noah talks to the nurse for a couple of minutes outside of my room before coming back inside. Instead of sitting where he was before, he sits next to the heart monitors, facing me.

I don't say anything to him for a while, and neither does he. We're both processing everything that happened, me slower than him.

"You were in a coma for three days. I'm glad I found you when I did, your lips were blue and you were barely breathing. You scared me shit-less, Kit-kat."

I was asleep for three days. I wonder what I missed?

"Aphrodite called me right after you hung up. She thought you were acting weird. That's when I called you. After a couple of missed calls, I got concerned and ran to your house. I also kind of broke your window, by the way. Sorry 'bout that.

"She visited earlier and she brought a bouquet of lilies." He adds at the last second. He points to the couch in front of me and there is a vase with purple lilies and a get well soon balloon. A giant teddy bear also sits on the couch, smiling back at me. I don't return the smile and look back at Noah.

Finally gathering some of my thoughts, I ask him, "Did my mom visit?"

It seems that he didn't expect the question because he tilts his head slightly and goes back further in his seat. Then avoiding my eyes, he answers, "I haven't seen while I've been here and I've been to the hospital everyday after school."

The first of many tears slip past and I whimper quietly in my bed. I don't bother wiping my eyes but Noah goes to the bathroom, gets a tissue and wipes my eyes.

"I should have died. Why didn't you let me die?" I say a little louder. My face is red with tears and snot, and he continues to wipe them away, not bothered by how disgusting I am right now.

"I would never let any one of my best friends die. Not again."

"You don't understand. I'm better off dead. I have no one now. My own damn mom wouldn't even visit me in the hospital. Where is she now?"

Noah sighs and ruffles his hair, "I don't know. The police are looking for her right now."

Too softly for him to hear, I ask myself, "Where am I going to go now?"

Apparently his hears because he gives off a sad smile and responds, "I understand if you don't want to go back to your house after you're discharged. Aphrodite talked to her parents and since they have an unused guest room, they agreed to let you stay there for a while until we sort everything out."

I process his words for a second for saying no.

"No?" He repeats my words in confusion.

"No. I don't want to be a burden anymore." I stop crying but the remnants of it are still there and I feel an oncoming headache.

"You were never a burden, Kit-kat. You're our best friend and we want what's best for you. I'm not letting you say no."

He grabs my hand and draws circles on it with his finger, him telling me that it will be okay without saying it.

I don't know if I believe him.