The End of Summer

Chapter 39- 'When I get my wheelchair I'm running you all over.'

The next day, Archie and I decided to find Jaden’s room.

Apparently all of us had a room in this hospital, and once all the police questions and our own medical crap was taken care of, we were free to go and find our friends.

I had made my mum go home and get me some clothes because I refused to roam this hospital in that gown any longer. She had even gone to Archie’s house and got him some sweatpants and a T-shirt to change into.

This was the exact reason why she was the only parent in this whole situation to still be sitting on her thrown of a pedestal in my mind.

Once I was changed into my own set of grey sweats and a black t-shirt, I helped Archie off the bed and we went to Jaden’s room.

I smiled as I saw them all sitting there. Harry, Gavin and Frankie all crowded around Jaden’s bed. Gavin was doing some sort of impression with his arms and Jaden was laughing with a hand over his mouth as we opened the door and walked in.

All heads turned our way, and Frankie was up like a shot as she flew at me. I chuckled as he arms engulfed me into a hug.

“You have no idea how happy I am to see you.” She said, pulling back and placing both hands either side of my face before lowering her head and kissing me full on the mouth. I scrunched my face in a mixture of disgust and humour “They told us we couldn’t come and see you yesterday.”

“Can give her another one of those?” Gavin commented, raising his brow as he pointed between Frankie and myself “You know, for yesterday when you couldn’t be with her?”

Frankie ignored him and smiled at me. I returned it before she turned her head to look at Archie. I saw her face fall before she stepped from me to him and wrapped him up in a hug of his own.

“I’m so sorry Archie.” She whispered against the hug, and his lips pressed together as one arm went up to hug her back. As she pulled away from the hug, I didn’t miss the watering of her eyes or how hard she was trying to hold it back.

Gavin and Harry stood to their feet and each one of them hugged Archie, neither of them said sorry though. I think as his closest friends, they knew that Archie had heard enough apologies about Alex. Gavin nodded once at Archie, who returned it and that was it. That was their conversation about it and I didn’t miss Archie’s grateful expression in the matter.

Harry and Gavin went back to their seats by Jaden’s bedside, and Archie limped forward until he was at the side of the bed. Jaden looked up at him, following Harry and Gavin’s suit and not saying anything. He lifted one hand which Archie slapped with his own as a greeting.

“How you holding up man?” Jaden asked, looking at his friend carefully to see just how hard he would lie to him.

“I’m good. What about you, heard you went in for surgery yesterday?” No one missed the speedy change of subject, and no one commented on it. Archie didn’t want to talk about it, and everyone was going to grant him that wish.

Since what had happened to Alex, he had not cried and he had barely talked about it. As soon as the subject was mentioned Archie would stay quiet and change the topic. Apart from the tears he cried back at the school, he had shown no emotion.

Jaden nodded “Yeah, they took the bullet out. Apparently it was in there for so long it did some nerve damage. I told the doctor I didn’t really have a choice in the amount of time it stayed in there, it’s not like I had 999 at hand or anything.”

Archie breathed a laugh, looking down at Jaden’s leg automatically even though it was covered with the bed sheets.

“So what did they say? Can you walk or will you spend the rest of your life being a lazy bastard getting wheeled around in a chair?” Archie smiled at Jaden, who faked a laughing face but made no actual noise.