Amber woke up in a scratchy blue gown, stiff thin sheets draped around her thin frame. An IV was taped to her wrist, the tube connecting to a machine that beeped steadily every few seconds. The heart monitor above her head zig- zagged across the screen.
She sat up, her blonde hair plastered against her neck as her head throbbed. A purple cardboard bracelet was glued to her arm, "Amber Bennetts, age 13" scribbled on it messily with Sharpie. A large scrape ran up her knee, staining her sheets pink. Otherwise, she was completely unscathed.
She turned her head weakly to the right, freezing at the sight of short auburn hair in the next bed over. A nurse walked in, her smooth caramel skin dotted with light freckles. A sterile stethoscope glinted against her pearly white lab coat.
"What happened to him?!" Amber asked, her voice frantic. "What happened to Thomas?!" The nurse's eyes softened as she pushed her ebony bangs from her forehead. Thomas' oxygen mask fogged up at the tip, his body completely covered until the neck with a sheet. His chest rose up and down softly.
"He saved you, sweetie," she said. "He slipped trying to pull you off of the railing. He caught himself on the ninth floor balcony."
Thomas winced in his sleep, the color beginning to drain from his face. His monitors began beeping uncontrollably. Four doctors ran in, pressing buttons and yanking cords in and out. Amber tensed, jumping to her feet. "Do something!" she cried. She tried to run towards him, but the nurse grabbed her shoulders and forced her back down. She kicked and tried to pry away from the lady's iron grip.
After a few minutes, the beeping quieted back down. The doctors left, Amber sobbing as the nurse let her go. Thomas sighed in relief. "Why did you do that?" Amber wiped her tears away defiantly as she looked up at the nurse. "He's been rocking back and forth through critical condition. It's best to not touch him, honey." She rubbed Amber's back as she cried. "We can't risk making it worse."
"Is he going to be okay?" Amber asked.
"I don't know."
YOU ARE READING
Because of You
Short StoryThirteen year old Thomas Wilcox's mother died giving birth to him. With his father's mentality depleting and the constant bullying at school, Thomas is hanging on to a thread each day. However, when he's paired with Amber for the biggest science p...
