Alone Together {Patrick Stump}

Chapter 15

It turns out there was a complication with my surgery that I had when I got there. Nobody caught it because I was in a coma. They had to go back in a fix the complication with another surgery. I had surprised my friends, as they were so glad I was awake and okay. I got to go home about two weeks later, but I had to take it easy.

When we all got to the house, Patrick put the car in park in the driveway and got out. Pete, Andy, and Joe followed his lead. Andy and Joe helped me inside the house and into the lounge, where I lay on the couch and watch TV while they took care of me. Once I was strong enough and had healed, I was going to start my first day back to school. I was cleared on a weekend, so I got to get used to walking around all the time. I was still out of P.E., which I was grateful for. I was glad to go back to school. I had to catch up if I was going to be able to take my Freshman exams in two months. And I had a ton of catching up to do.

I went to bed Sunday night feeling great. I had a small stomach ache, but I guessed it was just nerves for going back to school. I found out in the middle of the night that that wasn't what it was. I woke up in the middle of night and rushed into my bathroom. I threw up in the toilet a few times and just stayed on the bathroom floor for a minute. I got up, got my phone, and went back to the bathroom. I put my head on the cool bathroom floor and texted Patrick.

Lyra - Patrick, come to my bathroom. Please. I need you.

I figured it'd take him awhile to wake up, so I made myself comfortable. When it took longer than I'd thought and I had thrown up a few more times, I texted Pete.

Lyra - Pete, come to my bathroom quick. I need you. Patrick isn't answering his phone.

Pete texted back quickly. He an the other guys had been sayin at our house these past few weeks I've been home.

Pete - I'm on my way. Hold on.

There was running up the stairs and I heard my door slam open. Soon, Pete was standing in the doorway to my bathroom.

"What's wrong?" He asked frantically.

"I threw up," I muttered. My throat stung from the awful acid my taste from throwing up so much.

"How much?" He asked.

"I don't know," I mumbled. "About three times when I got up, then four or five between the time I texted Patrick an you got here. Something like that." Pete soaked a hand rag. He sat on the floor an put his back against the bathtub. He lay my head on his lap and put the cool, wet rag on my forehead. He let me lay there for awhile and then called someone.

"Patrick?" Pete asked. There was some mumbling that I couldn't understand very well. "Lyra threw up. A lot. I'm in her bathroom with her and she's burning up. Can you bring her a glass of water when you come in?" There was more mumbling. "Bring some crackers or something too so she can have something to eat." More mumbling. "Okay, thanks, Patrick." He hung up the phone and looked down at me. "He's coming. He'll bring you water and some crackers, okay? I'll stay with you until your feeling well enough to go back to bed. No school. We'll call the doctor if it gets too bad in case it has something to do with one of your surgeries."

I nodded slowly and closed my eyes. I listened to the sounds around me, still wide awake. My stomach hurt and my throat still burned. My head felt light, like I hadn't eaten in days. When I heard the sound of footsteps enter my room, I opened my eyes again. Then I sat up and threw up in the toilet for the eighth time. I looked around and Patrick looked pale. Paler than usual.

"I'm fine," I mumbled. "Just the flu or something. That's all." He handed me a glass of water and set the crackers down before taking a seat next to Pete. I lay my head on Pete's lap again after drinking almost all the water and Patrick shifted my legs so they lay on his lap. I honestly felt like total crap, bu I didn't want to tell them that. I didn't want them to worry and bother the doctors when it was probably just the flu. I could have caught it from anything.

I threw up a few more times that night before I was too exhausted to throw up anymore. Pete carried me to my bed and Patrick set the water and crackers on the bedside table.

"I'll bring you a bucket of some sort so you won't have to run into the bathroom every time you need to throw up," Patrick said. "And I'll bring you more water. I'll be right across the hall, so holler or text me if you need anything, okay?" I nodded and he left the room.

"Do you need anything else before I go back down the hall? You can text me too," Pete said.

"Can you turn on my TV?" I asked. "And hand me the remote?" He nodded and did what I asked him before smiling a soft smile and leaving. I was watching a show on Netflix when Patrick came back in with a small bucket and water, which he set beside me before he, too, left the room.

I spent the day throwing up and watching TV. Sometimes I would read a book or catch up on homework that my friends had brought me over the past few weeks. One of the guys would come in every once in a while to make sure I was doing okay. I slept. A lot. But I always woke up to throw up some more. There wa a knock on my door an Sarah came in slowly. I hadn't seen her in what felt like forever. She smiled at me.

"Hey, L," she said. "Are you feeling any better?"

"Not really," I replied. "I've felt worse, though." I laughed a little and Sarah smiled. I was glad to have someone other than the guys to talk to today. Sarah sat at the end of my bed and I paused the movie I was watching.

"Lyra, you can tell me anything. You know that, right?" she said slowly. I nodded slowly, unsure where this was going. "Is there something you want to tell me about the night you ran off?" I sighed.

"The girls who attacked me," I started, "were Kendall and Aleah, my old roommates from the orphanage."

"That's not what I mean and you know it," she said kindly.

"When I talked to Pete on the phone, I told him to look after Patrick," I said after a few moments of silence. "They were intent on killing me, and I didn't want to leave Patrick alone. I only called Pete because I wanted to hear voice one more time." Sarah held my hand.

"When I went to the hospital to visit you after your second surgery, your doctor pulled me aside and told me what you asked her to do," Sarah said, sighing. I held my breath. "I know you love them and only want them to be happy, Lyra, but your doctor was afraid you were suicidal. She told me she only heard those things from patients who later attempted suicide after they were released. She only told me. She was didn't want to tell the guys because she didn't want to scare them. Lyra, if you're suicidal, you need to tell me. I can help you." I shook my head.

"I- I'm- I'm not," I stuttered. "I haven't been since I realized this was a good family to be adopted by. I swear, Sarah, I'm not." I felt tears fall from my eyes and Sarah wiped them away.

"I believe you, L, I just wanted to hear from you that you were okay," Sarah said softly. She lay down next to me and I rested my head on her. She stroked my hair until I felt myself falling asleep again. I was glad to have Sarah. I was lucky. I was lucky to be here with the people I have. I was lucky to have gotten out of the orphanage. I was lucky to have gotten out of the hospital alive a few weeks ago. I was lucky.