Silent {g.m}

Chapter 15

        Bella's parents arrived late last night, stricken with worry and anger. Her dad wouldn't give the doctors the light of day as he pushed through the barricade of doctors and stormed into her hospital room. Of course, given the time of night, his daughter was sleeping soundlessly on the bed, her head rolled to one side and her mouth ajar. The other boys and two girls he's never seen before were scattered around the room, asleep.

        Gabe was next to her, sleeping in an uncomfortable hospital chair. His left elbow was propped up on the arm of the chair and his cheek rested in the palm of his hand, while his other hand was laying on the thin white sheet that covered his girlfriend's body. Laying on top of his hand was hers, and every so often it would twitch.

        The next morning, Gabe wakes up first. He notices Bella's family and May has arrived, so he decides to go grab breakfast. As he stands and stretches, he pulls his phone out and checks the time. It's 9:31 in the morning and there's missed calls from the other boys and his mom. Quickly kissing Bella's forehead, he smiles down at her then exits the room.

        The hospital is barely awake as he walks down the hall with his phone pressed to his ear. There's a receptionist working at the front desk, typing away on her computer, and a few nurses standing around chatting. Gabe smiles politely at the employees who smile at him, then heads for the elevator. 

        "Hello? Gabe?" his mom asks after three rings. He steps inside the elevator and presses the L button. The doors slide close and he's alone in the small space. 

        "Good morning, mom," he greets, leaning against the wall and closing his eyes. He sighs.

        "How is she?" 

        "I want to say she's doing better, but I don't think she is. Her family came last night, and I'm the only one awake."

      "You should come home, eat and get dressed. She'll be fine for a couple of hours." The elevator dinged and Gabe opened his eyes. The lobby wasn't that crowded, either. 

        "I was actually about to do that. See you in a few minutes."

     "Bye, honey." Gabe hangs up the phone and walks through the lobby quickly. He rubs the corners of his eyes sleepily and sighs. Why can't hospital chairs ever be comfortable?

        When he reaches the front doors, he stops when he sees the familiar flashing lights outside. He inwardly groans. Great, he thinks to himself as he slowly steps up to the doors, they've found us. 

        "Get away from me!" Dana yells, irritated. He turns his head and shields his eyes from the harsh flashes. His eyes catch Gabe, who's just walking through the double glass doors of the hospital. Dana tries to make his way to his friend by pushing through the wall of photographers. Unfortunately, one of them catches his arm and shoves him back.

        "What are you doing at the hospital, Dana?" one of the men asks, flashing a camera. 

        "Is it true you and Annabeth broke up?" another yells.

        "Is Annabeth pregnant?!" 

     Dana is backed against the wall, surrounded by the large men dressed in black and sunglasses. He's trapped, with nowhere to go. Gabe sees this from outside the crowd, and chooses to save his friend. With a rough shove, he manages to push a photographer out of his way.