Unconditional

Chapter 5

What...is it? Or that? I light, it's so...bright and warm....I wanna touch it...but I can't move. I can't move though, I want to. Come on Zhaen, move your arms. All I see is this bright light, but I can hear something. It's very faint. It sounds like...yelling...and, ow! 

My chest, it hurts, or it did and-ow! It happened again. What is happening to me? I miss Caleb, I wanna see him again.

>Few hours later<

Caleb and Xios were pacing back and forth. They couldn't get out of their heads what they had to watch. Caleb was a hot mess and Xios almost puked multiple times. Joey was asleep on the couch and Fluffy was thanking his boyfriend Jefferey for helping us out. Jeff told them that they should be thankful because it was dangerous to operate somewhere outside a hospital.

Caleb and Xios walked into my room. They saw me laying there. 

"I wanna thank you, Xios. You basically saved Zhaen. And you don't even know us that well," he smirked, "And Zhaen was kind of a bitch to you at first. But she is genuinely a nice person. She has just had a rough year. But that didn't give her an excuse to be like that to you, so I am apologizing to you for her."

Xios smiled, "It's ok man. I know she doesn't really mean it. I saw how playful she was with you guys. You guys are all such a great group of friends. I hope to be equally as great. I think right now, she just needs you. She should be awake soon. I will go grab some food with the guys. You stay here. Joey told me she doesn't like hospitals, like you told me. This isn't a hospital, but she will still need someone when she wakes up." Xios liked Zhaen. He really did. He thought she was goofy and cute and nice. But she just seemed to be in a rough patch right now. So he left with all his new friends and left Caleb behind to comfort Zhaen.

>~~~~~~~~~~~~<

I woke up a bit after Xios left and looked around. I wasn't in a hospital. That was a relief, but I started having a panic attack once I saw no one was in here.

"C-C-Caleb?! Caleb!" I tried getting up and a pain shot up through the right side of my body which made me collapse onto the floor with a loud THUD. 

Caleb came running in the room, "Woah! Hey, hey, babe it's ok. Shhh, I am here. I was just taking a smoke. I didn't wanna smoke with you in here. I am sorry. I'm here ok? Calm down."

Caleb was holding me and I was just crying in his arms. He kissed the top of my head and was cradling me. 

"I'm scared, Caleb. I don't want to go back to school. Or anywhere for that matter."

"Zhaen, we are here for you. Don't worry about it. We will protect you till this dies down."

"Do you promise?"

"I promise."

I kissed his arm and nodded, "I am ready to get back in my bed, but I don't wanna lay down. I wanna sit. I really wanna walk but my leg hurts."

"Yeah, you can walk, but you will need a cane till your leg gets better, if it gets better."

"What do you mean if?"

"Well, it might not get better Zhaen, Jeff tried to fix it as best as he could but yeah. Just take it easy for now ok?"

I took a deep breath then nodded. "I wanna walk now, do we have anything?"

"Yeah, Jeff left his grandfathers cane here with us. We can use it as long as we don't break it."

I nodded and Caleb went to grab the cane as I sat on the ground. The thought of having to use a cane scared me. I normally wear the face of nothing bothers me. But this really would. It made me think things I don't wanna think about. Feel things I don't wanna feel. I almost cried again, but I shouldn't. I am not a baby. I am almost an adult. Crying is for children. I have grown up being told that. So no more tears Zhaen, you are not a child.

Caleb came back to see me standing, leaning on the wall and smiling. "I-I'm ready to walk now, I wanna move and stretch. I wanna go see the guys."

"We can walk all we want. We can go on a walk till the guys get back ok?"

"Where did they go?"

"They went to get some food, Xios went with them. So we will go on a walk till they come back. I already had a note ready and it's sticking on the door."

He hands me the cane and I walk, almost slip then walk over to him.

"I am ready, let's go." I giggle and he holds my arm as he helps me down the stairs and out the door. The breeze felt nice. Especially after being stuck in that hot ass school for so long. I really couldn't wait till I saw Xios. I wanted to give him a hug and properly thank him. He is so sweet. I can't wait to see what kind of friend he is going to be.