― n i n e. The Calm After a Storm

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CHAPTER NINE

"Full name?"

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"Full name?"

"Kenna Marie Andrews."

"Do you know why you're here?"

"Because I had a concussion."

The nurse clicked on the penlight and the light went out. "She's all good," said the nurse, putting the penlight in her pocket. My dad sat at the edge of his seat. "She's displaying good signs of recovery."

Are there bad signs of recovery?

"Will I be able to be discharged today?" I asked the nurse.

"Honey, you just got here two days ago. You need to rest," she said, revealing a sympathetic smile before leaving the ward.

"Why are you so eager to leave, Kenna?" asked my dad. "You heard the nurse, you need to rest."

"I can rest at home," I replied.

"They need to monitor you, Kenna," my dad explained.

"I want to go home," I whined.

My dad sighs, "I know, Ken. I know. I don't like hospitals either."

It's not because I don't like hospitals, it's because of the hospital bills. It probably costs two hundred dollars just by shining the torch in my eyes. Hundred for each eye.

This was specifically the reason why I didn't want to tell my dad about the concussion the other day because he will worry and bring me to the hospital.

His hospital bill from the shooting-

I closed my eyes and breathed in sharply.

-it racked up to five figures. Until now, we are still not able to pay off the bill. Now with the additional charges of me being in the hospital, fuck, we're dead. This was why I wanted to leave as soon as possible.

I was admitted to the hospital the day I fainted at home. I regained consciousness not long after I was carried into the ambulance with nurses swarming around me, and dad and Archie looking down at me. I ended up having to explain to my dad about how I got the concussion and he got even more angrier at Sheriff Keller.

Since being admitted, dad has stuck by my side even after my persistent encouragement to get him to go to work. Archie. . . not so much, only ocasionally visiting me in the morning and evening. Probably because he is serving community service for doing drugs.

I haven't talked much to my friends either since being admitted. Doctors recommended me to stay away from using the phone because of brightness or radiation or whatever. I only talked to Lzzy yesterday when she asked about the arrest.

Lzzy❤️ (9:23pm) Thursday
Kenna
Hey
How are you?
Heard you got arrested

     I did not reply until the morning of the next day, after I had gained full consciousness and was allowed to use my phone.

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