The Serpent of Love

31. The hospital (Part 2: Madly in love)

I sigh and look up from my knees. Everyone's talking now quietly, worried about Jughead. Taylor and Lynette are talking with my friends group and it seems like they like them a lot. It's hot in the hospital and Lyn isn't embarrassed about her scars, so she has taken away her sweater and no one seems to be questioning why she has lots of scars everywhere, since I've told them. I'm not so sure though. No one has ever seen mine except for my brother, his fiancé, my mom, Taylor, Lynette and their parents. Oh and Adeline. I feel uncomfortable. I feel like they'll pity me and like they're gonna judge me in some way.
I sigh and get up. I walk to Gladys and FP who are sitting a little away from the others, looking exhausted and worried, but like they didn't want to sleep. They both look at me as I reach them, but I don't meet their eyes, I just step between FP's legs and sit down on his lap, side against his stomach, wrapping my arms around his torso and rest my head onto his shoulder. I feel him sniggering.
"You do know you're heavy, right?" he asks, kissing my head.
"Hm, if Jug can handle it, so can you," I say, eyes closed, still taking deep breaths. I feel him touching my short hair and both of them looking at me. "What?" I murmur.
"You've grown up," Gladys says quietly. I smile and open my eyes. "Like a lot. You're not a teenager anymore. You look like a woman," she says.
"Well, not exactly," I say. "But yes, I've changed. A lot." They know I mean it more than in just one way.
"How tall are you now?" FP asks.
"5.6," I say proudly, making them chuckle.
"Jug is taller than me," FP says.
I smile. "Really?"
"Yeah, he's 6," Gladys says.
"Wow," I murmur and frown, suddenly thinking about what he would look like. "I talk to him every day, he doesn't look very different..."
"You didn't either," FP says. "Phones suck."
I give him a funny look and they laugh at me quietly. "Don't use my words," I murmur.
"Sorry, sorry," he chuckles as I wrap my arms back around his torso and close my eyes again.

"Betty, please relax," Lynette says worriedly. I'm tapping my fingers against the armrests, my right leg bouncing up and down really fast and I keep moving my head in every direction, desperate to get more air and a more comfortable position. Everyone's asleep by now, but I really need to see him. It's like 11.30.
"Hey," FP says tiredly, looking confused as he comes back into the room.
"Is he okay? Can I see him?" I ask, standing up quickly.
"Betty, you need to calm down," he sighs. "He's fine, his brain is okay. But he's in a lot of pain, so they put him back to sleep. We can see him in the morning," he says.
"I need to see him now," I say in half whisper and fall back down into the chair, resting my head against the wall and close my eyes, tears starting to run once more.
"Lynette, you can go to sleep, you didn't sleep yesterday on the plane," FP says, sitting down on the other side of me.
"Okay," she sighs and is asleep with like seconds. Everyone is sharing blankets. She's sharing it with Veronica, since she and Reggie broke up a while ago.
"Come here," FP says quietly and moves his arm around me, leading my head onto his shoulder. He sighs, seeing my red eyes and wipes my tears away with the back of his hand that isn't in my hair. "You need to sleep, Betty. You haven't slept for a long time."
"Did you tell him I'm here?" I ask, sniffling my tears back.
"No. But he asked about you."
"Really?" I ask.
"I swear to God, Betty, if that boy was dying, he'd ask about you." I smile at that sadly, knowing it's probably true. "He asked if we've called you and if were sure that you're okay." He kisses my forehead softly, seeing how my eyes fall shut every second, but how I force them to stay open.
"Is he okay?" I ask.
"He's in a lot of pain, because he slid on the asphalt about 50 foot, but the clothes helped a lot, so his skin isn't infectious, just broken."
"When will he wake up?" I ask with new tears, looking up at him.
"Once tonight to get new medicine and then in the morning to get another dose of it and then later at about 10. You have to sleep and I'll wake you up when he's up," he says.
I sigh. "Okay."
"Really?" he asks with a relieved voice.
I smile at that a little and nod, for some reason crying a lot more now. I close my eyes and rest my head back onto his shoulder, body shaking from exhaustion and worry and panic. He wraps his other arm around me as well and holds me tighter against him and I feel his worried eyes on me as well.
"Promise me he's gonna be okay," I whisper, still crying.
"I promise."