Accidentally on Purpose

Chapter Fifty-Eight

I felt my body being carried, and I tried to open my eyes but they remained closed. I inhaled air through my nose and swallowed my dry throat. "I—" My voice broke and I coughed a little, trying to get rid of the itch I was feeling in my throat.

I opened my mouth to try again, but then I heard someone say, "Ssh, it's okay. Just go back to sleep." Then I felt a hand on my forehead, gently pressing against my skin, and I heard them murmur, "Shit, you're really warm. Why didn't you stay home and rest if you're feeling sick?"

My eyelids lifted, but all I could see was blurry images and colors fading into one another, so I shut my eyes again and tried to relax into the arms that were holding me.

"It's alright, Hannah," the voice said, echoing in my ears like a dream. I was falling asleep again. "You're alright."

I snuggled into them, trying to find as much comfort I could get. They said words into my ears, but now words sounded like a lyric-less song to me, so I let them carry my body to someplace where I could sleep. Maybe I should be feeling scared to find myself being carried away by someone I didn't know, but all I felt was safety.

And darkness consumed me again. But this time, I gave it permission to temporarily shield me away from reality.

[]

I think I had woken up long before my eyes decided to flutter open.

I was alert, but I didn't feel like going up yet. Faintly, I heard a rustle, a door creaking open, and voices. The voices stopped and I felt a presence coming near, and a somehow familiar scent teased my nostrils as they slightly leaned down.

Fingers. Running along my cheek, brushing the hair on my face over to the side of my head. Touching my forehead. Holding my hand briefly before letting go. I heard a sigh, and I fought my eyes to open.

When they did, I found out that I was alone in the nurse room. I wondered if I had only imagined it all.

I felt a lot better than I had before. I still felt like my whole body consisted of half-set jelly, but the headache had lessened to the point where it was almost nonexistent. I slowly sat up straight, looking around and wondering where the school nurse was.

My eyes fell upon the table next to the bed I was laying on. A glass of water and pills. It was only then that I realized how thirsty I was, so I reached out to take the glass.

I sighed in relief when the warmth of the water soothed my sore throat. I grabbed the medicine and gulped them down with the rest of the water in the glass.

The door opened and a woman, the school nurse, walked in, smiling when she spotted me sitting up on the bed.

"You're awake," she said. "How are you feeling?"

I smiled back. "Much better. I think I just needed sleep."

"Yes, you definitely needed rest. You still do." She went up to me and laid the back of her hand on my forehead. "You were running a high fever. I put a cold compress for a little why and now your temp's gone down, but I suggest you go home and rest more."

I sighed and nodded.

"I already called your guardian. I believe your sister is on her way to pick you up," she said to me. "Go lie down and wait until she arrives. I'll wake you up in case you fall asleep."

"Okay," I said and obliged. She helped me lie down and I smiled at her in gratitude. Before I closed my eyes, though, I asked her, "Um, do you know who brought me here?"

"Oh, there was this boy..." she trailed off, slightly frowning. "I'm sorry, dear. I don't think I remember his name."

"That's okay. I was just curious." I bit my lower lip. I remembered that I had woken up for a moment as I was being carried here, and I knew I was being hopeful when I tried to remember the person who carried me. "Did he say anything?"