More Than A Pretty Face |completed|

Ch10: Ohana Means Family

"Valerie?"

"Valerie?"

"Val, wake up."

My eyelids fluttered open to see Brandon hovering over me.

"where is everyone?" I asked glancing around the empty hospital room.

"well the twins left an hour ago, I'm here, and Connor is still in Florida."

I nodded and got up from where I was curled up in the chair next to Carter's bed.

"Do you have anything planned for today?" I asked Brandon, not wanting to be alone the first day after waking from my own coma.

he rubbed the back of his neck and looked down at the floor guiltily.

"I have school, remember?" I nodded, clearly upset that the only one of them that was here still attended school.

"Ok bye" I gave him a soft wave as he walked out the door, leaving me all alone with a pale unconious Carter.

The sound of the door closing was the last sound for about twenty minutes before I finally built up the emotional strength to talk with Carter, I mean talk to Carter, that is.

"Okay." I started, taking a deep breath.

"So, Brandon told me that umm, your grandma can't come to the hospital because she's all the way in Tokyo right now, on vacation, and then Connor is stuck in Florida due the hurricane about to hit, and the twins just left, Brandon went to school, so it's just me here pretty much." I glanced around the bleak empty room, my eyes eventually landing on Carter.

"You're hair is a bit messed up, and your face is pretty pale, but you're still handsome to me" I continued describing things to him as my fingers absentmindedly combed through his hair.

"The room is all white, except for a couple flowers and the metal bed you're in right now. I'm really sorry about the whole syrup thing too, and I'll probably have to apologize to you when you wake up, but I'd apologize a thousand times every day of you come back."

My attention briefly snapped to Carter's phone which I'd been holding onto since I woke.

It was Brandon

Carter's grandma won't be there for another week or so.

I frowned at the message and quickly typed a quick thanks in reply.

"What about your parents? Where are they?"

I felt a deep pang in my chest, I knew how it felt to have no parents.

"Don't worry" I took his hand "my parents don't deserve an award either, heck they didn't even care I was missing." I sighed

My parents work at a headquarters in England, and rarely come back over seas, only on Christmas. The rest of the year I live on my own.

"Yeah, the last time I saw my parents was last year on Christmas. but hey, at least they didn't forget my present"

I laughed weakly, wallowing in my own self sympathy.

"Please wake up soon Carter. You guys are my family, and a family is never the same if someone dies"

I wiped away a small tear and crawled up onto the hospital bed. laying down next to Carter, I wrapped my arms around him and tried to give him my strength.

*****

I stared at the lazed café barista as she prepared my coffee.

It's been three weeks since the crash and the doctors have decided if he doesn't wake in the next few hours, they have to remove his support. I think that's what he would've wanted too though. He wouldn't want his life to depend on a machine attached to him, he'd want to die. I tried to get him more time, paying the hospital bills with my parents credit, but Connor finally put it to an end. Now I have to watch them kill him, the only boy that took me from my crappy life and painted in the black and white (along with Connor and Brandon if course), the boy who stole my first kiss, the one who gave me his first kiss, he was my first crush.

"Thank you" I muttered, wrapping my jacket closer to my body.

She handed me the warm latte and looked expectantly at the tip jar.

I scowled at her and dropped a five dollar bill in.

"This is for the horrible service, maybe they can buy you some manners."

She sneered at me and tended just as rudely to the next customer.

I sat down at a small table and slowly drank my latte, relishing in the heat it but off in the cold almost November air.

I glanced back at the barista, whom had infuriated yet another customer.

I shook my head and smiled bitterly at the girl.

"Lousy service huh."

My head snapped towards the dry voice of a teenage guy sitting across from me.

"Yep, even expected a tip for it" I frowned, my eyes almost zooming in on my poor five dollars in the jar.

The guy chuckled and offered me his hand.

"What your name?" He asked

I raised a skeptical brow and eyed his hand

"What's your name?" I switched the question around.

"I asked you first." he said, a bit childishly.

"Emma" I took his gloved hand and shook it.

"Carter" he said, and I froze.

"Are you okay Emma?" I heard his voice faintly, seeing a blurry image of Carter's pale face.

"Yeah, umm I'm fine." I shook my head around, trying to rid the image from my mind.

"It's just my friend Carter, he umm was in an accident and now in a coma.... and well they're gonna take his support today."

The boy looked shocked for a second, just staring wide eyed at me.

"Umm, Carter?" I waved a hand in front of his face.

"Uh yeah, I'm sorry that sounds horrible."

I nodded and traced the designs on the round table.

"Yeah it is, heart breaking actually."

"Were you close?"

I nodded, not really considering if he thought we were as close as I thought we were.

"Yeah, I really liked him." I paused "like, liked him a lottle" I felt a weight lifted off of my chest after telling a complete stranger of my relationships.

"A lottle?" He asked, confused.

"Yeah" I said smiling "a little but a lot"

He nodded.

"Could you take me to see him?" Carter asked

"Why?"

"I just want to give my condolences."

I nodded, it's a bit weird though, when a stranger asks to come to say goodbye to someone they don't even know.

"Follow me" I told him and started walking down the hallway, leading to Carter's room.

"So" I said after a while of silence "why are you even here?"

"Umm, look behind you." he said in a duh tone.

I looked behind my back to see him sitting in a wheel chair.

"Oh my gosh I'm so sorry, I didn't see that you were- here let me push you." I apologized as I walked behind the wheelchair and started pushing him down the hall.

"So injury?" I asked, still feeling a bit guilty for not helping him wheel through the halls earlier.

"No, I'm a paraplegic, from a car accident."

I felt bad for him.

"Yeah, Carter was in a car accident too."

He shot me a sad smile as we reach the room. I was shocked when he reached out for my hand.

"You okay?" I smiled at his thoughtfulness

"Not really"