This Love, This Hate (A Lesbian Romance)

TLTH Chapter Twenty-Seven

 This Love, This Hate

Chapter Twenty-Seven

                “She’ll need to be woken up periodically throughout the night to maintain her consciousness.” The nurse explained to Zoe’s friends and family as they circled her bed in her hospital room, “So I’ll be doing that tonight. She’ll be in great hands.”

                “Are we…can anyone stay with her?” Raine asked softly.

                “Immediate family can stay in here but you’re all welcome to stay in the waiting room as long as you’d like outside of visiting hours.” She explained before she left the room.

                “Zoe, oh my God I’m so sorry. I should’ve been on time. Are you in pain?” Raine fussed as Zoe turned her eyes to rest upon her.

                “You’re in my jacket.” Zoe murmured with a half-smile, “I feel great. They got me some morphine or something. It hurts to move or laugh, so you better keep Jesse away from me.” She chuckled slightly and then winced shortly after before glancing around the room, stopping to scowl at Paul after she’d done so, “So, you’re here, too?”

                “I wanted to support your mother and I’d like to get to know you all and be a source of support for each of you, so yes I am here.” Paul replied with a friendly smile.

                “You probably won’t be around long enough to tell Malarie and I apart.” Zoe scoffed before glancing at her twin, “Hey Mal, you can stop worrying now.”

                “Yeah right! Not until I know you’re better.” Malarie denied with worry-filled eyes as Paul excused himself from the room.

                “Mom?” Zoe asked, seeing the obvious battle on their mother’s face between staying there and following Paul, “Could you spare me a moment of your time and worry for once? I mean damn.”

                “Zoe, if I didn’t care I wouldn’t be here.” Their mother replied lamely.

                “Okay, no.” Malarie spoke up hotly, “Don’t you stand there and pretend you’ve been here just as long and worried as the rest of us. You want to know the truth, Zoe?”

                “What the hell is going on?” Zoe asked in confusion; her head still felt unbelievably fuzzy and the drama going on around her was just making it worse.

                “Malarie, can’t this wait?” Ms. Farr clipped, “I will not have my daughters run me and  Paul through the ground. I haven’t been the best mother lately, I know. But, I’m trying and I’m still your mother and I still deserve respect.”

                “Both of you get out.” Zoe stated gruffly.

                “What?” The two gaped in unison.

                “Get out! I don’t know what’s going on and I don’t care! Just get out.” Zoe yelled with tears in her eyes.

                “Zoe…” Malarie trailed off, unable to finish her sentence as Jesse guided both of the women out of the room.

                “Are you alright?” Raine asked hesitantly after it’d been silent a few moments.

                “I…yes. I just can’t deal with any of that right now. I’m in pain and still processing what happened and God, I can’t believe I’m saying this but I’d rather be cutting steak across from Paul then in this bed right now.” Zoe vented in a gruff almost whisper. She looked so tired, worn and empty there on the bed both physically and emotionally and Raine couldn’t help but feel an enormous anchor of guilt began to weigh on her.

                “Zoe, I’m really sorry. If I had been ready sooner or saw that car even a second earlier you wouldn’t be in this bed.” Raine sniffed, finding herself on the verge of tears again.

                “Don’t do that, don’t blame yourself. Come here. You look so cute in that jacket, Raine.” Zoe coaxed, reaching for Raine and allowing her to rest her head in the crook of her neck in an awkward hospital bed hug. “You’re so special to me. I’d rather be in this spot than you any day.”

                “I still feel like this is all because of me.” Raine whimpered against her neck.

                In the hallway, Jesse was blocking the door doing his best to tune out Paul, Ms. Farr, and Malarie bickering in hushed voices. He took a steadying breath, desperately wanting another cigarette and to be as far from the hospital as possible. “Alright, enough.” Jesse stated firmly after he’d let them carry on a while. “Respect or no, you are all here for Zoe. Put aside how wrong you think each other are and support her instead of going at each other right outside her room. For God’s sake, have some decency.”

                The three of them went to respond and Jesse quickly held up a hand to hush them, “No excuses, put your own problems behind you for one second of your life. Malarie, this isn’t like you at all. I know you are just disgusted in their behavior, but save it. Zoe doesn’t need all of this right now.”

                “He’s right.” Paul agreed with an apologetic smile, “I’m sorry, Jesse.”

                “It’s fine. Now can you go back in there without getting in another spat like two mad hens?” Jesse countered, eying the mother and daughter speculatively.

                “I’m letting this slide because you’re right, Jesse. We’ll behave.” Ms. Farr vowed. He stepped aside to let her and Paul in before stopping Malarie as she made her way to follow them.

                “What is it Jesse?” She asked irritably.

                “Please cool it with them around Zoe, at least until she’s out of here.” Jesse encouraged as her phone went off. She rolled her eyes and checked it before tapping back a response and returning her gaze to Jesse, “Same friend?”

                “I’ll cool it. It’s a friend from home, like I said. Don’t go getting all jealous on me.” Malarie clipped, slipping under his arm and into Zoe’s room.

A/N: SO Sorry! Winter is really hard for me and I'm hitting some bumps getting to some big things I want to happen with this story. Thanks so much for bearing with me and voting and commenting. I love hearing from you guys!