Ice cream, Teasing and Awkward Situations

Chapter 62

I tapped my foot anxiously against the waiting room floor. The cold metal hospital chair dug into my thigh, but I barely took notice, too consumed by worry. 

I glanced over at Lucas on the chair beside me, to find him looking just as anxious as I felt. He had driven with my dad and me to the hospital, and just like me, he was refusing to go home and rest until he knew that Ethan was alright. He was his best friend, after all.

Not too long ago, my dad had stepped away to try to contact Ethan's mum. I didn't envy him one bit at having to deliver such horrible news.

 Silence filled the air as we anxiously waited for another update. It had been exactly an hour, fifteen minutes, and thirty-eight seconds since the last one, and with each second, I grew more and more worried. 

The nurse had briefly explained to us they were working hard to pump Ethan's stomach free of the drug. And to my absolute horror, she had also explained that the dosage had been close to fatal.

And that's all she said. 

No information on his condition, his consciousness, if it was working. Nothing.

No matter how much I tried not to, I couldn't shake the horrible fear of the possibility of him never waking up. Of never talking to him again. Of never seeing him smile again. Or never hearing his beautiful laugh again. 

The sickening feeling I felt inside was becoming insufferable.

Lucas turned towards me, and his eyebrows knitted together in concern.

 "You should go home and rest, Mia. You've been through too much tonight," he said softly.

 "He's been through worse tonight, and I will not leave him," I snapped with a stubborn determination.

 Lucas' face softened. "Then, we'll wait," he sighed, not pushing the idea any further.

As silence ensued, guilt started to creep in as I thought about the events of tonight. I felt partially to blame for what happened. After all, it was me who had handed him over to Connor without a second thought. It was me who riled up April. It was me who did not call the ambulance as soon as he started to get unwell. I had made one stupid mistake after another, and now Ethan was paying for it. 

I should have looked after him better. I was a crappy girlfriend.

At that moment, a middle-aged female doctor came into the room and walked over to us.

 "Are you two here for Ethan Blythe?" she asked with a smile. 

We nodded our heads slowly, and I sat up straighter in my chairs, anxious to hear the update.

 "Well, firstly, I just want to put you out of your misery by telling you that Ethan is absolutely fine now and awake. He's a bit confused and doesn't remember much of what happened, but that's totally normal for someone in his condition," she explained gently. 

I sighed in relief, feeling as though a massive weight had been lifted off my shoulders. 

"Can we see him now?" I asked eagerly.

 She laughed. "Yeah, of course, I'm sure he'll be happy to have visitors who aren't trying to inject him," she joked as she gestured for us to follow her.

She led us around the corner of the hallway and opened a door, leading to one of the hospital rooms.

 My eyes immediately drew to Ethan, who sat happy and awake on the bed. He had a pillow propped behind him and a hospital gown on. He hadn't noticed us walk in, and seemed pretty preoccupied fiddling with the wires coming out of his hand.