The Wrong Type of Love (Teacher/Student Relationship)

Chapter Twenty-One

Dan was in a coma, showing no signs of waking up within the next few week. The doctor warned us that it could be well over a few months. He was bad, if you didn’t know it was him then you could have just walked on by without sparing him a second glance.

His hair was sticking out at strange angles, bruises covered his swollen face and his right eye was black and swollen shut. His lips had splits in them and hints of blood still surrounded the gaps. A cut on his forehead had earned him twenty-one stitches and another on his left cheek had resulted in ten. His body was most likely worse but the nurses had put him in a gown and the planket was pulled up high.

I was thankfull for this, having to see his injured face was already too much. I was full of regret and grief, I should have stopped him. I knew he was drunk, he shouldn't have been driving but I'd forgotten and had let him leave.

The worst part was the fact that Jack, at that moment, was lying on a metal table being operated on. When he was brought in most of his bones were broken, he had intensive bleeding and was still unconscious.

The other guy, who I later found out was called Matthew, had been awake, he had woken most of the patients up with his screaming. His spine was broken from the neck down and his left collar bone had been sticking out of his neck. Matthew was okay though and was sleeping in his bed and his family were on their way. Dan's would take longer as they lived further away. Jack's were sitting in the waiting room, his mother was a wreck and his dad was constantly pacing.

As soon as they saw me they stood up and rushed over. I was knocked back slightly when his mum wrapped her arms around me. I had met them once before when they had dropped me home after Jack and I had spent the day in town together. They were both so lovely and kind and I felt so sorry for them. Jack was their only child. I couldn't even begin to imagine the pain they must have been feeling, not knowing whether your son is going to die or be badly scared and injured for the rest of his life.

"Excuse me, are you the Rowan family?" A middle aged nurse asked. Her white trainers sqeaked each time she took a step and the noise seemed to go right through me. Jack's mum reacted straight away and half leapt at the nurse.

"Yes, yes we are!" Her eyes were red and puffy, her hands shook violenty when she reached out and shook hands with the nurse.

"Your son is out of surgery, if you follow me you can see him now." She smiled calmly and walked away, knowing we would follow.

Time seemed to slow down as I walked down the corridor. It seemed like forever before we reached Jack's room but I wished it had taken longer. The top of his head was bandaged, a small bandage was taped onto his cheek and looked freshly changed but blood had already seeped through. His face was swollen beyond recognition, his eyes too swollen to be opened and his lips too big to talk properly with. As well as being swollen, his face was red and purple. Like Dan, the sheet was pulled up high but I could still see the top of his chest.A long line of stiches went up the middle of his chest where they had opened him up.

Mrs Rowan fell onto her husband and he wrapped his arm around her, the sound of her weeping was muffled by his arm. I stumbled and collapsed into the nearest chair.

I couldn't breathe, I couldn't think and I knew that the image of Jack will always haunt me.

"It's all my fault. It's my fault. I could have stopped them." I half whispered, but his parents still heard me. They looked over to me with pained expressions. "I should have stopped them!" I shouted before running out of the room. The image of Jack injured haunted my mind and 'it's all your fault' went round and round in my head.

I didn't know what my destination was, all I knew was that I needed to get out of there and fast. I ran as fast as I could and didn't stop until I was out of the hospital and half way into the garden, surrounded by darkness and all alone. I felt myself calm down, because in the darkness no one can see you.