Chapter Three

I awake to hospital lights burning my eyes. Straining to take in my surroundings, I realize I'm all alone in this room. I'm scared and hurt. Tubes are coming from everywhere, including one down my throat. I try to sit up, but I realize I'm too weak. After I try again to get up and fail, I know it's no use. I guess I have to succumb to the situation. From outside the room, I hear commotion.

Adrian. It's Adrian's voice. I could recognize it anywhere. He came for me.

I remember the text message he sent me and realize that they use that message to call his number, hopefully. I want my boyfriend, to get lost again in his eyes, to feel his arms around me, to comfort me. I want to feel safe once again.

"Let me see my girlfriend. Please. I'm the only one who actually gives a damn about her!" Adrian yells.

"Sir, we can't let you in until a blood relative comes down and allows your entry. Those are the rules." a feminine voice responds.

"Well, what I'm telling you is you're not going to get a blood relative to come down because I'm the only one who actually loves her. I'm the only one who's actually even bothered to come here. You think her mother is going to come down?! Have you looked at her files?" Adrian remarks.

I can tell he's upset and worried about me. His voice cracks and quivers as he yells. One signal that he's on the urge to cry soon.

"Keep your voice down, sir." The nurse pleads, "We can't have you disturbing the peace around here. If you love your girlfriend that much, you'll calm down and wait for her to awaken. We'll tell when she has awoken, okay? Please sit down and wait here as I check on her."

The room door opens, and I see a small lady in scrubs come in, shaking her head and profoundly sighing. She hasn't noticed that I have been up for her little heated argument outside. Before looking up from her tray of supplies, the door opens once again. Adrian.

"Sir-" the nurse starts, but she gives up by the time he reaches me. He caresses my hair softly, avoiding the bandages and tubes. We don't talk for a while, just enjoying our time together as we both had wished.

The nurse had tapped my boyfriend's shoulder, "Excuse me, you guys can't communicate 'till that tube in your throat is removed." playfully said the nurse. Hesitant at first, Adrian finally backs up so this irritating thing can get pulled out.

After a series of gagging, the tube is finally removed. Adrian took the responsibility to feed me some warm tea out of a straw. " Another nurse will be with you shortly." The nurse put the doorstop down and pushed her tray of materials out of the room.

"Finally, she's gone," Adrian jokes as he playfully rolls his eyes. I laugh, which was a big mistake for me. I wince as Adrian immediately apologizes, "Liv! I'm sorry, I forgot. My bad, sweetheart." Adrian puts the cup on a table that's next to the bed. When he turns back to me, he smiles, and so does his eyes. "Do you want to wait before telling me what happened?" He walks over to grab a chair from the other side of the room. He then slides it from up under him and sits in it backward, crossing his ankles. The donut socks I bought him for his 18th birthday show as his pants rose. Adorable.

"I don't want to talk about it right now...can I have some more tea?" I croaked.

Adrian's face softens and reaches over to grab my cup, "Could you tell me at least what you remember?" He pulls the straw out of my mouth, while I'm in mid-sip and places it back on the tray. I start to get fidgety and anxious. My throat starts to dry and itch, I want to forget that day, but I also don't want to leave Adrian, not knowing what caused this.

"It was…" Adrian looked up at me, and my eyes locked with his, leaving me speechless.

Fortunately, there is a small knock on the door, "Hey Alivi," she turns her head and, to her surprise, sees Adrian with me. "And Adrian."

Ida's head is wrapped in a bandage when I see her, some nicks and bruises appeared on her once smooth tan skin while her left arm is in a sling. She slightly waves as she walks over to my hospital bed. She comes closer and sits in the chair that's next to me, opposite of Adrian's chair. They smile timidly at each other, clearly unaware of what I'm about to say. My throat has now formed a desert around itself, my coughing fit begins. Ida's the first one to jump up but fully regrets it after dizziness struck her. Adrian disposes the straw and brings the rim of the cup up to my mouth, slowly tipping it.

"Are you okay, Liv?" Ida rubs her fingertips on my wrist. I finish the tea and slowly nod my head.

There's no way I'm going to be able to tell Adrian what happened with the suspect in the room, but what choice do I have?

I clear my throat, "I didn't forget what happened…" I trailed off, my eyes darting left and right.

"I-" Ida starts but never seems to finish. They both turned around to the sudden occurrence of footsteps. I'm unable to see from the angle that I'm in, and straining is a HUGE stretch. Adrian and Ida turn back to me with saddened faces, they lean out the way so that I could see the newcomer. Bruce Cassius: my step-father.