CHAPTER SIXTEEN

Back down the side streets, the street lights were still on and it was still very early, I yawned and leaned my head against the cool glass.

I feel like I spend most of my days either held up in the house, or at work, or at home. Even though I'm 'free' now it's not enjoyable without Colby.

"Should we get something to eat or are you going to puke again?" Hayley questioned looking for the closest coffee shop.

"I should be able to eat," I says quietly.

"Hey how about we go to the diner to-" Hayley started as she drove into the diner.

"No!" I cut her off.

"No I can't go there," I began to shake, I'm scared. I shut my eyes as my tears spilled down my cheeks.

"Okay, okay no need to cry," She says as we turned around to leave my eyes met Lucey's.

It's too late, she seen me, but instead of calling Allistair she ran inside her face turned to panic and she pretended she didn't see us.

I took a deep breath as I watched her become smaller and smaller in the mirror, I slumped back into my seat.

"What the hell was all that?" Hayley asked now that we are back on the road.

"That girl was the one who shot Colby," I whispered.

"Wait, Lucey shot Colby?" She exclaimed my head shot up to look at her.

"You know her?" I asked surprised.

"Everyone knows everybody in this stupid town," She says not looking at me.

"So you knew Colby then," I stated.

"I heard of him, never actually met him until the other day," She says with a sigh.

"Oh," Is all I could think of to say.

"I just never expected that Lucey of all people would shoot someone," She shook her head in disbelief.

"Then again you did steal her boyfriend," Hayley says looking for another coffee shop.

"Colby says they were only friends," confusion wrapped around me like a swirling fog.

"Then they must have been very close friends," She emphasized.

"What does that mean?" I asked.

"She was basically always on top of him, lovey-dovey shit but the way I see it now maybe he didn't feel the same," Hayley sighed as we drove into another diner.

"He says the only one he wanted was me," I says in a small tone.

"He isn't the kind of guy that does relationships but I guess it makes sense if he was waiting for you, Lucey must have been jealous," Hayley says parking.

"Yeah," I says back deep in thought.

We got out of the car and we went inside the diner, it smelled like scrambled eggs and coffee and right now sounds amazing; we took a seat in the booth farthest from the windows.

"What are we having today?" She asked rhetorically.

"I think I'll have a milkshake scrambled eggs and some sausages," I says, feeling the hunger become stronger.

"Ooh sounds good, I think I'll have pancakes with whip cream and blueberries with a cup of coffee," She says looking over the menu.

Once the waiter came over we repeated our orders as he placed two glasses of water down before he walked off again.

About fifteen minutes later the waiter comes back with our food the smell was making me more hungry, I smiled and says my thank you as I pulled my plate closer to me and he walked away.

I took a bite of my eggs and I felt like I haven't eaten for days, I tried to pace myself as I ate to not look like a slob, for a girl who has been stuck in a basement all her life I tried to have a bit of discipline in my eating habits.

I pulled my milkshake closer putting the straw between my lips watching the shake slowly go up the straw and tasted the sweetness of cream and strawberries.

"How are you feeling now?" Hayley asked as she stabbed her pancakes with her fork.

"I feel okay still a bit queasy and I feel like I'm starving," I says taking another bite of my own food.

"Well you haven't been keeping much down, so I guess that's expected, just don't eat too fast or you might puke again," She explained stuffing her face.

I nodded in agreement, casually looking over her shoulder, I noticed that the guy Colby and I helped the other day was sitting in the booth a few tables over from us, I couldn't remember his name but that's the least of my problems.

"Shit," I mumbled sliding down my seat so I don't get caught, he was sitting with a girl who had bright purple hair and ear piercings around her ear and a lip ring.

"Someone else here?" Hayley asked casually looking behind her and looking straight at him and the girl.

I nodded as she looked back at me, the look on her face turned into annoyance.

"Okay let's finish our food and get out of here, we will go to the walk-in and head home and you can rest," she says seriously.

I agreed and we sat and finished our breakfast, she placed the money onto the table and she picked up her keys again, then walked back out to her car.

We got in and she leaned against her seat for a moment before getting ready to drive off.

"Feels like most of the townspeople are all gang members," she says with annoyance.

"Gang members?" I repeated.

"A gang is a group of people, but in this sense a group of people who do illegal and bad things," Hayley explained.

"Oh," I says deep in thought, she put the keys in the ignition and started the car, driving off.

"How do I get one?" I asked.

"A gang, I don't know, maybe make one," she says keeping an eye on the road.

"Would you be in my gang?" I questioned.

"I would be in your corner no matter what," Hayley says seriously as she turned on the turning signal.

"Really?" I tested giving her a side glance.

"Of course, really. We are friends aren't we?" She questioned looking back for a moment before putting her attention back to the road.

Hayley has a point, she's been here for me ever since I called her from the hospital; in fact, she is my only friend.

"Yes," I answered quietly, putting my focus out the window watching the scenery pass by.

Hayley drove us onto a gravel road winding up a hill covered in trees, it seemed like a strange place for a walk-in clinic but I don't know much about these kinds of things so I kept quiet.

Suddenly a small red brick building came into our view straight ahead, the sign read: 'Walk in clinic', I took a deep breath, the sign made me feel a bit nauseous and nervous.

"I never been to a doctor before," I muttered accidentally under my breath.

"Yeah I figured that is the case," Hayley nodded parking us in front of the building.

We got out of the car and I followed her up the front steps and with a ring of chimes the door opened with it and we went inside.

It was a quaint room with chairs and a few coffee tables lining the room and the smell of disinfectant burned my nostrils.

A woman who looked in her late thirties or early forties sat behind a glass window at a desk, she looked up at us from a stack of papers over her glasses.

She had brunette hair and green eyes with a small build, and she did not look happy to see us, bitter almost.

"May I help you?" She called over to us.

"I'm here to see my father," Hayley says standing taller than usual, the lady's face turned into shock as Hayley spoke, she picked up the phone and dialed a few numbers.

"Doctor Crowel, your daughter is here to see you," She says over the receiver mumbling came from the other end of the line.

"Okay, I'll send her right in," She placed the phone down and looked back at us.

"He is waiting for you in his office," She says looking back at her papers and nodding towards the door.

"Thank you, Rose," She says walking towards the door with me trailing behind.

"Your father works here?" I asked bewildered looking at all the healthy inspirational posters on the walls on our way to his office.

"Yeah, he worked here ever since I was little," Hayley explained as we got to her dad's office door, it read; 'Doctor Crowel'.

The door suddenly opened by a man wearing a white lab coat and a pair of glasses and had a great smile on his face.

"What a wonderful surprise to see my daughter after three long years," He says his smile not wavering.

"Yeah I need a favor," Hayley says crossing her arms and changing her always happy tone to a serious one.

"Of course anything for you darling, what do you need?"He asked still with a smile on his face.

"My friend needs a doctor, but it's a little complicated," Hayley explained.

For once the man looked at me as if he didn't even realize I was here in the first place, I awkwardly smiled put my attention to Hayley.

Doctor Crowel sat on a stool beside his desk, his smile turned into a scowl and I started to feel more awkward.

"Your not one of those illegal people are you?" He asked narrowly.

"N-No," I says slowly, I don't even know what that means again I pleaded Hayley with my eyes to take over these uncomfortable questions.

"Are you sure," He asked once more eyeing me.

"No dad she's not its just things are complicated, if you don't want to help me I can just go to mom's instead," Hayley says getting irritable.

"No, no that's not necessary, so um,..." He paused.

"Chloe," I say, small.

"Right, Chloe. So what brought you in to see me?" He says getting his checklist.

"I'm sick," I says obviously.

"Yes but what of the sorts, are you puking, can't sleep, anxiety?" He asked.

"Puking," I stated.

"Have you been losing any weight?" Doctor Crowel questioned writing down my last answer down.

"No, but I think I have been gaining weight," I explained and his face turned into more confusion.

"May I ask when your last period was?" Doctor Crowel looked up.

"A month ago," I says honestly.

"When do you usually start?" He asked writing more down.

"Usually the beginning of the month," I says thinking.

"Its the end of the month now," He says placing down his clipboard.

"Oh, I guess it is," I says awkwardly.

"Could there be a chance your pregnant?" He wondered.

My mind immediately went to the night on the beach, the same night Colby got shot.

"I-I don't know," I says finally.

"Okay how about we run through some tests and figure all of this out," He says standing up from his stool.

"Okay," I agreed nodding.

"Okay, I'll be right back how about you sit upon that bed there and I'll be right back?" He suggested and I followed his orders.

He walked out leaving the door ajar, once he was gone I took a deep breath thinking about Colby again, does Colby know I left him at the hospital all alone, what will happen if it turns out I am pregnant?

My eyes began to tear up, and then Hayley's father came back in with three sharp objects and tube looking things.

"Alright Chloe can you roll up your sleeve a bit," I did as I was told, he rubbed a cold, wet piece of cloth against my arm, that's when he picked up one of the sharp objects and a tube.

He took off the cap of the sharp object and held onto my arm bringing it close to the sharp object, I quickly pulled away.

"What are you doing?" I questioned enraged, there's no way I'm letting him stab me with that, that thing!

"It's a needle, its the only way to know for sure if your pregnant or not," The doctor explained.

I looked up at Hayley for reassurance, and she nodded to his explanation.

I took a deep breath, placing my hand in a fist and shut my eyes tight.