Chapter 22 #2
“Baby… your phone is going off,” Teddy says quietly. I don’t want to answer it. But before I can stop myself, my fingers swipe right on the call. Kai’s blood has dried on my fingers.
“Noah? I wasn’t expecting you to pick up. Are you okay? How have you been?” Arthur says, his voice cheery and bright.
“Hi,” I say as tears begin to swell in my eyes.
“Are you alright, mate? You sound a bit choked up there,” my friend says, his voice smooth and caring. I’ve missed his voice.
“It’s just… I was doing so well,” I start, but the tears come thick and fast. “This is so hard,” I whisper. It’s as if he can hear the tears fall when he starts to speak again.
“I know it’s hard, but you need to keep getting back up again.
You’re still breathing, aren’t you? That’s what it means to live, I think.
You have to learn to breathe and get back up again so that you can enjoy the times that are easy and enjoyable.
Do you get what I’m saying, man?” he asks, and I nod with glassy eyes.
I realise he can’t see me nodding, and I actually have to respond.
“Yeah,” I choke out, a fat tear falling down my cheek and landing on my phone screen.
“Tell me what’s happened,” he asks, and then I go into everything that’s happened recently.
I talk about meeting Teddy and falling in love, about patching up my friendship with Kai, about making friends with everyone at Ted’s flat, and then about the threats from the bronze family, what just happened with Kai and how it’s all my fault.
Teddy’s arms are around my shoulder the entire time.
“You’ll get through this, Noah, you’re stronger than anyone else I know,” He says while Teddy rubs my shoulder. I rest my head on his.
“I don’t feel very strong right now.”
“The strongest people never do. You need to just get up and try again. That’s all you can do,” he says as I wipe my tears. My face is wet and hot.
Doctors are walking towards us and I realise they’re going to start talking to us.
“Arthur I need to go, but thanks for this. I love you man,”
“I love you too man, stay strong for me. Okay? Keep in touch,” He says. I hang up the call before Teddy and I stand up.
“Any news?” I ask as the doctor puts his clipboard under his arm.
“The stab wound is in their abdomen, but no important organs were damaged. He’s being prepped for surgery so we can repair the damage. But he’s in a coma right now due to the significant blood loss,” the doctor explains.
“Is he going to be okay?” I ask, gripping tight onto Teddy’s hand. He squeezes my hand a couple of times.
“I understand your concern, and I want to assure you that we’re doing everything we can to help your friend,” he says.
That’s not a yes, though.
What if he doesn’t make it?
What do I do?
I can’t go on without him, I need him.
“Thanks, Doc,” Teddy says. The doctor smiles softly and starts to head back.
“I’m taking you home,” Teddy says, and I turn to him.
“But I need to stay in case—”
“They’ll phone you if anything happens. But you need something to eat and some sleep,” he says, wiping my tears.
Demi and Harry enter the waiting room. Harry looks stone cold while Demi is a sobbing mess, kinda like me.
“Oh, honey, are you okay?” Demi asks me before I launch at her for a hug.
“No, not really,” I cry as I grip onto her. She holds me tight as we cry into each other’s shoulders.
“Everything will be fine. He’ll get through this,” she tells me through tears. I’m not sure if she’s trying to comfort me or herself. “You need to go home, honey and clean up. You can’t sit in the hospital all day. We’ll be here if anything happens.”
“But what if—”
“No buts, go home Noah. It’s okay,” she tells me before we let go of each other. “Look after him, okay?” she asks Teddy, who simply nods.
After our goodbyes, he leads me out by the hand. I don’t want to leave, but they’re right. I should be at home waiting instead of waiting at the hospital.
I’m clinging to Teddy’s body while we lie in bed. My face is wet from the million tears I’ve spilt since we got in.
I can’t get the image of Kai’s bloody body out of my mind. I also can’t stop thinking about the Bronze Family driving away and threatening us.
What if they hurt someone else?
What if they hurt Teddy?
I’m losing control of everything.
“What are you thinking about?” Teddy asks, cupping my cheek with his fingertips. I sigh, not knowing how to put it into words.
“Just stuff, my brain’s going a billion miles a second,” I tell him. He kisses me on the forehead.
“Anything you want to talk about?” He asks. I glance up at him from his chest. Then look back down.
“I’m just… I’m worried they’ll hurt someone else. They’ve already killed my mum, and now that I’m back in town, they want to hurt me even more,” I say, my eyes threatening to spill again. Teddy continues playing with my hair.
“We’ll fix this, Noah. I promise. I don’t know how yet, but we’ll fix it together, okay?”
“Okay,” I say softly. I grip him tighter as my eyes fill with water.
“I can’t help but feel like it’s all my fault. None of this would have happened if I had just stayed away,” I cry. Teddy grips me tighter and kisses my cheek. He starts wiping my tears.
“None of this is your fault, baby. I promise.” I sit up and face him now, my glassy eyes reflected in his.
“But the threats are for me. They’re telling me to leave,” I tell him, thinking back to the bloody messages left for me. Maybe if I weren’t here, they would leave everyone alone.
The thought scares me. I worked so hard to get past that day on the roof, I don’t want to put myself through that again. I’ve learned that life is golden and should be cherished. I don’t want to hurt myself again.
But it’s true, if I weren’t here, the Bronze family would leave everyone alone. No one else would get hurt.
“But you’re not going anywhere. You’re here now, and we’re in this together, okay? Don’t you dare leave now,” Teddy tells me, pulling me into a deeper hug.
I cry on his shoulder for a while, my mind still running away from me. My heart beats quickly in my chest.
We may be in this together.
But what if it’s not enough?