Chapter 18
My eyes feel heavy, my throat dry, as I blink against the bright lights and see a woman in white scrubs.
“Hello?” I croak, my voice rough and uncertain.
“Oh, good! You’re awake,” she says with a warm smile. “My name’s Michelle. I’ll be your nurse today. How are you feeling, dear?”
“I… I’m a little groggy. What happened?” Confusion swirls in my head, I can’t remember how I even got here.
“Well, you had surgery,” Michelle explains gently.
“You’re still very sick, but we’re hopeful for a full recovery.
I’m starting your antibiotics from this bag here, and we’ll keep you on pain medication for a few days to stay comfortable.
If all goes well, you should be home by the end of the week. Here, drink some of this water.”
She leans in slightly, her voice soft but kind. “You have a waiting room full of people who love you. Do you want them to come back?”
Surgery? What is happening?
“This is just a lot to take in” taking a swig of the ice-cold water.
My parents walk in with worried faces.
“Hi, baby,” my mom says, squeezing my hand like she’s afraid I might disappear if she lets go.
“I… I remember the shower… the pain… and then… everything just went black,” I whisper, my throat dry and voice trembling.
“Well,” my dad says, his voice tight, like he’s holding back the panic he felt, “Noah and I were in the kitchen when we heard you scream. By the time we got to you, you were out cold. Noah called an ambulance right away.”
My chest tightens at the memory, and I wince as my hand throbs under his grasp.
“Your appendix ruptured,” my dad continues, his jaw clenched, “so they put in a drain to remove the fluid and infection. You’re going to be here for a few days. You had us terrified, kiddo.”
My mom leans closer, brushing a strand of hair from my face, her eyes shiny with unshed tears. “We thought we might lose you for a second… don’t ever scare us like that again.”
I swallow hard, the weight of it all-the pain, the fear, the relief-pressing down on me, but a small spark of comfort flickers through the panic.
“Who all is here?” wondering who the room full of people are.
“Noah, Liv, and Liam just got here. Cori was here but she left” my mom explained, “You have a lot of people who love you, Bella”.
“Will you send in Noah? I need to talk to him,” I ask my parents, my voice still rough.
“Of course,” my dad says, winking. “We’ll give you some privacy.”
For a moment, all I hear are the beeps of the monitors and the soft hum of the hospital. Then there’s a quiet knock at the door.
“Come in,” I sigh, trying to sit up a little straighter, though every movement sends a stab of pain through my side.
Noah steps in, looking exhausted-dark circles under his eyes, shoulders tense. My chest tightens at the sight. He hasn’t slept in probably twenty-four hours.
“My hero,” I whisper, a weak smile tugging at my lips.
“Hey, you,” he breathes out, dropping into the chair beside me.
I smirk, teasing despite the pain. “Wow… I thought I looked like shit.”
“Nope,” he says instantly, voice soft but firm. “Never. How are you feeling?”
“Awful. You?” seriously concerned about him.
“I’m just really tired” rubbing his face, “You really had me scared, Bella. You had us all scared”.
His chin quivered, and I knew-Liam had been right. A part of me would always love him, and he would always love me.
“Hey… come here,” I whispered, reaching out my hand.
He took it without hesitation, sitting in the chair beside me. Gently, he pressed his lips to the back of my hand. I lifted my other hand to his cheek, brushing away the tension there, trying to comfort him.
“I’m okay, Noah,” I said softly, my thumb stroking his skin. “I’m going to be okay.”
He let out a shaky breath, and I wiped away his tears, the two of us sitting in quiet understanding, holding on to each other in the midst of everything.
“I was so scared when I saw you, Isabel,” he says, his voice shaking. “I thought you were dead. I couldn’t even stay in the room with you. I don’t know what I’d do without you, Bella. You’re my best friend. I’m sorry for hurting you… I’m so sorry.”
“I already forgave you,” I told him gently. “That was the first time in your entire life I’ve seen you actually own your shit, and I’m proud of you for that.”
I manage a small smile. “Now go lie down on that couch. There’s a pillow and a blanket somewhere. Go get some sleep.”
He laid down and was asleep almost instantly. Just then Michelle walked in with my pain meds, “Shh” pointing to Noah.
“Your boyfriend?” she winks.
“Best friend. It’s been a crappy day for us and he probably hasn’t slept in twenty-four hours. Now that he’s out, will you send in Liam, please? I need to conquer him while I’m on good drugs” I chuckle.
“You got it, honey, just take it easy okay? You’ve only been out of surgery a few hours, I don’t need you overdoing it or getting overwhelmed. You are still – ”
“Very sick. I know. I promise I will take a nap after Liam.”
Shortly after Michelle leaves, the door opens again. Liam steps in.
“Hi,” he says, but the moment he sees me, his face goes pale.
“Hi,” I reply cautiously, keeping my distance.
His eyes flick to Noah, asleep on the couch, then back to me.
“He needed it,” I snapped. “He hasn’t slept in who knows how long. Or is this me giving him the best version of myself too?”
Liam flinches like I’ve slapped him. “No, no, that’s not what I meant,” he says quickly, stepping closer, hands raised like he’s surrendering. “God, Isabel, I hate that you think that’s what I see when I look at you.”
He swallows hard, voice shaking just enough. “I messed up. I said things I shouldn’t have said. But you have to understand, I was scared. I thought I was losing you, and I panicked. When I’m scared, I say things wrong. I don’t always explain myself the way I mean to.”
He rubs his face, pacing once before stopping beside my bed. “I never meant that you weren’t enough. I meant that I miss us. I miss you before everything got so complicated. And I hate myself for hurting you when you were already hurting.”
His eyes meet mine, glossy. “I’m begging you not to judge me for the worst moment of my life. I’m trying so hard to be better for you, for us. I just need you to believe that my intentions were never to hurt you.”
He lowers his voice. “Please don’t shut me out. I couldn’t live with myself if I lost you because I said the wrong thing at the worst possible time.”
The apology hangs there-heavy, emotional, almost convincing, but somehow still making it feel like the damage was just a misunderstanding.
“How are you feeling?”
“I’m exhausted” admitting what I had been feeling since waking up from surgery, “So fucking exhausted” I sigh.
“I’ll let you sleep. I love you, Bella. I’ll come to see you tomorrow. And please, just think about us, don’t let us go. We could be great together” he brushes his lips against mine gently and walks out the door.
I lay there and sigh. I wonder what they talked about. I slowly drift off to sleep with random thoughts running through my mind.
I wake up to Michelle taking my vitals.
“Hey sugar,” she smiles.
“Hey, how long did I sleep?” I ask.
“Only an hour or two, your not boyfriend is still asleep on the couch” she winks, nodding towards Noah on my couch.
“Not boyfriend, definitely not boyfriend. We tried that. Failed miserably, but have been best friends since we were toddlers. That is the history I can’t let go of” I sigh.
“Sounds messy. Well everybody else went home so you can sleep, or…. call your brother 'cause he’s driving me nuts, girl”.
“Yeah. He has that tendency. Do you know where my phone is?” I whimper as I giggle.
“Uhm, that I don’t know. All you had with you was your robe when you came here. Just use your room phone” she walks out the door.
So I do just that.
“Hello?” Gabe answers, already sounding suspiciously stressed.
“My nurse said you need to stop calling her,” I tease.
“Jesus Christ, Bella – what were you thinking?” Gabe snaps, then immediately softens. “Do you have any idea how close you came to giving me a full-blown heart attack? I’ve been pacing my apartment like a lunatic.”
“So scared you didn’t even come to the hospital?” I prod, grinning. “A little rude, considering I could’ve died.”
There’s a pause. Then his voice cracks through the phone.
“Don’t say that,” he says quietly. “I should’ve been there. I wanted to be there. I just – God, I was terrified.”
“I’m sorry, Gabe,” I say quickly. “I’m joking. I didn’t mean to scare you.”
He exhales dramatically. “You’re impossible. And yes, you’re right, I should have been there. When you get home, I’m making it up to you. I’ll cook, clean, fluff pillows, fetch water, whatever you want.”
I smile. “Good. Because you’re going to be waiting on me hand and foot.”
“Gladly,” he says without hesitation. “And don’t worry, I’ll complain the entire time.”
“I love you, sis. I’m really glad you’re okay. I’ll stop by tomorrow.”
“See you then. Love you too.”
We hang up and I close my eyes and relax back.
“You know,” Noah says groggily, rubbing his eyes, “you really need to stop joking about that. You were really sick.”
“Well, if it isn’t Sleeping Beauty,” I tease. “Feel better?”
“Much,” he says, nodding toward the couch. “Thanks for that.”
“Of course. It’s the least I could do.” I meet his gentle emerald eyes. “Thank you, by the way.”
“For what?” he asks, settling into the chair beside my bed, confusion flickering across his face. The room feels softer now-quieter, steadier-like the worst of the storm has finally passed.
“For saving my life today. Everybody said if you hadn’t been with me I probably wouldn’t be here” I said while lifting my arms while pointing to my room, “So thank you for that, I guess”.
“You know I would do anything for you, Isabel,” he says, taking my hand and holding my gaze.