Looking for you

Chapter 9

Alex

I knew my fall had been worst that I've imagined, I knew I couldn't try to improve it. I felt a strong pain through my left arm and head when I hit the ground. I shut my eyes for a moment being prey of the overwhelming pain, after opening them, I was no longer on the ground but being carried to what I believed was the infirmary. I saw the sky while my head tried to make understand what people said around me. I tried to speak but I couldn't listen my own voice. Before I could register it, everything went black by moments, I felt they put me over a stretcher shortly after. Everything was blurry.

The principal rushed everyone out and send Isaac for the nurse, he left too searching for God knows what. In front of me was Kaysha and someone I didn't recognized until my friend left. Evelyn didn't wait a second to rush by my side with a concerned face I've never seen in her.

"God, Alex. Are you all right? How do you feel?”

"I...fine...I guess..." I tried to sit but immediately regretted it for the strong paint in my head. Air left my lungs and I closed my eyes in an attempt to stop things from spinning. I couldn't remember another time in my life where pain got me in this situation, it was numbing me.

"What? What is it, Alex?" She asked.

I only managed to whisper "It...hurts like hell". Right then the nurse arrived, followed by the principal who had a bunch of gripped pages before moving to the corner of the room. The woman was talking to me but I couldn’t catch what she was saying.

"Canyoumoveyourarm?"

I made the effort before stopping.

"It hurts a lot" I said. The nurse denied with her head before looking to check mine. She started by the swollen part before checking the cut above my brow. I winced immediately.

"Careful!" I heard Evelyn said, apparently the nurse was no precautious at al.

"I can't help her here, she needs proper attention from a hospital, possibly stitches. We need an ambulance..." she stated.

"We must call her parents" proceeded the Principal.

"My mother is on a business trip, you won't find my father" I mumbled.

I heard the principal saying something while the nurse reached for the phone, everything was intelligible to me. I felt tired, my eyelids began to close as my sight started to blurred.

"Alexis" I heard Evelyn. "Alex..." I turned to look at her and saw concern in her eyes, I couldn’t answer. All I wanted was to take away her concerned expression and somehow make her feel better. I damned the bloody numbness that wouldn’t let me talk to her. My eyes closed against my will.

Evelyn

As soon as the ambulance arrived the paramedics got Alex inside and I climbed right behind. Arriving at the hospital I explained everything to the doctor, they had started with the proper examinations to have a diagnose and work with her. After waking her, they put her an IV in her right arm, proceeded by asking her some questions that she answered not struggling too much. She was left to rest some minutes after they put a cast on her left arm and latter a sling. I was less stressed than before when we got here, medics said there was nothing serious whit the blow on her head, still, I wouldn’t be totally calm until she's been released. A nurse arrived to sew her cut. When seeing this, Alex sited a bit better and I saw her tense. Just then I remembered she'd told me she wasn't fond of needles. Approaching, I squeezed her right shoulder to try and comfort her; it hurt me to see her trying to hide her pain when the nurse started gave the first stitch.

Just a bit more, hold on…

How could this happen? Foolish tall boy, he should be expelled… a damned red card from the beginning and nothing of this would have happened! Thank God it didn't come to anything more serious… I don't want to see her on the floor like that ever again...

I whipped a tear away from my cheek, I’d started to cry and I wanted to stop. When the nurse finished, she started to explain something to her, I waited outside a bit and saw the doctor approaching me. He confirmed once again that there was nothing serious to worry about, she had a concussion that shall pass in the next few days and a broken arm. He also recommended for her not to sleep for the first 12 approaching hours. Wanted for her to be under observation at home, when knowing her parents where not here, he suggested she should stay but I told him she would stay at hi place. Accepting, he argue no more and gave me some papers to sign. When I returned to the bed where Alex was, she was alf slept. I called a cab before telling her she could stay with me and we walked to the exit. We stopped by the sidewalk and waited.

"How are you feeling?" I asked.

"A bit lightheaded and sleepy, but the pain minimized, so...I think I'm as right can be.

"Good. I started to worry, those doctors seemed to delay in giving you something to ease it." She gave me half smile before seeing it fade away. She looked very tired like that.

"I...wanted to thank you, for letting me stay for the night" she said. It was sincere, but there was still an apology in the way she said it.

"Don't mention it. I worry about you; if you'd stay anywhere else tonight, probably I wouldn't even sleep.” ...Did I say that out loud?

She laughed a bit, hiding her gaze shyly before looking back at me straight in the eye, smiling.

"Thank you, for caring and for letting me know it" she keep on shilling at me until she chuckled. "What is it?" I ask.

"Ahm, nothing it's just that...I… I think I hit the floor really hard, everything kind of spins right now"

I caressed her head smiling, and she closed her eyes comforted.

"The doc said it could happen for a few days, but it shall pass, I'm sure it will go away in a few hours"

I truly hoped that cuz, I didn't want her to feel like that, suffer could be read in her face.

Few minutes later we arrived to my place.

"Feel as in home. If you ever need anything, you'd always be welcome here" I said closing the door behind me.

"Thank you, it really means a lot to me" She makes her way to the living room and suddenly stops there halfway. Her right arm grabs her head, her sight is at the floor, she seems to slowly fade away slowly. I rush towards her barely grabbing her by the shoulders trying to keep her standing.

"Alex, what's wrong?"

"Sorry, I'm dizzy and this thing won't stop hurting..." she meant her head "... I'm sorry"

I grabbed her face between my hands and ask her to look at me in the eyes.

"You were hurt, and you gave me the heart attack of my life, but it is perfectly normal, perfectly human for you to be in pain and vulnerable right now. Don't apologize for it, for showing your feelings… It's all right." Alex gave me a shy smile.

"Thanks. It's true I don't always like to show them but, being honest, I believe I'm comfortable with you."

We both sited at my coach, I got two glasses with water and sit by Alex's side.

"Kaysha and Isaac wanted to come to the hospital when the ambulance arrived but the principal wouldn't let them. Still they asked me to tell you, they hope you'll get better soon" I told her.

"Those two are always worrying for many things...though I'm not sure if they were really worried about me or just wanted to be out of school earlier"

I smiled at her comment. That was more the Alex I knew, and if she was trying to ease the talk was because she could notice I was worried for her too.

After a brief pause she asked about something as if memory came back to her.

"By the way, what happened with the game?" I couldn't believe she'd ask me about that. My eyes where wide open for my surprise.

"You still wanna know about that?! Heavens! Well... You'd be please to know that your performance there was ...fearless; that shot ended in a goal so, you win" she nodded slowly, her eyes closing a bit.

"Great... that's great..."

I took a sip of water, when I looked again, Alex was asleep. I panicked.

"No. Alex, wake up! Wake up! Please wake up!" I shook her right shoulder a bit and grabbed her face between my hands. She opened her eyes slowly and looked at me.

"Hey" she greeted. I smiled and greeted back.

"Stay awake, all right? I know you're tired and your head hurts but, please don't sleep, not yet" as an answer she gave a slow nod again but she didn't cut our gaze from each other. We were very close from one another, I could feel her breath in my face...All I wanted was for her to truly stay awake and she caught me analysing her face, looking for a more convincing answer.

"Evelyn, I promise, I won't sleep until the twelve hours had passed"

"Are you sure?" I insisted even though her tone was serious and she chuckled before replying.

"I'm sure" she said.

"Then why the chuckle?" I was trying to tease her. I could use the argument that she looked shy.

"Ahm...Because, right now, I think I'm only sure of one thing" she said.

The distance between us shortened with us not being to conscious of it.

"What is it?" I wondered.

She put her right hand gently against my face, looked at me in the eyes and said:

"That I want to be with you every day, I may not be great but I want a chance to make you happy… That I've fallen for you. That I love you and only beg to heaven for you to accept me for who I am" She'd close the remaining distance between us… she kissed me with such tender and passion I didn't know she could hid within her.