AllFreeNovel
Share Us
"You're in the hospital," I tell her. "You were shot, but you're going to be alright."
The memories of this morning must return to her in a rush because her eye widens as she looks around. She winces, touching a hand to the black and blue lump stopping her from opening the eye swollen shut.
"How long have I been here?"
"Since this morning," Holly answers, and Em bolts up, wincing again.
"What time is it? Why aren't you at the arena?"
"Don't worry. I still have enough time to get there before puck drop."
It's six o'clock, and game time is seven-thirty. I'll be cutting it close, but if I go now, I'll make it.
"Go!" she pushes me away, making me smile. She's still the same, vibrant Em. Even confined to a hospital bed, she's relentless. "What are you waiting for?"
"I love you," I beam, gently taking her face in my hands and kissing her. "I needed to tell you that before I left."
"I love you too. I'll be fine," she promises, using one arm to prop herself into a sitting position, groaning in pain.
"Are you sure? Are you in pain?"
“Ryan,” she carefully searches for something at her side with her good arm, and holds it up to show me. “I have a morphine button. I'll be higher than a kite. I'll be fine. Now go! Holly will take care of me while you take care of Columbus. Go! I'll be right here waiting for you after you guys win!"
??????
Avery
I feel like a punching bag.
My shoulder and collarbone are in agony. My jaw and eye are swollen and tender. My throat is tight and sore where Randy squeezed it, and my wrists are sensitive from where they were tapped together. Getting shot is no fun. Not that I thought it would be, but from here on out, this body will be a bullet-free zone.
I look down at myself, lying in a hospital bed, wearing one of those hideous tie-up nighties they make you wear. I'm strapped to machines that hiss and beep. The only machine worth having is the one attached to my IV that drips morphine into my bloodstream at the push of a button.
I feel like shit and probably look it too.
Craning my neck, I look at Holly sitting in a hospital chair, staring at me in silence. Her eyes are watery, and her mouth is pressed into a tight line. She's still wearing pyjamas. I guess she left in a hurry this morning after hearing all the commotion.
"Why do you look so sour?" I prod. "I'm the one who got shot. If anyone should be pissy, it's me." I wince, trying to sit up straighter.
Holly remains silent, just staring at me. I'm starting to wonder if I look worse than I think. Her silence is making me self-conscious.
"I can't look that bad," I huff, using my good arm to touch a hand to my hair, patting it down.
Out of nowhere, Holly bursts into tears, grabbing the pillow she has in her lap to smother her cries. My eyes widen.What the actual fuck!Holly almost never cries. That bitch has emotions of steel most of the time.
"What's wrong? Stop crying! It's weird when you cry. If you start crying, it will make me cry, you bitch! And I only have one good eye!"
"You almost died!" Holly shrieks, crying more. "You almost died, Avery. You're lying in a hospital bed with a sewed-up hole in your chest. You almost died, and you're cracking jokes about it! It's not funny. You're my best friend. You're not allowed to die because I'm a selfish bitch, and I need you! You're my maid of honour! You have to help me plan my wedding and throw me a bachelorette party. I need you to be Cool Aunt Avery to my kids someday. I need you so we can drink wine and have bitchfests when our husbands drive us crazy. I need you to be there when we're old biddies complaining about young people while playing bingo. I just need you, Avery!"
Holly continues to cry uncontrollably, and I just stare at her. My throat is tight, and my chest hurts, and it's not because of the bullet wound. The pain meds are taking fantastic care of that. Holly's my best friend too. She's like a sister to me. We've been together since kindergarten. We've conquered all of life's obstacles together and celebrated all its milestones, and we have so much more to do.
If one of us disappeared, an essential part of ourselves would cease to exist. If I didn't have Holly, I would be forever searching for a missing piece of myself that I could still feel but wasn't there anymore. Like Ryan, Holly is another one of my phantom limbs.
I start crying, too, and Holly flings herself onto my hospital bed, throwing her arms around me, careful not to disturb my injured side.
"I need you too, Holly." I sniffle. "I'm not going anywhere. I promise."
"What the hell is going on in here?" a confused voice calls from the door. Holly and I pull apart to see Payton strolling into the room, shaking her head.
