Chapter Thirty-Seven:

A loud beeping from hell woke me from my deep hibernation. I groaned and fumbled for my alarm clock, blindly. I finally found it and turned it off. I turned on the lamp of my nightstand and blinked. Brian mumbled something under his breath and dragged his pillow onto his face and hid under the blankets. I giggled and sat up. Ooh, bad move. A fresh wave of dizziness hit me with full-force. I detached myself from the cocoon of blankets surrounding me. I walked over to my dresser and looked at my reflection. I look normal, just considerably paler than normal. I feel even worse than last night. Maybe I’m getting sick? I don’t even know.

“Why does school have to start so fucking early?!” Brian groaned. I turned to look at him and smiled.

“You look sexy with bedhead.” I told him. He smirked.

“You know, we could just skip and I can show you how sexy you are.” He winked. I shook my head.

“As tempting as that sounds, I believe I was outvoted last night when I told everyone how much I wanted to ditch. I’m pretty sure you were one of the people that told me to go.” I teased. He made a face and climbed out of bed. He settled his hands on my hips and pulled me close to his body. I looked up at him.

“If I remembered just how delicious you looked in the morning, I would never have said that.” He apologized. I stood on my tiptoes and kissed him. I locked my arms behind his neck and pulled him closer to me, deepening the kiss.

“Just in the morning?” I asked him, milking it. He just smirked again and nodded. I scoffed and hit him in the stomach, lightly. I pulled away from him and walked over to my closet, staggering a little. Seriously, if this keeps up, I don’t know how the hell I’m going to make it through school today. I shook my hands and wiggled my shoulders, trying to shake out my lack of balance.

I pulled off my pajamas and slipped on a matching pair of undergarments. I pulled on a short pair of socks, followed by a well-worn pair of gray jeans, a cropped Apocalyptica band tee, and a soft, burgundy sweater to hide my bruising. I polished off my outfit with a pair of low-tops.
I walked to the bathroom and heard Brian in the shower. I spent a good couple of minutes staring at my pale, bruised reflection, before I braved hacking a brush through my hair. I ended up throwing it right back into a ponytail, before applying foundation to my face. I didn’t even bother with any other makeup. After putting on deodorant and body spray, I was ready to go.

“Brian, I’m gonna take my happy ass downstairs.” I told him, poking my head into the shower. He nodded and pulled me into a soft kiss. I grabbed my school bag and started downstairs. I can hear the guys already, probably stuffing their faces and getting ready.

Things started to blur around me and I gripped the stairway railing harder. I blinked and tried to get my eyes to refocus themselves, with no luck. I need to sit down. Is it just me or is my bag getting heavier? Shit.

---

“Sweetheart, can you hear me?” A loud voice flooded my eardrums. I tried to open my eyes, but they’re so heavy. God, I fucking hurt. I bit the bullet and forced my eyes to open. Everything is so hazy. Why am I in the living room? My eyes skidded around the room. What happened?
I thought back to walking downstairs. I got dizzy… and I remember falling. I fell? Did I fall? Am I just imagining it?

“What happened?” I forced out, my voice raspy. Doug put his hand on my cheek.

“You fell down the stairs, love. Don’t you remember?” He asked me. I nodded, quickly. I immediately regretted it. It feels like something’s wrong in my head.

“Yeah, I think so. I’m fine.” I told him. He looks doubtful. I’m not sure I believe myself, either. I want to be okay. I don’t want something else to be wrong with me.

“We need to get you to the hospital.” He pressed.

“Everyone falls.” I protested.

“What about your concussion? It could have been worsened by your tumble.” He argued. I trembled. “Your doctor said to look for signs. Have you felt out of the ordinary?” He asked me, softly. I bit my lip.

“A little,” I confessed.

“We need to go.” He picked me up off of the couch and carried me to the car. I didn’t see anyone else. He buckled me into the passenger’s seat and sat in the driver’s seat.

I opened my door and wretched. I didn’t stop until the contents of my stomach littered the grass next the driveway. I dry-heaved for a few minutes before leaning back in my seat. I glanced at the car and thankfully, all of the vomit missed his vehicle. I accepted the napkin that Doug was offering me. I wiped my mouth and tossed it onto the bile outside. I closed the car door and leaned my forehead against the window. The coolness is nice – almost calming. Doug reached over and held my hand. I closed my eyes and tried to forget about everything that’s going on.

---

When I woke up, I was lying on a hospital bed in a hospital gown. My head is pounding so loudly. It feels like my brain is too thick for my skull. It’s so uncomfortable. I closed my eyes and covered my face with my arms. Hot, thick tears leaked from underneath my eyelids.

“Sweetheart,” Doug said from beside me. I turned to face him and looked at him for a split second before shutting my eyes again.

“What’s wrong with me?” I asked him.

“Miss Wolf you have severe internal bleeding. Due to the bleeding and the swelling of your brain, we’re going to have to operate. You’re going to have to undergo a craniotomy.” A nameless doctor told me.

“What?” I rasped.

“Lydia, it’s going to be alright.” Doug tried to comfort me.

“We’re going to cut a small hole into your skull to help relieve some of the pressure and ease the swelling. It’ll help reduce the chances of additional injuries. If your internal bleeding goes untreated, it could eventually result in death. It’s crucial that we operate as soon as possible. That way we can avoid further brain damage.” The doc explained. I cringed.

“You’re cutting my fucking head open?” I bit out.

“Miss Wolf, I understand this is probably very unnerving for you, but…” The doctor continued. I held up my hand to shut him up.

“Can you give me two seconds to breathe? Get out! I don’t want to deal with you right now. Give me five minutes. I don’t want to see you right now?” I exclaimed. To say that I’m taking the news badly would be an understatement. I was trembling. Doug leaned over me and hugged me, tightly. I cried into his chest. This is an insane whirlwind. Yesterday, I was fine. Today, I’m dying? What? “Is Brian here?” I asked him. He shook his head.

“I asked the boys to stay at home while I got you checked out. I wasn’t sure if they’d make the situation harder on you.” He told me. I nodded, shakily into his shirt.

“Can they come here before the surgery? I need to see them – Brian and Ollie. Zacky, too,” I added.

“Of course, Sweetheart,” Doug assured me.

“I’m scared.” I whispered.

“You’re going to get through this. You can’t die. I won’t allow it.”

“How did this even happen?” I asked him.

“You were already concussed. You must have knocked something wrong when your mother pulled you from my car last night. I should’ve checked to see if you were alright. I’m so sorry. If I had done something sooner, you wouldn’t be in this mess.” He apologized.

“I’d still be bleeding, even if you had checked. It’s not your fault.” I protested.

“I imagine your fall this morning didn’t help matters, either.” He added, grimly. I sighed.

“I passed out in the shower last night. I figured it was because I was getting sick. I didn’t realize it could be this bad.” I revealed. He looked at me with hurt-filled eyes.

“I promise you that you’re going to be alright, Sweetheart.”

“I want to believe you.”

“Trust me.”

“I do.”

Notes

My medical knowledge is limited. SO, it I messed some things up, don't hate me. A little late getting this up - sorry!

Thoughts? Comments?

Xo,
Katie