Sixteen: rain

Temperance

The booming sound of thunder crashes loudly, causing my mind to force me awake. Annoyed, I turn over, bending my arm to go back under my pillow.

I open my eyes, feeling a strange pain come from my
Inner arm. I straighten my arm out, thinning my lips at the drip that is placed back into my arms.

My ears twitch at the sound of the monitor they've plugged back in.

I lazily bring myself to a sitting position with a delicate sigh escaping my chapped lips. I gaze outside and watch the dark clouds pour over us. They stretch into the distance as if it's never-ending.

Rain slides down my window, the droplets racing against each other for which one can go faster.

Lightning strikes and the crackling sound of thunder follows. I can hear a few patients scream, but other than that, it's a silent morning in the hospital.

I've always liked the rain. When my mom was alive she would put me in a red raincoat and we'd go outside. She would watch as I splash around in the puddles, my legs would always get itchy during this time.

Eventually, we would go inside so I could dry off and she could apply lotion to my itchy legs.

Ever since my mom died... my days have been filled with darkness.

I like the rain because not every day is a sunny day in life. You will have dark stormy days where the rain falls and falls.

It's not happy all the time. It's dreary outside, just as it is in life.

My head snaps over to the sound of my door opening. A nurse steps in with a clipboard and some pills and water.

"How are you today?" Asks me as she changes out one of the bags that's hooked up to my arm with another.

I shrug at her question and hold my hand out for the pills. She eyes me and carefully places two big pills in the palm of my hand.

I plop them into my mouth, and I grab the water and chug it until they were long gone.

The nurse waits for me to put my water down.

"How are you feeling?" She sits down in a chair beside me, crossing her legs.

"Like I just woke up." I roll my eyes. She writes something down on her clipboard.

"Ok, tell me more than that." She sighs, knowing it's probably hopeless to ask me questions.

"I feel fine. I'm just tired and ready for my stomach to heal and the stitching to go away." I pick up the glass of water and take another sip of it.

She writes on her clipboard as I place the water back down on the table, my hand trembling from the weight.

"Also, I needed to talk to you about your home life."

As soon as she says that, I instinctively roll my eyes, a wave of anxiety fueling my body.. "I've already talked to several people about that." I am getting fed up with these nurses.

"Are you sure it's bullies?" The nurse continues.

"Obviously, it's bullies. I said it was. I wasn't fucking lying."

She tenses up from my outburst and starts to write on her clipboard again.

"And the monitor and the drip." She glances at the IV in my arm. "It was annoying," I respond, remembering how they woke me up to shove it back into my arm.

"You're not supposed to take those out." She scolds me, standing up.

"They are annoying."

"Don't take them out."

She leaves with those words.

Against her wishes, I stand and take the drip out of my arm, watching blood appear from where the needle was. I was originally going to leave it in but when she told me not to I had the urge to disobey.

I walk over to the window and put my hand on the glass. It is cold and refreshing.

I have no idea when I can leave. Not that I fully want to. Part of me is scared of what will happen when I get home.

A different nurse from before came into my room. "You have guests. Would you like me to send them in?"

I turn towards her and hesitate.

"W-what do they look like?"

"Well, a boy with dark hair and tattoos and-"

"Send them in."

She left, and then three familiar faces step into my room. Alec, Zander, and Connor. All holding balloons, stuffed animals, and candy.

The ends of my lips stretch upwards as I see them. I walk over to them, wrapping my arms around them and hugging them as a group.

"I'm glad you're so lively today." Connor pats my head.

After a quick moment, I pull back, "Where is Emaline?"

"She had some stuff to do," Zander answers, tying the balloons to a chair.

In front of me, Alec holds a small plush brown bear. I smile as I take it from him. "Thank you." I hold the bear up to my chest as I walk to the bed.

"WHAT ABOUT THE CHOCOLATES?" Connor stalks behind me.

"Give them to me?" I say excitedly, holding out my free hand for the chocolates. With great honor, he gently places the truffle box onto my hand along with a bow.

crawl under the thin, white blanket and place the chocolates onto my lap n

All three boys sit in chairs along the side of my hospital bed.

"I heard they have bullshit tv at hospitals." Alec watches as I open the box of chocolates.

"I haven't tried it," I respond truthfully. I've either been surrounded by nurses or sleeping, there's no time in between to check out the tv.

**************************************************************

It's been a few days. I'm finally out of the hospital. My friends visited every day. Or at least Alec did. Sometimes the others couldn't come. Nicole and Ryan even showed up. I still question how they found out.

After I was released from the hospital I didn't stand around hoping for someone to show up. Never in a million years would my father do something like that for me.

It's possible Alec would've come for me but I couldn't bother him with that stuff.

I stand alone in my empty house. There's no sign of life aside from my own.

It isn't normal for no one to be here. It's possible he didn't know I was coming home today. He might've left town with Erin for a while.

I know the hospital called him multiple times, but I don't think he answered them. As a minor, I'm supposed to have someone of age sign me out. 

That's another thing I could've called Alec for since he's eighteen. Instead, the nurses gave me pity and wished me off.

I check my phone as it vibrates in my back pocket.

Alec's name pops up.

"Hi?" I ask, speaking into the phone.

"I'm going to come over later to give you some stuff from our classes." He tells me.

"Alright. I'll see you then," I reply, feeling it's safe to have him drop stuff off to me if my father isn't home. Hopefully, he will be gone for days.

We exchange a goodbye and the phone line goes dead.

I put my phone back in my pocket and walk upstairs to my room.

It is late. I am tired. Knowing Alec is coming over to drop stuff off, I have a great urge to nap. He can call me to wake me up.

I lay down in my bed and let the nightmares begin.