Verse Sixteen

Flashes and snippets of a dream long forgotten floated to the surface of my brain but before I could reach out and snuff it out with my conscious mind and forget all about it, it was useless, already ingrained in my brain the second I remembered it. Suddenly, my cell phone that was plugged in on the other side of the room beside my mother started ringing on loud.

"Mom, can you turn that off? I don't think I'm ready for visitors yet..." I trailed off, my emotions frayed and my heart beating out of my chest.

If what I had heard really happened, then my entire world was about to turn upside down.

"I think I just want to be alone right now. I'm really tired," I said, hoping it would appease them and they would leave me be.

They looked anxious to leave, but did so anyways.

My 'dad' came over and gave me a kiss on my forehead, whispering how glad he was to see that I was okay and my mom did the same.

I rolled over and reached for my phone when they were gone and my eyes widened in surprise at what I saw.

I knew my parents would be outside the door waiting to hear a single peep from me so that they could come rushing back in but I kept quiet when I saw the hundreds of text messages and phone calls from Josie and from acquaintances that I had barely texted before.

Those weren't the notifications I was freaking out about.

My Instagram, Twitter, even Facebook were all blowing up with follow requests and likes like I'd never seen before. I checked Josie's text from the day of my fall and my eyes widened in full blown surprise.

You should probably text Sebastian. You two are on the cover of pretty much every tabloid in the country and article on the internet at the moment. I miss you, please text me back!

Then there was her most recent text. It made me want to cry.

I love you Holls. Your parents won't let me in to see you but I've stood outside your door a few times and saw you sleeping. Well, they say you're in a coma but you look like you're just sleeping. I know you'll get better, you have to. Maybe until then I'll just pretend you're here and listening to every word I say.

When you get better, we can talk all about Sebastian and how you're pretty much famous now. Ali Hyland is claiming he cheated on her with you and so it's all blowing up out of proportion but Sebastian hasn't said a word. He called me you know...

It was yesterday. You've been asleep for almost a week now and I guess he just now realized that you weren't ignoring him on purpose.

I told him what happened, I hope that's okay. I didn't tell him the name of the hospital though, if that's worth anything. I don't know if he knows where you are or not, but I didn't tell him much, just that you had an accident and you're in the hospital and can't message him back. He wanted to know more, he got really angry too, but I promised him you would get better...so you have to get better. You have to. I love you, Holls.

I choked up at her last message, but I kept reading, my heart in my throat when I saw Sebastian's name on my screen.

Holly, I'm sorry for how I acted. I was dealing with a few things and I didn't want you to be in the middle of this media shit storm. I should have just been straight with you and for that I'm really sorry.

Red?

Okay, I get it, I'll leave you alone.

I saw his texts stopped for about a day and then started back up again.

Okay, I know you see the articles and the magazines. Come on, we need to talk about this...

Holly?

And then the new texts started up yesterday.

Where are you?

If you're awake and reading this, which hospital are you in?

Nevermind, I'm coming.

I held my breath as I read the next one.

I met your mom. She's a...nice woman. Not really, she kind of scared me.

I laughed at that.

I had her leave some balloons for you, I didn't know you were in a coma. I don't know why I'm still texting you, I guess it's because it's like you're still here, helps me trick myself, you know?

His texts stopped abruptly then, the last one from today. I checked the time. It was from only four hours ago.

My breath got caught in my throat. He was there?! And I had just missed him?!

I groaned and my head fell back against the pillow.

I looked over to the window and got an idea.

I gently eased myself out of the bed, being as careful as I could with the IV line still attached to my arm. I walked over to the heavily curtained window and pushed them aside, only to find blinds in my way as well.

I reached for the string obstructing my view of the outside world and pulled the blinds up, and was shocked at what I found.

People, hundreds of them, maybe more, lined up outside the building with cameras that started flashing as soon as someone shouted something.

They all rushed up to my first floor window and started flashing pictures at my surprised face, and security guards all rushed up to meet them as soon as they started running.

I quickly dropped the blinds as soon as I had picked them up and walked dazedly back to the bed, heart in my throat.

My phone pinged in my hand suddenly, and I jumped back from it as if it were alive and it was going to get me or something.

It was a text from Sebastian. I held my breath as I opened the message.

Nice hair, Red. That'll be a good front cover picture for the magazines.

I gasped, looking around the room wondering how he'd seen me.

Then I slapped my hand to my forehead. I opened the blinds in the window. He must've stayed behind at the hospital when my mom kicked me out, waiting for me to wake up to say that I wanted visitors or something.

There was a commotion outside and I almost wanted to rush out and look through the blinds in the window again but I wasn't going to make that mistake twice.

I heard a lot of shuffling outside my room, but I was too tired to get up and find out what it was. I laid back carefully in the bed, hissing in pain and doubling over as a sharp sting in my my side sent waves of torture through my body.

I cried out as tears blurred my vision just as the door to my room opened. I looked up through my tear stained lashes and saw the last person I expected to see wearing a doctor's coat.

Sebastian.

Looking as devilishly handsome as every, the white lab coat made him look different.  Sexier in a way.

He had a look of determination and concern etched onto his face, like he couldn't believe I was in the hospital or something.

I held his emerald gaze for a long time before he finally rushed over to me, and I could finally see his face up close and personal.

Five feet, three feet, one foot away from me and I could see the pain coursing through his eyes, the bags underneath them and the worry lines on his forehead.

I wanted to reach out and smooth the lines away with my hands, but I could barely move.

I suddenly realized I was still in pain.

Huh, Sebastian made me forget about it.  He occupied my mind long enough for me to forget I was in excruciating pain.

The air was electrically charged, filled with what could be and what was to happen.

He gave me a pointed look, his hand reaching out and caressing my hair and softly fitting it behind my ear.

I shivered at his touch.

"We need to talk."