Chapter Three

*Not edited* Not proofread*

Chapter 3– That's my business:

I'd never been inside the walls of a hospital before in my entire life. I'd never needed to. I saw the outside of them in passing, but there was never a need for me to step through the doors. The ones I'd seen on the TV, though, made them seem chaotic, like everybody inside was in a constant uproar.

But as it turns out, they're not like the movies and TV series perceive at all. At least the one local to Raven Hollow isn't.

The waiting room we're in is simple and out of the way. The walls are a light grey, almost white, and the cushioned chairs a lime green. The atmosphere is calm around us. It has a funny smell to it, though, I'll admit— in fact, the whole place does. It's not a sterile, clean smell, like soap or sanitiser, but something more sour. I can't quite put my finger on it, but it smells bad and I don't like it.

Lilah's mom and dad stand in the corner of the room, and I try to avoid looking at them the best I can, although Mrs. Johansson's loud sobs are hard to ignore. Her husband tries to calm her and ease her nerves but it does little for her broken state.

Landon paces the corridors outside, not wanting to be around the people in here— and I don't blame him. Zeke sits on the chair next to me with his head in his hands and Dakota resides in one behind us in the corner (staring blankly at the wall the last time I checked), and Gray, who came as soon as he heard the news from Landon, is somewhere around here punching walls and trying to fight anybody that gets in his way. Jace, on the other hand, isn't here; he offered to stay at home with Benny until the Johansson's got back.

Lilah went straight into surgery the  second she arrived at the hospital with the paramedics. She had a collapsed lung and internal bleeding. However she should be coming out soon as she's already been in there a good four hours.

Her severed fingers were fortunately salvageable and a plastic surgeon will sew them back on after her lung surgery and once they've managed to stop the internal bleeding in her stomach. At least that's what I was able to work out in between all the long complicated words the doctors were spewing. They'd been coming in and out to deliver updates, so far all good given the circumstances.

The police arrived a little after we did, asking the boys and I questions of Lilah's temporary disappearance. As Dakota and I were the ones who found her, we were interrogated longer. I didn't like the way the spoke to me and was threatened to be arrested a few times, but other than that I answered the questions smoothly. Only lying once when they asked me if I knew or had any idea of who could have assaulted Lilah.

My answer was no.

"Mr. and Mrs. Johansson?" The main surgeon in Lilah's surgery comes through the heavy-looking double doors in a set of dark green scrubs, and I perk up at the sight of him, as does everyone else. His eyes scan the area briefly before he see's Lilah's parents walk over. The three of them speak in hushed voices but by the way Lilah's mom slumps to the floor and let's out a sob of relief, I know the news is good. No matter what complications or how long the recovery, the fact of the matter is Lilah's going to be fine.

Only family can go in and see her at this moment in time, but neither of us protest it. Mr. and Mrs. Johansson jump at the chance to see their daughter and follow the doctor out of the waiting room. Zeke excuses himself to go and find Landon and Gray so he can share the good news and put his friend's minds at ease.

It's only a few minutes after Freckles' departure that Dakota takes his vacant seat next to me. I don't say anything as I turn my head slightly to look at the side of his face. He keeps his eyes trained in front of him, staring at the wall. We're the only ones left in the room now.

"Gonna rub it in my face yet? Or are you going to wait until something goes wrong?" He mutters hoarsely after a few uncomfortable silent moments, still not taking his eyes off the wall.

I tense.

"I did tell you so," I can't help but say. "But not because I was fucking hoping to find her in that state," I continue to explain before he can blow up at me. "I just didn't want you to get your stupid fucking hopes up by believing she was okay when she wasn't." My voice is levelled as I try to justify my earlier words. Normally I wouldn't care about how he took my honesty, but seeing as his friend is lying in a hospital bed and he's not in great shape himself, I decide to not be so... me, right now.

Dakota stands up from the cushioned chair abruptly, his height towering over mine, especially since I'm sitting down. I don't like the way he makes me feel so small so I get to my feet as well, despite still being smaller in height than he is. He takes a step back so he can look at me properly. I notice the expression on his face and I know this won't be good.

"Funny how you just knew she was going to be in a bad way," he spits out, but by the tone of his voice, he does not find it funny at all.

My eyebrows crease as I try to decipher the meaning of his words. "I didn't know. I just had a feeling—."

"Oh, you had a feeling," he chuckles spitefully, the sound so different from his usual laughter. "Well what a fucking coincidence that your feeling was spot on."

"What that fuck is that supposed to mean?" I ask, getting defensive due to his hostile behaviour towards me. "If you've got something to say, Dakota, just come out and fucking say it."

"Did you know?" He yells accusingly, taking me aback. "Did you know she was going to be like that? Did you know someone was going to do that to her?"

My eyes widen and I can't hide the shock that hits me at his accusation. Is he fucking crazy?

"De verdad me estás preguntando eso?" I shout equally as furious. "Seriously?"

He shrug his shoulders, uncaring, like his accusations aren't fucking absurd at all. "Well you didn't like her anyway, did you?" His face hardens. "I wouldn't be surprised if you had something to do with i—."

The punch to the face cuts him straight off as my fists meets the cheek I had held onto not even five hours ago as I tried to calm his panic. Dakota stumbles backwards and his head swings to the side at the force. I might not know much about medical shit, but I know how to fucking punch someone when they need it.

"Go fuck yourself!" I spit at him venomously. "If it weren't for me, you probably wouldn't have fucking found her until hours later and she would've been dead."

And it's true. Everybody had been searching for Lilah as if she was missing because she went for fucking walk-abouts on her own. They would never have checked the woods until it was too late because they were too preoccupied with looking in places they thought she would've gone to willingly.

However, I don't mention the fact that there is a high chance that this mess had happened in the first place because of the misunderstanding that went down between me and Ricky.

The misunderstanding where I punched the shit out of his face then proceeded to break his fingers before pointing a gun at his head ready to put a bullet in between his fucking eyes.

That's my business and I'll handle it.

"What the hell is going on in here?"

I don't realise Zeke, Landon and Gray have returned until Zeke's stern yet confused voice draws my attention to them standing by the door. His eyebrows are furrowed as he looks between us. He hasn't noticed the blood dripping from Dakota's nose yet as the blonde angles his face away from all three of them.

"Well?" Landon pipes up, clearly wanting answers as well. I don't give him any though, seeing as it's not his business and I'm not a loud-mouth snitch. If I were to tell them what Dakota had said, there would surely be another argument and right now isn't the time, nor the place.

"Fine, don't tell us. But whatever it is, save it for when you're not in a hospital waiting area," Zeke tells us scolding. Neither me or Dakota say another word about the matter.

"I'm leaving," I mutter out with an annoyed sigh. Dakota sits down on a chair furthest away from me and I tear my eyes from him as I turn towards the three boys at the door. Its only now that I pay attention to them properly. Zeke's hair is a mess and his eyes are squinting due to his lack of sleep. Landon looks stressed out and antsy, while Gray looks the worst out of the three of them. Tear stains mark his red cheeks and his eyes are slightly swollen and tinged pink. His clothes are wrinkled and his hair is all over the place. He looks like shit.

They all do.

"You're not staying?" Zeke frowns.

"That's generally what 'I'm leaving' means."

"But you haven't seen Lilah yet. She'll want you here when she wakes up,"

I shrug. "Non-family members are not allowed in anyway," I point out. "And why would she? We're not friends. I doubt she would've even expected me to stick around for this long as it is."

Zeke frowns deeper, "Seriously? You're really going to use the 'I'm not your friend' line right now?" And now he's mad, too.

Everybody's anger towards me only serves in increasing mine. Why the fuck are they mad at me? I helped find her, I made sure she was alright, and I stayed for four fucking hours in a hospital that makes me feel sick when I didn't even fucking have to. I shouldn't even be here right now to be having this conversation, but I am. I'm here. I'm here and people are angry about it and when I try to leave they get angry about that, too. What more do they fucking want? For me to be the one to personally reattach her fucking fingers?

I'm just about fucking done with this fucking town.

"Look, if you want to sit on your fucking ass all night in a waiting room then that's your choice. But I've got better things to do than to be sitting here all fucking day waiting for Lilah to wake up," I snap, agitated, trying to keep my voice from raising. "She's fine. Her parents are in with her now and the doctor said she's going to make a full recovery. There's nothing left to do. So yes, I'm fucking leaving."

Zeke stands his ground in front of me, debating whether to let me leave or say something to keep the argument going. However, before he can come to a decision, Dakota speaks up behind me. "Let her go," he orders. But by the way he says it, I can tell he's not coming to my defence like he usually would. He wants me to leave just as much as I do.

As much as I fucking hate him, I'm relieved he spoke up. I don't know how many more arguments I can have without breaking someone's spine.

Zeke looks towards Dakota questioningly and slightly surprised, so I use his distraction against him and push him out of the way so I can get to the doors. A forceful approach would've made me feel much better, but for the first time, I don't have the time for violence.

I just want out of this fucking hospital.

___

"Hey, how is she?"

Jace opens the door to the Johansson's house and I step inside. It's much warmer inside the house and I gather he's put the heating on.

"She's gonna be fine. They were able to reattach the—" I stop at the look on Jace's face, rolling my eyes. "My phone died so I thought I'd come check up on you."

Jace smiles. "Me, or Benny?"

"I forgot the little brat even existed," I scoff, walking further into the house before I remember the scolding I got from Mrs. Johansson the last time I was here for not taking my shoes off. "Where is he anyway?" I slip my boots off and kick them to the side.

"In his room watching a movie. I can't get him to sleep. He's worried."

"I told you not to tell him anything," I snap as I narrow my eyes, noticing how tired and worn out Jace looks. It has been a long fucking day— for everyone.

He holds his hands up. "I didn't. But one minute he's at the fair and the next his sister is missing and his parents are leaving the house in a mess," he explains has he lowers his arms and folds them. "Kids aren't stupid, R.A."

I snort in disbelief. "Beg to differ." Jace shoots me a look and I frown, looking away. "Whatever. I'll go talk to the little shit and tell him that Lilah's not dead."

I turn to head up the stairs, my feet digging in to the soft carpet as I touch the first step. "Maybe don't word it like that," Jace calls up to me. I wave him away without looking back.

Benny's room is the one in between Lilah's and the bathroom. His door has dinosaur stickers stuck to it as well as pirates, cars and a few princess and Barbie ones. I frown at the colourful yet messy assemble as I knock on the door. There's no answer but I hadn't exactly been waiting for one, so I pull the handle down and enter his room anyway.

Little Benny sits perched upright in his bed as he drinks from a pink bottle. His eyes are on me the moment I step into his room and he perks up, realising it's me and not Jace.

His room is an unorganised mess of pinks and greens. In the middle of the floor, an oversized Barbie sits in the drivers side of a large toy truck with an action figure beside her. The surrounding area is littered with smaller toys ranging from small animals, dinosaurs and cars, to miniature dolls, fake plastic china sets and hair ties.

Some of Benny's clothes are piled on the floor as well as a few books. The bin in the corner of the room almost overflows with paper balls and water bottles. I look at the little human in bed and wonder how someone so small could create such a mess.

"Hi, Odee. Are mommy and daddy back?" He asks me, his wide eyes staring up at me. I awkwardly look around the room, not knowing where to sit. The tiny human see's my confusion and pats the spot in front of him with his teensy little hands.

"Not yet, no," I tell him as I move further into the room, glancing at the TV that plays some cartoon with a talking donkey. I settle on the bed, noticing it's extremely fucking bouncy as I sink into the mattress. "Um, I don't think they'll be back for a while."

"Lilah?" He queries simply.

I'm stumped on what to say. It isn't my job to tell him what's happened, yet now that I'm here I can't seem to bring myself to lie to him. Fuck his stupid little beady brown eyes.

"We found her," I nod my head. "But she was hurt so she had to go to the doctors so they could fix her," I say, choosing my words carefully. How else do I explain it to someone with such a small, unintelligent brain?

"Is she okay?"

I look down at him, "She's fine."

"How did she get hurt?"

"I don't know," which technically isn't a lie. I don't know exactly how she got hurt, I just have a few ideas.

"Mommy tells me it's not okay to lie," he says innocently, playing with the paw of a stuffed toy.

"Only if you're not good at it," I disagree. "And I'm not lying," I deny with a roll of my eyes. "What would you know anyway? You're like one, go to sleep."

He frowns at me, his barely there eyebrows creasing. "I'm four!"

"Same thing, you're small."

"I am not," he hits the best with his fist.

"You are."

"Am not."

"Are too."

"Am not."

"Are t—."

"I am not!" He screams loudly. We both look at each other in silence, our eyes narrowing as we exchange glares.

"Stop arguing, you two!" I hear Jace yell up the stairs. Benny smiles smugly at me, his fat cheeks bloating. I stick my middle finger up, causing him to silently gasp.

"You're not allowed to do that," he says.

"I am."

"Are not."

"Am too."

"Are not."

"I said stop."

I hadn't even realised Jace was upstairs and had opened the door until his voice filters through the room, causing me to turn my head. He stands with his upper-body leaning into the room.

"She started it."

"No one likes a snitch," I counter, frowning at the small human.

"No one likes you," he sticks his tongue out at me.

"Enough!" Jace exclaims with amusement. "Kody, out of his room now. And Benny, it's time to settle down and try to get some sleep."

I stand up from his springy, uncomfortable mattress, brushing my hands against my jeans as Jace turns the tele off and leaves the room. I send one last glare to Benny before walking over to the door.

Odee?" Benny calls out behind me just as I'm about to close the door. I pause, raising an eyebrow at him.

"What?" I breathe out in slight irritation.

He looks awkward as he avoids my eyes. "Can you stay?"

"No."

He pouts, but it's not one of his stupid, overly-exaggerated pouts that I've seen him use to get his own way. It's genuine, and paired with his watering eyes, I think he's sad.

Human emotions are not really my strong point. I don't know how to deal with them. I try to avoid any and all emotion-filled situations, so now that I'm in one, I'm clueless on how to handle it.

"I can't stay, little human. I have shit to do." A tear trails down his face at my words as he realises he won't be getting his own way. "Jace will be downstairs if you need anything. And your owners will be home soon."

"But I'm scared," his tiny voice breaks.

"Of what?"

"I just want mommy and daddy," he whispers so lowly I barely hear it.

I don't know how he's feeling, in all honesty. I barely remember being his age, let alone remember how I used to feel back then. Besides, I didn't have problems like his. I didn't miss my parents because I didn't have parents to miss and I didn't sit up at night crying out for people to come home to me because I didn't have people, nor a home.

I don't know what it's like to be in his situation so I don't know what to say to make his tiny human sadness go away. It's easier to deal with his sister. I just tell her to shut the fuck up and to bother someone else with her problems. With Benny, though, I doubt that'll work.

"They'll be home soon," I offer lamely, not knowing what else to say. "But the longer you stay awake for, the longer it'll be until they're back."

There. That seems logical.

Sucking his bottom lip into his mouth to stop it from trembling, he nods his head dejectedly before laying down.

Sighing, I flick the light switch by the door and watch as the lights go out. But the room doesn't stay completely black for long as the glow-in-the-dark night light shines dimly on his bedside table.

Without another word, I close his door and head downstairs, ready to get the fuck back to my rented house.

I'm never fucking doing that again.