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Chapter 17 - Conversation

   When they let me leave the hospital a few hours later, I was still pretty high from the Morphine. The hallucinations weren't as intense as they were when I had first woken up.

   I was wheeled out reluctantly in a wheelchair, denying the fact I needed it all the way down in the elevator. This idea changed significantly when I stood and wobbled dizzily up to Jeans' van, clutching Red's shoulder for support.

   She laughed softly, "Still dizzy?"

   I nodded, and then realizing nodding was a bad idea I stopped and waited impatiently for the material on the seat in front of me to stop spiraling.

   Red fastened my seatbelt and I closed my eyes, leaning my head back on the seat, ignoring the spinning colors that danced across my eyelids like the northern lights.

   "Hey, no sleeping." Jean reminded me, reaching back and jabbing me in the arm with the antennae on her phone, "You remember what the doctor said, not for another 4 hours."

   I groaned and looked at the clock, it was 7:42.

   "Don't pout, you get ice cream out of this."

   I smiled a little, "Okay"

   "Do I get some?" Red asked, grinning.

   "Of course you do, my treat" Jean answered.

   "Awesome."

   We stopped at the gas station in Lavington and got some of the best soft ice cream on the planet, Red and I both got larges, and the lady at the counter cooed at me sympathetically and gave us our ice cream free.

   At 11:30 I crashed onto my bed and fell asleep instantly. Red had asked Jean if she could stay over and she said yes, Caroline was at a friends house.

   I woke in the middle of the night, having heard a strange noise. I turned over, Red wasn't there.

   I sat up straight in my bed and looked around the dark room, not a sign of life anywhere.

   I slowly crept out of my bed and tiptoed into the kitchen, keeping in the shadows.

   I saw Red sitting at the table, staring across at nothing, speaking softly.

   "Did you really have to hurt her?" She whispered.

   I heard no reply, but numbness and ice pulsated through my mind in a familiar throbbing rhythm.

   I stepped closer, the floorboard squeaking softly beneath me.

   Red whipped her head around and stared into the black hallway, I knew she couldn't see me but I shrunk back instinctively.

   I held my breath, and after a hesitant moment, Red turned back to the empty chair in front of her, whispering so low I could barely hear her, "It didn't have to happen that way…"

   I felt a chill and crept back into my room, crawling back into my bed and hearing Reds' soft footsteps come towards the door.

   I curled into a ball and closed my eyes, pretending to be asleep.

   I heard Red pause in the doorway, then felt as she crawled quietly in beside me, draping an arm around my waist and whispering, "I'm sorry."

   I said nothing, but stared straight ahead at the wall, wondering what she was talking about.

   I saw you Brooke…