Chapter 30
Hearing the noise from the next room, one of the students, who had been gossiping about Emily earlier that morning, rushed over.
“Emily, are you okay?” she asked, her voice filled with concern. “Where does it hurt? I’ll call the teacher. Don’t worry!” She quickly pulled out her phone.
Emily’s right side was throbbing with pain, tears streaming down her face as she lay there, feeling numb and barely able to move.
The teacher arrived shortly after, clearly alarmed. “Call an ambulance, quickly!” she instructed, her voice sharp with urgency.
Emily wanted to assure everyone she was fine, but as soon as she tried to speak, the pain surged again, and more tears flowed uncontrollably.
When the ambulance arrived, the teacher turned to the students. “You all stay here and keep selecting your pieces for the exhibition. I’ll go with her to the hospital,” she said, her tone firm yet reassuring.
At Lichfield Hospital’s emergency room, the doctor reviewed the X–rays. “There’s no fracture, just some surface wounds, bruising, and swelling. Bed rest for a few days, and she’ll be fine. I’ll prescribe an IV for the inflammation.”
“Thank you, Doctor,” the teacher sighed with relief.
As Emily was settled in her hospital bed, hooked up to the IV, she turned to the teacher, “Thank you so much.”
“No need to thank me. It’s my responsibility,” the teacher replied, glancing at the IV and the bruised side of Emily’s body. “The doctor said you need bed rest for the next few days. You don’t need to worry about the exhibition. The school will handle everything.”
“Alright,” Emily nodded. “I’ve already selected the three framed pieces by the door.”
“I’ll take care of it,” the teacher assured her.
Before long, the medication made Emily drowsy, and she fell into a deep sleep. In her half–conscious state, she vaguely heard the teacher say that she had to leave.
Emily mumbled a sleepy acknowledgment, drifting in and out of sleep. The constant creaking of the hospital room door and the sounds of people coming and going disturbed her rest, causing her to frown in her sleep.
“It’s too noisy in here,” she thought but exhaustion soon pulled her back into sleep.
After entering the hospital room, Justin greeted the teacher and then settled onto the sofa across from Emily’s bed. His dark eyes fixed on her as she slept, lost in thought.
He had made the decision to move on from Emily, but lately, it seemed like people around him kept bringing her up, intentionally or not. Even inanimate objects, seemed to remind him of her lingering presence, disturbing his peace of mind.
“Why is it so hard for her to disappear from my life?” he thought irritably.
How long would it take for Emily’s trace to be completely erased from his life? Justin impatiently wished for that day to come sooner.
As the IV drip neared its end, Justin instinctively got up and moved to her bedside, reaching out to remove the needle.
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Chapter 30
+15 BONUS
Just as he was about to touch her hand, he froze, his face darkening. He stood up straight and pressed the nurse call button instead.
A nurse came in to remove the IV. “You’re her family, right? You’ll need to go pick up her medication. Here’s the prescription,” she said, clearing away the empty IV bottle and handing him a slip.
Justin glanced at the paper silently, not bothering to correct her assumption. He left the room with the nurse, knowing no one would believe he wasn’t a family member at this point.
Emily woke up with an urgent need to use the bathroom, likely from the full IV drip she had been given. After taking care of it, she stepped out of the bathroom, only to freeze in her tracks.
