I gaped at her. “What?”
“Yes. It’s weird, if you ask me, because I was never under the impression that you two were anything more than classmates.” She had no idea. “Mrs. Black barely managed to convince him to go home and get some proper rest.”
What was happening with Hayden? This didn’t sound like him at all.
“You were lucky, too, because Mrs. Black said your vital signs were fine.”
“How long was I unconscious?”
“More than a day. Today is Monday. You woke up a few times, but it was all temporary.” She sighed loudly. “I still can’t believe this has happened! The boy who attacked you is your classmate, for Christ’s sake!”
I frowned, remembering Josh with reluctance. “What happened to him? To Josh?”
“The police caught him. He tried to escape, but he didn’t go far.”
“How did he get inside the house?”
“He claims he broke in through the back door. Ah, yes. The police detectives came earlier, and Hayden already gave them his statement. They want to talk with you too.”
“Great,” I mumbled, not too happy that I have to deal with this as well.
I wanted Josh behind the bars, but dealing with this issue along with my school problems, the part-time job, and college applications was too much to bear. Also, I was going to miss school, which meant I would have to study harder to keep up with the curriculum.
I didn’t even want to think about the medical bills.
Carmen entered my room with the nurse, wearing a gleaming smile on her face. “Sarah! I’m so glad my favorite patient finally woke up. Do you plan on falling asleep on us again?” She winked at me.
“Hopefully not,” I mumbled, anxious about being bedridden. I hated hospitals, and I hated lying in bed for a long period of time.
“Actually, you were really lucky, just like Hayden. Neither of you suffered any damage to vital organs or major blood vessels. We’re observing you now to see if there will be any infection, but there is none so far, thank goodness.”
Carmen checked my vital signs, asking me the usual questions, all the while scribbling something on her clipboard. “The detectives want to visit you and ask you some questions about the incident, so whenever you’re ready to see them, I’ll call them and let them know. Is that okay with you?”
“I guess.”
“Also, a few reporters heard about the incident and came here to talk with you, but I didn’t want to let them inside without your permission. Do you want to talk with them?”
I shook my head, mortified about having my story covered by the media. I didn’t need extra attention. “No. Absolutely not.”
She nodded. “I understand. You can rest assured we won’t let them in.”
“Thank you.”
“I’m so sorry about what happened, Sarah. It’s unbelievable.” She placed her hand on my mom’s shoulder. “Your daughter will be fine. The worst has passed.”
My mother just nodded. I observed her, searching for any sign of worry or distress, but I didn’t see anything. Her face was blank, like she was some stranger who was here for no reason, like this had nothing to do with her.
I clenched my teeth, ignoring the ache in my chest. I shouldn’t be surprised. I couldn’t feel sorry about something I never had, right?
“I’m sorry your son was involved in this mess,” I told her politely. First Kayden, now Hayden...
“Please, don’t even say such a thing. You don’t have anything to apologize about. Now, I would like to talk more with you later, okay?”
“Okay.”
“Great. I’ll visit you when I finish my shift. I’d like to tell you something about Hayden, and it’s very important.”
MY MOTHER AND I SPENT hours in uncomfortable silence, her presence only making me more nervous. She read health magazines that the hospital provided while I checked my art accounts and messages on my phone. I found a few texts from Jessica, Melissa, and even Mateo, who were worried because I wasn’t answering them. They promised they would visit me in the hospital, which put a gigantic smile on my face.
It was hard to pretend that I didn’t mind my mother’s indifference. With each passing hour, she grew more restless, and I couldn’t even talk to her, suspecting she needed some alcohol to keep her in check. I was actually relieved when she finally decided it was time for her to go and left my room.
Two detectives visited me during the afternoon, soon after my mother went home. They were completely focused on their task, writing everything I said down in their pocket notebooks, but I couldn’t help but feel anxious under their unnerving stares. I told them about Josh’s threatening messages and that Natalie, who had slashed my car tires, was his accomplice.
They seemed particularly interested about Hayden’s role in this situation.
They asked me about the nature of my relationship with him, and I had no idea how to respond. What could I say about the person who had been my enemy from the first moment we saw each other? I knew it would sound suspicious if I said we hated each other, because enemies didn’t rush to their enemy’s house to help them.
Eventually, I said he was my neighbor and classmate, who probably heard my screams and saw what was happening in my room from his window. They wrote this down, wished me well, and went their way.
I still couldn’t come to terms that Hayden actually tried to protect me. A deep longing washed over me, which was stupid because I couldn’t expect anything from him, yet I couldn’t stop thinking about the way he acted that night or the way he looked at me when I got stabbed.
No. I was a fool for letting those old feelings return, but I was smarter this time. No matter what he felt now, nothing changed. I was grateful to him for coming to my rescue, but he was still the guy who had made my life hell.
The knocks on the door pulled me out of my musing. “Come in,” I said, and Carmen entered. She wasn’t in her uniform anymore.
“I just finished my shift. How do you feel?”
“Everything still hurts.”
“Yes, it will take a while. We gave you pain medication, but even that can’t help sometimes. It’s important that you rest as much as possible.”
“When can I go home?”
She placed the chair next to my bed and sat on it, making an apologetic face. “Not before the end of this week.”
That was too long! What was I going to do with the school stuff and everything else? “But that’s too long.”
“That knife didn’t cause great damage, but your wound is still serious. We need to keep you here under observation and care. Now, I mentioned to you that I wanted to talk about Hayden.”
I tensed. “Yes.”
“First of all, I have to say I’m completely surprised by Hayden’s reaction. I knew you two didn’t get along, but despite that, Hayden decided to help you.”
I shrugged. What could I say when I was also surprised?
“How is Hayden holding up?” I had to ask.
“His injury wasn’t serious enough to be admitted into the hospital. He’s okay, but I barely managed to send him home.” She frowned slightly. “He didn’t want to be separated from you. The rest of the staff and I tried to make him leave, but he didn’t want to listen.” She observed me too carefully. “Do you know why?”