C2 Hello and Goodbye

Kate

Things were dark when I woke up.

Everything smelt like...blood and flowers? I sat up and looked to my left where a vase of pink tulips sat to my left.

Pink tulips, they were my favorite.

Soon, the light flicked on and a nurse walked into my room.

She looked surprised as her eyes landed on me.

"Oh! Good, you're awake. The doctor will be pleased to hear it." She smiled as she came and checked my bandages before taking leave of the room.

She soon returned with the doctor trailing behind her, his pen in hand as he checked various things off of a clipboard.

"I'm going to check your bandages if that's alright with you."

I nodded my head, finding I was unable to use my voice.

"Your vocal cords are a little stripped, but you should be able to talk within a few weeks. Those pain killers-" He pointed to the bag hanging from the IV drip- "Will aid you as you recover."

I nodded and winced slightly as he pulled at the bandages covering my throat.

"Looks like everything is healing properly, I'm going to order that your bandages be changed every couple of hours. Of course when your voice is back, you're going to be ordered to individual counseling and physical therapy as well."

I watched as he scribbled this all down on a clipboard and looked back to me.

"I'll be checking up on you periodically, for now try and get some rest. You're going to need it to recover."

He placed a hand on my shoulder before taking his leave from the room.

The nurses redressed my bandages and made sure my IV was working properly, before setting my bed back down and turning the light off once more.

Again, I was drifted into a peaceful sleep.

-Dustin-

I walked into the hospital, another bunch of tulips in my hand before I greeted the nurse who usually sat at the front desk.

"Good evening." I smiled.

She nodded back at me.

"Visitin again, Dustin? You know the doctor ordered her on suicide watch."

I smiled sadly, I actually didn't know that...but it didn't come as a surprise to me.

"I know, but her flowers need to be changed. Come on, she's probably asleep. Let me just go in and say hello. I promise I'll be quick."

She looked down both hallways before nodding once.

"Alright, but make it quick."

"Thank you so much, you're the best." I replied before quickly making my way to Kate's room.

I was pretty much the only one who came to visit anymore, mom and dad were dealing with the pack's questions and their own emotions.

Eventually, they made their way to see her while she was asleep but the doctors ordered that she rest more often and that their presence would only excite her.

They kept their distance, but...I found that I couldn't. She was my sister, and I knew what I'd done to her was wrong. I needed to make amends, and I would spend the rest of my life making it up to her if that's what it took.

I walked into her room, the steady beat of her heart monitor keeping my own heart still.

She looked peaceful as she slept, her bandages covered her forearms and her throat but she still looked graceful.

She was so thin, and so frail, I was afraid that the needle in her skin was hurting her.

I took the old seasoned flowers from the vase and replaced them with the flowers I'd picked today.

"See you tomorrow, Katie." I smiled as I bent down to kiss her forehead and took my leave of the room.

As I was walking out into the hallway of the entrance to the hospital I ran into Blake.

"Hey, Dustin."

He smiled at me and I found myself confused at his presence here.

"Hey...what's up?"

He shrugged his shoulders and sighed.

"I don't know, I just wanted to come see you. Your parents said you might be here, you've been skipping out on some school...everyone misses you."

I sighed and ran a hand through my hair.

"Listen man, I know you're just trying to be a good friend and I appreciate it...but my family needs me right now. I love my friends, y'all are great, but right now my sister is more important than anything else. I was just told- I can't do this right now Blake, I appreciate you being here but please just leave."

He looked a little shocked by my words, but he cleared his throat and nodded his head.

"I'm sorry man, I know you're going through a lot right now, I just wanted to check up on you. I didn't mean to upset you or anything, I just wanted to apologize...you know rejecting her was just-"

Rejection? What did he just say?

"What did you just say?"

He let his head fall and he sighed.

"I...I rejected your sister Dustin. I'm sorr-"

Before he could finish his sentence I punched him in the face, pushing him to the floor and wailing on him repeatedly before a few male nurses came and pulled me off of him.

"You...I don't ever want to see you around here again. Don't even think for a second that I'm going to let you near my sister, you're seriously mistaken. Get the fuck out of here Reynolds, and don't contact me."

In that moment, as he was walking out through the doors, my parents came strolling in.

"Dustin? Was that Blake we just saw leaving?" Dad asked as he rushed over to me.

"Yeah, that was him." I spoke bitterly.

"Honey, what happened? Are you alright?" Mom questioned and I sighed.

"Yeah mom, everything's fine, I just don't want to be around him right now." I replied.

They seemed to take the hint and stopped questioning me about it.

"So, how is she?" Dad motioned with his head towards Kate's room.

I sighed and stood from my chair, motioning towards the nurse's desk.

"The nurse informed me that she'd be on suicide watch for the remaining time in the hospital."

Mom gasped and covered her mouth with her hand and dad looked down towards the floor.

"I'll...I'll stay and watch her tonight, it's the least I can do."

Dad insisted and I resisted the urge to scoff.

The least you could do?

I shook my head and turned away from them.

"I'm going for a run." I spoke.

I needed to get out of my human form for a while.

-Kate-

I woke up suddenly and felt my legs ache.

I needed to get up, I couldn't stay in bed like this and be expected not to move around.

I looked towards the doorway, I didn't see anyone passing by, and I assumed it was night time.

I let my legs hang off of the side of the bed as I sat up before dropping one of my feet to the floor.

Eventually, I made my way over to the bathroom, gripping onto the IV cart as I did so.

I flicked the light on quickly, squinting my eyes before they adjusted to the light.

I took a good look at myself in the mirror before taking a shaky hand up to my throat and peeling one of the bandages back, being careful not to rip my stitches.

It looked awful, of course.

I didn't know how I was going to recover, but I knew that somehow I had to.

Kate Mauren was weak, but she never would be again.