Yooooooo. Long time, no talk! For those of you who aren't new to me and my stories, welcome back! I've missed interacting with you all by reading your comments and emails. I've missed being on here, in general. Dani and Ryan's story is wrapping up rather quickly based on the chapters I've written recently, so stay tuned for the ending!
To those of you who are new, hi! How the heck are ya?? I'm glad you've made it around to my stories and hope you enjoy the innermost workings of my brain. I do apologize for my earlier writings LOL I was young and naive back then.
Happy reading!
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Chapter Six: Awake
Beeps and hushed voices became clearer to me as the seconds ticked by.
My body felt heavy, my brain was like a staticky television.
I tried to conjure up memories of what happened to me and why I felt so...odd...but all I could come up with was being at prom and watching Ryan as he watched me.
Prom? Mmm, Ryan. Even his name made my mind clearer. The more I thought of him, the more I swore I could sense his presence and hear his voice.
But why did I feel this way? Why was I dragging and tired? My eyelids were even too heavy to open.
Ryan, prom. Cori, Erin...Dustin.
Dustin!
The cup he handed me at the dance.
He fucking...he wouldn't, would he?
"The doctor says she'll be fine, but it's been so long. She came in with her eyes closed and they've been closed. Stayed closed."
Mom?
"You know I've been watching her vitals, too, Tasha. She's doing fine and will wake up when she's ready."
"We're so grateful to you though, Mr. Lewis. You've always been there for Danica."
Mr. Who?
"Please, call me Ryan. Makes me feel less like my father."
The beeping in my ears sped up as I realized what was happening around me.
"Robert! Is she crashing? What's going on?"
I tried to find my voice, but my throat was dry and sore.
The air moved around me, indicating the rapid movement of bodies.
Well, I'm definitely in the hospital. Why am I always winding up here? I asked myself.
"Should I call for the nurse?" my mom asked.
"No," I croaked.
"Oh, thank God!" my mother grabbed my hand.
"Dani." My dad breathed a sigh heavy with relief.
"I'm calling the nurse anyway." My mother released my hand in favor of jamming a finger to the 'call' button on the side of my bed.
"Of course," I opened my eyes just to roll them.
Ryan stood in the opposite corner of the room, his hand gripping a cup of coffee so tightly I was sure the contents would gush out at any given moment.
I cursed the IVs and hospital bed for keeping me from him.
I knew my parents were in the room, but the less sensible part of me didn't care. The connection I felt to Ryan in that moment was like no other. The air in the room became so electric I feared if I moved any of my muscles, I'd end up electrocuted.
The tightness around his mouth and eyes lessened and the grip he had on the coffee cup loosened.
My dad cleared his throat, breaking the flow of energy between Ryan and me. "I'm just going to step out," he said, looking at me, a puzzled look in his eyes.
"Detective Martin will want to...to know you're awake so he can come ask you a few questions."
"So, it's true then?" I asked. "I kinda guessed but I never would have thought," I shook my head.
"Shh," my mother stroked my head with a feather-light touch. "Don't stress yourself, Danica."
"I-uh..."
My head snapped back up to look at Ryan.
"I think I'll be heading out. Dani, I'm glad you finally woke up."
"Thank you, Mr. Lewis," I said.
"Yes, thank you so much, Ryan. You acted so quickly and saved her life," my mom said.
"Honestly, Mrs. Matthews, it was no problem and I'm just as grateful I was there. Dani is a special girl."
Ryan took his phone out of his back pocket and waved it, looking into my eyes. I knew what that meant; he'd be texting me.
"Principal Fox will want to know you're awake and doing well. He's been worried and messaging me non-stop."
I had to give it to Ryan, he was getting pretty slick at covering our interactions with plausible stories. I sighed, longing for the day we wouldn't have to do such things.
"Thank you again, Mr. Lewis," my mother said. "Oh, yes, forgive me, Ryan," she corrected after watching him theatrically cringe.
I watched Ryan walk out of the room as the nurse appeared. My attitude went sour. No offense to the nurse herself, I just really hated hospitals.
After several vital checks and answering over a million dumb questions, the nurse left and a doctor appeared alongside my dad. They both began another slew of questions that made my brain hurt but that problem was quickly for gotten in light of new information the two doctors told me. What they'd said made my skin crawl so badly I was sure it would just detach from my body.
Dustin Hoffman had, indeed, drugged me on prom night. According to his confession, he used ketamine that he stole from his parents' veterinary clinic. My dad and his colleague figured Dustin miscalculated the dosage needed to moderately sedate someone of my size, which is what ultimately landed me in the hospital. The drug was out of my system at this point and my recovery was going as expected; but, both doctors said even with the help of IVs I would still need to diligently drink water and rest.
My dad had mastered doctor mode, barely flinching when I had to discuss events from the previous night as well as symptoms and other "chart-worthy" information, but when the detective showed up, my dad switched to full-blown "father mode". I knew from the angry set of his jaw and fiery eyes that his mind was nearly set on murdering Dustin, especially when I had to answer questions about my former friend's motivations.
"You're telling me this was because of a bet he made with friends?"
"Robert, keep your voice down," my mother chided.
"He's been running with a new group when he wasn't around me," I shrugged. "To me, it seemed as if they were just hyping him up to perform acts of idiocy. You know, see how far he's willing to go to be accepted."
"I see," the detective said while scribbling notes on a notepad that seemed far too small for his hands.
"Am I allowed to ask where he is and what's going on with him?"
Detective Martin looked up from his notebook. "After Ryan Lewis's statement, we had sufficient evidence to make an arrest. The boy's bail was set so high we thought it was unreachable, but it was met and he is, at this point, free."
"Which I find ridiculous! He shouldn't have been offered bail in the first place!"
"Robert," my mother's voice was a harsh whisper.
"Tasha," my dad hissed back. "She could have died. I have the right to be angry."
"You do, Mr. Matthews," the detective said. "I've seen a lot on the force but never in all my years have I seen a guy almost kill his best friend over a bet. You two were pretty close from what I've heard."
I nodded as a lump formed in my throat. "I guess you just never," I sighed. "People change so much. Dustin was made fun of and disliked for being smart and on the chunkier side. He spent the entire summer working on his weight and improving his physical appearance...I guess his mind and heart had a change, too."
