Chapter 12 - Hiding The Truth

I laughed. My throat really hurts but I hid my pain.

"Yeah. Then who am I? A mystery of Friday the 13th?" I asked, still laughing. "Brian, you're such a scaredy-cat!"

My voice was not so clear. Maybe I didn't drink water for a lot of time. And my body ached so much. I felt so tired, so weak.

"I am not!" Brian protested.

Suddenly my room's door opened. I startled.
"Sarah? Are you awake? Oh thank God!"

It was Nick. He hurried down towards me and gave me a long warm hug. I did not protest. I missed his warm hug so much.

He pulled back his head. His blue eyes are teary, and they looked like glass. His eyes are so beautiful, I suddenly said to myself.

"I need water," I said to him.

He let go of me and took a jug from a table near me. He pured the water into a glass and gave it to me. I took a few sips from the water and put it on the table.

"What happened?" I asked Nick. "How did I ended up in this crappy place?"
"Don't you remember anything?" Brian asked doubtfully.
"No... What I remember was... I was in a club - dancing. And then.. I collapsed!" I said, trying to recap everything that had happened.

Nick and Brian exchanged glances. I started to shake. What happened to me? Why did they looked at each other so weirdly?

"Is something wrong?" I asked, nearly crying.
"N - Nothing's wrong. Don't worry," Nick said and stroked his hair.
"Nick, I know you!" I said, starting to cry. "You're stroking your hair. You're lying!" I said in a high-pitched voice.

I cried out. Please tell me. I'm really desperate, I said to myself.

"Sarah! Don't cry!" Nick said, hugging me tightly again.

But I didn't feel better this time. My brain was filled with thought of what happened to me that night.

"I promise I'll not cry if you tell me what happened - if you JUST tell me what happened," I said, kept urging and urging and crying.
Nick sighed. "I - I don't know, Sarah. It's... too painful," Nick said, looking down at me.

Nick. How could you do this to me? Why can't you just tell me?

"I - I'll go and call your parents, okay?" he offered.

I did not reply. I was really hurt with his reaction. He did not tell me why I was in the hospital. I really hate it when he did that. I turned around on my uncomfortable bed and tried to get a nap.

Nick didn't know what to do. Should I tell her? Or should I leave her like that? But she's too hurt. I don't want to see her get hurt. But -

Nick hesitated. He was lost in confusion. A part of him wanted to tell her, a part of him did not want to tell her. He was afraid that she would be shocked to know she had a large amount of drugs in her body.

Well, he said to himself. Firstly, I had to call her parents. I have to tell ther rest of the boys about this. Brian and him departed the room. Both were so quite, thinking with their own minds.

As they arrived at the public phone, Nick picked up the receiver and dialed for Diamond Hotel, which the Lundins family had been staring while anticipating for Jessica to wake up from her sleep.

The phone rang one.
Twice.

"Hello, Diamond Hotel. May I help you?" A small, soft voice spoke up.
"Um, hello. Can you connect me to room 233, please?" Nick asked.
"Hold on, please," the soft voice informed.

There was a tune of hold. Nick was suprised that the tune was the music to 'Larger Than Life.'

"Hello?" a voice interrupted the music.
"Oh, hi. Is that Mrs. Lundin?" Nick asked.
"Yes. Who's this?" Mrs. Lundin asked back.
"This is Nick," Nick introduced himself.
"Oh, it's you. What's the matter?" Nick heard she asked.
"It's - It's Jessica -"
"What's wrong?"
"She's awake," Nick informed the good news.
There was silence.
"Really? That's great! We'll be right there!" Mrs Wilde cried out.

There was a click. Mrs Wilde hand hung up the phone. Nick followed on calling Jive hotel.

"Hello, Jive hotel. May I help you?"
Nick sighed. Do they have to ask the same thing?
"Room 430, please," Nick said.
"Hold on."

There was a click and somebody said "hello?"
"Hey Kev!" It's everything fine?" Nick asked.
"Nick! How's Sarah doing?" Kevin asked.
"She had just awaken," Nick told them.

Kevin let out a relieved sig and told Nick that the BSB gang will show up and the hospital in a few while. Nick hung up.

"Should we tell her?" Brian asked.
"DON'T YOU DARE TELL HER THAT!!!!" Nick suddenly shouted.
"Okay, okay. No prob, Frack. Just don't scream, okay? You almost burst my eardrums!" Brian said.

Nick went to a nearby soda vending machine and put some coins. He pressed the button Coke. A few while later, the Coke came tumbling down. Nick took it from the machine. He took a sip. He loved the taste.

"Do you want one?" Nick offered.
"Sure," Brian said.

Nick bought one for him.
"Let's make a toast," Nick said. "To Sarah's recovery!"
"To Sarah's recovery!" Brian retreived.
They both took sips from their Coke.

Nick still don't know whether he was supposed to tell Sarah about what happened to her. But he was glad that he could her sweet voice again, that he could see her moving again.

"Let's go back to her room," Brian suggested.

Without any reply, Nick started a slow walk towards the ward room. He didn't have the strength to walk quickly, after remembering Sarah's desparate cry.

What should I tell her?

When Nick was about to approach Sarah's room, he saw Dr. Owen coming out of the room.

"Doctor? Is everything alright?" Nick asked, feeling worried.
"Yeah, yeah! Eveything's just fine. Don't you worry," Dr. Owen assured Nick and quickly went off.

Nick shrugged.
He did not say a thing and went into the room. He heard a soft tsk-tsk cry from Sarah's bed. He looked on the bed.

Sarah was crying.