Absolutely Unforgivable(51)
The man was on the ground now, covering his face and Billy was off to the side kicking him. “You sick f*ck!”
I screamed “BILLY!” and as he looked up to me I jumped down off of the stage, into his arms, hoping he would catch me. He did and as I landed in his arms I said, “Please don’t.” He held me tightly, but catching me caused him to lose his balance and he fell backwards and my head hit the corner of a nearby table. And then nothing. I was out like a light.
Chapter 11 - Out Like a Light
As I started to come to, I heard voices. I think it was Mindy, crying. “Is she going to be okay?” Then another female voice. I don’t know who it was, maybe it was Bree. “She will be okay, Mindy. It’s all going to be okay. She’s going to be fine. You’ll see.”
I could feel the weight of someone else’s hand on mine but I wasn’t sure who it was. I tried to open my eyes but they were so heavy. I moved a finger and then turned my head towards where I felt the person who was holding my hand.
I slowly opened my eyes, expecting to see Jeromy sitting next to me but he wasn’t. It was Billy. He had a concerned look on his face. He looked horrible. His eyes were bloodshot and he had dark circles under them. I noticed he had a small cut above his left eye with dried blood still on it. I reached up to try and touch it. I was weak and could barely speak but I managed to squeak out, “Billy.”
His eyes widened and he smiled. Mindy and Bree let out a squeal. “Oh my God! She’s awake.” Billy ordered them to go get the nurse and they shuffled out of the room and within a few minutes they were back standing at the end of my bed.
I looked around trying to take in my surroundings, still unsure of where I was. I turned my head back to Billy and quietly said, “Jeromy.” His eyes darted to the ground. I looked at Mindy and Bree and they too were looking away. “Where is Jeromy?” I asked, almost frantic.
Mindy said, “Tell her Billy. She’s my friend. I’m not going to lie to her anymore. Either you tell her or I will. She deserves to know.” Mindy sounded annoyed, very unlike her. She was normally so cheery. I don’t recall ever seeing her upset before or even the slightest bit agitated at anyone.
Billy squeezed my hand. “Not right now. She’s just waking up. Give her some time to come to first.”
What are they talking about? Where is Jeromy? What is going on? I tried to sit up and find my phone but the second I did my head screamed in pain and I felt like I was about to pass out again. Billy jumped up and tried to get me to lie back down. “Don’t sit up. It’s still too soon.” He turned back to Mindy and sniped, “Where is that nurse?”
Within seconds she appeared in the room. “Well, hello there. I’m so happy to see you are finally awake. You had us all scared there for a bit.”
I tried to open my eyes again and look up at her. “How long have I been out?”
She looked at her watch and said, “Going on about four hours now.”
Four hours? I have been passed out for four hours? Oh God, what happened? I tried to think back about the events of the night. It was all still a blur and the pounding in my head was killing me.
“Okay sweetie, I’m going to need you to sit up now. We are going to take it slow.” The nurse gently helped me sit up and then started checking my vitals. She looked at the bump on my head. “You are going to have one big bruise there.”
I reached up but immediately regretted that decision. It was still very sore to the touch. The nurse turned towards Mindy and Bree and told them that they should be heading out soon, because I needed my rest. “Okay, we promise, we’ll go soon.”
“I’ll let you visit for now but don’t overdo it and if you need anything just push the call button.” The nurse pointed to a red button on the side of my bed and then walked out of the room.
My mouth was dry so I asked if I could have a drink. Billy turned to a small table behind him and poured me a glass of water. After taking a few sips I looked around for my phone. I saw it on the same table with the water and tried reaching for it, but as I did a sharp pain shot through my head. It was like how brain freeze felt when you drank a smoothie way too fast. I groaned in pain, squinted my eyes, and reached up to grab my head.
Mindy came to my side, stroking my arm. “I’m so sorry this happened to you, Stacy. I know you must be in horrible pain. I wished there was something I could do to make you feel better.”