Will parked the car at the hospital parking lot.
"I'll go get a nurse," he says. "Here." He hands me a cloth to cover my face, I do so. I wait as he rushes inside. While I wait, my vision in one eye clears. My left eye stays blurred.
Will comes back with a young woman. They help me at of the car. I didn't really need a nurse, but Will seemed very worried so I let it go, at least for now. The two guided me inside, down a couple hallways, and to an empty room, where I laid down on the bed without instruction.
My nose is broken. That's for certain. I don't know the condition of the rest of my face, I refused to look in the car mirror when I could. I didn't want to see how hideous my face was. I didn't want to see what Percy did to me.
Will left the room, and I was given a serum that knocked me out. When I awoke, I had a strange thing on my nose. I touched it--a cast. No... this is embarrassing.
I felt my head, around my eye is a bandage. I felt my mouth, which doesn't have anything on it. I look around the room, no one is with me. I sigh, looking down. I'm still unsure what to think now.
Synesthesia. Who knew it would do this to my life? Just as I look up, the door opens. A nurse walks inside alone. She releases me from the hospital, hand me a tiny packet of details, and says she'll send my dad the bill.
That's when Hazel enters.
She rushes to my bedside as I'm sitting up. Out of slight anxiety, I cover my nose with my shirt, hiding the cast.
"Nico!" Hazel hugs me, my shirt slipping from my hand. Hazel looks up and examines my face and head. My cheeks turn red.
"You scared me!" Hazel shouts. I sigh, standing up from my bed and pulling my shirt back over the gigantic bump on my nose.
"Sorry, Haze." I respond.
She grabs my arm, and sits me back on the bed.
I roll my eyes, "Hazel, we should go home before-"
"Tell me now." I blink. She sounded scary. I stare into her eyes, I've never seen her more serious.
"Hazel, I..." She can't know, she can't know, she can't know.
"Nico, you need to tell me what is going on!" she through her fists down, eyebrows straight.
Then I got angry. I don't know if it was the vibes she was sending off, or the fact that she wouldn't trust me, but I retorted, "No, I don't."
"Yes, you do!" she hollers in my face.
I growl in frustration, "You can't know, Hazel! Give it up!"
"NO! I deserve to know why everyone wants to hurt my brother!"
"Can't you just trust me?!"
"It's not you I don't trust!"
"Prove it!"
"I am!"
"You're not!"
"Just tell me!"
"Just leave me alone!"
I stand and storm out of the hospital room, a few people in the hallway watching me (they probably heard the yelling). I suddenly remembered my nose, and put my arm on it, my sleeve covering the white bandage.
"Nico!" Hazel calls, running down the hallway. She caught up with me as I was about to touch the exit door.
"What?!" I snap.
She's taken aback and frowns, looking more sad than angry now.
"I just care." she softens.
"Well, don't!" I exclaim.
I walk to the hospital parking lot, hoping to find Father's parked car. I wasn't sure how I'd get home, I wasn't sure how Hazel got here. I give up on searching and decide to take a bus, my hand still over my breathing tool. I dig in my pockets to make sure I have bus money; I don't.
I sigh, spinning around on my heels, trying to think of an option. Other than to go to Hazel I don't see one, considering my house is too far away to walk. I sigh in exasperation and turn back around. Hazel is waiting at the exit door, looking down at her toes.
I should apologize. I should explain it to her calmly. Even if I'm scared of losing her, she's right. She shouldn't have to lose me anyway. It'll happen anyway. She might as well know.
I touch her shoulders, dropping my hand from my nose, "Haze?" No response. "I'm sorry, okay? Can we talk about this at home?"
She nods, and grabs my hand, leading me to the back parking lot, where Father's vehicle is parked under a tree. Silently, we board the train, and Hazel drives me home.
