High Risk by G.K. Parks (books for 10th graders TXT) 📕

lowered my hand to the bed when my eyes fluttered. “Just rest. I’m not going anywhere. You’re safe now.” I clung to his fingers, afraid if I let go I’d be alone in the dark again.

The next time I came to wasn’t nearly as traumatic. For the first time since the attack, I felt like I could breathe. The constant slow beeping meant everything was normal. I was okay.

Turning my head to the side, I felt a pinch along the back of my neck, but it wasn’t enough to worry about. My partner had one leg crossed over the other, his knee resting on the edge of the bed while I kept one of his hands prisoner beneath mine. When I loosened my grip, he opened his eyes and looked at me.

“Hey, are you okay?” he asked.

“You tell me. What did they do to me?”

“They rushed you into surgery. They did a decent patch job, but you know doctors. They love running tests. We’re still waiting on a few of the results. Emma’s been making sure they don’t screw anything up. You know how she is.” He offered a smile that didn’t make it to his eyes. “CSU’s still processing the scene and whatever evidence they were able to retrieve from you.” He pressed his lips together. “What the hell were you thinking? Why didn’t you call me?”

“Brad, please, not now.”

He clenched his jaw and looked away. “What do you remember?”

“Nothing…everything. I don’t know. It’s a blur.”

“Okay. None of that matters right now. The only thing that matters is you’re going to be okay.”

The door opened, followed by the overhead light coming on. I winced but forced my eyes to remain open. The doctor flipped through a few pages on the chart.

“It seems you’ve had quite an eventful night, Liv. How are you feeling?”

“Not great.”

“I can imagine.” He ran through a list of rudimentary questions. He marked something on the chart and took out a penlight. While he was checking my pupils, Emma trailed in behind him. She crossed her arms over her chest and leaned against the back wall, as far from me as she could get while still being in the same room. Nothing I’d been through tonight could compare to what was about to happen. “Are you in any pain?” the doctor asked.

“No, but I’m about to be.”

He quirked an eyebrow and glanced behind him. “Ah, Nurse Emma.” He glanced at her scrubs. “I thought you were taking a personal day.”

“Uh-huh.” She stared at me, the temperature in the room dropping a good twenty degrees.

“All right,” the doctor turned back to me, “you need rest and plenty of fluids. I’ll have someone change the IV bag. We’ll keep an eye on your blood pressure and oxygen levels and see if we need to reassess.” He walked out the door, and I spotted several cops waiting just outside my room.

“Bradley,” Emma said, “Captain Grayson wants to speak to you.”

He slipped his fingers out from beneath my palm. “I’ll be right back, okay, Liv?”

“Hurry,” I said.

He went past Emma, putting a reassuring hand on her shoulder. “Go easy.”

Once we were alone, the hard façade cracked and Emma sniffed. She came closer to the bed and threw her arms around me. She hugged me as tightly as she dared, which seemed to have about as much strength behind it as a soggy tissue. “You promised me nothing like this would ever happen again.”

“Em, I’m sorry.” I thought I might cry, but Emma released me before I got too choked up. She dabbed at her eyes and climbed onto the bed.

“Scooch over.” She ran her fingers through my hair, obsessed with brushing the tangles to one side. “We should have had a sleepover. I should have made you stay. Then none of this would have happened.”

“Emma.”

“No,” she cut me off, “it’s bad enough your parents wanted me to watch the house and the dog, but now I’m expected to make decisions about you. About your medical treatment. I’m not equipped to do that. What if you were brain dead? Would you have wanted me to pull the plug?”

“Well, maybe give it a day or two, just to make sure.”

She raised her palm to smack me but thought better of it. “That’s not funny. I was getting ready for work when I got the call. Since they couldn’t get in contact with anyone else, they notified me you were in surgery. That I better get down here. That decisions might have to be made.”

“You’ve been making decisions for me since we were sixteen. Obviously, I trust you. No one’s better equipped to handle these kinds of situations.” I watched the cops gathered outside my room through the opened blinds. Voletek offered a slight wave. Lt. Winston and Captain Grayson turned to see what was going on, but by then, Emma had poked me in the arm to get my attention.

“I don’t want that kind of responsibility.” She sighed. “Did Brad say when your parents are supposed to get here?”

“Oh god.” I knew protocol. And I knew my father. He’d be the first call they made as soon as they found me. “Did they get through?”

She shrugged. “I tried calling a few times, but it always went to voicemail.”

“Give me your phone.” I grabbed it out of her hand and dialed. Voicemail. So I left a message. “Hey, Dad, it’s me. I don’t know what you’ve heard or the rumors that are flying around right now. I ended up on a bad call, but I’m okay. Just stay where you are. No reason you should cut your trip short, just call me back if you have any questions. I love you.” Then I dialed my mom and left a much more positive and flowery message on her voicemail. Hopefully, I’d