NOVEL NEXT Chapter 18: Visitors
Lady woke up and looked around. Memories from the previous night began flooding in as realized he was still in a hospital room. Panic began to set in as he wondered how he would pay for the hospital expenses. He was currently living on his own and while he had enough money to support himself, he doubted he could afford his trip in the ambulance. A man dressed in a white lab coat stepped into the room and greeted Lady
“Lady, correct?” He asked as he looked at the clipboard in his hands. “Yes sir,” Lady responded. The man set the clipboard down on a nearby table and said “You have a fractured rib and suffered a concussion. We monitored you overnight for signs of labored breathing or internal bleeding, fortunately, we found neither. We can prescribe pain relievers but aside from that, your rib should heal on its own in a few months. Other than that, you’re free to go.”
Lady was glad that he hadn’t suffered worse. He breathed an admittedly labored sigh of relief before asking, “So what do I owe?” The doctor chuckled slightly to himself before answering, "Nothing actually, everything has already been paid for.” “By who?” Lady asked.
“””””Lady!””””” A chorus of cries rang out. Six girls flooded into the room and surrounded his bed.
“I called your school and told them what happened,” Noel Said. She blushed slightly as she looked at Lady before turning away to hide her face. The other five girls, Emma, Anna, Lily, Maria, and Rachael, began crowding around him and peppering him with questions. It seemed that all of them had a general idea of what had happened but were still worried.
“Umm.. Thank you all for visiting me” Lady said addressing the girls. He was incredibly overwhelmed by his visitors but happy nonetheless that they were worried about him. “But, wasn’t there school today?” He asked the four students and teacher.
“Well…”
“Umm…”
“We just….”
“You see…”
“We all totally split after finding out you were hurt” Maria said silencing the other four. Lady felt happy knowing that they had all left school and rushed to see him when they found out he was in the hospital. “How are you feeling sweetie?” Emma asked. “I think I’m ok,” Lady responded. He stretched slightly and winced when he felt a sharp pain in his chest. “It just hurts a little.”
The others seemed worried upon hearing he was in pain but he assured them that it wasn’t too bad. After the doctor had returned with an order for pain medication. Lady was released from the hospital and walked outside with the six girls. There were two cars parked next to each other that Lady assumed were Emma’s and Noel’s. The girls began glaring at each other as they realized that only one group would get to ride with Lady.
“Why don’t I drive you back to your house?” Emma asked, striking first. Lady nodded and replied “Thank you Miss Emma.” No sooner had he sat in the backseat than he found Anna and Rachael sitting to his right and left. Lily and Maria frowned as they climbed into Noel's car. Anna’s breathing became erratic as she sat next to Lady, she had never been this close to him before. What was I thinking she thought to herself, our thighs are literally touching.
Rachael meanwhile made a point to snuggle up closer to him, her chest nestled his arm as her hand rested on his thigh. “I’m sorry you got hurt” she whispered to him in the cutest voice she could muster. “No, It’s not your fault I got hurt,” He said while failing to hide his blush “besides, I’m just glad you’re ok.”
The girl's actions didn’t go unnoticed by Anna who, blinded by jealousy, nestled his arm into her cleavage and pulled him closer. He looked up at her confused and she began to blush profusely, not knowing what to say. The rest of the ride was plagued by silence as the three high school freshmen sat snuggled together in the back.
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The six girls and Lady were now sitting in a circle in his cramped apartment. Noel took a sip from the glass of water she had been served by Lady and looked at the others. She was unsure why they had all come to Lady’s apartment but they invited themselves in and none of them seemed eager to leave. After driving to the hospital to see Lady, she had spent the night in his room. The next morning, she contacted his school and less than an hour later, was greeted by his teacher and four of his classmates.
His room was simple and had little in the way of décor. She felt somewhat sad knowing that this small room was where he spent most of his nights, alone. She looked at the other people sitting besides her. The red haired girl, Anna, had her eyes fixated on his bed with a slight blush on her face. Maria and Rachael seemed calm but were fidgeting slightly. Whether they were conscious of the fact or not, It was likely the first time they had been in a boy’s room.
Lily meanwhile was breathing heavily. There was a noticeable blush covering her face that she tried to hide by looking down. Unbeknownst to the others, she wasn’t even paying attention to anything being said as her mind was adrift in a sea of smells. Emma looked the most composed out of all of them and exuded the confidence she usually displayed in the classroom. Noel was aware that everyone in the room wanted Lady for one reason or another. Stealing her resolve, she decided to strike first.
“Hey Lady, With your injury, do you think it would be better to maybe stay at my place?” She asked him. Lady seemed hesitant but before he could respond, he was cut off by Emma. “I can house him for a while and give him rides to school.” Lady not wanting to trouble either of the women, responded. “I should be fine on my own. The doctor said I would be ok and my rib would heal as long as I didn’t strain myself.”
“We know sweetie, we just want to be careful. It’s not good for someone like you to be living by themselves, injured or not.” Emma said. Lady’s eyes furrowed “Someone like me?” Emma, realizing her mistake, tried to correct herself. “I just meant someone your age.” Maria popped into the conversation and asked the question that had been on everybody’s mind. “Why are you living on your own despite only being 14?”
“I’m an orphan.” he said. “But shouldn’t you be adopted or in an orphanage or something?” Lily asked. Lady thought for a moment before deciding to tell them all the truth. “When I was born, my mother left me. I became a ward of the state and was taken into a home for youths called Saint Margaret's. I was adopted when I was young but the couple that adopted me was later arrested for insurance fraud. After that, I bounced between foster homes, orphanages, and adopted parents.”
The eyes that looked at Lady as he told his story were all filled with pity. Some of them already knew most of the story but it didn’t lessen the impact at all. “Over the summer, I ended up back in a group home called Sunny Hills for a few months until one day, I was adopted. A man who claimed to be a representative of the family filled out the paperwork and brought me here claiming that the family would pay for the apartment’s rent and provide money for food. As of yet though, I still haven’t met the people who adopted me.”
Emma and Noel were outraged that a couple could adopt a child like Lady only to leave him on his own. “I think Emma’s right, you should stay with one of us, just so you don’t strain yourself too much” Noel said. Both women wanted to look after Lady for various reasons but even if he agreed, only one of them would be able to have him. “So Lady dear, What will it be?” Emma asked him.
Lady failed to notice the hunger in their eyes as they looked at him. He had initially declined their invitations but they both seemed adamant on helping him. He thought for a moment before answering.
