Callum's POV:

I open my eyes.

White. Clean. Cold.

My eyes adjust to the lighting and I see Jake's mop of curls, his face buried into my leg, my hand clasped in his. Ellie's lying half on top of Haze. His gaze meets mine.

"Hey," he says.

"Hey."

My voice is hoarse and comes out more of a choking sound than anything. Jake startles at the sound and launches himself onto me. I hiss as pain splinters up my side.

"Shit. Sorry," he mumbles, sitting back down. "Thank fuck you're awake."

"Hey!" Ellie smiles, before disappearing into the bathroom to get me a cup of water.

I greedily take big gulps and on my third cup of water she tells me to take a breather, in case I upset my stomach. I exhale a shaky breath and adjust my position, the mattress stiff and uncomfortable underneath me.

"What the hell happened?"

"You don't remember?" Ellie asks softly.

I think for a moment.

Car. Metal. Pain.

Rhett.

"Rhett," I whisper. "He tried to kill me. Both of us."

"He what?" Jake splutters.

"He kept saying 'we are going away' and then he drove off a cliff edge."

Haze, Ellie and Jake exchange looks of horror between them.

"How did you find me? How did I get here?"

"A hiker found you passed out beside the car. The Rescue Helicopter brought you to the hospital."

"I flew in a helicopter?" I ask, incredulously.

"Yeah," Ellie smiles. She has dark circles under her eyes and looks pale. I wonder how long I've been here? I don't doubt any of them have left my side ever since I was admitted. "Ma should be back any second, she went to get everyone coffee. Your friends were here earlier."

"Which friends?"

"Lena, Spud, that quiet girl whose name I can never remember, and Kat."

"Kat was here?"

Ellie nods with a smile. "Yeah. She was a sobbing mess. I think she was feeling very guilty."

"So she should," I grumble.

"She asked me to call her when you're awake."

"Okay," I nod, feeling relieved that Kat and I will be on speaking terms again. "Where's Rhett? Did he get flown here, too?"

"He..." she looks to Haze and Jake for a moment, before swivelling her gaze back to me. "Rhett died."

I blink slowly, the words sinking in.

"Rhett is dead?"

"Yes," Ellie nods, wrapping a piece of her hair around her finger and pulling it.

"Good riddance," Jake mutters. "May he rot in pieces."

I expect Ellie to scold Jake for his words but she doesn't. No one does. We sit in silence for a few moments as I absorb everything that has happened.

Rhett's eyes. The pain on his face.

Now he's gone.

Ma returns and the room feels instantly brighter. She fusses over me a lot and offers me chocolate and a milkshake. My chest feels tight and my head swimming from the last few days, but having Ma here makes everything seem less scary.

I'm starting to feel a little like myself again, when two police officers visit me, asking if I can explain to them what happened. I feel the colour drain from my face as I realise I am the last person to have seen Rhett alive.

Everyone, except Ma, leaves the room. She takes a seat beside me and places her hand over mine.

"Please, start from the beginning," one of the men say with a nod, poising his pen against his notepad.

With a steadying breath, I begin.

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