A/N Everyone this is the second to last chapter! I realize I've been updating you all on the progress through my profile and not through the story, so sorry if this is a surprise! <3

Daniel POV

"Which image best describes how you feel?" I stared at the chart showing cartoon faces, ranging in emotions from smiling and happy to crying with a red glow on its forehead.

Not this again.

I glared up at Dr. Martinez. How was I supposed to rank my pain realistically to a cartoon? Had the cartoon ever been shot in the head and lost bits of its brain? I didn't think so.

"The worst one."

Dr. Martinez frowned, looking at the chart and pointing his finger to the cartoon face all the way on the right.

"This one?"

"Yup." He sighed and put the chart down.

"Daniel, I understand you're frustrated, but has it gotten any better?" I shrugged and stayed silent, staring at the door. I was waiting for Ethan to return, he'd gone to get me a cup of ice.

"Let's try this, on a scale of one to ten, ten being the worst you've felt since you've woken up, where are you now?" I felt myself getting frustrated and took a few deep breaths.

"Seven." Just go away. His eyebrows drew close together and he nodded, grabbing his clipboard.

"Buzz me if you need anything, otherwise I'll come back in an hour to see if you need any more morphine."

I said nothing as he left. Ever since I'd woken up I felt... empty.

Empty and angry.

Angry that I was in constant pain. The morphine wasn't enough but they wouldn't give me anything stronger. I was also starting to feel like it didn't do much anymore, but when I didn't get any, the pain got worse. They'd given me higher and higher doses until I reached the limit. But it just kept the pain the same.

I was also on antibiotics, to prevent an infection in my brain. They told me I was lucky I hadn't gotten one as soon as I'd been shot, and that would've almost definitely killed me at the time. Luckily, the chances of me getting one were getting smaller and smaller by the day.

I'd gotten visitors. Max, Leah, Carmen and some others I'd met at her party. Ethan's roommates came and hung out a lot.

My mom hadn't come. And I had a feeling she wouldn't.

But she wasn't going to forget about me that easily. I'd learned that because I was a minor, the hospital bills were my legal guardians responsibility, not mine. The doctor told me that if she didn't contact them within a month to provide insurance, they'd have to send her the full medical bill. If she didn't pay that within the next month, they'd send the bill to a collections agency, and her credit would effectively be ruined.

While it didn't bring me joy to hear, it did give me hope that I might get to say goodbye to her, before she disappeared.

The beeping from the monitor brought me out of my thoughts and I felt the dull ache in my head pick up with each obnoxious beep. I clenched my fists, feeling an urge to jump out of the bed and smash it with the nearby chair so I could just have some silence.

I wouldn't have been able to though. I hadn't been able to walk on my own yet. Dr. Martinez said it could be a while before that happened.

The door opened and I saw Ethan come in, holding a cup of ice in one hand and a container of something else in the other. He looked at me apologetically. I scrunched my face up.

"Is it soup again?" I asked in a whiny voice. He nodded and handed me the cup of ice before starting to clear the small table by my bed.

"I'm sorry. I asked if they had something else but they only want you eating the healthiest of hospital foods until your head starts to make some progress." He sat down next to me and opened the container, mixing it around with a plastic spoon. It smelled like beef, which was at least different from the chicken soup I'd had for the past few days.

"So, until I die then." Ethan turned to me with a dark frown on his face.

"Don't say that." I shrugged and looked away from him. He handed me the bowl of soup and I carefully sipped it from the bowl, disregarding my spoon. "You've already gotten better in the three days you've been awake even if it doesn't feel like it."

"I wish they'd stop treating me like an old man." I responded, handing him back the mostly full bowl. It was better than the chicken soup, I just didn't have much of an appetite. He took it from me and set it aside. I watched him, feeling guilty.

Ethan had been by my side every moment of every day, making sure I had everything I needed. The nurses had told me that he'd even been there for every day I'd been in the coma. And now that I was awake I was just, irritated. All the time. But he stayed positive for me.

He turned to me and gave me a lively smile that reached his eyes.

"Let's go on a walk." I held back a groan, wanting to stay in bed, but I also didn't want to wipe that smile off of his face so I found myself agreeing. I tossed the blankets from my legs and pushed myself up. Ethan quickly stood up to try to help me but I brushed his hands away.

"Let me try by myself." He stepped back and I was able to move to a sitting position, my legs hanging off the bed. He rolled over the wheelchair next to me and moved to my left side to help me. This was the part I couldn't do.

He reached around and wrapped his arm under my left shoulder and I pushed myself as best as I could to a standing position. As soon as I was off the bed my legs started wobbling and I reached down to grasp the handle of the wheelchair. Ethan gently helped lower me and I adjusted, my fists clenched in frustration.

"I'm such a fucking old man." Ethan gently grabbed my left shoulder and squeezed it.

"No you're not, it's getting better." I bit my tongue and said nothing. He moved the IV stand closer to him and started wheeling me out to the elevator, giving the doctor a small nod on the way.

I fidgeted with the tape holding the IV tube to my skin. I hated the eyes on me where I went. Word had gotten out somehow that I had survived a gunshot to the head amongst the hospital people. It wasn't anything to brag about so I wasn't sure why everyone kept looking at me. The wound wasn't visible, but I could feel eyes searching me as if to try and spot it.

I subconsciously rubbed my head and it responded with a dull throb. We finally made it to fresh air near the helicopter pads, and I relaxed a bit seeing the grassy outdoor area. It wasn't too big, but there were a few benches and tables scattered throughout. Ethan took me to a nearby bench and sat down next to me.

I avoided his eyes and scanned the courtyard, seeing a few nurses on their lunch breaks happily chatting.

I felt his hand softly touch mine and went to meet his eyes. They were soft and concerned, searching my own.

"What's wrong?" He asked, his hand squeezed mine slightly. I looked away and felt my eyes brimming with tears, but I wasn't sad. I was frustrated.

"I just fucking hate this. I'm a cripple. What's the point of even living right now? There's absolutely nothing I can do." His face fell and his second hand went to cover mine.

"Daniel, please realize how much better you've gotten. Your life is only just now beginning, I..."
He started to say something but trailed off, looking distant for a second before snapping back. "I know it'll get better after this." His voice was sure and confident.

I looked at him feeling hopeless, before looking down at my hands and fiddling with the tape again.

"I just feel pissed all the time. My head never stops fucking hurting and everything aggravates it. Literally just thinking makes it worse." He had a thoughtful look and leaned back in his chair.

"Why don't you try meditating?" I snorted and looked at him, surprised.

"Meditating?" He raised his eyebrows.

"What? Trust me, just close your eyes for a few minutes and it'll help. I'll do it with you." I gave him a look before rolling my eyes and shrugging. He smiled and we both closed our eyes.

I tried slowing my mind down, but could only do so by a fraction. My thoughts were muddled and mostly focused on one thing— more painkillers. I slowly peeled y eyes open and saw Ethan's closed ones. He looked so peaceful and just seeing him like that made me feel a bit better.

I left my eyes open and eventually saw him peeking at me to see if I was meditating.

"Daniel, it won't work if you don't try." I sighed, rolling my eyes.

"I tried already." He crossed his arms and looked back at me. I stared, and a strange memory crept into my mind. The night we'd first kissed. I didn't think of our very first kiss, but the one he'd given me the same night before he left.

It'd been short but had left me flustered. My eyes trailed down to his lips and I felt my heart pick up a bit at the memory.

"Are you okay?" He asked and my eyes snapped back up to his. He looked concerned.

"Kiss me."

I hadn't thought before speaking and had just blurted it out. His expression turned to one of surprise and my face flushed, wanting to say something else but unable to come up with anything.

"You want me to kiss you?" I nodded, unable to take my eyes off of him. We hadn't mentioned what went on between us at all since I'd woken up.

"I wanna see something." He stayed still a moment before a small smile sneaked onto his face.

"Okay, close your eyes."

I took one more look at him and crossed my arms across my chest nervously, before closing my eyes. I steadied my breathing and could sense that he was close to me. I released a long breath before I felt his hand gently rest against the back of my neck.

"Are you okay?" He asked me quietly. I nodded and felt him pull me closer slightly. His soft lips brushed against mine and I felt my energy jump.

I leaned into the kiss and my hands made their way to Ethan's hair. As his tongue swept along my lips I felt chills run through my spine and pushed back against his mouth. His free hand made it to my jaw and tilted my chin up higher, giving him an advantage.

He kissed me deeper and I could feel my breath leaving me as I leaned into his touch. He was being gentler than last time, but it seemed more meaningful.

My breath hitched and my head gave a light throb. I put my hand on his chest and lightly pushed him back.

"Everything okay?" His eyes looked fiery and his hair was messed up. I nodded, and inhaled quickly.

"Just catching my breath," I laughed nervously and he cracked a smile, sitting down across from me. "Will you hold my hand?" I asked shyly, I'd felt more comfortable when he was closer. He immediately moved to sit closer to me.

"Of course." He said, softly grabbing my hand. I intertwined my fingers in his and leaned back a bit, closing my eyes.

I noticed that when kissing him, I hadn't felt the pain in my head as much. He distracted me enough and my mood had picked up. I focused on the feeling of his hand in mine, and how his thumb would lightly move in small circles on my skin.

"Daniel?" The voice wasn't Ethan's and I felt him shift next to me. I opened my eyes, my mouth opening in surprise to see who it was.

Mrs. Cook, my Pre-Calculus teacher was standing ahead of me on the walkway. She had a bag in her hand and a timid expression was painted on her face. I blinked up at her, trying to figure out why she'd come.

"May I sit?" She motioned to the bench next to mine and started moving towards it, but Ethan sent her a menacing glare that made her step back.

"Uh, sure." I said, hoping she'd take the seat away from me. She gave Ethan a frightened look and thankfully took the farther bench.

I watched her for a while, waiting for her to speak up. Ethan's hand was still in mine and I saw her eyes lower slightly to look at that before snapping back up to my eyes. She seemed to be struggling to say something. Ethan cleared his throat loudly and she regained some composure.

"I came to check in on you, I heard you'd woken up." I said nothing, waiting for her to continue. She watched me, searching my expression but it was blank, she'd find nothing. "Your friend Sarah came to my office the other day and told me everything."

I blinked in surprise.

"What do you mean, everything?"

"She told me about Mason and his friends. About how they terrorized you at school, and even pushed you off of the bridge." She looked down at that, ashamed.

"Okay?" I sounded cold but I wasn't in the mood to comfort her, and my headache was coming back.

"Daniel. I am so sorry that the administration failed you. The students involved will face consequences, but unfortunately Mason has been absent from school and his father was reported dead, so he's officially missing."

"By the administration, you mean yourself too, right?" Ethan spoke up, his voice was icy. Mrs. Cook looked at him before turning back to me.

"I do take responsibility. I'm so sorry I didn't see what was happening and wish more than anything that I had, I believe I could've put a stop to it." Ethan snorted,

"It wasn't really hard to see what was happening." He bit back, colder than last time. She dismissed what he said before continuing.

"Because only Sarah is willing to tell the truth of what happened, we can't get the boys who bullied you in any legal trouble unless you choose to press charges. As of now, I can only give them detentions every day after school and ban them from joining any sports teams."

"That's it?" Ethan said, his hand tightening over mine.

"Well, we really can't do much unless Daniel accuses them—"

"Can we not talk about this?" I interrupted. I didn't want to think about them, I just wanted to forget. My headache was coming back stronger and I'd need more morphine soon. "Whatever Sarah said was true. Is that it?"

She crossed her arms uncomfortably, looking between Ethan and I.

"No. So, you missed a lot of school this past month, and it really doesn't seem like you'll be able to progress to junior year." I shrugged.

"Okay?"

"So that would either mean repeating this year or doing summer school." I laughed.

"I'd rather drop out." Mrs. Cook sighed and gave me a concerned look, before pulling out a laptop from her bag.

"I didn't think you'd want to go back. So... I met up with the rest of your teachers and we created a different way for you to earn your credits." I frowned at her, confused.

"What?"

"We've transferred the rest of your individual classes to an online platform. This way, you can finish this year and since you've missed... a lot of classes, the deadline to turn in all your work is the end of August." My mouth fell open. Why would they have gone out of their way to help me?

"But... what about tests? And finals..." She tapped the computer.

"We'll need you to download a screen lock app for exams but other than that, we'll just have to trust you to do your best." I nodded, giving Ethan a glance. He also seemed surprised, but was holding onto his icy facade.

"Okay. Thank you..." I didn't know what else to say.

"I hope this gives you enough time to find the next school you want to attend. I know options aren't great in this area, but I'm sure they'll be better than what you've already experienced."

I didn't say anything, I didn't want to think about transferring yet. I couldn't even walk.

The negative thoughts slowly started trickling in and I rubbed my head as it gave a dull throb. This didn't go unnoticed with Ethan and he gently put his hand on my shoulder.

"I think it's time to go back up." He said. I was glad he said something.

"Okay, Daniel I'll send you an email with the instructions, but you'll need this." She stood up and held the laptop in front of me, motioning for me to take it.

"What?" I looked at it blankly, not moving.

"Daniel, it's the least I could do after everything that's happened. I failed you as a teacher and adult." I gaped at her and shook my head.

"I mean... I have an old computer though... I don't need..." she set it down on the table next to me.

"I'll just leave it here. Look for my email Daniel, you can still finish this year strong."

Strong was an overstatement. But as I watched her walk away, I felt a new sense of hope. Ethan squeezed my shoulder.

"Daniel, this is great..." I looked up at him and nodded, feeling a smile creep onto my face.

"I can't believe she would do that..." I picked up the laptop from the table and opened it, but as soon as the home screen turned on the light sent a sharp ache through my head and I grasped my head, feeling a thick layer of sweat forming.

"Okay, let me get you back." Ethan said, closing the laptop and pushing me quickly to the walkway. My headache quickly worsened and I felt tears coming to my eyes. I squeezed them shut, and heard the elevator beep. A whoosh of air breezed by as a few people exited and walked past us.

Ethan quickly swept in and took us to my floor. As the elevator went up, I felt nausea overcome me and held my breath. I didn't want to throw up everywhere. I felt Ethan rubbing my back gently and saying something but my head hurt too much for me to listen to him.

As soon as the elevator doors opened I felt a cold breeze flow over my face as Ethan rushed me to my room. I tapped his hand,

"Ethan, I'm gonna puke..." He pushed me into the room and quickly grabbed me a paper bag. I heaved the tiny bit of food I'd had earlier, and leaned back in my chair wiping my forehead.

I heard Dr. Martinez come in and Ethan helped me get out of my chair to my bed. My head felt like it was on fire. It'd gotten worse, fast. I was panting, it was getting hard to breathe. But this was normal. There was only one thing that would take it back to a dull throb. Morphine.

Dr. Martinez injected a dose to my IV and within a minute I could feel the headache calming. My breathing gradually slowed and I realized Ethan had been holding my hand. I gave him a weak smile.

"I'm okay now," I mumbled. My words slurred together but that's always how it'd be after a new dose. He squeezed my hand and gave it a small kiss, sending a light wave of butterflies through my stomach. Behind him I saw a blurry Dr. Martinez leave the room.

"I know Danny." Ethan whispered it out and I thought I could see a tear in his eye.

Thanks for reading! One more chapter to go, eeeek! Plz vote and comment :D

New Dusk chapter out too!

Also, did my DUMB ass start another new story? Yes... It's a surfer boyxboy set in Santa Cruz, California, my hometown (was feeling very homesick). Will post chapter one sometime today!

Q: What was your first ever favorite book?