Don't Give Up On Me ✔

Chapter 68 ~ They hate me

A few minutes later there is a knock on the door before it opens, and Tyler's dad walks in with another guy around his age. All eyes are on the two of them as we wait for them to tell us how surgery went for Isla.

Hayden's POV

Mr. Constable smiles. "Isla's surgery went well. We were able to stop the internal bleeding. For a while, surgery was touch and go, but overall, was a success. She woke up about an hour ago and should be brought into her room soon. She is still experiencing a great amount of pain, but that is expected with her being shot twice. We are expecting her to stay in the hospital for about a week, and my wife and I have already spoken to your new school to let them know that y'all will be starting a week late." Everyone's spirits in the room seem to be lifted immediately at the good news.

Tyler's dad and his colleague walk out of the room to discuss Isla's care plan while Mrs. Constable walks in to talk with us. "So, I'm guessing my husband told you all that Isla is awake." We all nod our heads, excited to see her. Mrs. Constable sighs, "I think it would be best if y'all weren't in her room when they bring her in here."

"Why?" Nick says jumping out of her seat. "We all want to see her. You can't kick us out of her room. Please don't make us leave. We need to see her, and she needs to see us."

Mrs. Constable gulps. "You see, that's the problem. She doesn't want to see any of you at the moment."

Wow, this lack of sleep must be messing with my hearing. "I'm sorry, but I must have heard you wrong. Did you say Isla doesn't want to see us?" I ask.

Mrs. Constable frowns at us. "That's correct. Isla's mind isn't in a good place at the moment. She thinks that you all hate her and that y'all will yell and scream at her when y'all see her. I've tried telling her that you all love her and really want to see her, but she's having a really hard time believing that at the moment. It's not unusual for people in her position to try and isolate themselves. She's been through a really traumatic event and she is falling deeper into her depression."

We all look at each other, not knowing what to say or do. "Maybe if she sees us, it will help her know how much we care for her." Sofia says with hopefulness.

"Kids," Tyler's mom sighs. "Just don't get too upset if she rejects all of you or if she tells y'all to leave. The past couple of days have been really hard for her and she's not coping well. I really think you should all leave her room and give her some time to settle in before seeing her. Her mind is so mixed up at the moment that when she woke up, she was asking for her parents. It took her about thirty minutes for her to remember that they had passed away."

"Are you saying she l-lost her m-memory?" I ask, scared that she has forgotten how much she means to me and how much I mean to her.

"No." Tyler's mom says, causing me to sigh in relief. "She's just experiencing shock. While she was out, she probably experienced some dreams that felt real. She is just trying to figure out what's real and what's not. That's another reason she's acting the way she is."

"She'll eventually want to see us, right?" Nick asks. "She's like a sister to me. I can't stay away for forever. I can barely stay away now."

"Only time will tell. Now I need to get back to Isla. I told her I would be with her when they bring her to her room."

Feeling defeated, we all walk into the room that Sofia and Nick are staying in. "This is awful." Sofia cries into Nick's chest. "She's so important to all of us. How could she think that we would be mad or hate her?"

My head is spinning. I would never hate her; I could never hate her. For fuck's sake, I am madly and deeply in love with her. "I don't think I can handle this!" I scream out before running down the hallway to the nearest set of elevators.