Dreamer - Chapter 10

Disclaimer: This story has multiple parts. To read the previous part, you can click here.

I saw me. How? How was I able to see myself in someone like that? Like him? I'm so this.. and he's so.. that. How did I manage to see someone so weak.. so happy.. so glowing.. in just a couple pair of green eyes? How could eyes even tell you so much about a single person?

I closed my own eyes.. trying to picture Ace in the back of my mind. Brown hair. Green eyes. Hoodie. Jeans. My eyes shut themselves tighter as I tried to think of something else. No luck. Once my eyes reopened, the doors opened to reveal the paramedic that came to help the guy in the back of the ambulance push out the gurney. They had some help from some doctors who came out of the hospital. One even helped me down and I followed Ace far enough until I was stopped.

"Are you a family member or a friend of this patient?" A doctor asked me with a clipboard in hand.

"Friend." I replied. It wasn't quite a lie, but I figured that it had to be an easier reply than explaining the truth. Also, I didn't know what the hell we even were; all I knew was that if Ace heard me call myself a friend of his, he would have probably just explained in way too many ways how we weren't.

"Oh, alright." He nodded, "This patient cannot have any visitors at the moment but if you want to wait, we will let you know when he's available for them."

I nodded, turning back around and heading towards the lobby. I stepped on outside and pulled out my phone. A new message had popped up on screen. Dad.

"I'll be there there soon princess. I promise. Just sit tight. Love you."

I dialed Michael's number into my keypad and pressed the call button.

First ring. Second. Third.

"Hey. This is Michael. Please leave a message after the beep. Or don't. I don't really care. Bye."

Voicemail. Fuck. I pulled up our messages and typed out, "Answer the fucking phone PLEASE" before pressing send. I called once again.

First ring. Second. Third. Fourth. Fifth. Just as I was about to give up, I heard that magnificent voice.

"Hello Lex." He sounded as if he was afraid to speak.

"Hi Michael.. you okay?"

"Yeah. Why wouldn't I be?"

"Oh.." I said, "What did you tell Ace? You know.. before he hung up on you. What did you tell him?"

"It was nothing.."

"Michael. Tell me." My tone of voice came out more of a demand than a command.

"Lex.. I told you, it was nothing."

"Michael.."

Silence.

"Are you really alright, Michael?"

I heard a sigh, "I told him that he should go fuck himself."

"Why?" That was a dumb question, "I mean.. I obviously know why under the circumstances, but why did you add onto his little act?"

"He pissed me off when he told me I couldn't talk or hang out with my best friend! Who the hell does he think he is to tell me that!? I don't need anyone, especially those I've never met, telling me who I should or shouldn't be friends with. Then he brought up the whole 'killing me if I ever saw you' bullshit and I just couldn't talk it anymore. He hit my last straw so I told him that he should.. go fuck himself. I couldn't stop myself from doing it. I was just so goddamn angry in the moment and it slipped out."

"Michael.." I couldn't figure out the right words to finish my sentence.

"I don't want you to continue hanging out with him."

Excuse me?

"I can't stand the idea of you hanging out with someone that could be so cruel.. and possibly very dangerous. He's a dick, Lex. No one deserves to be hanging out with someone like that. Especially you."

"Michael-"

"Promise me that you won't hang out with that dick anymore."

"Ace."

"What?"

"His name is Ace."

"Just promise me that you'll stop hanging out with him. I don't want to have to worry about my best friend whenever I'm not speaking to her. I'm all the way in some other state and I don't want to have to hear from your dad that you're dead, L-"

"You just told me how you can't stand someone else trying to control what you do with you life and you're over here do the exact same thing with me? You are exactly like Ace, Michael!" I shouted into the phone. I immediately regretted every word I said, yet I never felt sorry for expressing my thoughts the way I did. I probably shouldn't be putting my best friend against me, though. He's my best friend. He was the one who's been there for me throughout everything, and I really need for him to be standing by my side now more than ever. But I can't have him making decisions for me. I don't want Michael to tell me what I can or can't do with my life; just like he didn't want Ace to do the same to him. I can make my own stupid decisions without anyone else trying to control me.

"Don't say that."

"Why? Should I not say that because you don't understand that you sounded exactly like he did with you?" I asked him, "Why don't you just also add that you'll kill me if you ever saw him with him.. just like he did?"

"You know I'm not like that Lex."

"I'm being safe, Michael. I promise you. I'm always being safe."

"But Lex-"

"Do you have a clue about where I am right now?"

"I don't know. Home?"

"The hospital." I answered, "I'm at the fucking hospital."

"What!?" Michael panicked, "Lex, I swear to god if it was him I will-"

"Didn't you just hear me telling you that I was staying safe."

"Lex-"

"Ace just.. something went wrong. He lost consciousness." Okay, I lied. But if he was acting this way over a phone call.. imagine how he'd act if he found out what Rev had done. He couldn't know about Rev. The fight. The gun. He definitely was not about to find out about the part where I was almost shot. He'll panic. He worries about me way too much, but that's one of the reasons why I love him so much. Where would I be if I didn't have Michael there to protect me? He's just being a caring best friend. Everybody needs that kind of person in their life.

"Oh.." I could hear the sadness in his voice, "I have to go."

"But we just-"

"I just have to go." He hung up without saying goodbye.

I stared at my phone for a second as a text popped up.

"Sorry I didn't say goodbye."

I shoved my phone back into my pocket before walking back towards the waiting room. I walked up to the receptionist desk and smiled, "Excuse me?"

The nurse put her finger up as she continued her talk on the phone. My eyes searched her scrubs for a nametag. Janell. As I stood there waiting for her to finish the car, my eyes began to wander towards the clock on the wall above Nurse Janell's head.

"I love you."

"What?"

"I love you, Lex."

Ace was holding me close to him now. His arms had been wrapped around my waist and his hands were locked in a way I was unable to escape from. My eyes went up to gaze into his gorgeous green eyes. My own hazel eyes stared deeply into them as if they were gold at the end of the rainbow. I blushed as my eyes scurried away from his before he noticed.

He placed his hand under my chin, pulling my eyes back to the position they were before, "Don't look away."

"Why?"

"I want to see them."

"See what?"

"The eyes." His thumb began to trace circles around my cheeks before resting on my nose, "I want to see those beautiful eyes."

I let off a shy smile as I stared back into his. His hands moved through my hair as they glided down towards my neck. I felt uncomfortable and my body grew stiff. I began to step back, but he pulled me closer into his body with his arms wrapped around my body even tighter than they were before.

He leaned into me, his hot breath hitting my neck, "It'll hurt a lot more if you move away."

My eyes widened. "Ace?" My voice came out shaky.

"Shh." He turned his body and wrapped his forearm around my neck, "It'll only take a second."

The hand he had free was resting on the side of my head as his forearm was still locked in place. He made one swipe move. A quick move. I hardly felt anything but my knees grew weak and my eyes were closing.

"Say goodbye, little bitch." He whispered into my ear before throwing me on the ground.

"Miss?" "How may I help you?" "Miss..?"

I looked back towards the direction of the nurse, "Yes?"

"How may I help you?" She asked.

"I was just wondering if the patient, Ace, was ready to have any visitors. He just came in with a gunshot wound."

"Ace?" She browsed the stack of papers clipped onto a clipboard, "We have a gunshot wound who just came in, but he's a John Doe. Did you want to see him?"

I nodded.

"Yeah.. I do believe he is ready now. He's over in room 213, floor 2. If he's ready now, you can go on in. If not, there will be a doctor up there blocking the doorway." She pointed me towards the direction of the elevators.

I nodded before heading towards the elevators. A foul smell followed me as I walked past the brightly lit hallways swarming with doctors, nurses, and patients. Once I got to the elevator, I jammed my finger against the button and stood back.

Floor six. Five. Four.

I began to grow impatient waiting. I just wanted to push open the doors but, although it would be cool, I knew I could never just do that and if I did I wouldn't have a place to go besides down.

Floor Three. Two. One. The doors open.

Finally. I stepped inside and pressed the 2 button before slamming my finger against the close door button. I leaned back as the elevator went up. Soon enough, the doors opened and I was standing in a long hallway. I walked through looking for room 213.

201. 203. 205. 209. 211. 213. I didn't see anyone out front so I just walked inside.

"Hello Ace." I walked over, my fingers gliding across the blanket placed over his torso. Once I got up to meet his face, I squeezed a small, empty space on the hospital bed. "You know," I cupped his cheeks, "I have these strange feelings for you."

I leaned down to get even closer to his face. My eyes closed shut and I felt my lips touch his. It felt as if I had just touched a cloud. But just like all good dreams, you eventually snap back into reality filled with confusion and shock. I jumped up and quickly left the room.

What the hell was I thinking?