I couldn't sleep. All three of my problems had been fixed, but now an even bigger hurdle was in the way. When Freddie wasn't around, it felt like there was a hole in my heart. It was 2am in the morning, and I was sleeping at Amy's house because it was only 5 minutes away from the hospital. It was pitch black outside. I turned over on the squishy mattress on the floor, thinking about tomorrow. Mum insisted that I go into school like it was a normal day, and she would call me if anything happened. I guess I couldn't just mope around the hospital all day. If Freddie was in a coma for more than a couple of days, I would have to go back to school anyway. Well I would be with Jamie, Amy and Ron, so that was something to look forward to. I would go straight to the Hospital after school with Amy, stay there until like midnight, and then go back to Amy's and repeat the process. Mum and Dad were staying at the hospital, sleeping in the uncomfortable chairs and popping home once or twice a day for a shower, change of clothes and more money. They had both been given time off work, which we were all thankful for.
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It was 7am and Amy's alarm clock woke me up. I had only got about 4 hours sleep last night. We got up and took turns showering and getting changed in the bathroom. I had only brought one overnight bag with me, containing my school clothes, toiletries and a few spare comfy clothes. The cuts on my face were beginning to heal, thank goodness but the bruises stayed swollen. When we went downstairs Amy made me toast and a hot chocolate. Her mum was still upstairs, asleep, and her dad had already left for work. She was an only child, so we had the whole downstairs to ourself. I turned on the TV in the living room and we watched some hilarious show. It felt wrong to be laughing so loudly at such a depressing time, but it also felt good to forget about everything.
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I sobbed into Jamie's chest. His strong arms were cradling me, and I had my arms wrapped around him. We were sitting on the floor in the classroom, like usual, next to Amy and Ron. I had just told the boys what had happened, but burst into tears before I could finish.
"Sssshhh, it's okay. We're all here to support you. It's gonna be fine," Jamie whispered, kissing the top of my head. I cried for what seemed like years longer, before I pulled myself together and sat up, leaning into him. He hugged me back, and we sat in silence for the rest of lunch. I must have fallen asleep, because I felt someone shaking my shoulder gently just before the bell rang.
"Rosie, wake up," Amy said. I sat up and rubbed my eyes. Our form tutor walked in at that exact moment. I leapt up and sat in the nearest chair.
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"Okay, for your homework you will write a paragraph about your siblings. Describe their personalities, hobbies, favourite subjects, etc. If you don't have a brother or sister, write about a friend or cousin," the Spanish teacher said, writing 'Los Deberes' on the board. I started thinking about Freddie, and before I knew it, I was silently crying into my jumper sleeve.
"Rosie, would you like to step outside with me for a minute?" I reluctantly got up and followed Miss Lokes through the door. Everyone's eyes were on me as she shut the door behind us.
"What made you burst into tears like that?"
"It's...my brother. He was hit by a car yesterday, and now he's in hospital," I stammered.
"Oh, I'm so sorry! I tell you what. Just for today, I'll let you off the homework, but don't tell anyone else!" She smiled. Miss Lokes was young, and wasn't as strict as some of the other teachers.
"Thank you, Miss Lokes."
"Come on, let's get back to class."