I watched as the curly, dark-haired boy walked right out of the room. Well, he certainly didn't waste any time trying to convince me he actually cared.

I still can't believe he even showed up. It's not like he really cares about me, or what happened. We don't even know each other. Is it normal to visit a person in the hospital that you almost killed while driving drunk?

I thought I would be more angry when I saw him. I wasn't though. It was this in-between state, where I really didn't feel any emotion at all.

It's taken a couple days, but I've finally accepted what's happened to me, and he has had nothing to do with my recovering process. However, there's still a strange desire to just get inside his head. Just know what he is thinking, feeling. I know he's not thinking of me at all. Clearly he showed up hecause he either felt obligated to apologize, or someone made him.

I'd just like to see how he's been affected by all of this. Know if he's been affected as much as I am, not just physically. It's a stupid way of thinking, because based on what I know of him, we're total opposites. Still, I can't deny the countless thoughts that run through my mind about him.

Shortly after Harry scurried out of my tightly enclosed hospital room, my mom and dad walked in. They had worried looks on their faces, and I knew they were wondering what had been said between Harry and I.

"How are you doing, sweetie?" My mom asked, talking a seat beside me.

"Better. Better everyday, I guess." I said, trying to stay positive.

"So, uh, the boy came to visit you, huh?" My dad asked cautiously.

"Yeah."

"Was everything alright?" Mom and dad said in unison. I let out a dry laugh at their overprotectivness. It's not like Harry could really damage me any more than he already has.

"Yeah. He said he was sorry and that was about it." I said, wanting to keep it short. The less thoughts I had about him, the better.

"And did you forgive him?" My mom asked earnestly. I pondered what I should tell them. For some reason, what went on between Harry and I seemed private.

"I've come to resolution with myself, and I've realized he has no part with that." I said, skirting the question. They both nodded, not wanting to push me.

"Well, Hattie is here. She's been waiting to see you." My mom said, and a smile tugging at the corners of her mouth. The news brought a smile to my face, too.

Hattie is my best friend. She's my cousin, really, but I feel like best friends actually describes our relationship better than cousin does. When her dad died three years ago in a police shooting, we became very close. My mom and dad divorced a year later, so my aunt Kara and Hattie moved in with my mom and I. We've become our own make-shift family, I guess.

"Send her in, then." I said.

"Will do." My mom said as her and my dad walked out of the room.

I haven't seen Hattie since the accident. My mom and dad said she was here while I was unconcious, but today is the first day that I've been able to see visitors, and she couldn't come this morning because she had to work. They said she never left my side while I was asleep though.

"Paisleeeyyyyy." She said, walking in and saying my name in singsong voice.

Her smiling face walked through the door, and intsantly brought one to mine.

"How are you?" She asked, rushing over to me and pulling me in her arms.

"Bad, really bad." I joked, eyeing all the wires surrounding me.

"Oh, Paisley." She said, hugging me even tighter.

"Sorry I couldn't be here sooner. I had to work."

"Oh, it's fine. I've been kept plenty busy today anyway." I said.

"Oh really?" She asked, giving me a questioning glance.

"Yeah, Harry, uh, the one who was driving the other car came to see me today."

"And what did he have to say?" She asked.

"He wanted to say sorry. I don't know though. He didn't seem genuine, so I told him to leave." I said. I knew I could confide in Hattie about everything that happened.

"Good for you. He doesn't deserve the time of day from you." She said.

"I don't know though. Like, it was weird. I just have this strange feeling about it. It was almost like I could see his eyes drop when I told him to leave. Maybe I've just got too much time to analyze it, but...Hattie, I can't help but feel this strange connection between us."

"What do you mean?" She asked, trying to understand.

"Well, I'm not really sure. I feel like we're just conncected somehow. I've never really spoken to him. I don't know him at all, but he intrigues me."

"Well, don't let him intrigue you. He's got a bad reputaion. Plus, Pais, he did this to you." She said, motioning her hands toward my injuries. "He did this to you." She repeated, sounding sad almost.

"Yeah, you're right." I said softly. I looked back up to see tears in her eyes.

"What's wrong?" I asked.

She sniffled slightly. "I-I'm just sorry. I'm sorry that this had to happen to you." She said, patting my hand.

"You have nothing to be sorry for." I said, laughing a little bit. She's always been the more emotional of the two of us.

"I know. I'm just sorry you have to go through all of this." She said.

"I am too. But, it's out of my control. I spent the whole day yesterday thinking about 'what if we left three minutes later,' or 'what if I had been stopped just seconds longer at the previous stoplight,' but it doesn't matter. I can't change it now."

"You're right. But things are never going to be the same for you. How can you so easily accept that?"

"I have no choice but to accept it. I'll never be happy about it, but I'll try to find the positive in it." I said. Hattie just laughed at me.

"Why are you so perfect? I mean, if I were you, I would have gone and murdered that boy by now." She laughed.

"I don't know. I guess my parents have just drilled the whole "forgive and move on" thing into me."

"I wish I was more like that."

"Eh. Sometimes its a bore, though. I never really feel anger or anything. I actually wish I could be more angry right now."

"What do you mean?"

"I wish I was more angry than I am. Sometimes I don't even feel human because I lack so much emotion." I can't believe I was actually saying this out loud.

"Sometimes emotion isn't great to feel though."

"Yeah, but at least it makes you feel alive."

* * * * * * *

Hattie and I talked for a while longer. She filled me in on some of the things I had missed at school. Apparently, not many people knew about the accident. The school district was trying to keep it pretty quiet because they thought it would look bad on them. And they're right, it would.

Hattie is a senior, so she's graduating next month. She talked about the graduation rehersal they had had a couple days ago. She's very excited, and I'm happy for her.

Talking to her made things seem like they were almost normal. The only thing different, was that we weren't at home, talking in the bathroom as we both got ready for school, we were in a hosptial, and I couldn't breathe on my own.

The girls from school came to visit me also. It was nice to see all of them. They brought me some candy and we all sat and played board games for awhile.

They all felt really bad about what happened. I don't want their pity, though. Nothing can change what happened, and the only person who should be sorry is Harry.

After they left, I had some tests dones. More breathing treatments, testing the capacity of my lungs.

"Her lungs have improved sufficently." The doctor said, pointing to the x-ray of my lungs. "We've gotten the hole patched as best we could, and the tissue is slowly starting to build back up."

"Great. So what does that mean?" My dad asked.

"Well, we're thinking the lung might make a full recovery." The doctor said, smiling. My mom and dad both looked to me, tears prickling my eyes.

"Obviously, we're not yet sure. We want to take her off the oxygen tomorrow. We'll see how she responds being on her own, and decide where we'll go from there. If she does okay, what will most likely happen is we'll give her weekly breathing treatments. They will excercise her lungs, and build up stamina for her breathing. She'll most likely have to do them the rest of her life, but it's better than being hooked up to an oxygen tank 24:7."

"Thank you." I said to the doctors. I'll always be thankful to them for what they have done for me.

"You're very welcome, Paisley. Now, as for what else will be affected; She'll probably not be able to do quite as much physically as you used to. You'll still be able to participate in active activities, but you'll have to be very in touch with your body. At the first sign of something feeling off, you'll have to stop in order for your lungs to catch up with you."

"I understand." I said, but inside my heart was breaking just a little. I hadn't even thought about how restricted I would be until now.

"Other than that, there's not much. The scars on your face have healed normally, and all your organs are back to functioning properly."

"Thank you so much." I said, once more. Without these doctors, I might not be here.

"Save your thanks for tomorrow. We still have to get you off this breathing machine."

* * * * * * *

I waited nervously as the small crowd of people stared at me anxiously. This was it. I was getting of the oxygen machine.

I'm excited, to finally be able to breathe on my own again. That is, if all goes well. There's just something so helpless about not being able to function on your own. It's the worst feeling in the world, and it's impossible to describe to someone who hasn't experienced it.

My mom and dad's faces stood above me, along with Dr. Meyer's, the pulmonologist's, and two nurses. All the people watching made me feel a certain pressure; like I better breathe so as to not let them all down.

"Okay, Paisley, I'm going turn the machine off first, and then remove the tubes from your nose. I want to make sure you can breathe fully before we take it away. When I hit the switch, I'm going to need you to take in a deep breath. Breathe all the way from your tummy, okay?"

I nodded, just ready to go.

"Okay, turning the switch...now." He said. Immediately, I sucked as much air as I could through my nose, everyone's expectant eyes stuck on me. I felt empowered as I felt the air push through me. I smiled, as the big moment finally past, and everything seemed to be okay.

With the more breaths I took on my own, I felt better and better, the fresh air in my lungs invigorating me.

"How does it feel?" The pulmonologist asked me.

"Great." I honestly answered.

"Are you experiencing shortness of breath, light-headedness?"

"No, I-I feel wonderful actually." I said, slightly giggling.

"Okay, well if you're not experiencing any of those things now, you shouldn't at all. We want to keep you here for another couple days, just in case something goes wrong, but you should be free to go home soon." The doctor said.

To say I was relieved was an understatement. I could breathe on my own again, something they weren't sure I would ever be able to do again.

The doctors walked out of the room, and I was left with only my parents.

They both hugged me, also happy that everything was turning out in my favor.

"You should get some sleep, Paisley." My dad said, tucking me into the bed. "Goodnight my sweet girl." He said.

My mom leaned down and kissed my forehead. "Everything works out." She whispered in my ear. She walked out the door, saying goodnight, and leaving me to myself.

Tonight was a milestone for me. Not only was I feeling relieved, but I was feeling more joy than I had felt in a long time.

* * * * * * *

HI!

I'm bad at author's notes, I'm sorry...Please vote and comment?

I love you guys and thanks for reading! ◡̈

Macy xx.