"No more people in hospitals please, Clem,"

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As Clementine stirred awake, her surroundings gradually came into focus, and she realized she was in a hospital room. The steady beeping of machines filled the air, mingling with the sound of her own racing heartbeat. With a sense of disorientation, she glanced down at her arms, finding them securely wrapped and her wrists restrained to prevent self-harm.

Feeling a surge of frustration and discomfort, Clementine grunted as she attempted to move her wrists, only to find them firmly held in place. With determination, she reached for the remote control by her bedside and pressed the button for assistance, hoping someone would come to her aid and provide some answers to the whirlwind of questions swirling in her mind.

      Clementine watched as her dad and another doctor rushed into the room, her heart pounding in her chest as she struggled to make sense of her surroundings. "D — Dad? W-What happened?" she stuttered, her voice wavering as she looked between her dad and the doctor.

      "Hi, I'm Dr. Lee, I'm your doctor. How are you feeling?" Dr. Lee asked gently, her presence calm and reassuring as she circled around the bed, checking Clementine's vitals.

      Ignoring the doctor's question for the moment, Clementine's attention remained fixed on her dad, the floodgates of emotions threatening to overwhelm her. Tears welled up in her eyes as she spoke, her voice trembling with remorse. "I'm really sorry, Dad. I'm so sorry," she cried, her words choked with emotion.

     Caleb approached his daughter with tears streaming down his face, his heart aching at the sight of her pain. "No, I'm sorry. This is all my fault," he confessed, his voice breaking as he enveloped her in a tight embrace.

      As Dr. Lee excused herself from the room, leaving father and daughter alone, Caleb shook his head in self-reproach. "Why would it be your fault?" Clementine asked, her voice filled with confusion and concern.

     "I was never here and I wasn't here the first time when you were hurting yourself, and this time, it was worse. It's probably because I'm back," Caleb admitted, his anguish palpable.

      Clementine's eyes widened in disbelief as she reached out to him. "No, dad... none of it was your fault. I'm sorry for yelling at you that day... I was mad. You're a good dad, and you were doing your job," she reassured him, her voice trembling with sincerity.

      Caleb broke down, his own guilt weighing heavily on him as he sat beside his daughter's hospital bed, finding solace in their shared embrace.

      Caleb looked down at his daughter with a mixture of concern and relief etched on his face. "Just explain to me, Clem, why would you hurt yourself? Please, I'm so worried about you. Maybe we should try therapy. I know you don't wanna do it, but it would be really good. We could have you start after the new year starts," he suggested, his voice laced with earnestness as he searched for a way to help his daughter.

      Clementine stared down at her wrapped arms, her mind clouded with a tumult of emotions. She remained silent for a moment, grappling with Caleb's proposal. "When can I just go home? How long have I been here?" she finally asked, her voice tinged with weariness as she sought some semblance of normalcy.

      Caleb sighed, his heart aching for his daughter's suffering. "You can go home tomorrow. You've already been here for two days. You've been in and out of consciousness," he explained gently, his gaze softening as he observed Clementine's fragile state.

       Clementine nodded, absorbing the information with resignation. She felt Caleb's gaze lingering on her, his unspoken concern weighing heavily in the air. "Dad, I'll do the therapy," she breathed out, her voice barely above a whisper as she made a hesitant commitment.

       Relief washed over Caleb at Clementine's words, a glimmer of hope flickering in his eyes as he pulled her into a tender embrace. "Thank you, Clem. That means a lot to me," he murmured, his voice thick with emotion as he reluctantly released her and rose from the hospital bed.

       As Caleb prepared to leave the room, he turned to Clementine with a tentative smile. "Are you up for guests? Miguel's here," he offered, hoping to lift her spirits with the company of her friend.

      Clementine shrugged, her thoughts still weighed down by the events of the past few days. "Sure," she replied quietly, her gaze fixed on the door as her dad exited the room, leaving her alone with her thoughts once more.

      Clementine lounged in her hospital bed, idly gazing out the window, her mind preoccupied with thoughts swirling like a storm. Suddenly, she was jolted out of her reverie by Miguel's familiar voice.

     "Hey, short-stack," Miguel's voice echoed in her ears, pulling her attention away from the window. Clementine shot him a playful glare, her lips curling into a smirk.

     "That's not nice, cripple," she fired back with a sarcastic tone, her eyes dancing with mischief. Miguel wheeled over to her in his wheelchair, a mischievous glint in his eyes. He lightly smacked her arm, and Clementine winced in pain.

     "Hey! Ow! My arms are not in good shape, you know!" she protested, pulling her arm away from Miguel's reach. Miguel's expression softened, his concern etched across his features.

     "No more hospital visits, Clem! First me, Demetri, then you, now Alison? No more," Miguel scolded, his tone firm but laced with worry. Clementine's eyes widened at the mention of Alison's name, her concern immediately piqued.

     "Alison!? What happened to Ali? Before I left, I put her to bed. She was upset and crying, yelled at me to leave. What happened?" Clementine's voice trembled with worry as she awaited Miguel's response, her heart pounding in her chest.

     Miguel bit his lip nervously, a flicker of hesitation crossing his features. He assumed Clementine was already aware of the events that had transpired.

     "She... She had a mental breakdown too. Hawk came over to apologize, and they got into an argument. When they saw ambulances, Alison ran over, followed by Hawk. When Alison saw you, she had a heart attack, and it got worse, leading to surgery," Miguel explained, his voice tinged with sorrow as he recounted the distressing events.

     Clementine gasped in shock, her hands trembling as she pushed herself up in bed, her eyes wide with disbelief.

     "What? Oh my god. Is—Is she okay?" Clementine's voice faltered as she struggled to process the gravity of the situation, her concern for Alison palpable.

     Miguel nodded quickly, his expression filled with reassurance. "Yes. Yes! She's fine, Clem. She's awake and will be in the hospital for a month or so. She doesn't want any visitors. Hawk came by last night, and she threw a vase at him," Miguel explained, a hint of amusement tugging at the corners of his lips.

    Clementine let out a soft giggle, a faint smile gracing her lips. "Good, Hawk deserves it after what he did," she remarked, her disdain for Hawk evident in her tone. Miguel frowned, his curiosity getting the better of him.

    "What did he-" Miguel's words were cut off by the sound of Alison's voice calling out Clementine's name, drawing their attention back to the present moment. "Clementine?"

Clementine's heart skipped a beat as she heard Alison's voice, her worry intensifying at the sound. "Ali, are you okay?" she called out, her voice tinged with concern as she scanned the room for any signs of distress.

Alison slowly made her way into the room, her gaze fixed on Clementine as she approached. "I'm okay, Clem. Just a little sore," she reassured her, her voice soft but filled with exhaustion.

Clementine let out a sigh of relief, her shoulders relaxing slightly at Alison's words. "Thank goodness. I was so worried about you," she admitted, her voice filled with genuine concern as she reached out to take Alison's hand.

Alison offered her a weak smile, her eyes reflecting gratitude as she squeezed Clementine's hand gently. "I know. Thank you for being there for me, Clem," she murmured, her voice barely above a whisper as she sank into the nearby chair.

Miguel watched the exchange with a mixture of relief and concern, his gaze shifting between Clementine and Alison. "I'll leave you two alone. I'll be outside if you need anything," he offered, giving them a small smile before wheeling himself out of the room.

Clementine turned back to Alison, her heart heavy with emotion as she took in her friend's tired appearance. "I'm just glad you're okay, Ali. We're gonna get through this together," she promised, her voice filled with determination as she squeezed Alison's hand reassuringly.

Their laughter filled the room, a much-needed moment of levity in the midst of their worries and troubles.

"Clem, I'm sorry for being a jerk and getting all in my head over a boy that I just met. I broke it off with him after he broke Demetri's arm. He tried to apologize two nights ago, and I told him it's either me or Cobra Kai. He said both. Then I saw you—and then, everything came down around me and—and I ended up here and last night, I woke up and Hawk told me about you and I told him to get out and he wouldn't leave, so I threw a vase at him and—" Alison rambled, her words tumbling out in a rush as she tried to explain the chaotic series of events that led her to the hospital.

Clementine couldn't help but burst into laughter at Alison's candid confession. "Ali, it's okay. I should've been supportive and I wasn't. This was like your first crush ever. You're a hopeless romantic with high standards and I shouldn't have been so mean about you and him even if I hate him," Clementine apologized, her laughter slowly subsiding as she spoke.

Alison smiled gratefully at Clementine, a weight lifting off her shoulders as she received her friend's understanding and forgiveness. "Thanks, Clem. I guess we both need to work on our relationship choices," she quipped, a playful twinkle in her eyes as she leaned back in her hospital bed.

Clementine chuckled, nodding in agreement. "Definitely. But at least we have each other to figure it out," she replied, a sense of camaraderie and solidarity settling between them as they shared a moment of mutual understanding and support.

Alison sighed, the exhaustion evident in her voice as she announced her departure. "It's late, I'm gonna head back to my room. Good night, Clem," she said, a tired smile on her lips. Clementine returned the sentiment with a warm smile of her own, watching as Alison made her way out of the room.

Just as the door closed behind Alison, a nurse entered, breaking the peaceful atmosphere. "You have a call from Robby Keene at the Juvenile Detention Center," she informed Clementine before swiftly exiting the room. Clementine's brows furrowed in confusion at the unexpected news. Robby Keene? What could he want?

Despite the ache in her body, Clementine reached for the telephone on the nightstand, wincing slightly as pain shot through her. With a mixture of curiosity and apprehension, she accepted the call. "Hello?" she greeted tentatively, unsure of what to expect on the other end of the line.

"Clem!? Oh my god, you're okay." Robby's voice, filled with relief and worry, flooded through the receiver. Clementine's heart skipped a beat at the sound of his voice. "I saw the news and I've been so worried about you. I've been trying to call, but every time I did, they said you were still not awake."

Clementine scoffed lightly, her disbelief evident in the tone of her voice. "Now you want to talk to me? No way. Not because of this," she snapped, her frustration boiling over as she ended the call with a sharp slam of the phone down onto the nightstand. Turning away from the phone, she rolled onto her side, her gaze fixated on the rain-soaked window.

The rhythmic patter of raindrops against the glass provided a soothing backdrop to Clementine's swirling thoughts. With each passing moment, her mind raced with questions and emotions, a storm of uncertainty brewing within her. What did Robby want from her now? And why had he chosen this moment to reach out?

As she lay there, watching the rain cascade down the windowpane, Clementine couldn't shake the feeling of betrayal that lingered in the air. Despite the turmoil raging inside her, one thing was certain – she wasn't ready to face Robby, not now, not like this.

ASH SPEAKS!

im hoping i can get this book close to being done before season six comes out!