The window blew open, making his eyes shoot open. The night was gleaming with the moonshine of the full moon that calmly sat in the sky as the wind whistled harshly.
He tries to sit up, but his wounded arms are hindering his goal so he returns to laying down. A short minute later, he hears a footstep and a short burst of panic, he sits up. He sucks in a breath as pain hits him sharply.
"Don't move." A familiar voice speaks and he turns his head to see Irene near the door to the room, leaning against the wall. He nods and lays back down, mostly because the boy could not sit up for too long without hurting himself.
"My brother told me what happened. Why didn't you wake me when you arrived?" She questions in an indifferent tone as she makes her way to the left side of the bed where the chair and nightstand sat.
Ethan opened his mouth to speak and what came out was his raspy and unused voice. "I didn't want to wake you…" He trailed off as he leaned against the pillow behind him, feeling unendlessly frustrated on how he could not move his arms no matter how hard he had tried to lift them.
She did not respond and sat in the chair beside the bed, crossing her legs and arms. "When are you being released?" She asks.
Ethan stares at her for a moment, trying to understand her intentions or motives was a must. She had never spoke this long to him before when not provoked in a screaming match. Nevertheless he felt glad at this strange twist of events.
"In about a week." He mumbles in response, rubbing his sore throat uncousiously. Irene goes silent before she stands up, the howling wind blowing the curtains behind her.
"Water, I can fetch it." She breathes before walking out the room. Oh, Ethan felt tired. He was awoken in the middle of the night after going through a horrible ziplining experience.
He just had to rest his eyes for a bit, after all how could he possibly do anything with these broken arms anyhow? He closed his eyes and entered a nice sleep, smelling the lingering fragrance of Irene's perfume.
At the strike of noon, the smell of a familiar perfume fills his nose as the bird's melody plays wonders in his ear. He pried his eyelids open and he was met with the look of the white ceiling in front of him which was illuminated by the breath of the sun.
"You're awake." A pleasant voice mutters and Ethan smiles slightly. Maybe being in the hospital wasn't so bad indeed? Oh, but being unable to move his arms was the worse, you feel entirely helpless.
The slight scoff and hiss in her tone was so familiar and nice to Ethan's ears, he decided. He managed to worm his way up and into a slight sittng position against the cotton pillow behind him.
Irene sat at the bedside on the wooden seat with a platter on the nightstand that held kiwis. Irene was peeling them with a pocket knife, her gaze solely focused on the task in front of her dull brown eyes.
He had observed the pair of iresis that of which, seemed duller by the dark bags that sat under each eye. Had she not been sleeping?
"Are you hungry?" She mumbles, cutting some kiwi into bits. Ethan could not deny that his stomach was starting to eat itself and some kiwi sounded deliciously fine about the moment. "Yes, I am." He manages to say and he tries to lift one of his useless arms, but it appears that won't be happening.
"Here…" She trails off, holding a fork with kiwi stabbed on it near his lips. He feels his cheeks heat up only a bit as she holds the acidic fruit near his mouth. Ah, his pride. He doesn't let that get in the way from enjoying his fruit so he allows her to feed him the slice of kiwi into his mouth, her pulling the fork back when he bites down on the slice.
"This tastes really good considering how much I've been sleeping. More, please." He says softly, swallowing shortly after and parting his lips to allow her to continue feeding him.
The exchange was awkward yet pleasing to Ethan.
"That's all the kiwi. Do you want more?" She says, taking the plate and standing up. He shakes his head and opens his mouth to speak, "please st—" The door opens and Priscilla rushes in in a noticeable hurry.
"Oh, Ethan! I came as fast as I could once I heard the news." She breathes, running past Irene and to his bedside, grabbing his limp hand in both of hers. Irene silently walks out of the room with the plate in her hand.
Ethan smiles weakly, "I appreciate your concern, really." He replies, unable to hold her hand back so he offers a smile. Priscilla smiles back before letting go of his hand and reaching into the sachel that hung on her side.
"Here, I brought you some apples. I heard you broke both your arms so I'll peel them for you." She says as she takes out a pocket knife. Ethan would stop her and say he already ate when Irene fed him but she went through all this trouble to get him apples.
"Ahh, open wide." She smiles widely as she holds an apple slice up to his mouth. He eats the apples obediently but he must say, it did not have as much of an effect as when Irene fed him.
Her perfume was drowned out by Priscilla's, which smelt nice. But the earthy smell lingered and he wished to smell it more.
"Ethan, I was worried. Jack couldn't come because he had a game today, but I'm so glad you're alright." She explains, sitting on his bedside. Ethan smiles in return, the boy was grateful she felt worried for him.
"You've got scratch marks all over your face. Oh, I knew those twins were trouble. Especially Irene." Priscilla huffs under her breath, digging into her sachel.
"Why was she in here with you? Probably to threaten or ridicule you. Ryder told everyone what happened, she put you up to play on that hill and hurt yourself, didn't she?" Priscilla says in an accusing tone of voice, crossing her arms.
Ethan frowns as Prisilla's Greenfield's words. That's mighty accusatory given Priscilla was not known to talk bad about others. What provoked her to say such things about Irene? Ethan wondered.
"Well, no, not quite. She did not provoke me to do anything of the sorts." He responds softly, looking away from her and his green eyes take sudden interest in the closed window.
"Oh, Ethan, you shan't stick up for her. She's manipulating you, must be!" She replies stubbornly while she pulls out a fork and knife perhaps for the apples.
"No, Priscilla. That's not the case, I believe." He mutters under her breath, making her tilt her head in question to what was muttered.
"Anyhow, I'll have to keep an eye on her to make sure she doesn't do anything. Oh, wasn't she just here? Where did she go?" Priscilla questions, looking around the white room before shrugging and smiling at Ethan.
"I guess you will be out for the rest of the break, huh?" She asks softly. Ethan nods, "appears to be so, i'm afraid."
"I hope you get better." She leans down and pecks his scratched cheek before swiftly standing up and leaving him alone in the room.
His cheeks flare slightly and he looks at the door she left out of in surprise. A kiss on the cheek? That was new.