Love Heals All (3 page)

Autumn

Doctors are officially
annoying. Why do they have to ask so many stupid questions? They even asked me what my favorite color was. . . . Jonah started laughing at that. It was pretty funny, though.

“Okay, Autumn, you're doing much better,” the doctor said. “You had a concussion. We'll continue to limit your activity: no physical exertion, no playing sports. And you'll have to limit any activities that require you to think or concentrate, like playing video games, reading, texting, and so forth. If the concussion symptoms last through the summer, we may have to delay your first day of school. You'll need to be put on medication, which I'll prescribe. Do you have any questions?”

“What? What about FAM Tour? And cheerleading? I have to get on a team before school starts!” I said, and began bawling into Hayes's chest.

“FAM Tour should be fine—you'll just have to take it easy. But I don't know about cheerleading. We'll have to see.”

Why does this have to happen to me? First I go into a coma, then I come out of a coma and find out I had a concussion. This is great, just great.

Just then, a gorgeous girl about Cameron's age walked into the room. “Autumn . . . ?” she said. I looked up at her. “I'm your sister.”

“What?” I said in confusion. I looked over at my mom, who had returned from New York and was sitting next to my bed, my face showing many different emotions.

“Explain, now!” I knew I wasn't being polite, but I needed answers. Everyone left the room to give us our privacy.

After a tearful moment, my mother spoke. “Autumn, this is Ella, your sister. Your father and I could not afford to raise two children when you were born, and we couldn't just give up a baby, so we sent Ella off to live with your aunt . . . Ella can tell you the rest . . .” I looked over at this girl who was supposedly my sister, my eyes filled with questions.

She coughed awkwardly. “I left for Florida to live with our aunt Kate, and then she sent me off to boarding school. Senior year, I was thinking about coming back to California, but then I got a scholarship for college and didn't come. But when Aunt Kate told me about what happened to you, and I felt I really had to see you again.”

“See me again?” I was utterly confused.

“When we were little, we used to be really close.” She smiled.

“Wow. So I'm not an only child . . . ?” I was angry with my mother and father for not telling me that I had a sister.

“Autumn, I'm sorry. Your father and I—” Mom started toward me.

“No, don't come any closer. I don't want you to touch me. Who knows what else you've lied about,” I said.

“Autumn, don't do this. We can work this ou—”

“Get out! Now! I need to clear my head. Come back when you're done lying to my face!” I yelled. My mother walked out the door, tears streaming down her face.

I know I seemed harsh, but she
lied
to me. Thirteen years of my life she told me I was an only child, and I had believed her.

Cameron

I can't even
comprehend the fact that Ella is here. When she first left, I cried every night for five years. She had been my best friend. After that was when Autumn and I got close. I treated her like I had treated Ella.

She reminded me so much of Ella every day—her hair, her smile, her personality. But if Ella hadn't left, I would've never gotten close to Autumn, so I'm kind of thankful for that. Although, if I could go back and change everything, I would do it in a heartbeat.

Autumn's crying into my chest right now. I feel so bad for her. Miranda got rid of practically everything that had to do with Ella. All of the pictures of Ella and her are locked up in a safe, and all the pictures of Ella and me are in my mom's room. Well, all except for the one, which Autumn thinks is actually a picture of her.

“Is that picture in your room of you and Ella?”

“Yeah. Sorry I didn't tell you, Auts. I just didn't want anything to get between us.”

“It's all right, Cammy. I don't want anything to get in between us, either.”

I just hugged her tighter after that.

Hayes

I feel so
confused about what's going on right now. Autumn's sister just left the room, and Cameron is sitting with Autumn. What hurts the most is that I want to be the one to hold her and comfort her. I want to be the one to tell her at the worst times that it'll be okay. I know it's kind of selfish, but what can I do?

We're all just sitting here, and everyone's upset. Then Autumn raises her head and looks at me. I stare right back, of course. That goes on for about five minutes, and then she says, “Hayes, can I talk to you alone?”

Oh gosh, this better be good. It hasn't been the best day for any of us.

“Uh, y-yeah, s-s-sure,” I stuttered. I did not mean for the words to come out like that.

“I promise, it won't be bad,” she reassured me as my mom, Will, and Sky walked out of the room. Phew.

“Oh,” I said. She just giggled, and then turned serious. Uh-oh, she's never serious.

She waved me over to sit with her on her bed. I walked over and sat down. Right when I sat down, she did the most magical thing ever. She kissed me. Autumn Brown kissed
me
, Hayes Grier.

I immediately kissed her back and put my hand on her waist. You could hear screaming and cameras clicking in the hallway. She then smiled into the kiss and started laughing. I did, too.

That was the most magical moment ever. Fireworks
everywhere
. It's like we were at Disney World or something.

“I love you, Autumn.”

“I love you, too, Hayes.”

I smiled and kissed her again.

Autumn

“I love you,
Autumn.”

He loves me. He actually does love me. And I love him, too. He's the best thing that's ever happened to me.

“I love you, too, Hayes.” We kissed again. I'm so overjoyed.

“I know this isn't the best place or the best time, but that doesn't matter. What matters is you and me. Autumn, I've loved you from day one. I love everything about you—from your hair to your eyes to your smile to your personality. And your adorable laugh, and your braces, and your pretty little glasses that you have no reason to hate!” He smiled at me while I blushed.

“What I'm trying to say is: Autumn Nicole Brown, would you do the honor of being my beautiful girlfriend?” Hayes asked nervously.

My face lit up with a smile. “I would be honored to be your girlfriend, Hayes.”

Hayes

She said yes.
She actually said yes!

“Yes!” I jumped up and did this weird happy dance. She was smiling and laughing. It was pretty funny and stupid, if you ask me.

Then all the guys walked—more like ran—back into the room and hugged Aut and me.

“Congrats, guys!” they all said.

“Thanks!” we said. I walked over to Autumn and put my arm around her. She's actually mine now.

“If you hurt her, you're dead meat, Hayes,” Cameron said with a serious face.

“Ditto!” all the other guys said.

“I wouldn't dream of it,” I told them, looking into her eyes. She blushed and shoved her head against my shoulder.

“Aww, look! Baby girl's blushing!” Jonah screamed.

“Jonah, shut up! And I told you not to call me that!” she yelled, and threw yet another water bottle at him. But this time it hit him in the balls. Everyone started laughing.

“TORTURE! PURE TORTURE! And that's my nickname for you!” He lay on the ground, pouting. Everyone was still laughing, but we had to be quiet because a nurse came in to tell us to quiet down.

“Where did Mom and Will go?” I asked Nash. They weren't in the room, and Sky was sitting on Autumn's lap. They're like two peas in a pod.

“They went to Chick-fil-A to sneak us in some food. It's almost lunchtime,” he said.

I looked at my phone and saw it was almost one p.m. Dang, time goes by fast when you're having fun.

“Real food! We don't have to eat that fake slop that's in the cafeteria!” Autumn screamed. The nurse came in again and told us we needed to change rooms because we are being too loud. Other patients were complaining. Um . . . oops?

So, while they assigned Autumn to a new room, we had the task of getting her into a wheelchair. The guys plus a wheelchair: not a good combination. Let's just say Security had to wheel Autumn to her room instead of the guys. Autumn had to take medication for the pounding headache the guys gave her, and I was very stressed out.

Autumn

Why couldn't Hayes
have just wheeled me to my room like a normal person? Not running Sky and me around the hospital hallways like a lunatic. Poor Sky must have a pretty bad headache and a stomachache like me. We're just lying here watching
Cinderella
on Netflix that we don't have to pay for.

“Autumn?” Sky said, in her adorable little four-year-old voice.

“Hmmm?” I asked.

“Will you stay with us forever?”

“What do you mean?”

“Like, will you be here while I grow up? And will you still be in love with Hayes and be my big sissy?”

“Aww, Sky! I'll always be your big sister, no matter what happens. And hopefully, Hayes and I will be together forever and always.”

“I want you guys to be forever and always like Cinderella and Prince Charming!”

“Yeah! Just like Cinderella and Prince Charming!” I kissed her forehead, and she snuggled up into my side and fell asleep.

“We'll be together forever and always. I'll make sure of it.”

I looked behind me and saw Hayes leaning against the door. I blushed. “Did you hear that whole thing?”

“Yeah. You're so good with Sky. I don't get how she warmed up to you so fast. She barely warms up to people she's known for three months, not three weeks! You're perfect, Autumn!”

“Well, I wouldn't say perfect, but Sky and I do have a really tight bond. I would do anything for her,” I said, looking down at the sleeping beauty at my side.

“You're perfect to me,” he whispered in my ear.

I patted the seat next to Sky, and he sat down and cuddled with us. I'm cuddled up with two of my favorite people right now. What could be better? I then felt my eyes getting heavier and heavier. Then I was in a dreamland, with Hayes and Skylynn right by my side.

Hayes

Autumn is so
good with Skylynn. It may not seem like it on Vine, but Sky is the shyest person I have ever met. She's even shy with me sometimes, and I'm her own brother.

It's cute how they always do stuff together, and they are inseparable. I like it that way, too. It's nice to know your little sister loves your girlfriend almost as much as you do. Yes, I said almost. No one, and I mean
no one
, loves her more than me.

I noticed that Autumn was asleep. She's so beautiful inside and out. I felt my eyes get droopy, too, and then all I could see was darkness.

Nash

The guys and
I walked into Autumn's room, seeing the cute couple cuddled up with Sky on Autumn's hospital bed. That just makes me miss Shaelyn more than I already do.

You see, Shaelyn is my girlfriend. We met at FAM Tour, of all places. She had VIP passes, so we took a photo together. Then later I was walking around looking for the bathroom and I saw these girls bullying Shaelyn, saying she was ugly and to stay away from me. They kept throwing punches at her and kicking her. Of course, being the kindhearted person I am, I took her to my hotel room and helped her through it all. I cleaned up all her wounds, and we watched movies the rest of the night to get her mind off of things.

But the downside of it all is that she lives in a small town in Canada, so I don't get to see her as much as I would like to. It's hard not getting to see your girlfriend of eight months on a daily basis. It's really horrible. She used to self-harm, and that made it even harder. I absolutely
hate
that. I'm so glad that I was there for her and we talked it through and she realized self-harm can never be the answer. Thank God she stopped. But with all the “fans” out there who are mean and bully the ones we love, I will be there for her, because I don't want her to go through that ever again.

I decided to go outside and call her.

Shaelyn

Hi, I'm Shaelyn.
I'm fifteen years old and I live near Toronto, Canada. I have strawberry-blond hair and blue-green eyes. I love going on long walks in the farmlands, since I don't have a penny board. Sorry, don't kill me! I'm about five feet five, and I've been dating Nash Grier for eight months. Yes, the Nash Grier with 10.7 million followers on Vine! I love him so much. He's just my perfect match. We do everything together, when we actually get to see each other. It's hard having a long-distance relationship, but love doesn't know what distance is.

I was watching
Catfish
with my golden retriever, Diamond, when I got a phone call. It was Nash! I immediately picked it up because I wanted to see how Hayes's girlfriend was doing.

Shaelyn:
NASH! How's Autumn?!

Nash:
Thanks, Shae, no “Hey babe, how ya doin'?” or “Hey Nash! I miss you!”

Shaelyn:
Well, you're not the one in the hospital or I would be there with you now, wouldn't I?

Nash:
I miss you, babe.

Shaelyn:
I miss you, too, Nashy.

He sounds like he's about to cry and I already have a couple of tears sliding down my face.

Nash:
Don't cry. We'll see each other in a couple of weeks, I promise. We're all going to Canada with Daniel. I'll make sure we see each other.

By now we were both full-on crying.

Shaelyn:
Okay, I can't cry anymore. What happened with Autumn? Is her head doing okay? Are she and Hayes going steady? I know it's only been one day since they got together, but they are
so adorable
!

Nash:
SHAE, CALM DOWN! Autumn's head is fine, but she has a concussion. She and Hayes are fine, they're actually sleeping with Sky right now.

Shaelyn:
Aww, how sweet! I wish Sky would talk to me more. . . . How are my boys? Are they good? They better be treating my girls well!

Nash:
They are all fine! They're doing well, but we haven't all been taking the “news” well. And what are you talking about, Shaelyn? Sky always talks to you!

Shaelyn:
Not a lot, and what “news”?

Nash:
I'll tell you when I see you. . . . It's a lot to take in.

Shaelyn:
Okay, I guess. Well, what about you? How are
you
taking everything? And be honest with me, Nash.

Nash:
It's hard. She's like my little sister. I can't see her go through this. It hurts me to know she's going through it. I'm just gonna tell you this now. She has a long-lost sister. Her parents always told her she was an only child! I'm furious! No one does that to a child! She cried for three hours
straight
! I just want you here with me. You make everything better!

I can hear him bawling through the phone. I can't believe Autumn has a sister she's never met. I don't even know this girl, but I feel like I've known her my whole life. I gotta help him through this.

Shaelyn:
I'm coming down there.

Nash

She's coming! My
baby's coming! She's gonna help me through this! This is what a devoted girlfriend does. And that's what I love about our relationship. We are devoted in everything we do.

Nash:
Come as fast as you can! Please?

Shaelyn:
How about tomorrow?

Nash:
Perfect.

Shaelyn:
Perfect.

Nash:
I gotta go. The guys said Autumn wants me for something. I'll call you tonight. I love you so much, Shaelyn!

Shaelyn:
Love you more, Nash!

Then we hung up. I was probably running to Autumn's room. I barged in and everyone was staring at me. I didn't care. I was elated!

“Shaelyn's coming!” I screeched.

“Yes, another girl!” Autumn and Skylynn yelled, then high-fived.

Autumn started holding her head, then put her head on Hayes's shoulder and let a few tears slip. He then started rubbing her back and whispering soothing things into her ear.

Autumn

My head throbs
as though my heart is in my head. I just want to die and all this pain to go away.

I put my head on Hayes's shoulder and accidentally let a few tears slip. Ugh, no, I
hate
crying! It's just not my style! I like making everyone happy even when I'm not happy. I hate when people see me sad.

“Aww, baby girl, don't cry! You'll get through all of this, and we'll be here every step of the way! Right, guys?” Jonah said.

“Yeah,” “Duh,” “You know it,” “Why wouldn't we” came the chorus of voices.

“Of course. We'll all be here for you, left and right. All of us!” Cam said.

“Thanks, guys! It really means a lot!” I said back to them.

“I
especially
would do anything for you,” Hayes whispered into my ear. I sat up and kissed his cheek, then lay back down.

“AWW!” all the guys chorused.

“There are way too many ‘awws' today!” Sky said.

“You took the words right out of my mouth, hon!” I told her. She just smiled up at me.

Me, Hayes, and Skylynn are all still snuggled up on my bed together. I think it's cute because we kind of look like a little family, although we are
way
too young, but maybe in the future.

“When am I getting out of here?” I asked.

“In three days. The doctors just want to make sure you're all right before they release you,” Elizabeth answered.