Mr. Popular and I

Chapter Eighteen - Hope and Hospitals

Heeeeeyooooooo;)

Happy reading! xoxo

Lea

         The engine dies, and so does my stomach.

         There is obviously something River isn't telling me, yet I'm quite afraid even to open my mouth again and ask him: Why on earth are we at a hospital?

         "Come on then." He says gently, though it manages to startle me in my seat. Even since I saw the hospital sign, I've been tense. When he said he was going to take me somewhere, this wasn't even on the list of places I imagined.

         My eyes lock with his and humor fills his expression because of the way I jolt in my seat. He most definitely thinks I'm a freak; he has seen me do too many unusual things that have not aided me in making a good impression. 

         To be honest, he probably thinks your E.T.

         "Are you sure you want me to come down with you?" I ask quietly, fiddling with my fingers in anticipation for his response. 

       Maybe it's something personal, and he was in a rush but felt rude leaving me in the car. 

       He smiles, presenting a kind look in his eyes, "trust me, I wouldn't have brought you here if I didn't want you to come with me."          

         "Okay," I say, racking my brain of all the possible reasons why we're here. 

         Is he ill? Or is he just visiting someone here? Why bring me along?

         "Let's go," he opens his door and steps out into the afternoon sunshine.

         I do the same, adjusting my (a.k.a Georgia's) designer jacket, before shutting the car door and turning to face River. Due to his length, his chest, shoulders, and head are all visible over the roof of the car. However, I have to tiptoe to see him. When I study his face, it's not the same face I was admiring in the cafe. Instead, he looks quite pained and distant-minded as he locks the door. Then, he looks over at me, careful to replace the expression with a softer one, but I still caught it. 

         "You ready?" He asks, burying the keys into his pocket.

         "You're asking me that as if something bad is going to happen," I reply, rounding the head of the car.

         "Well, we are at a hospital," he gives a forced smile. "Come on." He says, turning away from the car and walking towards the entrance of the hospital with his hands hidden in his jean pockets. I tail closely behind him as we weave through the cars, but once we're on the pavement, his steps slow down so that we're walking side-by-side.

         "Wait," River suddenly says, halting in his tracks and turning to me. "You're not afraid of hospitals, are you?" His tall figure towers over me as I too take a stand beside him.

         "No, I mean, they're not the nicest of places, but if you want to be a doctor, you sort of have to get used to them, right?" I say, making the corners of his mouth tug upwards to relay my what-can-I-do expression. 

        "Yeah, I've definitely gotten used to them," he mumbles under his breath before slowly taking off towards the entrance. 

         Does he come here a lot? Is that why he's gotten used to them?